Sailing Sans Souci

Uncategorized · March 28, 2021 0

Exploring Wonder

There is no such thing as a perfect boat, with every engineering endeavor there are compromises. The McCreary brothers were masters at learning from other designs, including their own. They deftly incorporated and enhanced beneficial design elements and minimized the negative trade-offs that are the inevitable consequence. Upon my first sight of a Caliber 40 LRC on YachtWorld, I was impressed and wanted to learn more. 

I had seen the listing for Wonder and was keeping my eye on it. I kept a tracking spreadsheet with a link to the listing, location, price, and date in an effort to catch price reductions. There were a few Caliber 40s on the market but Wonder had captured my imagination. Calibers in general are very well thought out for safely cruising and passage making. I’m going to get a little technical here but it should explain why I wanted what I did. Starting with the underbody, to be able to safely and stably heave-to, a longer keel is much better. Modern performance boats have high aspect ratio keels (deep and thin) and spade rudders that pivot more centrally. They are fast and agile but won’t hold their direction well. On the other hand, a full keel offers exceptional directional stability at the expense of a much larger wetted surface area causing increased drag. Between the two designs is the modified fin keel which is longer and shallower than a fin but does not have as much area as a full keel making it fast and stable. In both full and modified fin keels, the rudder is hinged from a fixed part of either the full keel or a skeg. Both setups protect the rudder from potential damage from striking a submerged object. Further increasing the safety aspect of the Caliber 40 underbody is the fact that the keel is molded into the hull and not bolted on like many other models. Rounding out the safety features of the hull are a water-tight bulkhead forward that would keep me afloat if something penetrated the bow and a similar feature in the stern for if the rudder completely fails leaving a hole.

The Caliber 40 is rigged as a cutter with a larger genoa off a short bowsprit forward and smaller staysail a few feet aft giving her lots of flexibility in sail configuration. Wonder has roller furling on both headsails which will make sailing her single-handed much more manageable. With all lines leading aft to the cockpit, I should not regularly need to go forward while underway making her much safer. There are many hazards forward and the less time I spend there, the better. For comfort above decks, Wonder’s cockpit can be fully enclosed keeping spray and cold rain at bay. Mounted above the spray dodger and bimini are solar panels providing 650 watts for keeping batteries charged and operating the electrical and electronics systems. Directly below the cockpit is the mechanical room with engine, steering, electrical and fuel systems accessed through a large lazarette cover to port. Above the folding destroyer wheel is a chart plotter and the autopilot controls. All this to say that while Wonder is a lot of boat to handle, she’s set up to be managed efficiently while underway.

Continuing down below, the companionway is easily accessed and has screened double doors which can be replaced with drop boards in heavy weather. To port (left) is the L-shaped galley which has a microwave over the large sink, 12 V electric fridge and separate freezer, gimbaled stove/oven, and good storage. The navigation station is aft of the galley with a chart table and access to the electrical panel. To starboard of the companionway stairs are the aft cabin, comfortable for two, and a head (bathroom). Forward is a large saloon with a folding table easily seating 6 for meals. Forward of the bulkhead is the master cabin and a pullman berth to port which is sized somewhere between a full and a queen. There is plenty of room below the berth for storage in drawers and compartments. The starboard side has more storage compartments and hanging lockers. Forward of the stateroom is the master head with a separate shower stall. Underneath all of this is ample tankage with 200 gallons of fresh water, 180 gallons of fuel- giving her nearly 1000 miles of motoring range- and 100 gallons of black water capacity. Nothing in this size comes close to those capacities and it will give me lots of flexibility when cruising. Since nothing is perfect, I am less happy about where the navigation station is tucked, it feels cramped. Also, the pullman bed is not my ideal, I would prefer having access to both sides of the bed. Overall, I am very fond of this setup with lots of storage and room to spread out.

Rounding out our tour is the installed equipment. Wonder has about everything needed for extended cruising. Supplementing the solar array is an engine driven generator in the event of extended cloudiness and allowing me to run higher 110V loads if needed. The generated electricity feeds into high capacity batteries which are only a year old. For cruising and navigating, she has a GPS chart plotter, radar and AIS system for identifying other boats and broadcasting my position, speed, and direction. She’s got all the radio equipment you’d need, including a single side-band radio for getting weather data and email far from shore. As backup to the electronic autopilot, she’s fitted with a weather vane autopilot that uses wind and water power to keep a straight course. When 200 gallons of water are insufficient, we can supplement with the reverse osmosis water maker. For keeping things comfortable, Wonder has an efficient diesel-fired heater and electric air conditioning.

Although Wonder is nearly 24 years old, she has been well maintained by the previous four owners; she appears much newer. During my tour, I had time for an extended conversation with the current owners, Jeff and Wendy. Jeff, being an engineer, was able to expound in detail about Wonder’s systems and characteristics. They were obviously wistful about selling her and that said volumes about their attachment to the boat. I had hoped to contain my enthusiasm but couldn’t help getting excited about the prospect of owning her even with the survey and negotiations yet to come. 

P.S. The astute will note that there was no sea trial during my inspection. It being winter, I am not able to test her in the water. I’m moving forward in trust that my research and the voluminous reviews of the Caliber 40 LRC would bear out the positives. Time will tell …

 

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