Davie Norris Boatbuilders
Christchurch, New Zealand
Fast Forward
Boating New Zealand Article
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Fast
Forward's Owners are Audio Buffs: Both
sets
of partners have different music tastes, as demo'd by the eclectic
mix of music tapes onboard, but they share a love for fine sounds.
This Rodger Hill-designed cat has a Bose hi-fi system that really
rocks the boat.
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The boat’s
name maintains the audiophile connection with the familiar ‘fast
forward’ symbol, but fast forward equally well describes the
cat’s performance. Twin 370hp Yanmar diesels give close to
30-knots depending on load and the boat is comfortable, stable
and dry.
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Steven and Susan
Chamberlin, with friends and colleagues Bill Williams and his partner
Donna Batchelor, own Fast Forward. They commissioned the boat from
Davie Norris Boatbuilders in Christchurch and it was around 12 months
in the building.
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The Chamberlins
own a 46-foot Schumacher, which they sail up and down the West Coast
of the USA and to Hawaii, but they wanted a boat with more comfort,
stability and decent visibility from the saloon. They enjoy watching
yacht racing and the raised settees in Fast Forward’s saloon and
the fully enclosed flying bridge will also allow them to better
appreciate the quiet anchorages they love. Williams and Batchelor
are more into fishing and cruising.
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Both couples spent
time on the boat over Christmas and New Year, enjoying a fishing-diving
and cruising holiday up to the Bay of Islands, Great Barrier and
Kawau before delivering the boat back to Tauranga for shipping to
the USA. By all accounts they thoroughly enjoyed their time here
and the boat met all their expectations.
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Fast Forward is
first and foremost a live-aboard cruiser. She’s destined for
long cruises up the coast from her San Francisco base to Alaska,
or south to Mexico, depending on the season and the whims of her
owners. The boat’s systems are designed with cruising in mind.
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Consequently she
carries plenty of water under the bridgedeck sole, the vacuum flush
heads can be emptied over-board or into generous holding tanks and
boat is heated throughout by a five-element diesel water-heater,
radiators and fans with controls in every cabin.
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Heating is an
important consideration when cruising in Alaska; in warmer climes,
the fans can pump air through the ducts. They plan to add a watermaker
as the two couples intend cruising in Mexico where drinking the
water — even that from marinas — is not advisable.
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