THE YACHTIES’ NEW MOTOR YACHT
Wide spaces and the inter-flow of cockpit and saloon dominate the living area on the new Upfold Elite 13.6m sedan motoryacht. Rebecca Hayter goes for a cruise on the simply delightful Domino.
One of the most enhancing additions to motoryacht design over the last two decades has been the ability to open up almost full-width space between the cockpit and galley/saloon. Simply, a large aft window between the interior and the cockpit either slides down into a partial bulkhead or hinges up to the ceiling while the adjacent door, which has no pillar, is secured in the open position.
With much of the structure conveniently taken care of elsewhere, the interior and cockpit become one: an open-air flourish to the boat’s living space. Bill Upfold of Elite Marine Design introduced the concept 20 years ago and it’s still a favourite with his clients. I’m calling it the inter-flow cockpit.
But that’s not the only reason people are talking about Domino. For too long, boat décor has been dominated by neutrals, but Domino dares to be bold. In this husband and wife team, she loves colour and was chief designer in charge of Domino’s décor. He loves vintage and contributed some distinctive notes inspired by classic cars.
The result is a happy marriage of calm and refreshing decor.
But we’ll come back to that.
The owners are a mid-life husband and wife couple who were making the transition from 15 years’ yacht ownership to a motoryacht. They love sailing, but with a grown family and new additions likely, they wanted more volume for accommodation and more speed to extend their cruising grounds. Having decided on a motoryacht, they consulted with Upfold and canvassed their powerboat friends for input as well.
‘We went for a sedan because I don’t see the need for a flying bridge,’ says the husband. ‘So often you hear of a guy sitting up in a flying bridge all by himself and everyone else is downstairs. We love being outside so we liked the way the boat opens up between the inside and outside.’ They also appreciated that a sedan launch has a lower centre of gravity than a flybridge so it is more stable, as well as being easier to berth.
The owners decided on a single engine because, as their friends pointed out: who needs a cruising speed of 27 knots and up to 33 knots top speed? Not this couple.
They were happy to cruise at 10 knots, with up to 18 knots available if required, and so they agreed with Upfold’s recommendation: a sistership to the 13.6m Upfold Elite sedan, Virago.
Upfold’s 13.6m, 11-tonne sedan hull has a fine entry with a single planing strake below the waterline. Upfold describes it as a warped-vee planing hull, with diminishing deadrise to the transom. That’s a nice bit of naval architectural-speak, but what does it mean in real life?
‘I believe it creates the most efficient shape for its speed range of 14 to 25 knots,’ Upfold says, and since Domino is hull number 86 in his design portfolio, his theory is well-tested. ‘It’s got a fine entry and a deep vee forward to get the boat through a head sea. Then it becomes flatter aft where the boat planes. You don’t want too much vee aft as the boat can become tender at rest and underway.’
Our day on the water was lovely for a boat picnic, not so great for testing rough water performance, so, hypothetically speaking, I asked Upfold how Domino would perform in a stiff sou-westerly in Colville Channel?
‘The fine entry is really good in a head sea,’ says Upfold. ‘It doesn’t thump or bang, but the entry mustn’t be so fine that the boat bow steers downhill. So there’s a happy medium. You’ve got to strike that balance so that the boat behaves well into a head sea, but equally well in a quartering or following sea.’
Balance is also required in a boat’s tracking abilities. ‘The rudder is balanced to counteract the effect of the propeller,’ says Upfold. ‘I started doing it a long time ago on single-screw boats; there’s a bead down the side of the rudder like an interceptor trim tab which balances the flow over the rudder to negate the influence of the propeller wash. It means that whichever way you steer – port or starboard – it requires the same amount of effort or rudder effect.’
The hull and rudder combination is a proven performer, resulting in a boat that is easy to handle and able to manage a range of conditions in coastal cruising. Domino features Zipwake tabs, which are useful for trimming down the bow in a short, sharp harbour chop.
Domino also has Upfold’s signature silent chines to negate chine slap at anchor. These chines also deflect spray when the boat’s underway. As he had for Virago, Upfold specified a Cummins 600hp, which would bring the boat on to the plane at around 13 knots and provide a top speed of 26-plus knots.
Domino was built over 14 months by Weber Marine at Gulf Harbour, Auckland. The construction was spec’d to be light, low-maintenance and cost-effective in a composite of timber, foam and fibreglass built over male frames. Weber Marine had also built the Upfold-designed 18m Elite Sportfisher Crazy Diamond and 16m Hijack, and has another Upfold 22m under construction.
‘At the Auckland Boat Show, people were blown away by the calibre of the finish,’ Upfold says. ‘You pay a premium for a custom build, but it’s still going to look like this in 20 years’ time and there won’t be any squeaks or groans underway.’
The choice of a single engine installation brought considerable savings over twin engines in the initial build cost and ongoing running costs. That allowed the owners to add items which would give them extended cruising, year-round. They added a 12V, 70 litre-per-hour Oceanflow water maker; a Wallas diesel heater; and solar panels on the coachroof. At Upfold’s insistence, the panels are hidden from view by a coaming.
Also on power generation, Domino has two alternators instead of a genset. ‘There’s an inverter and charger,’ says Upfold. ‘We selected lithium ion batteries because they have good capacity and you can run them flat without damaging them.’ The solar panels take care of power requirements in the marina, which saves on power bills.
