When Starboard Yacht Group was first approached to install Humphree fins and interceptors on ‘Song of Acadia’, an 84’ custom motor yacht, the team quickly agreed to the job but not to the plan. Built by the illustrious boat builder Lyman-Morse, the vessel is a beautiful work of craftsmanship that deserves a high class of technology to go with its masterful design. Each year, this particular yacht travels all year long from the Florida Keys to New England, Nantucket, and beyond. Humphree interceptors and fins were a suitable fit for its needs. The question Starboard faced was how to make the servo units for the Humphree fins fit.
As a true yachtsman, the boat owner knew what was needed but not how to approach it. A different shipyard initially proposed a complex and costly set of alterations. Calling upon the expertise of Starboard’s talented naval architect, the team devised a simpler solution to the problem. Their answer was not only more economical but also more functional. Rather than raise an entire floor of the vessel to fit the servo units underneath, Starboard built a footstep that served a purpose beyond making stabilization possible.
Starboard’s design enabled passengers to access a previously unreachable porthole. Whether you need more air or a particular view from the vessel’s stateroom, you need to reach the porthole. Combining a naval architect’s trained eye with Starboard’s trademark creativity, the team addressed two challenges with a single alteration. More than maximum stabilization, the results included added functionality and approximately $100,000 in savings. Furthermore, Starboard’s fine craftsmanship matched the high level of the yacht’s original design work. It’s never easy to optimize without compromise, but if there’s ever a better way, Starboard will find it.