Artist's Rendering of the new Selene 86 Ocean Explorer -- Courtesy of Jet Tern Marine

Jet Tern Marine this week announced the first in a new series of luxury motoryachts — the Selene 86 Ocean Explorer.  The new yacht is the result of a collaboration between Howard Chen and his design team along with Dutch naval architect Guido de Groot. Construction of the molds for the new yacht has begun and hull number one is expected to be completed in time to debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September of 2011.

Artist's Rendering of the new Selene 86 Ocean Explorer -- Courtesy of Jet Tern Marine

Here’s how Jet Tern describes the boat in their press release:

The Selene 86 resembles her sisterships in that the design features a raised pilothouse, Portuguese bridge, and bulbous bow. However, this new model has more contemporary exterior lines as well as the addition of large side windows in the hull and stainless steel anchor pockets which is a departure from other Selene models. The blend of the traditional full displacement hull with modern design details and interior appointments qualify the new Selene 86 Ocean Explorer as a true luxury long range yacht.

Inside, the Selene 86 boasts four staterooms each with an en suite head. Though this boat could be handled by a couple thanks to sophisticated systems, crew quarters are integral to the design. Jet Tern anticipates that the Selene 86 will appeal to existing Selene owners who have expressed interest in a larger Selene model with more of a luxury yacht feel. The company expects the design to be popular in the European and charter markets as well. Selene Europe dealer Mark Seaton says, “The Selene 86 easily competes with yachts built at the finest European yards and we look forward to discussing this new design with clients at the Dusseldorf Boat Show, Jan. 23-31.”

The Selene 86 Ocean Explorer is designed to carry 4,000 U.S. gallons of fuel and cruise comfortably at 10 knots with a top speed of 13 knots; tank tests are under way and Jet Tern describes the boat as very fuel efficient for her class. Standard power will be supplied by twin Cummins QSM11 610hp engines and sophisticated fuel polishing and fuel monitoring systems are also standard features.

Artist's Rendering of the new Selene 86 Ocean Explorer -- Courtesy of Jet Tern Marine

The company also said the hull will be built using vacuum resin infusion, which results in a lighter and stronger hull with few or no resin voids.

Copyright © 2010 by OceanLines LLC

New Artemis 46 Undergoes Seatrials in China

Howard Chen’s Jet Tern Marine has launched a new planing motoryacht line called the “Artemis” with a 46-foot debut model.  Jet Tern Marine”s Zhu-Hai, China, shipyard is best known for its Selene line of displacement yachts.  According to the company, the new Artemis line was developed “in response to consistent and strong market demand for a high-performance yacht built by Jet Tern.”  The company said that, eventually, models from 36 to 66 feet will be developed

The Artemis 46 is a two-stateroom, two-head flybridge motoryacht, powered by twin 380hp diesels from Yanmar and is designed to cruise at a top speed of 23 knots; a performance level verified during sea trials of hull 4603.  The yacht has a beam of 14 feet 4 inches, a waterline length of 38 feet 11 inches, and a draft of 3 feet 9 inches.  The yacht has a fuel capacity of 400 U.S. gallons, with water and holding tanks of 100 and 50 U.S. gallons, respectively.

The Artemis 46 has walkaround decks, flybridge, and covered cockpit. A sliding door opens to the saloon with a contemporary design and built-in settees with seating for four around an adjustable table. The interior layout is open with the helm station to starboard and the galley down two steps to port.

Jet Tern says the first four yachts have already been sold in China.  The company press release downplays it somewhat, but I believe the Chinese market for this type of yacht may represent the best real growth potential in the near future.  China has embarked on a program of luxury marina building around the country and is deliberately fostering a yachting culture. I expect to see offerings like the Artemis, perhaps even more upscale, from some interesting sources over the next several months.  The base price of a new Artemis 46 is approximately $690,000, including freight and commissioning.

Artemis 46
Specifications

Download a Layout PDF File

source:  Jet Tern Marine

Copyright © 2009 by OceanLines LLC

Selene 53 Isis Shown Dockside

Selene Annapolis announced today that it is adding a new, deep-hull Selene 47 to its charter fleet, which will be managed by a separate division of the company’s yacht and brokerage business.  The new 47 complements a Selene 53 that has been available for charter since last fall.  The 53, named Isis, is a 2005 model and has been booked four times already and has explored much of the Chesapeake Bay with its charter guests. 

