New Design & Naval Architecture
Tad Roberts Yacht Design

Read more about PL39: The traditional Passagemaker Lite arrangement of flush raised deck and sunken pilot house with bridge behind is still workable at 39’ LOA. In this boat it has been adapted to a single mid engine configuration to allow a heavy duty engine with big reduction gear (3:1) to turn a large diameter (27”) prop.

...what did appear before my searching eyes than Tad Roberts’ beautiful JIGGER... [S]he is a cool little boat.  These little boats get more use than almost any others.  Always available with super dependable diesel power they always start with the push of a button, a huge change from endlessly finicky outboards. They burn no fuel, will take you anywhere, and push or pull all out of proportion to their size and cost.  The fact that you cannot pass another boat without a thumbs up or “nice boat” comment also doesn’t hurt…  These boats work hard. 

What designs that you are currently working on have you excited? So many boats and so little time! Currently the majority of my work is on powerboats and motorsailers, but pure sailing vessels remain a big interest. The “Future Cruiser” series have been percolating on a back burner for over a year. Without a client conceptual designs end up as a crusade for recognition and today I just have less time and energy for such undertakings. While that’s great for the stew pot, a designer has to push the new ideas out in the world.

Out of Gabriola Island in British Columbia come several new designs from Tad Roberts Yacht Design. The first of two underway for an Asian builder is a 165ft full-displacement classically-styled steel motor yacht with an updated hull form, arrangements, and systems, and accessories. Noteworthy are her twin funnels, reminiscent of pre-war liners, which in their modern guise enclose numerous antennae, ventilation ducts, and a private lookout with inside access...

This handsome cruiser was designed by Gabriola Island naval architect Tad Roberts for Philbrook's Boatyard in Sidney ...She's based on Robert's successful lobster boat hull designs--seaworthy, semi-displacement hulls that make efficient coastal cruising yachts or weekending 'picnic boats'. To adapt this East Coast concept to west coast requirements, Roberts has improved visibility from the helm by adding a raised pilothouse, and incorporating a sunpad in the cockpit that accommodates a 9ft. RIB. The transom opens at the touch of a button, and a folding davit swings out to launch the dinghy.

There is nothing new to the idea of thin, light, seaworthy, and fast powerboats, and Tad Roberts has been inspired by several of those of the past. To Roberts, these boats brought to mind a glaring question: Why didn't the whole world flock to these sensible and efficient pleasure powerboat designs? He answered that question by identifying the elements that limited the type, and, in his Lite designs, addressed them. All in all, the Passagemaker Lite series is masterful work.

Roberts developed the Express 92 from Liberty, an 80 footer he designed toward the end of a 14-year stint at BKYD. Built in cold-molded wood by Hodgdon Yachts, she was launched in 1996 ("Rush Hour Royalty," June 1997). Although Roberts scaled up Liberty to arrive at the Express 92, significant differences separate these siblings. In the process of scaling up, the proportions remain the same as the boat grows exponetially in volume. For example, Liberty's length-to-beam ratio is 5.32 (beam is 18 percent of her length); the Express has a ratio of 4.8 (beam is 20 percent of her length). These numbers seem fairly close, belying the considerable increase of interior volume the larger yacht enjoys. Liberty's owners cared little for interior volume, but Roberts wanted to provide accommodations closer to what a yachtsman would get from a 92-footer of conventional proportions. A typical 92-foot motoryacht would have a beam of 20 to 22 feet. I envy the client who commissions this design to completion. If I were that yachtsman, I would build her as drawn and bask in the attention she attracted in every harbor.

The Memory 44 Express Cruiser is bit of yachting nostalgia, strongly reminiscent of east coast lobster boats of the 1920s, was designed for Memory Yachts of Wilmington North Carolina by TR Design. TR Design opened its Gulf Island office in early June, with former BC resident Tad Roberts as chief naval architect...The new Memory 44 is the fourth Memory design for Memory Yachts. According to Roberts, all four have strong historical ties, economical performance, and, of course, beauty.

Roberts knew when to stop mimicking, too. In the interests of speed,the typical 19202 commuter had a round bottom, so was easily driven.On the other hand it liked to roll in beam seas and was wet. Liberty has a hard chine and long chine flats instead, which provide stability, improved drynessand powerful lift.Her warped v-bottom features deep convex sections forward and 13 degrees of deadrise at the stern. Powered by twin 11,000 MAN diesels , she delivers a smooth ride, near level running, and comes up onto plane with a will.At her 32.5 knot maximum (cruise is 25 knots), she runs no more than 2 degrees out of trim.