Staying True to The Mission - Text-only Version

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The last time I had seen Frank Sciortino he was waving from the flybridge helm, pulling away from the docks of the Albany Yacht Club aboard his Altima 60, headed for a summer berth on Lake Champlain that was within easy striking distance fromhisMontreal home. I had just spent several days aboard with Frank, his wife, Adele, and their friends Pierre and Elaine Morin, cruising up the Hudson River and getting to know this wonderful design inch by inch. There was much to admire about the yacht: the contemporary good looks with hints of Euro-styling, the large windows that allowed excellent views from the pilothouse and sedan, the substantial overhangs that protected the side decks and large aft cockpit.

So it came as no surprise that when I walked out on the docks of the New River Marina in Ft. Lauderdale with Frank, president and owner of Altima Yachts, and Tom Hindson, director of sales, I recognized many of these features in the new Altima 61 Pilothouse. At the same time, I saw that there were subtle differences, some apparent and some not so easily discerned, that could make the 61 an even better cruiser than the 60. I asked Frank if he had considered going in another direction with this latest evolution, steering away from the pilothouse motoryacht. The answer was a firm “no.”

“Our core mission has always been to build the finest cruising yachts available, so we haven’t strayed too far from our original concepts,” he said. “It’s only by pursuing an evolutionary path that we can consistently meet this goal.”

As Frank considered the evolution of the 60, he realized that he wanted a new running surface, a semi-displacement design that would be capable of comfortable cruises at fuel-efficient displacement speeds while offering the option of higher cruising speeds for those who wanted twin diesels and were not opposed to buying, maintaining, and operating them. He approached noted naval architect Charles Chang with his project. As a result, the new 61 has a finer entry to slice through waves, modest bow flare to help control spray, and an innovative chine design that works together with broad surfaces aft to increase resistance to roll and reduce squat. She also has a full-length keel to aid tracking and help protect the running gear: four-bladed nibral props, bronze struts, and stainless steel rudders. Larger rudders were specified for improved handling.

Three major molds are used in the construction of the new Altima 61: the hull, deck and cabin, and flybridge. The hull has a solid fiberglass bottom that wraps up to the waterline. Hull sides, the deck and cabin structure, and the flybridge are all Divinycell-cored and vacuumbagged for optimal stiffness, strength, and weight reduction above the waterline. Vinyl ester resin is used in the handlaid structures to improve blister resistance, and further measures below the waterline include three layers of barrier coat and two layers of antifouling paint. Hull stiffness relies on foam-cored stringers and watertight bulkheads. The hull-to-deck joint is bolted and fiberglassed together for maximum strength.

OPTIONS AND DETAILS GALORE

As we boarded the new Altima 61, I noticed that the boat was equipped with an optional Opacmare 3310 hydraulic swim platform extension. Owners of the older design had expressed an interest in the platform extension for easier boarding from the water when sport diving and swimming, or for storing the dinghy in chocks near the waterline for short runs rather than towing it or hauling it up to the boat deck by davit. An integrally molded swim platform that projects well aft of the transom is part of the design, as well, and it makes boarding through the transom door that much more convenient. Five stainless steel staple-style rails mounted on the edge of the swim platform, and handrails mounted on the down curve of the hull sides, contribute to boarding safety. For higher fixed docks, there are bulwark doors port and starboard. The stern features five built-in storage areas and is home to fresh and saltwater washdowns, plus twin 50-amp shorepower connections.

Another big improvement for the new 61 is the raised aft deck, up 10 inches from the original design. This feature offers multiple benefits, from easier passage into the saloon or to the side decks (with no need for a step up) to the creation of a voluminous lazarette that offers almost 700 cubic feet of room for equipment, storage, and easier access to the engine room. The lazarette’s wide hatch rises with the help of an electrically actuated hydraulic lift, revealing a ladder leading down with 12-inch teak treads on a pitch selected for safe ascent or descent. Access to the Teleflex hydraulic steering gear and rudder heads with Tides Marine seals is excellent. Several battery boxes are installed to port with safety straps, and the Onan genset backs up to the engine room bulkhead just to port of the centerline-mounted, watertight door with viewing port.

As you would expect, the genset has its own Racor fuel-water separator and strainer-equipped water pickup with bronze seacock. Battery switches are installed up high on the bulkhead to the starboard side of the engine room door, above an equipment locker. There is plenty of room to starboard for a tub and mechanism for a 67-foot Glendinning power cable reel. In fact, there’s room for an optional second installation, which our test boat had. An optional Cyclo Vac central vacuum cleaner system is located just outboard and forward. Within easy reach for clearing is one of five Rule 2,000gpm bilge pumps.

With 6 feet of headroom, a wide path down the centerline, and good clearance on the outboard sides of both 800hp Caterpillar C15 Acert diesels, the engine room on the new Altima 61 makes routine maintenance a breeze and should improve the life of your favorite engine tech for regularly scheduled maintenance. The engines are mounted on massive, full-length stainless steel brackets capping and through-bolted to substantial engine beds. Each engine turns a 2.5-inch-diameter Aquatech Marine shaft through a ZF-325 1A marine transmission with a reduction ratio of 1.964:1. Exhaust gases and engine cooling water exit underwater through large Activa Marine mufflers in the aft corners. Tides Marine self-aligning, dripless shaft seals are standard equipment. They’re cross-linked to ensure constant lubrication in the event of an engine failure.

