Friday, March 13, 2009

55' Florida Bay Coaster by Benford Design Group

I first fell in love with these boats from small ads placed in the back of boating magazines for a book of boat designs called "Small Ships" by Jay Benford.  The book is a surprisingly good collection of imaginitive and practical designs by Benford inspired by traditional working boats.  Despite the resemblance to the coastal "Tramp Steamers" of the past, the design is thoroughly modern well thought out with a clear emphasis on extended cruising or living aboard.  This boat has Heads which can honestly be called bathrooms, full sized appliances, extensive storage and even an office.  The deck well in front of the pilothouse has room for a Jeep and a good sized outboard launch (not a dinghy) on a rack above, either of which can be lifted with the hefty crane
just forward of the well deck.  The shallow draft of this design allows the boat to get close enough to shore for the Jeep to be offloaded directly onto the beach with the crane.   This particularly nice example was recently constructed by Johnson Yachts of NZ.  






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