Hargrave Debuts Innovative New *Disappearing Raised Pilothouse* Design
Hargrave Custom Yachts has long sought
to drive home to the motoryacht-buying public how far customers can go to “personalize”
the boats they build. Nothing dramatizes the point better than this innovative new
design concept which looks like a raised deck pilothouse motoryacht on the outside,
but on the inside does not waste valuable main deck real estate as do conventional
pilothouse configurations. According to Hargrave owner Mike Joyce, “This boat was
designed to be handled by a husband and wife,” and is equipped with everything a
cruising couple will need. To see more pictures of the world’s first “disappearing
raised pilothouse.”
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Hargrave’s new 84 pilothouse design is the first ever open to the salon and galley. The beautiful lines of a raised pilothouse are much admired by yachtsmen. Photos by Dana Jenkins. |
There are few things in this world that look more pleasing to a power yachtsman
than a raised pilothouse flushdeck motoryacht. Owning one is the sign you have arrived.
Yet, as beautiful as they are, they have one unpleasant drawback – they waste from
200 to 300 sq. ft. on the main deck. That space under the “raised pilothouse” typically
has about 40” of headroom and is used to store soda, canned goods and may hold some
electrical panels. Invariably it makes either the dining area and main salon smaller,
or the galley smaller, or both areas smaller.
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Actual visibility from the helm is better than it appears in this photo due to the angle. Get aboard at the Lauderdale show and see for yourself. Photos by Dana Jenkins. |
It Takes 100’ –
In order to have appropriately-sized living spaces on the main deck, heretofore
raised deck pilothouses could only be put on boats of about 100’ or more. Yet, Hargrave
has customers that want the pilothouse look, but in a size range where a man and
wife can easily handle the boat. What to do?
A New Idea –
That is the genesis of the “disappearing raised pilothouse.” When you go inside
the boat – it disappears. In its place you have a huge open galley with dinette
and salon, using every square foot of the main deck. On what amounts to a landing
of the companionway to the flying bridge is the inside helm, complete with all of
the navigational screens, instruments and controls one needs.
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The large dinette table forward of the galley receives plenty of light through the windshield. Photos by Dana Jenkins. |
Increasingly couples are looking for boats that can be handled by an owner-operator,
with provision for crew only on long passages. Mike Joyce told us that the new 84,
Mar Azul, is equipped with bow and stern thrusters, cameras all over the boat, remote
steering and warping winches -- all to make boat handling and docking comfortable
for two people. “In addition to that,” Joyce told us, “we put everything we could
think of on this boat – she is loaded.”
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Bird’s eye view of the galley from the helm. The chef can easily pass up lunch to the helmsman. Photos by Dana Jenkins. |
“We wanted to build a boat with the room of a 100’ yacht for people who don’t want
to have a 100’ yacht,” Mike Joyce said. “By creating this design we picked up the
15’ of normally wasted space under the raised pilothouse – that’s what gives us
the space that before you could get only in a 100-footer,” he said.
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View from the salon looking forward. A conventional pilothouse would obstruct the views and waste precious space. Photos by Dana Jenkins. |