Express 92 Retro Commuter

The 92 Express is an effort to maintain the stunning looks and performance of Liberty while adding the spacious interior expected in a 92' motoryacht. In the 92' I have increased beam relative to length. The 92' is still narrow by modern standards; the average is 21'-22' but this is entirely in keeping with her retro styling and performance objective. With 19' of beam her interior spaces take on the feeling of a room, rather than that of a passageway.

Consulting

  • Feasibility Study

    Usually this relates to establishing some criteria to base decisions about the feasibility of converting or refitting/rebuilding an existing vessel. It includes research on current market value, pedigree, structural soundness and required alterations, possible styling and arrangement options, etc.

    • Research Establishing Pedigree, History

      The feasibility of many restorations usually hinges on pedigree, who was the designer, the builder, and/or original or previous owner? The most valuable boats are the product of a great designer, great builder, and famous owner. Boats with one or two of these assets are of lesser value. Real pedigree can be international (Fife for instance) or local, say a Wahl fishboat built in Prince Rupert BC.

      Many boats have little recorded history, any scrap of paper adds immeasurably to the boat's value. Usually there is verbal history but this must be verified wherever possible. Original drawings, receipts, letters, etc all add to the story and are invaluable in any restoration. One of the things I often get involved with, is this establishing of pedigree through research in my extensive library. With 400+ hardback books, 4000+ periodicals, and hundreds of brochures, etc. dating back 50 years, research is time consuming.

      62' 1968 Wooden Mauricio Trawler In the case of Vaquero, there was controversy as to whether she was a De Fever design or not. Eventually we established that, though she wasn’t actually drawn by De Fever, she was built by a yard turning out De Fever designs and is a close copy with variations. Part of this was found from 1960’s brokerage listings that I found in Sea Magazine.

    • Inspection, Overview of Project

      When I was first involved with Invader, I made a visit to the boat and spent a couple of hours on inspecting her, not a survey but an overview. I then made a list of about 35 projects that required attention to bring the boat to useable condition. These ranged from “replace freshwater tanks, plumbing, and pressure pump” to “replace main deck roof”. We then were able to put ballpark numbers (cost) to these projects and add them up for a ballpark budget. The prospective owner then had some basis for the go/no go decision.

      As it happened, the decision was to go ahead and purchase the Invader. I became involved in the Invader rebuild project, designing a new pilot house, bulwarks, deckhouse, and complete new interior arrangement.

    • Read more on the Feasibility Study page >>


    • As part of a market research study that involved looking at several vessels, I recently did a feasibility study for the refit of the William Garden designed trawler, Tiger Bay. I took 85 photographs which were emailed to the buyer with my comments. I then wrote a list of immediate requirements (repairs, maintenance, and upgrades) with ballpark costs.


    • The Invader prior to her refit project. After my first visit, I made a list of about 35 projects that required attention to bring the boat to useable condition.