manta – DesignApplause

the peconic 43: a shelter island motor yacht by scott henderson

Jun 17, 2014

American designer Scott Henderson has teamed up with master yacht builders CH Marine in Shelter Island New York, USA, to imagine Peconic, a 43’ Shelter Island Motor Yacht.

Peconic 43 is inspired by the classic Down East yacht, a maritime archetype indigenous to the north eastern United States fishing and yachting industry. The hand‐crafted yachts by CH Marine, which include the iconic designs Vendetta and Alexa for American singer /songwriter Billy Joel, evoke the style of the Downeaster and pay homage to a golden age of yachting with their exquisite detailing and refined hand‐selected materials. The Peconic Bay, which separates the North and South forks of New York State’s Long Island, is steeped in maritime and seafaring traditions. Long Island Baymen have harvested the rich fishing waters for over a century using Down East vessels. Yachting in the region continues to link the famed harbors of Sag, Montauk the Hamptons and New York City as well as the Connecticut coastline, Block Island and other maritime destinations‐ teaming the region’s waterways with pleasure, fishing and commuter vessels.

The Down East Yacht archetype is a classic style of vessel—and a perfect launching platform to create a contemporary statement while maintaining the inherent ties to traditions of the region it stems from.

Peconic 43’s hull flattens out the raised forward bow more typical of a classic Down East motor yacht, adding the feel of speed and power to the hull’s shape – appropriate given the twin Yanmar Marine 8LV
370 MHP engines in its power plant which give the yacht a robust top speed of 48mph.

The forward deck features two inlayed decking stripes which seem to peel away from the decking’s teak surface, transitioning into the structural support of the hard‐top canopy over the cockpit area. This simple innovation lends a radical new look to the yacht. This “twist” in view‐point makes Peconic 43’s outward persona feel fresh, awe‐inspiring and instantly memorable.

Replacing traditional side window portholes for a wrap‐around glass side window that begins just forward of two mirrored engine vents below the wheelhouse canopy and continuing forward by wrapping completely around the nose of the bow. This provides the owner and guests with a 180-degree view of the exterior surroundings while inside of the spacious interior salon. Traditional Down East Motor yachts utilize two to three small portholes on the port and starboard sides of the raised forward deck. Peconic 43’s innovative full wrap of glass makes the interior salon feel bright and open, eliminating the feeling of a closed‐in space. This innovative detail seems to float the forward decking, visually lightening the otherwise heavy and opaque look of the exterior cabin. This floating forward deck and recessed wrap‐around glass side window also communicate speed, as the detail helps to naturally draw air into the engine’s side vents much like air‐intakes on a jet aircraft.

The yacht has a skylight of glass that starts at the tip of the bow, continues seamlessly into the windshield, and then up and over the wheelhouse canopy. This long skylight is broken by two hatches that provide easy access to the forward sundeck from the interior salon. In addition to bringing ample natural light to the spacious interior salon with two meters of head space, the visual racing stripe continues through the aft seating area and on through the swim deck in the rear, furthering Peconic 43’s fast, agile and powerful stance.

The innovations and fresh point of view make her a compelling and head‐ turning choice for an ample sized Superyacht tender, providing the Superyacht owner with a vessel steeped in the traditions of North Eastern American yachting culture.

[ vitals ]
> twin Yanmar Marine 8LV 370 MHP engines
> top speed of 48 mph / 42 knots (@5000 RPM)
> cruising speed of 40 mph / 34.8 knots (@3000 rpm)
> 300 gallon fuel tank with a cruising range of 400 miles.

PECONIC 43 is built to order by contacting CH Marine at 631 749 0856 or by emailing either Scott Henderson at scott@scotthendersoninc.com or Peter Needham at peter@chmarineyachts.com

[ scott henderson ] is an American industrial designer working in Brooklyn. Known for his innovative consumer products in the areas of houseware’s, electronics, furniture and his line of Museum Store gift objects called MINT, the Peconic 43’ follows his earlier yachts PRIONA, QUILLON, MANTA, SPIRA and the Chris Craft SCORPION, from 2012>13.

Scorpion. A concept boat by scott henderson.

Jun 26, 2013

click > enlarge

Scorpion: A 32’ Launch Vessel designed by Scott Henderson.

The 32’ launch concept Scorpion was inspired by Scott’s long-time appreciation of the Chris-Craft brand, and designed as an unsolicited speculative concept pitch to Chris-Craft. Chris-Craft’s mahogany runabouts from the 1940s, 50s and 60s, with their deep-V hulls that twist dramatically from an extreme negative slope at the bow, reversing along the way toward the “barrel-back” at the stern, are iconic, timeless and sought-after pieces of design to this day. Scorpion’s design challenge would ask the question: What should a ‘next generation’ launch vessel express to honor the tradition of those fantastic wooden power boats by instead using a contemporary fiber glass construction.

Scorpion’s top surface and wind screen frame are one continuous surface—a uni-body. The glass from the wind screen transitions seamlessly into a long side window on both sides of the forward deck- reminiscent of a scorpion’s claw- communicating speed and power while maintaining the expression of luxury and style.

The center window over the forward deck has a boarder that continues through the windshield, on down to the floor, and up and over the aft deck and through the swim deck at the stern. This “racing stripe” ties SCORPION’s composition together from front to back. The large center window and the two integrated side windows on the bow (the Scorpion’s ‘claw’) provide 180 degrees of naturally bright and airy illumination to the V-Berth quarters below. By allowing light and visual line of sight to the outside world, the inhabitants of the forward cabin space are connected to their surroundings rather than cut off and shielded from the water while inside.

The unique integration of the top hull with the wind shield as one thought — one singular statement — sets Scorpion apart. Traditionally, no matter how well designed a launch or tender vessel’s windshield component is, they typically read as “stuck-on”, or as necessary afterthoughts rather than being visually linked to the vessel’s holistic point of view. By contrast, in automotive design, forms that are required for function are holistically integrated and considered with the vehicle’s overall statement. Scorpion’s treatment of this detail propels boat design into the future and makes Scorpion instantly memorable and iconic.

“The 32’ Scorpion Concept is designed to feature a Twin Mercury 8.2 MAG HO (430hp) engine, with a top speed of 60 miles per hour (53.0 knots @5000 RPM), a cruising speed of 35 mph / 30 knots (@3000 rpm), and a cruising range of 280 miles”.

[ scott henderson ] is an American product designer working in New York City. Known for his innovative consumer products in the areas of Houseware’s, Electronics, Furniture and his line of Museum Store gift objects called MINT, the 32’ Launch vessel Scorpion follows his earlier Mega Yacht concepts- Priona, Quillon and Manta, designed in 2012.

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