2016 Custom Aluminium Expedition Yacht

This 2016 custom aluminium expedition yacht is a 55-foot ketch designed and built by Incat Tasmania. The boat combines modern cruising comfort with robust offshore capability, featuring a pilot house and centre cockpit layout rigged for shorthanded sailing. The ketch rig—main, mizzen, genoa, and staysail—was built by Almasts with sails by Steve Walker, and all three upper sails can be reefed. Daggerboards enhance windward performance, while a feathering propeller and 75 hp Yanmar diesel with ZF gearbox provide reliable propulsion. The design was built to NSCV code with a hull structure meeting DNV HSLC Rules, incorporating five watertight bulkheads and four watertight doors for safety.

The interior sleeps seven across multiple cabins with sea berths and lee cloths. Two sea berths can be angled level when heeled. The arrangement includes a forward sail locker, mid-ship accommodation, and a separate lazarette—all isolated as watertight compartments to keep living spaces dry and odour-free. The pilot house includes skipper chairs and full inside steering and controls, with identical steering and manual controls duplicated in the cockpit. A Raymarine autopilot with pump in the engine room manages long passages.

Power systems are comprehensive: three 220 Ah house batteries and one 120 Ah starter battery on separate circuits, charged by a 220A engine-driven alternator and 80A alternator respectively. A 2300W combination charger and inverter supports shore power through an isolation transformer. Fresh water capacity totals 700 litres across two polyethylene tanks, while fuel storage provides approximately 1700 litres in two built-in tanks. Water ballast in four midship and aft tanks aids stability. A 50-litre hot water tank, Webasto diesel heater with five outlets, and Wallas diesel stovetop and oven provide comfort. The galley includes an Isotherm fridge and freezer, microwave, and washing machine in the head. Navigation relies on a Raymarine i70 system with wind, log, and depth instruments in both pilot house and cockpit, backed by Icom VHF/AIS and hand bearing compass.

The yacht carries ground tackle including a Vulcan 40 anchor with 80 metres of 10mm galvanised chain, a kedge with chain and rode, and a Muir windlass with remote operation. A 2.6-metre aluminium-bottomed Highfield Ultralite dinghy with Torqueedo outboard and two batteries is stowed on deck. Four Johnson bilge pumps, three fire extinguishers, and hull anodes provide safety redundancy. A washdown pump with deck hose serves maintenance needs.