VIBRANT AND VINTAGE
But let’s come back to that refreshingly different interior décor. The woman co-owner says she wanted Domino to feel comfy, inviting and uplifting. ‘It gives me pleasure when I walk in and that’s what I wanted to happen. It’s our home on water.’
She loves colour; he loves cool vintage design, especially relating to cars. She spied an olive green wool Bremworth carpet at the Design Centre in Parnell. He discovered a dark green leather and so the palette became forest greens teamed with lightly stained oak cabinetry and flooring, and a soft off-white for the interior walls. He produced a photo of a bench seat from a 1958 Gullwing Mercedes- Benz and asked if that could be replicated for the helm seat. ‘Easy,’ said Upfold. And could the owner also have a replica classic car steering wheel that he’d sourced from Classic Vintage Accessories? Yes, he could. Weber Marine manufactured an aluminium boss to mount it at the helmstation.
Weber Marine’s upholsterer, Willy Jones, created the retro-style seating with simple vertical stitching, as per classic cars. ‘We wanted to use leather because it wears well,’ the woman co-owner says. ‘If you spill something, you can just wipe it.’ And while they take good care of their boats, they can’t wait for the leather upholstery to acquire the patina of a well-loved classic car interior.
The green leather adorns the saloon settees to starboard, aft of the helmseat, and in a raised C-shape settee around the oak dining table to port. They used dark brown leather for the helmseat and console surround, for a mild contrast. The helmstation mostly features Garmin technology because it interfaces well with Cummins to display engine data on the chartplotter, which also displays depth sounder, radar and images of the anchoring system from the bow camera.
Thanks to Domino’s generous beam, space abounds, and the deliciously spec’d galley feels surprisingly big for a 13.6m motoryacht. Special features include an elegant cupboard for glassware and a full-size domestic Fisher and Paykel electric oven and induction hob. As often happens on boats, there is corner stowage that is accessible only by a top-loading locker. Traditionally, this would be a top-loading fridge or vegetable locker, but on Domino: Voila! Push a button, say abracadabra and a piece of cabinetry rises from the bench with a coffee maker and toaster ready to use for breakfast. They can then be lowered back into the bench, leaving the space available for the rest of the day. The secret ingredient is a lifting mechanism normally used for a television concealed in a cabinet.
Steps forward of the helm lead down to the accommodation which continues attractive use of colour. The owners’ cabin is for’ard with a queen-size island bed, including bed linen from Orla Kiely; plenty of stowage in wardrobes either side and large drawers under the berth, plus shelves for personal items.
The guest cabins are either side, with twin bunks to port which can be in-filled to create a double, and stacked berths to starboard. Two bathrooms service the three cabins; the doors can be managed in different ways to suit the distribution of guests.
A watertight bulkhead door in the starboard cabin provides access to the engine room which was designed by Upfold and fitted out by Marine Installations and Developments. As a single engine installation, the Cummins is easily accessible and, as with every Elite engine room, it’s painted white and immaculate. The engine start battery is close to the engine to minimise voltage loss. The house batteries are stored in the lazarette, where it’s a cooler environment.
Back on deck, the expansive cockpit and boarding platform extend the social-ability of the galley/saloon.
To port, L-shaped seating around a table provides al fresco dining. To starboard, a barbecue station includes a Dometic fridge/freezer, and drawers for utensils and condiments. The clever thinking continues beneath the starboard cockpit seat: a hatch lifts on struts to reveal
a row of bins for recycling, rubbish and food waste. More storage reveals dedicated, upright stowage of the outboard motor, along with bean bags, paddleboard and baitboard. The dinghy stows on the boarding platform, on staples and there are full wash-down facilities.
Every aspect of this boat feels as though it’s set up for simple, easy living. ‘The boat’s exterior lines are so simple and clean,’ says Upfold. ‘You wash it in about
10 minutes because it’s single level with no nooks or crannies.’ The foredeck is free of fittings as the anchor stows in the stem beneath the bow, and the anchor locker is concealed under the foredeck. Another nice touch, an all-round railing just above the gunwale provides extra safety in keeping people and gear inboard.
As long term yachties, the owners are adapting to the motorboat’s handling characteristics. ‘The yacht I could just spin it on a dime,’ the male co-owner says. ‘With
a launch, I had to learn, OK, we’re not going to do that.’ Luckily the bow thruster is there to help the boat wriggle into her berth as required.
The owners commissioned Domino with a long term view on family fun and it promises to deliver, with plenty of accommodation and living space somehow packed into a boat that is a manageable size. And we’re just loving the colourful décor, the twist of vintage and the inter-flow cockpit.
SPECIFICATIONS
Make & Model Upfold Elite 13.6m Sedan
Price as tested POA
Type Coastal Cruiser
Construction Composite
LOA 13.6m
Beam 4.4m
Draft 1.1m
Displacement 11,000kg
Engine Cummins QSC 600hp
Fuel Capacity 1100L
Water Capacity 900L, Watermaker
PERFORMANCE DATA
RPM FUEL SPEED RANGE L/NM
1600 22 10 448 2.2
1800 33 11.5 348 2.9
2000 42.4 13 307 3.3
2200 53 15.5 292 3.4
2400 68 18 265 3.8
2800 101 23.2 230 4.4
3050 128 27.1 212 4.7
