New Back Cove 37 on it's way

Back Cove Yachts has grown significantly since the first Back Cove 29 was launched in 2003. The market has accepted our boats with an overwhelming enthusiasm and we have often been asked how big we are planning to go with the range. Naval architecture logic says that planing, single engine boats that like to go more than 20 knots, are limited in LOA to about 37 or 38 feet due to weight and drag factors.

And so our design team has envisioned a new model which comes in at 37 feet. Her interior will feature two private cabins and a shared head with stall shower. She will have a mid-level galley and a fully enclosed sedan style helm deck. Her exterior offers the same hallmarks that other Back Cove models provide. Safe and wide side decks, great deck hardware a very crew-friendly foredeck and a large cockpit with plenty of seating.

Standard power is a 480 HP Cummins QSB diesel engine and she'll have gen set and air conditioning supplied as standard. At the helm, two Stidd seats offer comfortable perches for helmsperson and crew. Check out this drawing of the interior and post your comments and questions about where we are headed.

Comments

[Bentley Collins]

John that color is Fighting Lady Yellow and it is available on any of our models. The standard engine for the 37 is the Cummins 480hp QSB series. We will have the 530 Yanmar results in a month and the 480 results later this summer when hull #7 that has this engine will be tested

[John W.]

Bentley,in addition to the two colors you mentioned, will the yellow hull be available? You have a picture of a 33 in it on your website. Also, is the Yanmar 530 HP the standard engine on the 37? If not, what is? When do you think you will have performance data on your site on all of the available engines?

Thanx...John W.

[Bentley Collins]

John the first 37 to go to the Chesapeake is hull #3 and she'll be down there in time for the Bay Bridge Boat Show mid-April. She'll be equipped with the new Yanmar 6CX CR (Common Rail) engine rated at 530 hp. As to colors we do a lot of off-standard things such as Wasabi, Sky Blue and so on. What do you have in mind?

[John W.]

Bentley, I have been following the progress of the new 37 with great interest. I am very impressed with the ongoing "updates" that you have been running. I have a couple of questions: 1) When will a 37 be available on the Chesapeake Bay for inspection/sea trials? 2)Will the 37 be available in more than the traditional hull colors currently on your website? Thanx...John W.

[Tutmailia]

fascinating and educational, but would make something more on this topic?

[Drew]

As a fairly recent new 33 owner, I haven't noticed any prop cavitation noise running other than that during turns as Bentley mentioned. I like the looks of the cockpit doors on the 37 but I enjoy one advantage of the 33 hard enclosure. It has a screen in addition to the sliding glass door. It is great to sit in secluded anchorages with the boat wide open and no bugs!

[Bentley]

Peter the seating in the cockpit is molded into the deck and is therefor always there

[Peter B]

Bentley,
Do you have plans of offering the BC37 without the cockpit seating?

[Bentley]

John I am hoping that some more 33 owners will jump in here. There is no annoying prop noise when the 33 is running. There are more than 70 33's out there running so you can bet it is a non issue. There is a cavitation sound when doing hard turns at high speeds. That is due to the tunnel shape and the way the water enters and exists the tunnel. It is a consequence of the tunnel and single prop design and therefor will be present on all designs of this tpe.

[John W.]

Bentley, I have read that there is some annoying prop cavitation at cruising speed on the 33. Are steps being taken to address this problem, and will this same issue be a problem on the new 37?

[Bentley]

Thanks Dale but being a Back Cove owner we know you're biased

[Dale]

Home run Bentley! Maybe even a grand slam.

[Bentley]

John thanks for your kind words and so glad you found the renderings on the web site. This work that Kevin is doing is so helpful. I spent this morning onboard the first boat and she is spectacular. So far hull with liner and most of the mechanical systems are in place. Deck gets infused tomorrow and Miami show is looking good :-)
The 2nd stateroom is going to be stick built and no firm plans for anything but the berth right now but we have had requests such as this that we will consider. I think that choosing one alternative layout is going to be important and now we need to decide which one to choose. Seating area (L-settee) or dinette layout (for dining convertible to a sleeper

[John W.]

Bentley, I'm loving what I see in your most recent renderings of the 37. The salon looks very confortable. The glass doors look interesting at the aft of the salon. Will there be an option to turn the guest stateroom into a sitting area with maybe an "L" setee?

