The SeaRanger Atlantic 50

The SeaRanger Atlantic 50 is a unique British-built motor yacht, designed by Bill Dixon as a modern alternative to the traditional cruising trawler yacht. It combines a very special hull design with a modern, yet timeless, external appearance. Robustly built throughout, SeaRanger 50 is designed and engineered to give excellent, safe performance in all weathers, with a built in solidity that ensures that she will retain her imposing good looks for years.

At lower speeds, the SeaRanger Atlantic 50 acts like a heavy displacement vessel. At high speed the hull planes but is uniquely stable, even in adverse weather. The independently audited performance and consumption figures in the table below show how the boat combines a top speed of 28 mph at one end of the performance scale, with miserly consumption at the other with a range just short of 900 miles.

A combination of exact weight distribution, trim prop and rudder dimensions combine to give the boat exceptional sea-keeping characteristics. It’s this combination of handing characteristics and a commitment to the highest standards in engineering, material specification and craftsmanship that gives the SeaRanger its appeal to boat owners who know they want the best in class.

Dixon’s hull form, designed for its sea-keeping qualities allows for extremely efficient use of its capacious internal volume, with little wasted space.

THE VISION

Designer Bill Dixon’s vision was to build a modern yacht for the 21st century. His aim was to emphasise safety, comfort and practicality in a boat only 50′ long and a crucial 16′ wide, so that six could travel in comfort but still find guest mooring easily for the skipper who wants to set sail with the sailing boats. The SeaRanger would be one of the few boats in which it would be perfectly safe to make passage single-handed.

SeaRanger is a boat that combines unparalleled performance at high and low speeds with a classical external appearance. A vessel created around a unique design that is robustly built to the highest standards and offers comfort, spaciousness and safety: an impressive balance of power and refinement to match much larger vessels.

THE DESIGN

Martin Latimer, the man behind the SeaRanger project, had sailed and sold hundreds of sailing and motor yachts as an agent for C Kip and Grandbanks. He felt that, size for size, the Corvette 32 was the best boat that he had ever taken to sea. A few minor issues and the fact that she was too small for comfortable extended cruising, led to a meeting with Bill Dixon, the world famous yacht designer, and a decade of development.

The SeaRanger’s hull is unconventional, to say the least. It has an underwater cross-section rather like an old wide-rimmed soup bowl. The shape is relatively flat across the keel bottom, then works its way quite steeply up towards the chine before flattening out again. This modified semi-displacement form allows for speeds up to the high 20s, but without falling foul of a conventional keel, which can make the hull twitch if pushed too hard.

Another advantage is that there is plenty of boat sitting in the water at lower speeds, but there is still a measure of efficient planing area. This gives a uniform amount of lift, so the vessel will not fall into a hole with an adverse amount of trim, even at 11-12 knots.

Ease of getting around is a key perk of the SeaRanger. Moving around the boat is effortless, particularly when it’s rough or when you are carrying food to the bridge.

The wide teak side decks have a gate so it’s easy to hop off and tie the boat down. At displacement speeds, there is plenty of hull in the water so it is not readily pushed around by the wind. Because the drivetrains are a good distance apart, it can be manoeuvred smartly and predictably, but steadies almost immediately once the power is taken off.

The Designer

Designer Bill Dixon outlines his thinking on the design of the SeaRanger 50.

SeaRanger was developed as a fast rugged trawler style design. The unusual underwater shape allowed us to incorporate a wide beam, yet we still have a hull, which has proven extremely competent and sea-kindly in all conditions. For its beam, the SeaRanger hull is efficient with excellent handling when both going fast and at lower displacement speeds.

The underwater configuration, with the central semi-displacement style hull form inside efficient planing surfaces, has produced a hull that gives a very secure feel, with very good low-speed characteristics, especially directional stability compared to standard planing forms. The wide bow with the soft sections of the inner hull gives the SeaRanger a very comfortable ride, and aids the directional stability when running downwind in a seaway.

The SeaRanger has a hull that has proven to be an excellent compromise between a semi-displacement and a planing hull, taking the best characteristics of both hull forms, giving a hybrid hull that ideally fits its role of a very practical gentleman’s motor yacht.

The Finish

One of the SeaRanger’s hallmarks is the quality and beauty of its fittings. The bright, spacious saloon area is furnished with rich, hard-wearing veneers, plush leather and beautiful designer fabrics. All our solid timbers are carefully selected for match during construction and painstakingly lacquered to create a stunning effect.

The galley is highly functional and ingenious. Fitted with granite worktops, it utilises every available space and comes fitted with all the state of the art appliances that you need to live aboard in comfort (including a dishwasher!). We generally offer a choice of two options: a three-cabin layout with a raised galley or a two-cabin layout with the galley down, and a raised dining area. Great care is taken to ensue that no space is wasted with ample storage and easy access.

In the saloon, a low window line affords a great view in all directions, even when you are seated, and there is headroom of at least 6ft 4in (1.93m). The dinette seats six when the table is opened up.

When it comes to internal decoration, only the best will do for a hand-crafted motor yacht like the SeaRanger. If you have special requirements, just ask and we will do all we can to build them.

THE POWER

The new SeaRanger is faster and quieter. Volvo’s new common rail D9 500hp engines have transformed the SeaRanger by increasing acceleration and speed, while reducing noise and vibration.

SeaRanger 50 is a serious long-distance performance cruiser. Her unique hull form gives unparalleled performance at high and low speeds. At lower speeds she performs like a heavy displacement vessel, giving astounding manoeuvrability. At high speeds, the hull planes but remains uniquely stable at all times, even in adverse weather.

With a displacement of 17 tonnes and a 16-foot beam, her twin Volvo diesels can power SeaRanger at 29 knots, subject to load and conditions. SeaRanger 50 is an adaptable all-rounder that will appeal to any experienced seaman.

The stern gear is purpose-built for each boat. Noise vibration and harshness are much reduced by the use of rubber drive couplings and extensive use of heavy-duty sound proofing material, plenum walls and silencers. This ensures the propellers match your cruising waters and that they are pitched to give optimum performance over the whole season. SeaRanger’s 500-gallon diesel tanks underline her long-distance cruising capability.

The Engine Room

There are two ways into the engine room. Lifting out a hatch in the saloon sole allows you to drop straight down on to the treadplate between the engines, or flicking a switch to raise the stairwell that leads to the galley reveals a door in the compartment’s forward bulkhead.

This latter approach also gives access to a ‘glory hole’ that houses the Eberspächer heater and waste tank and provides useful storage for engine spares and tools.

Either way, all the main check points and service items are easy to access, not least the primary fuel filters and transparent-topped raw-water strainers to the front of the bay. Items located outboard of the engines, such as one or two of the filters, are a good 12in (30cm) or so clear of the wing fuel tanks, making them quite accessible.

The generator is located against the aft bulkhead, but is just high enough to leave reasonable access to the shaft logs beneath it. The engineering is by the book, to a high standard, and with a good ‘loaded’ insulation fitted to all surfaces. The yard has also built in some useful extras such as drain plugs to the drip trays, and a handy freshwater tap.

SAFETY

Wide teak decks, huge double stainless pulpit rails give a good indication of the SeaRanger’s position on safety. Take a closer look at the framing, the thickness of the GRP hull and the quality of the fittings. Stability results that allows a crew of two to carry up to 12 charter clients speaks volumes, as a typical 50′ production planning hull boat would be allowed to carry six normally.