C.W. Hood 43 Bows at 2010 Miami Boat Show

Feb. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Miami, FL – The award winning C.W. Hood 43 Express Cruiser with the unique surface drive propulsion system makes its southern debut at the Miami Boat Show this week. After a fall trip, cruising the Chesapeake and the ICW, the 43 has an interesting story to tell about its travels, living aboard and the surface drive system from LA ME Nautica srl, based in Bergamo, Italy, manufacturers of the SEA RIDER™ surface drives.

“With the launch of Hull #1 last summer, we decided that it would be a great experience to cruise the Chesapeake and the ICW this fall so that we could really test the benefits of the SEA RIDER™ surface drive propulsion system, says owner and founder of C.W. Hood Yachts, Chris Hood.

The Propulsion System:

The design of the 43-propulsion system was born around three goals: speed, efficiency and three feet of draft.  Powered with a pair of Cummins 550 HP Ddiesel Engines, the combination of a 17 degree dead rise - deep vee hull shape and the SEA RIDER(TM)
surface drives greatly reduces drag, increases speed, delivering better fuel efficiency than traditional shaft, struts and wheels.

“Traditional shafts and struts calculated an average speed of 24-25 knots. Running down the ICW at 30+ knots on some days, we proved the benefits of the design by getting to the next destination sooner. We had to travel a certain number of miles per day in the given amount of time we had to make the trip. This left us with several hours of time each day to enjoy the sights that a slower boat would not have provided. It was a great way to cover a lot of ground in a hurry when we needed to”, continued Hood.

SEA RIDER™ is a stern drive mounted system with surface propeller used in pleasure, commercial and military vessel applications. The company’s most famous installation was Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic record breaker.

The system can be installed without modification of the transom. The engine(s) can be mounted in any position and can easily adapt to the drives through the transom. The propeller is designed with a concave area in the back of the blade to create more thrust requiring less power while providing maximum speeds. The concave blade also provides better maneuverability. Semi circle tunnel rudders around the wheels "shield" the propeller's upper half while enhancing handling and thrust by channeling the thrust in the direction required. The two vertical rudder blades, which form the continuation of the shield, act as "side walls". They run below hull level ensuring effective directional control by working in turbulent-free water. These sidewalls reach as far as the propeller diameter's outer edge to reduce the likelihood of damage when navigating in shallow waters.

   “Unlike other surface drive systems that require a lot of maintenance, The SEA RIDER™ has only three moving parts below the waterline: the prop shaft, rudder post and hydraulic steering cylinder reducing the need for constant maintenance or chances of equipment failure from wear and tear”, said Geoffrey Ewenson, North American Sales Manager for LA ME Nautica, srl. The cost is significantly less then jet drives or other surface drive systems and the maintenance is negligible in comparison to those other systems as well”.

“At first, we were skeptical of using the SEA RIDER™ system on a pleasure boat like the 43, said Hood. But after so many slow trips down the ICW over the years, going 30-35 knots (when we could) really made the trip a pleasure. Reducing the draft to gunk hole in places like Cape Cod or in the Bahamas has its advantages that traditional equipment does not offer. It’s a great combination for someone who wants to go fast, get there in a hurry, and be comfortable underway. A true express cruiser. We are pleased with both the performance and the easy maintenance of the drives. Clearly they have real benefits over other surface drive systems we have used in the past,” concluded Hood.

The Hull Design:

The hull design of the 43 can support several different deck and bridge configurations and several different accommodation layouts depending on the owner’s needs and usage.

“Hull #1 was built to be a true express cruiser”, said Hood. “We moved the helm station to the aft section of the main salon so the helmsman could see his guests. By being farther aft, you have a 270 degree panoramic view. When you back down, you can see the edge of the swim platform through the open door in the transom. And most importantly, in two steps, you can hand off both fore and aft spring lines when backing down in a slip or at the fuel dock. You don’t need a crew to help you dock the boat”.

The Interior:   

The forward section of the boat is wide open with three opening deck hatches and six deck house side ports making this section of the boat bright, open and airy. The head was split with a full shower to port and an enclosed lavatory and vanity sink counter to starboard.

“We contemplated over this layout for some time”, said Hood. Most 43 footers have two cabins, two heads and a full galley crowding the interior layout and making the forward section of the boat cave like. We asked ourselves, ‘how many nights a year are we going to sleep aboard and how often do you have to wait for your partner shower and dress in one head?’ The boat is a perfect one couple boat. For us, we loved the openness and airy feeling when inside and below. I think we surprised ourselves with this layout. It was truly functional and comfortable during the whole trip, especially when we were holed up in the Carolina’s at River Dunes for three days, waiting for Tropical Storm IDA to go by. You really use the whole boat during the day,” said Hood.

The Galley has an over and under double drawer refrigerator and freezer with ice maker from Vitrifrigio™, large granite counter top with a Wolf™ two burner electric stove, Scandvik™ double sink and faucet. A GE microwave is mounted above the counter for easy access.

“We cooked aboard more often then usual”, said Hood. It was an easy galley to manage and keep clean. And we really could pack that freezer with good food and always have lots of ice”.

With many different interior and exterior configurations available from The C.W. Hood Design office, the 43 offers any purchaser the opportunity to build a semi-custom boat on a well founded design platform.

“We are really excited about all the different propulsion, exterior and interior configurations we can offer a buyer”. The 43 is perfect size boat to do a lot of different things from a custom boat perspective, but keep the cost down while creating something really unique and special that has lasting value for all the vessel’s owners”, concluded Hood.

The C.W. Hood 43’ was awarded Best New Powerboat of the Year at the Newport International Boat Show in September of 2009.



Photos of the C.W. Hood 43 by Billy Black can be found on the C.W. Hood web site.


About C.W. Hood Yachts:

Founded in 1991 by Chris Hood in Marblehead, MA, C.W. Hood has built over (200) different power and sail boats including the International One Design (IOD) Class, Wasque Power Boats, Jarvis Newman Designs, the Katama 30’ Jet Boats, a Semi-Custom 50’ foot Doug Zurn Power Boat design, and most recently the launch of the new award winning C.W. Hood 43 Express Cruiser. The Hood families have run successful marine businesses for over two generations. Chris Hood is the nephew of Ted Hood, winner of the 1974 America’s Cup in Newport, RI, sail maker, naval architect and builder of dozens of designs over 50 years. More Information can be found about C.W. Hood Yachts and all their designs at www.cwhoodyachts.com

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C.W. Hood Yachts is a small semi Custom Boat Builder located in Marblehead, MA. We build and service several different designs of boats including the International One Design, Wasque, Jarvis Newman and the Hood 43, Hood 50 and the new Hood 32 One design day sailer.