Twin Racor duplex fuel-water separators are mounted to port against the aft engine bulkhead, within easy view for quick inspections and easy reach for filter maintenance. They flank two compact fuel transfer manifolds that are clearly labeled. An Algae-X FPS-500 fuel polishing system and a single battery box sit just ahead of them. The box is secured against movement of the 8D battery inside (8Ds are used throughout), and twin battery boxes are mounted to starboard. Compressors for the 90,000-Btu air conditioning and reverse-cycle heating system from Marine Air are located on a shelf on the forward bulkhead, along with the water heater above. Bronze seacocks and large strainers are found forward of the engine drip pans—again, there’s lots of room for access. A Fireboy FE 241 automatic fire suppression system is mounted to starboard. The saddle fuel tanks are fiberglass and are equipped with sight gauges, which I would like to see better protected. Fuel, water, and electrical lines are all installed with great care, well padded against vibration damage, and supported at regular intervals.

Back on deck, wide walking spaces along both sides of the cabin are protected by the flybridge’s substantial overhangs, hip-high bulwarks, and solidly mounted 2.5-inch stainless oval safety rails that run the full length of the deck. Four pairs of large hawse cleats, set in the bulwarks to help keep the side decks unobstructed, are available for proper dockline deployment. The large bow pulpit is surrounded by a safety rail and will accommodate two appropriately sized anchors for multiple-anchor spreads in areas where strong turning tides and opposing winds are expected. The dual-capstan Maxwell windlass will handle chain and rope with equal ease, and there are fresh and saltwater outlets for washdown as the anchors come aboard. Frank Sciortino also specified a second twin 50-amp shorepower inlet in the bow for those marinas with widely spaced power sources or when docking bow-in is required.

A COMFORTABLE INTERIOR

You can enter the Altima 61 through the waterproof pantographic door on the pilothouse’s starboard side, easily accessed from the side and forward decks, but you will most likely step into the cabin through the sliding glass-and-polished-stainless door on the aft deck. Lockable and equipped with a sliding screen, this massive door glides open smoothly so that folks can move unobstructed between the saloon and aft deck or swim platform, whether they’re serving dinner at the built-in table and bench seat or heading out for a swim in a favorite cove. (By the way, there is plenty of storage beneath that bench seat, as is the case with the seating options throughout the boat.)

The saloon on the boat I toured was finished in makore hardwoods and dark, colorful fabrics, a pleasing luxury-home blend with meticulously made, built-in cabinetry—all illuminated by large, lightly tinted safety glass windows on both sides. Standing in the door frame, it was possible to see clearly to the front windshield, and there was 6 feet 6 inches of headroom. In the starboard corner, I found a day head that helped minimize traffic to the accommodations level forward. The curved cabinet to port was designed to accommodate a flat-screen TV on a lift that, like the custom coffee table, rose by wireless command. Cantalupi overhead lighting is used everywhere, even outside the cabin.

A choice of custom rugs is available, but it is important to point out that the teak-and-holly sole is hand fitted and edged meticulously in hardwood. (Teak and holly is found throughout the boat, except in the galley and head compartments, which have granite flooring, as well as granite countertops.) There is clever bottle and glass storage in a cylindrical cabinet just to the right of the stairs leading up to the pilothouse level, and the top is perfect for displaying collectibles or small sculptures.

It is only two steps up to the pilothouse, which is far more than a command center. Immediately to port, you’ll find stairs curving up to the flybridge. Ahead of the stairs, a small dinette table and bench seat sit adjacent to the helm console, a fine perch for crew and friends to keep the helmsperson company.

The galley is located to starboard and is notable for its contemporary granite-and-cherry appeal, plus its wonderful assortment of storage. The “see-through” configuration, with overhead storage cabinets kept to a modest height, makes visibility aft and to the sides from the lower helm much easier. The Vitrifrigo RF Series under-counter refrigerator and freezer on our test boat helped improve the visibility even further. Deep, double stainless steel sinks with a Moen Pegasus faucet, as well as GE Commercial Series appliances (including microwave/convection oven, three-burner cooktop, and garbage disposal) add at-home familiarity, easy service, and reliability to a well-thought-out, U-shaped galley. Cooking under way will necessarily be limited to the microwave, unless there is a sea rail solution for the cooktop.

A single black Devine pedestal helm chair sits on the centerline forward, facing an instrument console finished in burl wood that is low enough for good views forward yet large enough to accommodate up to three Big Bay screens for navigation. On our test boat, two sets of traditional engine performance gauges flanked the Caterpillar electronic engine displays just ahead of the wheel, serving as a backup, but there was ample room for a Tank Sentry gauge, Bennett trim tab readouts (useful for balancing the boat in a crosswind), the Fireboy control, and a host of other switches. Glendinning electronic engine controls to starboard and SidePower bow and stern thruster controls to port sat within easy reach of the wood-rimmed, stainless steel wheel.

