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50 Meter

Luxury Charter Pinisi / KLM

164' Length On Deck

A 50 Meter Indonesian Charter KLM - Kasten Marine Design, Inc.
Perspective Forward | Perspective Aft
Forward View Sailing | Aft View Sailing

Copyright 2007 - 2016 Michael Kasten

Concept

The 50 meter wooden charter yacht shown here is modeled after the traditional Indonesian Kapal Layar Mesin - which means "boat-sail-machine." In Indonesia the type is just called "KLM." In the West we call it a "Motor Sailor."

The prototype shown above is a larger version of the relatively much smaller 30 Meter KLM and 36 Meter KLM types we previously developed during prior visits to Indonesia in 2004 and 2006. At 50 meters on deck this design is large enough to carry the 'double deck' very handsomely. It is also large enough to accommodate 6 luxury suites below forward, plus two ultra luxury suites on the upper Bridge Deck aft - all without any sense of being crowded.

As is evident in the image above, in contrast to the many so-called 'Motor Sailing' charter vessels plying Indonesian waters, this vessel can also become a very capable true sailing vessel.  All that is required is ample sail area and additional keel timbers.  The rig must be kept low, and the sails must be of manageable proportions, therefore multiple masts are a natural solution.  More about this below...

Preliminary particulars are:

Imperial Dimensions:


A Better Sail Rig...?

Typically, a cargo carrying KLM will be arranged with a fore mast only, and although there is a sail present, it is not intended for any 'real' sailing.  Its main purpose is to gain a 'sailing ship' tax advantage for the owner. The sail is also available as "get-home" propulsion in the event of engine failure, though obviously any destination under sail alone would have to be directly down wind...!

In this case we were presented with the request to create a workable sail rig for a larger KLM.  Since these vessels are rather heavy and need quite a lot of sail area, we concluded that the best arrangement would be to use multiple masts. This is especially so since the locally available timbers are limited to approximately 18 to 20 meters in length.  The images above and below here show what seemed to work best:

50m Motor Sailing Charter Pinisi - Kasten Marine Design, Inc.
  Four-mast Rig Forward View | Four-mast Rig Aft View
 

Using this strategy, all gaff sails and gaff tops'ls are identical, therefore interchangeable. Balance is easily achieved in any wind strength.

The four mast rig would be ideally suited to larger 'sailing Pinisi' types as well, and for the same reasons, i.e. to provide ample sail area; to keep spar lengths to reasonable proportions; to provide myriad sail combinations for the best balance; to keep individual sail sizes to a minimum and thus make the entire rig much more easily handled; and to allow ample sail area without excessive heeling moment.

Even though this strategy was pursued in order to get the most sail area on the shortest spar length in order to use local timbers, by far the best material for the spars would be to use steel tube or pipe...!  If designed correctly, once painted, to the casual observer they will appear as though made of wood.  If properly prepared and painted, steel spars will outlast wooden spars and be easier maintain.  As a bonus, steel spars will be easier to build, and... they will also be lighter.
 

The Intent...

For the interior, the intent with this concept and other vessels of our design is that the interior layout make it possible for the vessel to be used in either of two modes:

By "managed ownership" we mean that the yacht is privately owned, but is managed by a charter company who is able to charter the vessel when it is not being used by the owner. In exchange for its use, the charter company takes care of the vessel's maintenance and repairs, and provides the owner with an income stream. Done correctly, this is a rather ideal way to own a boat - no maintenance, it pays its own way, and the owner can step aboard a well maintained vessel nearly any time and simply enjoy their time aboard rather than having to manage the vessel's upkeep.

Comfort and privacy have been primary goals. Given the overall size, the interior layout is not at all crowded. Given that the vessel will be sailing in the tropics, excellent ventilation has been given the highest priority. Each cabin has a private head and shower and all accommodation spaces are air conditioned.
 

The Interior Layout

To best understand what I've proposed for the interior of this vessel, it will be helpful to study the layout of our 50m Sailing Pinisi design. The layout we have in mind for the 50m KLM is very similar, except that due to the width of the stern there would be considerably more room in the Grand Suite on the Bridge Deck, in the Galley on the Main Deck, and in the Crew Quarters below aft. Another difference is in the division of the cabins, due to the mast locations.

Below I will briefly walk through the layout we have in mind - one that is eminently suited to high end luxury charters throughout SE Asia. It will also be very helpful to view the Lines Fwd and the Lines Aft images in order to visualize the interior spaces.
 

Below Decks

Right forward below the main deck is of course the fore peak, having two compartments, the forward-most of which would be the chain locker, and just aft of that the Bosun's locker for general storage of ship's gear.

Throughout the forward lower deck aft of that, there are three equally sized divisions 6 meters in length each. Separated by a lengthwise hallway down the center, those are intended to become five or six Deluxe Cabins with en-suite luxury bath and shower. A centerline hallway is intended to lead from a forward companionway all the way aft to the lounge on the main deck amidships. This type of general layout can be seen very clearly in the 50m Sailing Pinisi Lower Deck Plan.

