The following is an edited version of a brief introduction to the Secret Cove 58 for sales purposes

Introduction

At first glance, this boat might look like many others on the market. Certainly, the fit and finish equals or exceeds the best production boats. However, the Secret Cove 58 differs in that it is a custom built “one-off”.

The Secret Cove 58 is a long-range cruiser aimed at the yachtsman who wants a capable vessel with good range, decent speed, good economy, and excellent sea-keeping qualities. While there are no aspirations of trans-ocean voyages, coastal cruising with range requirements of 1600 nautical miles – Alaska to Mexico, Caribbean to the Maritimes, Mediterranean to the Baltic, will all be fully accessible. As well as having many cruising areas available, the owner has a broad range of cruising speeds… from loitering at 7 knots, consuming a miserly 4 gal/hour to moving along at a respectable 16 knots or more.

Construction

The Secret Cove 58 is of composite construction with the hull bottom of solid FRP and the remainder of the hull, deck, bulkheads, and superstructure of sandwich construction using ‘Core-Cell’ foam and in some areas end grain balsa. While there has not been a concerted effort to build a lightweight structure there has been a strict philosophy to avoid unnecessary weight. As low maintenance was a requirement for the first vessel, the exterior has no wood trim but the owner is now fitting a synthetic teak deck (Tec-Dec) for appearance and crew comfort.

Hull Form

The hull form is based on that developed by Simpson several years ago and proven effective on many designs since. Described as a true semi-displacement hull, it features a soft entry with a molded spray rail located well above the waterline. This yields efficient cruising speeds in what is normally considered an in-efficient speed range: the transition zone between displacement and planing speeds, in this case 10 to 18 knots.

The hull is the same as a 56’ aluminum motor yacht built a decade ago and powered by twin 475 hp diesels offering a cruising speed of 17 knots. The SC 58 is slightly longer and with a different superstructure and therefor slightly heavier: With twin 330 hp diesels, she can cruise at 11 knots and tops out at 15 knots.  For moderate speed long range cruising on one engine, the fuel burn rate is 7.50 gal/hour (US) at 1700 rpm giving a cruise speed of 9.5 knots.

From the aesthetic aspect, there was extensive computer modeling and renderings done by Rick Welin of Trident Welding Ltd. to assist the building process as well as assuring all participants that the SC58 would have a striking yet practical appearance.

Accommodation

The SC 58 is of tri cabin configuration having a main deck with saloon aft, engine room under with upper steering stations over. Forward is the wheelhouse with living quarters below.

Lower accommodation features 3 staterooms, 2 heads, and laundry facility. The main deck saloon features easy chairs and an ‘L’ settee and large doors leading to the aft deck. In additional to a fully equipped helm station, the wheelhouse features a complete galley and ‘L’ shaped dinette*. With this layout, the guests can sit up with the skipper and enjoy the cruise. Alternatively, in demanding situations the skipper can draw a blackout curtain, isolating the helm area for uninterrupted piloting.

*Note: In order to gain some additional space in the wheelhouse, the house was lengthened, with the front (and Portuguese bridge) positioned about 27” forward of that shown on the drawings.