The 53 Isis has three staterooms, two heads and can comfortably sleep four guests and a captain.  The company says that “qualified charterers may bareboat, allowing six guests to enjoy the cruise.”  The saloon seating is designed for six and the flybridge can comfortably accommodate them at the open-air table and seating arrangement.  Isis may be chartered for a rate of $4,800 for four days and three nights, up to $7,500 for seven days and six nights.  Provisions, captain services and fuel are extra, of course.

Holiday is a brand new 2009 Selene 47, and will complete commissioning in the fall. With two staterooms and two heads, she can comfortably sleep four guests bareboating, or two guests and a captain.  Holiday can be chartered for a base rate of $4,100 for four days and three nights, up to $6,800 for seven days and six nights.  The usual extra charges, as for Isis, apply.

Captained charters are structured to the preferences of the guests and can be as educational and hands-on as the customer would like. Typical charters are four to five days. Extended charters and bareboat charters can be discussed with Selene Annapolis.

Chuck Wistar, president of Selene Annapolis, believes the new charter enterprise is a natural extension to their company as it allows potential new owners to experience the lifestyle before making a purchase commitment. “We encourage anyone considering the purchase of a Selene to take the time to charter. The cost of chartering is well worth it to confirm the long-term investment of buying a Selene, or any other of the Tier I trawlers,” he says.

Additional information on chartering as well as the Selene yachts in charter can be found on the Selene Annapolis website.   Booking information are available by contacting Selene Annapolis by phone, 410.280.0006.

Copyright © 2009 by OceanLines LLC

Preliminary Layout of the new Selene 44 Next Gen Ocean Trawler

Jet Tern Marine today announced it has begun construction of the first Selene 44 Ocean Trawler, based on the new deep-hull design announced earlier this year.  The new model replaces the Selene 43 and is scheduled for delivery in early 2010.

The new Next Generation Ocean Trawler fleet from Selene now includes the 38, 42, 44 and 49-foot boats.  Howard Chen, President and founder of Jet Tern Marine describes the next generation hull.  “The new design has a deeper hull section than the original design.  Starting at the front bulkhead of the engine room to the stern, the midship is now deeper, increasing the overall engine room headroom.  The deeper hull also allows us to increase the size of the tanks, thereby increasing the fuel capacity,” says Chen.

The new hull design results in nearly a one-foot increase in engine room headroom to 66 inches and allows plenty of room for the proven, standard Cummins QSB 5.9 230hp engine. The extra height also allows for expansion of the fuel tanks to a total of 1,000 U.S. gallons.  Thanks to the extra height in the engine room, the tanks are designed to be narrower yielding even more space in the engine room.  The new 44 replaces the original Selene 43 with an additional half a foot on the LOA increasing the interior saloon space by six more inches.  Its innovative “cruiser stern” increases hull efficiency by around 8% as measured in tank tests, according to the company.  Jet Tern also says that the increased hull efficiency translates into fuel savings as well as more sea-kindly handling in following seas.

Evolved from the original Selene 43 which had a centerline galley, the new Selene 44 has the galley offset to starboard providing a more spacious and accommodating saloon with easy access to the pilothouse. The pilothouse settee is L-shaped and also offset to starboard which creates room for a small helm chair in the pilothouse.  With a spacious master stateroom forward, the new Selene 44 is ideal for couple’s cruising though an additional stateroom to port can accommodate occasional guests.  There are two full heads with enclosed showers.

The company says that alhough the Selene 44 is at the smaller end of trawlers built by Jet Tern Marine, she is equipped with many features like a washer/dryer and Frigoboat freezer usually found on larger yachts. Her engine and tank size make capable of long-distance cruising and at a 7.5 knot cruise speed the trawler will offer a 3,000 mile range.

Here’s a copy of the more detailed layouts in a pdf file:  Selene 44 Next Generation Ocean Trawler Layouts

More information, including world-wide dealer locations, is available at www.selenetrawlers.com.

Adapted from materials provided by Jet Tern Marine.

Copyright © 2009 by OceanLines LLC

Selene 53DH Hull Mold

A series of recent design changes to a small number of the Selene models, including the 53, which we wrote about here on OceanLines, will now be standard on all new Selenes, according to an announcement last week from Howard Chen at Jet-Tern Marine, the parent company of the Selene brand of trawlers.  In addition to some of the larger models that have already incorporated the new design, new 2010 Selene 38, 42 and 49 models are already in production.

