Point of difference - Pacifica 44
by John Curnow, Global Editor, Powerboat.World 27 Feb 2025 13:00 PST
Note the bridge deck height and nacelle of the Pacifica 44 © Bury Design
3000nm. Boom. There's your unique selling proposition, right there. Real range. Reliable passage making times/distances at 10 knots as your base marker and unbelievable autonomy means the Pacifica 44 harnesses the absolute best a sailing vessel can offer. Added this to are guaranteed A to B transitions and enough power for extended silent anchoring once you have arrived at the end of your voyage/passage.
Let's delve into it deeper, for it is a great scenario. So good in fact, that two people are to be the owners of Hulls #1 and #2, with the production of the first hulls under way right now.
Now, to make all of the items in the opening paragraph actually happen, you need to be efficient. So, that will be in the fast displacement hull form where LWL is the LOA. In conjunction with that, you will have a low horsepower requirement. It means you'll cruise anywhere from 8-16 knots, and have a sprint speed of up to 22 knots, depending on the installed powerplants.
Next, you need to have loads of stored power, and the ability to make more of it both efficiently and easily. Ultimately, you're going to need storage, both cold and dry, because you intend to be away for a while, and supplies can be 'sketchy' when you get out to some of these places.
Finally, you wrap it in something that has enough room for you and your partner, and then occasional guests, as you see fit, along with enough mod cons to not have you think you're out there with Thor Heyerdahl.
How is it so?
Sounds easy, but it isn't. All boats are a set of variables, so it is just where you place the pin, and only the good ones don't turn out to be donkeys. Experience, evaluation, and a lot of maths and theory go into ensuring the latter is not yours. So, it is a good thing that Paul Bury is blessed with the skills stated above, and has applied them deftly with the creation of the Pacifica 44.
The thinking starts to become even more evident when you go over the specifications. 13.2m long and 6.6m wide, drawing just 0.8m and projecting just 5.5m skyward in the case of the flybridge version. Vinylester resin-infused composite hulls and decks for strength and weight reduction, so that you are under 12 metric tonnes lightship. Utilising a pair of 180hp motors, but making them commercially rated for heavy duty, and low maintenance (mechanical injection). And while you're at it, put ZF 220 gearboxes behind them, as well as constant velocity Python Drives linking the gear box and shaft behind that to ensure the smoothest running.
Carrying 3500l of fuel that includes 250 litres of fuel polishing, which will prove its worth in locales where quality is less than you might be used to. If contaminated, you'll still be able to power on due to the additional filters and bypass (that's a lot of words for 'peace of mind'). A 140l/ph water maker to serve the 700l stored in two tanks, a 5kW 48V alternator on each motor, along with all the smarts to distribute that and over 3kW of solar to the minimum 40kWhr of LiFePO4 storage (up to 60kWhr optional).
There is a dishwasher, fridge, and freezer included, as too a pair of 16" MFDs, radar, autopilot, forward looking sonar, radio/satphone, and AIS, as well as EPIRB, and life raft. It is decidedly easier to say what's not included, and that is air conditioning, as it is a very particular item per owner, and the requirement/specs on that vary widely.
The real, real world
The symmetrical layout in the hulls offers queen beds for both, along with a good sized, all-in-one head and wet room. Those beds are pretty much midships and feet first. Appreciate what that all means, and no doubt you'll know what having the added distance between people in the other hull brings to the equation. Each of these beds is above the separately moulded vinylester fuel tanks (zero corrosion right there), immediately in front of the stand-up engine rooms. Get what the latter stands for, and you have clearly done some miles already.
Talking about donks, which in the first case are FPT N67-280 inline sixes delivering 180hp a side. They're commercially rated, might be a tad heavier than others, but do spin slower (silence is crucial on long hauls - hence the Python Drive), and can handle the four-bladed Austral Compuquad super cupped screws with 80% diameter to area ratio, which means thrust.
