Offshore cruiserr

The drawings show 70,500 pounds of displacement, with 23,000 pounds of lead ballast. One of my own current 59-footers displaces a total of 27,500 pounds. The LH 60 has a D/L of 289. That would technically put it on the heavier side of medium if we can agree that textbook heavy starts at a D/L of 300.

The canoe body shows exaggerated fore and aft rocker resulting in that typical Hood "whale body" look. The vestigial keel is almost nonexistent with a board-up draft of 6 feet. If you drop the big centerboard, you can increase the draft to almost 12 feet. This shape and bulk will result in a very comfortable ride to weather in a blow-if any ride to weather is comfortable in a blow. Note the narrow stem, the steep angle of the buttocks and the elevated counter. I don't think this boat will see much more than 9 knots under power, regardless of the engine chosen.

If you think that a boat of these generous proportions would be a slug, you had better think again. For years Ted Hood has been sailing past lighter boats with his heavy boats. It does take a big rig to push one of these boats, whereas the light-displacement boat can reach the same speeds with a much smaller and easier-to-handle rig. In light to medium air, the lion's share of your boat's drag is wetted surface friction. Lighter displacement boats usually have disproportional high wetted surface but do not have the sail-carrying power to allow the SA/WS to be increased and still be manageable.

If you see the Hood designs as the epitome of conservative yacht design, you may be close to the truth. So, why is there no skeg on the rudder? Boats steer better without skegs. Rudders can be shaped better without having to fair into a skeg. Big boats can use the balance portion of the spade rudder to relieve helm pressure. You could argue that a skeg helps a boat track, and I think you are probably right, but the steep deadrise of the LH 60's sections will ensure that it tracks.

One of the most dramatic benefits of displacement is the volume available for tankage and the orderly layout of systems. We all have been to a boat show, opened a hanging locker and found it converted to the watermaker locker. Displacement means volume, and combined with a conventional trunk cabin deck, this means a cabin sole height high enough to leave usable volumes below the sole. The LH 60's standard tankage is 400 gallons of fuel and 400 gallons of water. Interiors are custom designed by Hood's capable design group. The layout illustrated here is just fine.

The LH 60 has an SA/D of 14.1. This is not a lot of power when you consider the SA/Ds of lighter boats. Now consider an I dimension of 73.5 feet. The most accepted way to measure the height of the rig is with an I dimension taken from the intersection of the deck with the sheer at the mast, to the intersection of the headstay with the forward side of the mast. This rig of the LH 60 is 7 feet taller than that of my lighter 59-footer. Combined with a genoa that has an LP of about 140 percent, you will get light-air performance.

It's a balancing act. I don't like the word compromise. I like to think of balancing design features well enough to avoid the sense of compromise. I like these boats. They are real yachts.

When living near Boston about 24 years ago, I rode my bike down to Hood's yard in Marblehead one afternoon. I wandered around looking at the hauled boats, including Dynamite and Robin, like a harp seal at a sushi bar. A Jaguar turned into the yard. I recognized Ted Hood. I expected to be thrown out of the yard, but instead he waved "Hi" to me. I rode home pretty content.