[John]

Bentley,
I boat out of Narragansett Bay. I find the boat wet in quartering and beam seas at most planing speeds in 2 to 3 ft waves, especially with a breeze..My wipers are in use frequently in these conditions.
I usually only trim for lateral balance when guests are congregated in the dinette.
I still am very happy with my 33 and spent 24 nights cruising her this Summer.

[Bentley]

The chines of the 33 and 37 are similar but the 37 has more flare in the bow which will keep it drier. But I hear talk that the 33 is wet and I own one and cannot understand this concern. I run my boat off the coast of Maine where we have pretty tough conditions and I rarely use my wipers. Are you trimming the bow down when you are running? How fast are you running when the windshield is taking spray? I would be interested to hear more

[John]

The new literature for the 37 refers to "secondary spray rails...to insure a dry deck and windshield". I assume these are new as the BC 33 is a "wet" boat.
Can spray rails be added to the 33?

[Bentley]

Jeff, thanks for your kind words. When the Back Cove 37 was first drawn it was done so with a bridge. We later committed to the sedan as this seemed to be the hotter market segment, but there is nothing to prevent us from doing a bridge in the future. For now we plan to build her as a sedan for at least the first two years.
Cheers

[Jeff]

Love the use of space in this design. Has there been any thought to offering the 37 with a flybridge option?

[Bentley]

Steve, from your question it would seem that you are a trawler enthusiast am I right? The 37 would burn about 4 GPH at 8 knots. It would only be using about 60 HP at that speed. A vee hull like this one is intended for cruising in the 20 knot range but as you can see she does pretty well at 8 knots too.
As for sleeping, our surveys pointed to a need for two cabins but many owners will find other uses for that second cabin. As the saying goes, "the perfect boat entertains eight, feeds six and sleeps two."

[Steve]

the new 37 is striking, but I would go for the single cabin layout, similar to the 33. It seems a shame to waste all that space when you can convert the lower sofa to a sleeper. Any fuel estimates at 8 knots?

[Bentley]

We posted all of the data to the Back Cove Yachts main site late last week so you can see profiles, specifications, optional equipment lists etc. on http://www.backcoveyachts.com

I will do some research to see if I can get an image of the door.

[Ben]

Hi Bentley - could you post a side view so that we can get a better idea of the layout from that perspective? Also, are any photos available of what that Trend Marine door might look like? That sounds very interesting.

[Bentley]

Don the standard alternator will top off the batteries while you are underway. There are some after market DC shaft generators but they have yet to come down to a reasonable cost. Maybe if fuel hangs in at the current prices there will be more built and prices will come down. As for making the tunnel deeper that is a naval architecture issue. We go as deep as we can without adding issues such as prop cavitation which occurs when you have too much prop in a tunnel. Keeping a 20% of diameter prop tip clearance is required in order to avoid cavitation issues.

[don]

how about incorporating a generator in the flywheel of the main engine, to produce power while under way, leaving the aux generator for hanging on the hook. also, could the prop tunnel be made deeper to allow for shallower draft?

[Bentley]

John the curved glass (round) windows are very expensive for a builder to use. We use them on our Sabre 52 but that boat costs three times what this one does. I agree that they would be a nice addition to this model but we have to stay true to our own mandate and provide best possible value to our clients. I think you'll really like what we have done to bring light into the aft end of the salon. One place where we have "spent the big bucks" is on the Trend Marine doors at the aft end of the house that will permit an owner to completely open the aft end of the salon to the cockpit.

[John W.]

Bentley, Please consider rounding the outside corners at the rear of the salon, similar to the GB39 Eastbay. When I toured your facility, there was a 33 finishing up that had the hardback enclosure. I noticed the outside corners were pretty much squared up, giving it a harder look. I think it would cut a sleeker line with the rounded corners/windows.
Thanx...John W.

[Peter B]

Bentley, i couldn't help but note your comment on the RIB dingy situation for the BC37. The solution might be with some of the newer RIB's made with a resin infusion hull. A 2.9mtr RIB comes in at about 85 pounds in PVC and Hypalon making them easy on the muscles and the transom even with snap style davits. Check out the Aurora at www.globalforcemarine.com. and no i'm not on commission they're just a good dingy for the application.

