OnBoard Magazine - Summer 2014

THEANSWERTO WHY one goes through the expense and effort of owning a boat is generally summed up in the experiences that occur while it’s afloat. When you take the water out of the equation, some of the sparkle diminishes. Words like haul-out, maintenance, engine work, rebuilds – none compare favorably to summer cruise, sandbar, blue water, or even the most basic, boat ride . The simple fact is that time spent in the yard is viewed as “on the hard” in more ways than one. Few anticipate yard visits with much more than a mild sense of dread and an eagerness to get to the other side of it. It is work after all, and often intimidating. But the truth is, when done right, it’s not that hard and the end result is worth every minute. GROUND WORK Your first time in a yard should be just the beginning of a long and meaningful relationship. Laying down a good foundation is important. A continuous support model such as the “24/7 worldwide” mantra embraced by the Bluewater Yacht Yards is meant to enhance your boating experience – it’s your backup. For customer Steve Jones, a stay in the Bluewater Yacht Yard in Hampton dramatically altered his entire boating experience. Jones has a type of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects his legs. He uses a motorized chair for his adventures in lieu of legwork, and decided long ago that his condition would only be a limitation to his lifestyle if he let it become one. As an avid fisherman he figured it would just take the right boat and setup for him to continue to hang with the rest of the offshore fleet. Though his initial thoughts regarding accessibility first pointed towards an open, walk-around platform, extensive research and a lot of talk changed his mind. With the help of Bluewater sales associate and friend Kevin Pankoke, he looked at a lot of boats, traveled to many shows and spoke to the best boat builders. After six months of this pointed research he decided that with the right help and a few “tweaks” a convertible sportfish would do a better job of getting him where he wanted to go. When Kevin showed him the 52 Viking he knew it was the one—or could be—and so Cuttin’ Up hit the drawing board. DREAM BIG He knew what he wanted to do and had a general idea of how it should work. What he didn’t know, was how it could be done, or who could do it. Directly next door to the Bluewater Yacht Sales Hampton office and the sprawling Bluewater Yachting Center rises the hub of the Bluewater Yacht Yard. It was there that Jones met the cast who would make it all happen. He had a vision and he turned to Earle Hall and his crew to bring it to life. “I knew what I wanted. What I needed was the technical know-how to actually make it work, and somebody to build it. These guys have the skillset, and then some.” Jones learned early in life that the answer is always “no” if you don’t ask. He knew that just because nobody had done this particular type of project before, didn’t mean it couldn’t be done. For Earle Hall it was a test of sorts. “I’ve always said we could do anything to a boat and make it look like it was always supposed to be that way. In fact, a lot of the things we do all the time now are because someone came along and just asked for it, and then somebody else wanted the same thing until everyone had to have it that way. Steve’s project looked different because nobody had asked us before, but individually the pieces were interesting and doable. It was the sheer scope of modifications that was the most challenging aspect.” COMMUNICATE GOALS I n a nutshell, the premise was to make the boat completely accessible to someone who cannot lift their legs. Jones’ goal was to refit or modify the boat such that he could board, get to the bridge, run the boat (and fight a fish,) get into the fighting chair (and fight a fish,) enter the salon, and traverse down the companionway into the staterooms and head – all without having to lift a leg or ask anyone else to do it for him. Jones can only move his legs across level surfaces, so essentially he wanted to address every level and either add a transition, or make them common to the next. As in any boat design, every inch counts. That is where the conversation with the service technicians began. Earle Hall remembers it vividly, “You’d be surprised what you don’t notice about your own two feet. In order to do this right we had to listen very closely to everything Steve pointed out and then figure out how to make it workable for him. It was a great experience getting into the customer’s vision, creatively overcoming the obstacles and then designing and building the solutions.” HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR BOAT’S TIME OUT OF THE WATER DOING HARD TIME Bluewater staff demonstrate the hinged belly band and custom davit designed to lift Jones and his motorized chair “It was a great experience... creatively overcoming the obstacles and then designing and building the solutions.” 24 BLUEWATER