A Timeless Design for Changing Times

摘要

A 30′ trailerable launch that can do 17 knots with just 50 hp? Now that got my attention. So did the boat's owner and designer, passionate boatman, electrical engineer, and all-round craftsman Peter Sewell of Clevedon, near Auckland, New Zealand. Sewell has been involved with boats, particularly classic wooden ones, all his life. He has definite opinions about them. A member of the Auckland Steam Engine Society, he has a staunch traditionalism that is reflected in the styling of his new design猙ut in other ways WHIO, as she's called, avoids traditional features. Her innovative engineering strives above all for lightness, for example in the use of composite-constructed floorboards and bunk boards. Her diesel engine is modern and lightweight. Her electronics are up-to-date, albeit well hidden. Her performance belies her sedate, vintage lines—at her 10-knot cruising speed she burns only about half a U.S. gallon (two liters) of diesel per hour.