[bentley]

Sorry for the quick response but I am late for the start of the Cannes boat show this morning but wanted to respond
No extra day hatch for engine room access. Entire hatch is on hydraulics and raises in seconds. Keep in mind with single engine boats hatches would be set to one side or the other and that doesn't work for good engine access unless as in our case the whole deck lifts. Yes storage under the cabin sole of the galley and all the other storage areas are fairly "normal". AS for your dinghy I think you have too mjuch boat for this transon. Hard bottom inflatables are very heavy. We are looking at the Hurley Davit and St Croix does an OK job too but beware the heavy boat. Back Cove is not in the semi custom biz so things like the Freedom lift would have to be done by your yard or our dealership at delivery.

[Ben]

I've been shopping for awhile, and the BC37 is looking more and more interesting. A few questions: will there be a day hatch in the helm deck for quick engine checks without having to open the entire deck? I'm assuming that there is storage under the galley sole, yes? Or Is that mechanical space? Were you able to squeeze any other interesting storage space that is not mentioned in the brochure? We will need to mount a dinghy on the transom, and I'm done with flip-up davits. We have a typical 10'2" hard bottom inflatable - have you had any experience with the Hurley Marine davit system, and do you think this will work with the swim platform planned for the 37? We have a few Sabre 42's in our harbor, and one did a Freedom lift, and the other did a St Croix-type system. Any suggestions? Finally, while the Sabre owners that I know boast about how much they could customize their boats, I'm assuming that the Back Cove will be a bit more rigid. Can you comment on how flexible you can be with a Back Cove 37 for special needs? You folks build great boats!

[Bentley]

The first show for the 37 will be in Maine at the Maine Boat Buiilders show in Portland in late March then we'll have to wait until the fall show season of 2009 to show the boat to the Chesapeake Bay market. But one can always come to Maine to see the completed vessel in the spring. You would be welcome to visit.

[John W.]

I too would definitely like to see the second cabin be turned into a lower-level salon/sitting/reading area. Would be much more useful to single couple boaters like us.

[John W.]

Bentley,

I recently toured your plant in Rockland and was very imnpressed with the facility and the workmanship. My thanks to Gordon for arranging and Guy for leading me around the plant. I remain very interested in the 37 as I think the 33 may be a little too tight in the salon and cabin. When will the 37 appear in shows or at dealers? I live on the Chesapeake. Thanx...John W.

[bentley]

Peter this is certainly one that comes up very often and we will ultimately try to develop several different choices in this cabin I believe. The other request that has come along so far is having just a big place for storage for couples who wish to cruise further without guests (families). i.e. No bed just lockers and drawwers

[Peter B]

Hi Bentley, Is it possible to add an upper berth in the second cabin of the 37? This would add to the appeal as you could have a couple of kids or adults with their own berth.

[bentley]

Yes the seating in the salon is all at the same level on the Back Cove 37. The L-settee to starboard, the "love seat" to port and the two Stidd helm chairs are all at the same sight line.
We have a 33 and this weekend we were out with two of our grandchildren. Having them be able to see everything that the helmsman and mate can see makes for a much better day on the water

[Bill Carmichael]

You have got it right designing the back cove especially having the seating all at the same level at the helm deck so everyone can have a forward view while the boat is underway. Will this design feature transition into the Back Cove 37?

[bentley]

Marcus, the answer is yes. We offer six different colors (including Bob Schwalm's Fighting Lady Yellow hull). My latest favorites for southern climates are Wasabi and Ice Blue. Ice Blue is very pale blue and looks great in tropical waters. Wasabi is just as it counds, the pale green color of Wasabi mustard. So yes you can dream in color about your Back Cove 37!

[marcus]

Will the BC37 be offered in other hull colors than the traditional white or flag blue? There is a beautiful BC33 with Fighting Lady Yellow hull color here at the marina where I live in Punta Gorda FL that really is striking plus the light color seems to be more compatible with tropical climate.

[Peter B]

Bentley, there are several boats that have a galley on a half deck configeration, Riviera for one and i agree with you that this arrangement on a 2 step down position maintains the contact with those in the saloon and at the helm. Galley down does not achieve that and in a 37 makes it a bit squeesy, galley up as in the 33 compromises the expected additional space in the 37. It seems that you have been able to retain the Back Cove engine room access, a big selling point for customers.