According to Jet Tern, “The foundation of the new generation of Selene Ocean Trawlers is a hull design that turns the chines inward to the keel deeper in the water than earlier designs. In addition, all of the next generation molds feature the “cruiser stern” as standard.”  The company listed the following benefits and implications of the design changes:

• Without changing the draft, headroom in the engine room is increased by a foot or more. Some of this increased headroom is carried into the lazarette.
• Each new mold is 1-2’ longer than its predecessor. This fact plus the added length of the cruiser stern increase the waterline length resulting in slightly greater hull speed.
• Greater headroom permits fuel tanks of the same capacity to be higher but narrower, increasing the effective area in the engine room for improved access, storage, and usability.
• Engines are mounted relatively lower in the hull. This results in a flatter angle of the shaft, and therefore more efficient transmission of power to the propeller.
• A prop tunnel is now molded in to the hull, further enabling a flatter propulsion angle and the resultant improvement in efficiency and performance.
• Test tank results indicate the cruiser stern is 7%-8% more efficient through the water than traditional transoms. Some mechanical loss always must be accepted, but this efficiency could translate into 4%-5% improvement in fuel consumption at a given speed.
• The cruiser stern, with its curved sides and bottom dissipates following seas for improved seakeeping in those conditions.

Of the three smaller 2010 models in production, the new Selene 38 and Selene 42, each with the cruiser stern, evolved from the popular double-cabin layouts of their first-generation counterparts. With LOAs of almost 42’ and 45’ respectively, the yachts are “proven and dependable,” according to Jet Tern.

The Selene 49 is a “next generation” evolution of the very popular Selene 48 model.  It features the new “deep hull” design with its cruiser stern, 10” increase in engine room headroom, and the larger, standard Cummins QSL 9.0 330 hp engine.   LOA is over a foot longer.  On the interior, that also translates to an 8” increase in the cockpit and 4” more in the salon.

According to Chen, the designer and builder of the Selene range, “Another significant difference is a wider body flybridge giving space for entertaining friends and family with style in the open air. This new flybridge layout incorporates an ‘L’ settee and table to one side, a bar/sink/BBQ unit on the other, and behind, ample room for a substantial dinghy and hydraulic crane.”

Jet Tern said the Selene 49 is still an excellent long range cruising boat with a D/L ratio at full load of 316, and A/B ratio at full load of 2.54.  With the standard Cummins at 1800 rpm it has a cruise speed of 8.6 kts for a range of 2,000 nm.  The company considers the 49 to be the flagship of the smaller end of the Selene fleet, intended to incorporate some of the room and luxury of the larger models in a package both affordable and easily handled by a couple.

Jet Tern now has four dealers in the U.S. for its Selene trawlers:

• Selene Annapolis
• Selene Seattle
• Selene California
• Selene Florida

Copyright © 2009 by OceanLines LLC

Selene 53DH Hull Mold

Jet Tern Marine last week announced it had completed construction of the hull mold for a new deep-hull version of its popular Selene 53′ model.  JTM has been modifying its other hulls to this new “deep-hull” configuration.  Earlier-modified boats include the Selene 47 and the Selene 57.

Here’s a small gallery of photos of the new 53DH hull plug and mold at completion:

According to JTM, “The features of this newly completed 53DH hull mold will provide more headroom in the engine room; 76″ forward, and 62″ aft” by which the maintenance duties in the engine room should be made easier.  JTM added that the DH version will also be capable of a larger fuel capacity.  The current 53′ has a fuel capacity of 1,300 gallons.  Photos of the new DH hull mold show that the updated configuration will include the new “feathered” prop skeg, as well as a modest prop pocket, which should allow the use of a larger, slower-turning prop.  To-date, Selene has sold more than 110 53′s.  You can read more about the Selene 53 in our recent feature on Jet Tern Marine’s 10th anniversary and the company’s East Coast dealer, Selene Annapolis.

Copyright © 2009 OceanLines LLC

Selene 48 Cruising

Jet Tern Marine  is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the debut of the Selene line of ocean-class, long-range, full displacement trawlers.  The company has sold more than 300 boats in the line, which now includes boats from 37 feet to 75 feet in length.  Two factories in Guangdong Province in China — at Zhuhai and Dongguan — in the Pearl River Delta provide the company with an experienced craftsman workforce as well as easy access to the sea.  JTM is run by Howard Chen, whose family runs the parent company, Jet Tern, well-known worldwide for its flatware.  Incidentally, Selene includes a customized flatware package with all its new boats — one benefit of the Jet Tern family relationship.

OceanLines talked recently with Selene’s East Coast dealer (except for Florida), Selene Annapolis, which is owned and run by Chuck Wistar and his wife Andrea.  Wistar is a former Selene 53 owner who traveled more than 14,000 miles on their trawler before selling it.  The Wistars had happily worked with Jet Tern Marine while they owned their Selene, showing the boat for the builder at both the Newport and Annapolis shows in 2003.  When Jet Tern Marine’s Howard Chen found out they were selling their boat, he asked them to consider becoming the Selene dealer on the East Coast.