Aft of this array of luxury suites is the engine room, sized in order to adequately house all the support systems for luxury chartering, including three generators, dive compressor, high pressure storage tanks, a redundant air conditioning system and large capacity reverse osmosis system for replenishing the fresh water supply.

Aft of the Engine Room are the crew mess, laundry, and crew cabins. These are also generous, allowing for approximately 15 to 18 crew without any crowding.

Right aft, below the main deck is a spacious Lazarette for general storage of ship's gear, backup dive gear and other spares.
 

The Main Deck

The Main Deck can be best visualized by inspecting the Lines Fwd and the Lines Aft images, and also by studying the 50m Sailing Pinisi Main Deck Layout. The Fore Deck is intended to be quite large and open. It is after all the preferred socializing area during the day and well into the night...!

Amidships on the Main Deck is a Lounge for the guests. The array of windows provides a sense of spaciousness so the view is undiminished even while spending time inside. The lounge will have a stairway leading directly to the hallway below, which provides quick access to the guest suites below forward.

Aft of the lounge is another stairway, leading to port and upward to the Bridge Deck, and the two very large guest suites located there. Another stairway below that one leads down to the Crew Mess, the Crew Cabins and the Engine Room

Aft of the Main Deck stairwell is the galley with walk-in cool room, a large dive shop, and a cozy communications room / library.

At the aft end of the Main Deck is another exterior social area / lounge - but one that is covered and therefore out of the sun and weather. This is the best gathering spot for an informal Barbeque on deck or for staging a dive adventure or fishing or just for general hanging out...
 

The Bridge Deck

The Bridge Deck layout can be visualized rather well by reviewing the Lines Fwd and the Lines Aft images, and by studying the 50m Sailing Pinisi Bridge Deck Layout.

First, at the forward end of the Bridge Deck is a spacious 'Promenade Deck' located above the Lounge, and just forward of the Bridge. This extends the full width of the vessel, and provides yet another private place to get some sun or just a bit more privacy from the on-deck activities. Just aft of that, the Bridge itself provides a piloting area that spans the width of the ship. Aft of the Bridge is the main stairwell, a day-head, the Captain's quarters to starb'd and a ship's office to port.

In the 50m Sailing Pinisi, the stern is much more narrow, so there is one large Grand Suite aft. On this vessel, the stern has sufficient width to achieve two ultra deluxe suites, one to port and one to starb'd, separated along the centerline. These each look out to a vast panorama, having windows all around. Even so, privacy is assured by the location. The entry to each of these suites is at the forward end, directly from the sides of the Promenade Deck. Each suite has a large private Veranda Deck right aft, separated along the centerline for complete privacy. These Bridge Deck luxury suites would be second to none...

Unless of course those two suites were combined into a single truly magnificent Grand Suite...!
 

More Information...?

An interesting article on our work with these vessels appeared in the New York Times, called The Traditional Pinisi - And Then Some.  For a taste of what is possible with these craft, please see our Dunia Baru web page where you will find excellent as-built images.

If this or a similar Pinisi / luxury sailing yacht is of interest, we offer a thorough design service. Our preference is to take advantage of traditional methods to the maximum extent possible, but to bring the construction standard up to a classification society compliant structure. We offer our custom design services by which we can modify these types of vessels to suit a variety of requests to change the size or to modify the layout as needed, and then follow that up with our local knowledge in order to facilitate construction.

For complete information about our work with these vessels please see the following links, or for more information please inquire.
 

Our articles about building an Indonesian Pinisi or KLM:
Pinisi History  |  Pinisi Building  |  The Ultimate Charter Pinisi
Sailing vs. KLM Types  |  A Cargo Pinisi as a Yacht...?

Pinisi and KLM designs that we have created or have planned:
30m Pinisi, DATU BUA  |  36m Pinisi, SILOLONA
38m Pinisi, AMANDIRA  |  50m Sailing Pinisi

27m DIVE Charter KLM  |  30m Charter KLM  |  33m Charter KLM
36m KLM, DUNIA BARU  |  40m Charter KLM  |  50m Charter KLM

Descriptions of our adventures with these boats:
Silolona "Homecoming"  |  Indonesia Boatbuilding Images

Five Schooners and Two Arabian Dhows Suited to Building in Indonesia
17m Flores Privateer  |  20m Sulawesi Privateer  |  31m Komodo Privateer
36m Tern Schooner  |  36m Lombok Privateer  |  45m Kalimantan Privateer

22m Arabian Baghala  |  36m Arabian Baghala

Two junk rigged KLM types for construction in steel:
25m Lady Destiny  |  55m Lady Destiny

 

Please see the  AVAILABLE BOAT PLANS web page.

Home  |  Intro  |  Our Design Process  |  Stock Design Info  |  Motor Yacht Designs  |  Sailing Yacht Designs   |  Prototype Designs
Plans List  |  Articles  |  Our CAD Design Stream  |  Maxsurf  |  News..!  |  SITE MAP..!  |  Site Search  | Design Team  |  Contact Us