Maybe a profile drawing would give everyone a better idea of how this works?

[bentley]

John, Glad to hear you love your 33. I love mine as well. They are great boats.
Now about the steps in the 37: #1 objective with the 37 was to get a second cabin in a 37 foot boat. In order to do that we have to "use up" all the space on the lower cabin sole. The full galley would not fit on the lower level without making the salon extremely small, not to mention the engine room bulkhead would not be able to move that far aft. If the galley were placed on the upper level it would project back well into the salon because we need four steps to get from salon to lower cabin sole. The mid-galley is the best of both worlds. The person in the galley is still in contact with those in the salon and still has a great view through the side fixed window. We were convinced that a galley down would not sell and that the galley-up would steal too much space from the salon.

[John]

I don't understand the reason to step the galley down. Every time you leave the helm, you'll need to go down two steps and then up two more to go aft.
I like the aft seating configuration but it could cause trim problems underway if all the guests sit that far aft.
I love my Back Cove 33.

[John]

I don't understand the reason to step the galley down. Every time you leave the helm, you'll need to go down two steps and then up two more to go aft.
I like the aft seating configuration but it could cause trim problems underway if all the guests sit that far aft.
I love my Back Cove 33.

[Scott D]

We appreciate the invite to comment on the new 6CX engine. The 6CXCR engine will be 7.4 L and 530HP at 2900 RPM. It will have a common rail fuel injection system and the ability to run on three cylinders when initially started. I have heard the engine run and it is very smooth and quiet.
All of the filters are mounted forward to allow for good access. The electronic controls will be similar to the current 6LY3 engine and will be included with the engine from Yanmar.
Information is still limited but we are very excited about the engine and the Back Cove 37!
-Scott
Mack Boring & Parts Co.

[bentley]

Peter, the Yanmar 6CX CR (Common Rail) is in the final testing stages with production engines coming on line now for fall (Northern hemisphere) deliveries. There isn't much data out there yet but I am going to invite our distributor Mack Boring to jump in on the blog and make some comments about the technical advantages of ths engine. There are, as I understand it, some very cool things such as running on half of the cylinders in the warm up mode. First estimates are that with this engine she will run 24 Kn max, 22 max cruise and be burning around 21 (US( GPH at fast cruise. Of course those are just estimates until we get final weights but we are confident.

[Peter B]

Bentley, is there somewhere that i can read up on the new Yanmar 540mhp. That combination might be a perfect match with the electronic twin disc gear box if it was available in a 37. Do you have any computer models that predict performance and economy figures as yet or do we all have to wait and see? What will the initial production boat be powered by?

[Bentley]

Peter the gears are mostly built by Twin Disc or ZF so the engine builder would not be the issue. With all of these engine choices the gears are going to be elctronic so the crunch will now be gone no matter which motor is chosen

[Peter B]

Bentley, the new Yanmar sounds like it would be a very nice fit at 540hp but from experience the Yanmar gearbox is a bit harsh when engaging gears and that might put some people off. There are of course those people that have very firm beliefs and allegiance to certain brands particularly Cat and Cummins. If you can make it work i would have all 3 brands. Having used the Cat engine with the electronic gear control with the slow troll function it would make marina work a breeze. I dont know if the other brands have this type of gearbox available. In any case the 37 will be a winner for Back Cove and i can't wait to see how the sea trials go.

[Bentley]

Peter the engines we are considering are the 540HP Yanmar 6CX CR a new engine that replaces the 6CXGTE2 and is configured with common rail fuel injectiuon. Nice motor. The other on the list is the Cummons QSC now being introduced at 600HP.
Do you feel the CAT would also be a good offering?

[Peter B]

Bentley, have you given any consideration to option engines on the 37 as yet? Would any of these engines be offered as optional fitment; Yanmar 6CXM GTE2 500mhp, Cummins QSC8.3 series up to 600mhp or CAT C9 ACERT series up to 575mhp? While the QSB5.9 480mhp is a nice engine the larger cubic capacity of the above mentioned engines would mean that they will be working easily to push a 37 along at full load and the larger engines may be more econimical in operation running with a lesser load. 600hp would sure make this boat a real performer and remain ecomomical compared to a twin.