Simply spectacular
Hull #1 of the new LM46 performance cruiser is under way at Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding in Thomaston, Maine.
23 June 2020
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The LM46 project is a collaboration between Lyman-Morse founder Cabot Lyman, his son and company president Drew Lyman, and Kiwi designer Kevin Dibley. The high-performance, cold-moulded yacht will feature the comfort and ambiance of a wooden boat while delivering 10 knots of speed under both sail and power.
The yacht has been designed and engineered for superior handling and low maintenance, equipped with only the essential systems for enjoying an uncomplicated, rewarding experience on the water.
“We’ve designed the LM46 to return sailing to being about sharing time with friends and family, enjoying a drink in the cockpit after a great day underway, and appreciating the beauty of the surroundings,” the boatbuilders claim.
Don’t be fooled; this isn’t your typically docile, classic wooden boat. The LM46 is designed to be an extremely fast yacht – one that can put itself at the top of the fleet in almost any race, coastal or offshore.
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A powerful cruising rig that includes swept-back spreaders and 109-square-metres of sail, including a square-top main, gives the LM46 an impressive turn of speed. Rolling out the optional asymmetrical spinnaker steps thing up a notch and lets the yacht hit speeds of 10 knots or more.
The wooden hull and comfortable displacement-length ratio allows for one-handed steering or easy steering by autopilot, no matter the weather.
Like everything else aboard the LM46, sail-handling is kept simple, efficient and user-friendly, with roller furling for the jib, a detachable staysail, and a mainsail furling system that is fast, easy and effective.
While the LM46 revels under sail, it can also deliver its crew just as swiftly under power, with an 80- or 110-horsepower Yanmar diesel powering the yacht at up to 10 knots.
The spacious cockpit features seats that are ideal for accommodating guests. Twin helms offer unrivalled visibility while the drop-down transom affords no-step access to and from the dinghy. All sail-handling is easily managed without ever leaving the cockpit.
Down below, boatbuilders Cabot and Heidi Lyman and yacht designer Kevin Dibley have created an ingenious interior layout. The wraparound galley was designed using the lessons Cabot and Heidi learned during 16 years of living on their boats around the world.
The aft pilot berth makes for a welcoming guest cabin or, when offshore, the ideal sea berth. Moving forward, to starboard you’ll find a separate head with vanity and, to port, a shower that doubles as a wet locker. The huge forepeak includes a centreline queen bed, allowing access from each side, and storage for a weekend or a month’s worth of clothes and gear.
An optional solar panel on the cabin top ensures that you always come back to the boat and find the lithium-phosphate batteries fully charged.
Using the cold-moulded building process results in a hull that delivers a quiet ride underway and is both flexible and incredibly strong.
A layer of glass on the topsides increases durability and reduces maintenance. Wisely employing modern building materials and techniques and eliminating excess electronics allows Lyman-Morse to build a low-maintenance yacht.
Lyman-Morse’s intelligent use of its Haas GR712 Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine to cut planks, bulkheads and joinery reduces costs for the hull and deck construction.
The cockpit, deck and cabin sides, often the site of water-infiltration in older wooden boats, feature a composite structure that keeps things bone-dry below decks.
Whenever possible, all items for the LM46 are built as modular units outside the boat. The use of time-tested processes, combined with expert Maine shipwrights and high-tech tools such as lasers and 3D printers, creates a construction plan that is competitive with production boats but yields a yacht that is distinctive and carefully constructed.
The launch of this yacht is planned for late 2020.
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