Helm, Pilot House and Exterior Views

Now that my girl is on her way home, we will have to content ourselves with some pictures that were taken while Tom was in Taiwan.  I also have some pictures taken by the yard just before she was bundled onto Eris J.  So there will be a trickle of pictures before she is actually here.

I find the helm less scary than the engine room and actually do see myself standing there (with a "helper" glued to my side).  The 55's pilot house is quite nice and roomy, even with 2 helm chairs in residence.  The 360 degree view makes for a spacious roost in all weather conditions and the wing stations will be an enormous help when docking (gulp).

Tom had opted for the destroyer style wheel and actually ordered the largest size available.  Though the traditional wheel was beautiful, it wasn't practical.  It was difficult not to nick and scratch the finish and the wheel spokes sometimes got in the way.  I'm not sure if you notice, but the angle of the wedge where the chartplotters and other instruments will go is angled higher than it was on past boats.  Tom always had to stand on his tiptoes to get a good view of everything.  This helm is more like Serenity's than earlier 55s.
I chuckle every time I see the panel to the right of the wheel.  That panel wasn't covered on 55-001.  On a trip to the Rendezvous in 2012, I was swinging my leg in the starboard helm seat when all of a sudden it grew silent in the pilot house.  My swinging foot had accidentally turned off an engine!  After a second or two of stunned silence, we burst out laughing as the engine roared back to life.   Glad the panel is now covered.   There is more than ample space for paper charts, binoculars and other "stuff" on the 2 chart tables.

Now that there are steps to starboard inside of on the port side, the new access necessitated moving the settee further to port but still left plenty of room for that all-important cabinet hiding a fridge and ice maker.

A peek down the staircase eliminates the closed in, constantly curving steps of earlier models.  I love the open view of the salon from the top of the steps.  It really is like being in a traditional, land-based home.  They did a beautiful job of rounding the top and sides of the wall, no sharp edges to bang into when the seas decide to make a fuss.

The aft boat deck houses a davit capable of lifting 1200 lbs., more than enough to lift an 11' Boston Whaler Supersport, motor and full tank of gas.  The hatch access is safe and easy, thanks to the sturdy handrail in exactly the right place as one starts down the ladder to the aft cockpit.  I'm told that even with a Whaler on board, there will be room in the davit area for a kayak or stand-up paddleboard - maybe even both.


Ahead of this area is a lovely space to place a table and chairs where one can wait for dinner to cook on the grill while sipping a glass of something wonderful.  When finished, a huge cabinet stores the table, chairs and even a misbehaving guest if necessary.  If one so desires, an awning can be added so that it rolls out over this space.  There is even a small sink with running water to the right of the grill for quick clean-ups without having to go inside or haul out a hose.  That might not be true when BBQ ribs are served, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.

Coming around to the front of the boat, the huge and imposing bow creates another outdoor space.  In the immediate foreground are 2 bow lockers that are quite large and deep.  No problem stowing an extra set of lines, hoses and even an extra 50 amp power cord.  I'm in the process of selecting a Sunbrella fabric for 2 big cushions.  I'm all for being able to enjoy every square inch of this beautiful girl - and able to host a crowd of folks to share the enjoyment.

I had such a productive visit to Stuart last week, that I left much work for the commissioning crew to take on.  The 1" wooden blinds by Ocean Air (the model is called Skyvenetians) have been ordered in Honey Oak, an almost perfect match for the cherry finish throughout the boat.  They will have something called a continuous cord which eliminates the need for a wand.  One less thing to swing around and one less thing to break off.  The same folks who did the window treatments on both For Us and Serenity are doing the blinds.  They know their stuff.  I haven't yet figured out how to do the master ports and huge guest shower window, but that's no so urgent.  That can be taken care of in the next few months.

After Dave drew in the tiles I selected, I changed my mind - again.  I removed a border that consisted of tiles cut into small diamond shapes and decided to just do the tiles.  The mix of travertine and glass is enough of a design in their own right without adding more to the mixture.  In this case, less is best.

While I drive the name folks out of their minds (they sent 18 font styles to consider; on Friday afternoon, we were up to the 20th iteration), my attention is now turned to chairs for the salon.

Gotta sit somewhere and not just on any ordinary chairs.  I absolutely loved the chairs on Serenity and am giving serious consideration to those beauties for this boat.  Now that the hugest decisions are part of my past, I can start thinking of the fun things I need to focus on to create a beautiful and inviting living space.

More photos of the staterooms and heads will follow.  These spaces are not very different from the other KKYs, but are of interest due to the different configuration of the guest stateroom and enlarged head.  

In the meantime, I'll upload the pictures taken by the yard just prior to her departure so you can see the beautiful cushions on the settees and some other nice tidbits.

Hopefully I can get this done either later tonight or tomorrow after my afternoon pool party.  I just went through a mountain of KKY 55-005 folders and discarded a ton of notes that have been re-created into a beautiful finished product.  I still have the mountain of folders, but these contain stuff I'm working on now.  Building a boat is awesome - in every aspect of that word.  Lack of organization is the death knell for the newbie boat builder/owner, so if you are fortunate enough to build yourself a KKY, get out the color-coded tabs, highlighters, folders, paperclips and your wits!

Good night readers!