The small keelson and hull form before them means they are fully protected, as too are the rudders, which have a top and bottom bearing for real control. It means you do have a taper in the sterns to get flow back over the wheels, but the upside is the engines are back under main deck height, hence the stand-up feature.
Yes. This is a vessel about the maximum possible range, as well as the best seakeeping and comfort, and a bit of hull volume has been handed over in order to achieve this. However, the long LWL and bridge deck height of 800mm when fully laden (1m when lightship) are crucial to achieving this, with the latter possibly class leading, or definitely podium placed. The nacelle will also aid in seakeeping, and remember, it is vertical acceleration that delivers seasickness. In short, this boat should go windward pretty damn well.
"240nm a day from 10 knots makes the world a much more reasonably sized place," said Bury. "The comfort on board for extended periods of cruising is what this is all about. The first owners will cruise extensively throughout Asia and the Pacific, having already undertaken many journeys with sailing monos and cats, including transitions across the Tasman Sea and Pacific Islands."
"They epitomise the use the boat for its intended purpose, not leave it tied to the quay. There is a real reason the Pacifica 44 consumes just over a litre per nautical mile, and they will maximise that."
Another point of difference
Hull #2 is to be the sedan version. New Zealand based, this owner ventures far and wide as well. East of New Zealand, the destinations are all big numbers, so the autonomy of the Pacifica 44 speaks volumes. Out there, fresh produce is great, as is the seafood, but other things you may want to have brought with you. If you look at the GAs you'll see just how much storage is on offer.
Talking about numbers, the standard 40kWhr becomes so much more real when you look at a full-size dishwasher, which consumes 1.5kWhr. A full-size fridge/freezer might be 0.85 to 1kWhr, and then you may add in another kWhr for additional cold storage, taking you to 2kWhr in total. Other hotel loads like watermaker, hot water service and entertainment will only amount to small increments, not huge blocks.
HVAC is the killer. You can be 20kWhr running it moderately just overnight, or 36kWhr if you go silly. Point is, 24 hours or a few days is achievable on stored power alone, depending on your usage, and the banks you install. The idea is not to run the mains as gensets, but of course that is available to you. The sedan version of the Pacifica 44 could have up to 4kW of solar, and this will help. The takeaway is, that you need to be real about your requirements and expectations.
There is flexibility to have more stored water and power, so if you are having guests and want Hollywood showers, then maybe tick a few boxes. Alas, the boat as spec'd will do the things talked about here. The additional tweaks are up to you.
On that aspect, the boat is built to Lloyds SSC (Special Service Craft), and for instance, the topside hull glass is 15mm thick, and throughout the vessel all of the glass is toughened.
And another...
There is a resort/charter version. Take out some bunkering, and you can have up to 50 POB, with an enlarged flybridge deck part of the equation. Resort owners then have an option for transfers/transport and day cruises, as well as cruise operators for places like Sydney Harbour all come into play here, and interest in it is what sparked the creation. Male and female heads in one hull, galley and crew area in the other.
The rest is open expanse with wonderful lounging. Ultimately, it all serves to highlight the stability and flexibility of the platform, to say nothing of the inherent design standards.
So, the first vessel has the flybridge, and this should be in the commissioning phase as 2025 winds out. Vessel two will be for the end of Q1 2026, and any commercial vessels can be commenced thereafter. Whilst there are a lot of tools to be made for various aspects, noting that hull and deck are already done, the main deck glass is consistent across all three variants. A true nod to adaptability there. Why recreate the wheel when you do not have to...
"If you happen to be liveaboards, then the flybridge is another space, even an extra bedroom. Out in the Pacific and there are only two of you, then the sedan is more than enough. We're here to get people out into the big blue for extended trips. How that looks like is up to them and their requirements.
The Pacifica 44 is a specific vessel for a targeted job with personalised fit-out for added appeal to various roles," said Bury in closing. The video of the Pacifica 44 is here.
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Time to go boating...
John Curnow
Global Editor, Powerboat.World