Sail Number:
Type: Spirit of Tradition / Daysailer
LOA: 55’4” / 16.87m – LOD: 55’4” / 16.87m – LWL: 41’0” / 12.50m – Beam: 13’4” / 4.06m – Draft: 6’11” / 2.11m (updated Sparkman & Stephens) – Designer exterior: Henry A. Scheel Jr – Original Owner: – Current Owner: Private – Year Launched: 1988 – Built by: Van Dam Custom Boats – Hull material: Cold-molded – Sail Area: – Displacement: 32,000lbs – Ballast: 11,000 lbs – Engine: 2 W46 Westerbeke Diesel engines (Combined 92.0 hp) – Flag: US
Historical:
Of noble status, and high honorary title of the Byzantine Empire – origin
Van Dam Custom Boats – Patrician was the result of a client’s search for the perfect daysailer. He wanted her to display the traditional lines and beauty of sailing yachts of the past but with the performance of a modern design. He also wanted it to be sailable by one person. To assure the required performance, Henry Scheel developed the lines and used his patented keel on her underbody. Van Dam Custom Boats was asked to build Patrician, giving Steve Van Dam the opportunity to demonstrate all the skill and craftsmanship he had developed in his twenty plus years of boat building.
This cold-molded vessel displays the flawless joinery and finish for which Van Dam is well known. In use year round, she is a testament to the durability of Van Dam’s approach to wooden boat building. To satisfy the requirements of single-handed sailing, Van Dam engineered and constructed a complete electrical and hydraulic system so one person could handle all systems from the helm. Van Dam worked very closely with the owner to ensure that all the details that make a custom yacht special, were exactly the right blend of aesthetics and function.
Construction
Hull is cold-molded with (4) layers of 3/8″ mahogany saturated in West System epoxy and then sheathed with (2) layers of 6 oz fiberglass cloth set with West System epoxy resin. The exterior finish is Awl-grip. Frames and keelson are laminated mahogany. The deck is thick teak laid over mahogany plywood. Coamings and all trim are perfectly executed mahogany joinerwork finished in varnish.
Note the original “Scheel Keel” was replaced by the 2nd Owner in order to improve upwind performance. This current keel is 18″ deeper than the original, and was designed by the Sparkman and Stephens firm and cast by Mars Metal.
Propulsion
The twin W46 Westerbeke Diesel engines are set on soft mounts, and connected to Aqua Drives to reduce vibration. Oversized 1 3/8′ stainless prop shafts go through dripless Lasdrop shaft seals, and turn (2) 20″ three blade feathering Maxprops.
Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
- Owner/Guardian: Private
- Owner/Guardian:
Resources
Van Dam Custom Boats
Photo credit: Onne van der Wall