Outbound 52
Article of the Month November 2007A new, semi-custom cruiser from the builders of the well-proven Outbound 44/46 offers a lot of living space in a hull that will be easy for a couple to handle
Most BWS readers will be familiar with the Outbound 44/46, which was launched almost a decade ago; there are now 30 44/46s out there cruising the world. The 44/46 was designed by the late Carl Schumacker to be a swift, easily driven offshore cruising boat that could be handled by a lone watchstander or a couple in all the conditions cruisers are likely to meet.
While the 44/46 (the 46 version has a sugar scoop transom that adds two feet to the LOA) continues to attract new owners, the Outbound family and potential buyers have for the last few years been asking the company to offer a larger cruising boat with spacious accommodations.
Outbound founder Phil Lambert turned to young yacht designer Tim Kernan to draw the lines of the new boat, and after some trial and error the two came up with what may be one of the handsomest and best new cruising boats to come along in a while. The Outbound 52 is a sleek center cockpit design with fairly low freeboard, a deep, low cockpit and very attractive coach roof styling—alow raised saloon that flows into a low cabin running forward.
With a 15-foot beam on a 48foot waterline, the design has been kept quite narrow, which will make it, like the 44/46, easily driven in a wide range of wind conditions. Easily driven boats require less sail pressure to move therefore you can reduce sail—reducing strain on the crew, heel and wear and tear— while still maintaining high average speeds. The bow has also been kept trim and sleek, so it will cut through chop easily.
The displacement of 39,500 pounds is significant but the boat is anything but heavy. The displacement-length ratio of 160 puts the 52 in the light-to-moderate range for offshore boats and compares well with the best performance cruising boats. The boat will have an easy motion, which really helps to keep the crew well rested and alert while on passage. This is the kind of design that brings you into port better rested than when you left.
The accommodation plan offers a large double cabin aft and either a similar double cabin forward or a combination of cabins forward. A classic sea berth has been added in a small cabin to starboard of the companionway ladder, a touch that will definitely appeal to potential owners who have been offshore before.
All tanks are below the saloon table, which keeps weight low and well centered to enhance stability and to prevent pitching in head seas; this arrangement also leaves the spaces under the settee open for storage.
Since the Outbound 52 will be built on a semi-custom basis, owners will have a lot of latitude in the design of the interior plan, the gear and equipment installed and the décor.
The design philosophy—like that of the 44/46—is to create a fairly lean 52 footer that won’t be too much for a couple to handle while offering them the speed and comfort at sea they want to make fast and safe ocean passages.
Hull number one was on a ship to America from the Chinese yard where it was built and is scheduled to be first displayed at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October. Following the show, BWS will give the new 52 a sea trial and report back on how the new design fulfills its promise of being a modern classic like its little sister.