The accommodations layout forward and below is typical of many pilothouse motoryachts, with a full-beam master stateroom amidships, a large guest stateroom in the bow, and a second guest stateroom to port opposite a large head compartment. But there is nothing typical about the fit and finish of the cabinetry, the warmth of the cherry bulkheads, or the beauty of the traditional teak-and-holly sole. The forward head compartment has a companionway access door and a private door leading to the guest stateroom, plus a separate shower compartment. SeaLand Magnum Opus vacuum-flush heads are standard throughout the vessel.

In the guest stateroom, steps on either side lead up to the island queen berth. Other features include a cedar-lined hanging locker with quartersawn door panels, overhead storage compartments around the berth and drawers beneath, and a Bomar hatch overhead. While this kind of luxury and storage may violate the rule of making sure guests don’t overstay their welcome, owners can rest assured that their guests will be able to sleep in comfort and stash their belongings in style.

The midship master stateroom, which is reached by descending a private spiral stairway from the saloon, is an exercise in luxurious living, an adult-size getaway with exquisite woodwork and shoji screens. A massive walk-in closet and a bureau with a chest of drawers are set to starboard of the centered island queen berth, which is flanked by two beautifully crafted nightstands. The master stateroom also features a built-in, full-size Malber washer and dryer for convenience, ensuring that you’ll never have to hunt ashore for a laundry room. The huge en-suite head, located in the forward starboard corner, has a unique Roman tub and shower.

The second guest stateroom, located to port, was my cabin for our journey up the Hudson River three years ago.While this cabin can have twin berths, I particularly liked the version that includes a desk along the companionway wall and a sofa along the hull side that pulls out to form a comfortably wide single berth. There’s a cedar-lined locker and even a fold-down ironing board for touching up clothes before going ashore.

THE SEA TRIAL

To reach the Atlantic Ocean from Altima Yachts’ offices at the New River Marina in Ft. Lauderdale, you must wind your way carefully through several miles of waterfront homes fronted with concrete walls and bristling with docked boats of all descriptions, transiting several bridge openings before you reach the turning basin at Lake Mabel and Port Everglades. Frank Sciortino took the upper helm on this leg of the test while I checked out the spacious boat deck, the comfortable seating just aft the helm, and the optional Jenn-Air electric barbecue in the outdoor galley cabinet to port. I admired the two large hatches with locking dogs, one leading down to the pilothouse, the other to a molded curved stairway to the aft deck. There were two Devine pedestal helm seats on the flybridge, along with a duplicate set of engine and thruster controls.

The entrance to the Atlantic was a roiling mess of waves generated by the comings and goings of pilot boats, large sportsfishermen, and other recreational vessels. When it was safe, I eased the Glendinning throttles forward, several detents by the feel of it, and headed the Altima 61 out into an ocean of 3- to 4-foot waves. Quartering the waves at a high cruise speed of 18.5 knots and 2100 rpm (just shy of the top speed of 23 knots at 2300 rpm), the boat handled the choppy conditions without slamming or untoward pitching. I pulled the throttles back to a speed of 12.3 knots at 1500 rpm and the ride improved, while the fuel burn dropped from 66gph to 24gph. For owners of full-displacement vessels, that kind of consumption is hardly known, but it is the price you pay when twin-engine convenience in a semi-displacement hull is your preference.

At a speed of 8.6 knots and 1000 rpm, I steered the Altima 61 beam to the seas and felt her roll briefly, which she did without snapping us off the flybridge, then turned her down-wave and enjoyed the easy tracking of Chang’s full-keel bottom. Fuel consumption dropped to 7.6gph, giving the boat an approximate range of 1,200 nautical miles on 90 percent of her fuel load. Better economy and greater range are available with smaller engine offerings.

I took the Altima 61 all the way back to the New River Marina and learned a few things along the way. The newer, larger rudders were quick to respond to the smooth Teleflex hydraulic steering, allowing me to make the tightest turns without ever having to touch the thrusters. At one turn in the river, however, we came upon a barge installing pilings, a barge so wide that only one lane of boats could get by. As luck would have it, three large yachts entered the narrow passage as we approached. I eased the 61 back down to a wider spot in the river, then gingerly engaged the 13hp bow and stern thrusters to hold us in place in the cross breeze, achingly close to some boats tied stern-to.

With the excellent visibility from the flybridge, it was all in a day’s work. If I had wanted, I could have moved to an optional third station on the starboard side of the aft deck, a wonderful feature that helps simplify backing in. Next time.

Frank Sciortino is rightfully proud of his Altima 61 Pilothouse. The craftsmanship is top notch, the ride is tremendous, and the boat embodies a fine blend of American and European design, all rolled into one comfortable, luxurious package.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2008 © Dominion Enterprises (888.487.2953) www.passagemaker.com

You are reading the text-only copy of this article. To access the article as it appeared in PassageMaker Magazine, please log in to purchase and download the PDF version of this article.