I first met Tim Kernan about 20 years ago when he was attending The Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design in Maine, taking its yacht design course. The students are required to complete an internship and Tim called me and applied. We got along well and had a lot in common. I lost track of Tim after that. About a year later I was working away in my office when a Jeep pulled into my parking lot. It was loaded to the gunwales with stuff. Out stepped Tim. He said he was looking for a job. I told him I didn’t need any help. Then I said, “What I need now is a program to help with IMS ratings.” Tim said, “I have the program.” I don’t recall exactly what the program was but I told him he could have a job. We worked together for about five years before Tim set off for California to open his own design office producing some very nice and fast designs.

This new Kernan design is for the Outbound group and is being built in Florida. It’s a moderate design with a plumb stem and twin rudders. The D/L is 155.52, which is on the low side of moderate for a cruising boat. The L/B is 3.08, which is bordering on beamy but not excessive. I don’t have any hull lines but I notice that the beam max is not carried all the way aft as is becoming quite common these days. This will make for an attractive hull. 

I look at the near plumb stem and the short fixed bowsprit and I wonder if just extending LOA with a good, old-fashioned bow overhang and eliminating the sprit may not have been a better way to go. The plumb stem is fashionable but more LOA would have looked more graceful and provided more working foredeck area. Would it have slowed the boat down? I doubt it and if it did it would not be enough for a cruiser to notice. Draft is 7 feet 8 inches with a moderate aspect ratio external lead keel with a bulbed tip.

These days I am usually bombarded with production boat designs that often offer up to four or more interior layout options. Not this one. There is one layout shown on the package I received. This does not mean that Outbound would not build custom layouts. It just means it is not promoting that option at this time. 

This is a raised saloon configuration with the galley to starboard in the main cabin. There is a large U-shaped dinette to port. Like many raised saloon designs, the area under the side deck is difficult to use effectively. It becomes a headroom problem while seated and almost eliminates good galley lockers due to lack of vertical height at counter level. The drawing I have is rather vague in how this issue will be resolved. 

The galley runs the entire length of the main cabin and has an inboard counter leg that provides an unusually large amount of counter space while providing security for the cook. I’m not sure six people could sit in the dinette comfortably for dining. It will be tight for six crew and spacious for a crew of four. 

There is double quarter berth aft to starboard. Forward of the main cabin there is a guest stateroom to port adjacent to a large head with shower to port. Forward of this is the owner’s suite with head to port and shower stall to starboard. A large, centerline double berth should keep the owners happy. The owner’s hanging locker looks a bit skimpy to me but if you made it bigger it might hinder access the starboard side of the berth. As Special Ed used to say, “It’s always something. Never nothing.” The specs list an inside steering station but I don’t see it on the drawing I have. I believe the nav station is to port and aft of the dinette.

 

With most raised saloon designs the deck plan ends up being a up being a battle for side deck width verses interior volume. Typically, interior volume wins. Cruisers usually value interior volume and you see that in the 5360. The cockpit is broad with twin steering stations aft with a sunken cockpit sole forward of the steering stations, making for nice, deep seatbacks. The house top extends aft over the cockpit seats but only over the cockpit seats. There is a chunk of cabintop missing at centerline where there is a step down in the cockpit sole to access the full height companionway door. This will make entering and exiting the main cabin very easy. Your dog will love it. It’s a very nice looking deck with clean lines and a nice flow to the overall style.

 

The rig features a Selden in-mast furling mast with triple swept spreaders. I’d call this a fractional rig but there is a headstay on the stem for flying a light air genoa. The backstay is split to allow access to the boarding platform aft. Outbound offers an extended swim platform as an option. The SA/D is 19.29.

The Outbound 5360 should be a very good combo of comfort and performance. It’s gratifying to see former interns of mine go on to successful careers.

---

LOA 53’3”; LWL 50’; Beam 16’3”; Draft 7’8”; Displ. 43,554 lb.; Ballast 16,900 lb.; Sail area 1,493 sq. ft.; D/L 155.52; L/B 3.08; SA/D 19.29; Auxiliary 110-hp; Fuel 400 gal.; Water 200 gal.

---

Outbound Yachts

2756 North Dixie Highway

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334

754-253-4420

www.outboundyachts.com