View the trawler’s images here.

According to Wistar, the 53 and 55 are the “sweet spot” in the Selene line, although the new 59, introduced only 2 1/2 years, “is already on hull number 37 or 38,” said Wistar.  At roughly $1.5 million base price for the boat, it’s an attractive price point in the trawler industry.  Wistar says the 48 is also a popular boat; a two-stateroom alternative to the 53.  “For a couple with only occasional visitors, the 48 is a great boat,” says Wistar.  Recent updates to the molds for the 48 have deepened the hull where it joins the keel.  “This gives you roughly 5 feet, 10 inches of headroom in the engine room” in that boat, he said.

All Selenes are solid fiberglass hulls, up to the waterline; while above that they are cored with Divinyl cell.  Selene uses vinylester resin to laminate the first four layers of the hull, a laminate schedule unmatched anywhere else in the trawler industry, according to Wistar.  The result is that, “to my knowledge, there has never been an osmotic blister on a Selene,” Wistar said.  The corporate confidence in that statement translates to a lifetime warranty against hull blisters, so that’s one less thing to worry about for year-round boaters and liveaboards.

All the Selene models from 43′ upward are raised pilothouse models and all are CE Ocean-A rated.  Selene customers are typical of the trawler market; most either at or nearing retirement and with plans for most to move aboard and live aboard while cruising full-time.

The smaller Selenes have been extremely popular with Great Loop cruisers in the United States.  They have no air draft issues with the Erie Canal, which is a typical stumbling block for some other trawler brands.  “Our air draft, on the 53, even with the KVH (satellite) domes, was just a little over 19 feet,” says Wistar, who, with his wife, took their 53 on a variation of the Great Loop, called the “Down East Circle.”  This cruise of approximately 2,400 miles, takes boaters up the Hudson, across the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario to the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River.  The route proceeds downriver (although still mostly northeastward) through the locks to Montreal, Quebec and out the mouth of the Seaway to the islands of the Canadian Maritimes — Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland.  The last leg is across the Bay of Fundy to Maine and down past New Hampshire and Massachusettes to New York.  While the Wistars ran the route in two months, they say they would like to do it again but take an extra month to do some more sightseeing along the way.  Read all about the Wistars’ cruise HERE.

Selene has an active owners group, and a recent East Coast rendezvous attracted 40 owners and 7 boats to Hutchinson Island, Florida, for an event co-hosted by Selene Annapolis and Selene Florida.

We talked more about the 48 as a particularly price-attractive boat in these economically tough times.  Wistar says the basic price, plus a good cruising package of options that would include stabilizers, a/c, hydraulic davit, icemaker, bow and stern thrusters, a big inverter and a hardtop, plus delivery, would run about $896,000; certainly a competitive price for a big-boat trawler these days.

The 48 is a result of customer feedback on the original 47 model.  According to Howard Chen, the designer and builder of the Selene range, “The main difference is a wider body flybridge giving space for entertaining friends and family with style in the open air.  This new flybridge layout incorporates an ‘L’ settee and table to one side, a bar/sink/BBQ unit on the other, and behind, ample room for a substantial dinghy and hydraulic crane.”

The 48 also boasts an integral swim platform with a telescopic swim ladder, and beneath this is an 18″ hull extension, creating extra room in the lazarette for storing gear and supplies, and at the same time greater buoyancy to offset the weight of the larger flybridge.”

Selene says the 48 is still an excellent long range cruising boat with a D/L ratio at full load of 316, and A/B ratio at full load of 2.54.  With the standard Cummins 315hp diesel turning at a relatively slow 1800 rpm it has a cruise speed of 8.6kts, for a range of 2,000 nm.

The Selene 48, like all Selenes, can be easily customized as far as interior arrangement and decoration.  A typical configuration would feature an offset galley in the salon to starboard, with a settee and hi-lo table built-in to port.  The pilohouse has plenty of room for an L-shape settee and a nice helm chair; some even put a pilot berth in as well.  According to Wistar, the flybridge is a (pun intended) high point, of the brand.  “These boats all have a terrific flybridge, with great sight lines forward and around.  They’ve got built-in settees and lots of room for entertaining,” says Wistar.   The 48 can be ordered with a single or with twin engines.  The singles can have a get-home engine, or a hydraulic get-home run off a generator.

Stop by our Image Gallery and view the trawler’s pictures.

Copyright ©  2009 by OceanLines LLC