Standing headroom is an issue aboard beautiful boats with limited freeboard. You can try to talk it away, but it doesn’t work. Because bending down below deck bothers. You can either change clothes in the open sliding hatch. Or you have a boat with a cabin structure permitting to cook, brush your teeth, use the bathroom and shower. The 115 ft (ca. 35 m) Firefly solves this better by being simply long enough.

J-Class alternative

Dutch yacht designer André Hoek is specialised in Spirit of Tradition cruising boats, further in optimising and redesigning J-Class yachts. This boat is the result of a study that compared fifteen concepts with different lengths, widths and displacements, sail areas and drafts. The result was Firefly with the elegance and power of the America’s Cupper. Flat-sided, with a distinctively stretched bow and stern section. With a third of the displacement, powered by two thirds of the sails of a J-Class and slightly shorter. With a U-shaped flat underwater hull, T-keel, stretched keel and rudder profiles. A formula-free creation following the legendary Cupper of the 1930s — realized with the yacht construction possibilities of our time.

Rarely consequent economy class

As the interior photos show, there are 43 feet (ca. 13 m) of walk-in living space with a nav. station, pantry, a toilet, and washroom, clothes lockers with fabric doors, and a dozen folding berths in the foreship. The deck’s beams remained visible, as did drains and cables. A rarely seen economy class. The America’s Cuppers off Newport in the 1930s had that ambience.

Deep keel and water ballast

As narrow and lightweight boats soon lie on their sides in windy conditions, half of the displacement comes as lead in the long, T-shaped keel at a depth of no less than 5 m. In addition, 5 tons of water ballast under the windward edge help. The water is supposedly pumped onto the side in two minutes. The technology for this is installed in the engine room under the large cockpit.

On deck, Firefly comes beautifully simple with a toe rail instead of a railing and covered with Western Red Cedar planks. The cockpit is reminiscent of the ergonomics of modern racing boats. The sail carrying ratio of 6.2 is impressive and suits the Mediterranean with its light thermal breeze.

The 9/10th rigged mast offers plenty of headsail area and forgives a late backstay adjustment when tacking. The backstay not far above secures the mast.

Naval architect	Hoek Design Naval Architects
Hull	Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw, Makkum
Completion/Launch	Claasen Yard/2011
Length over All	35,20 m
Length Waterline	22,23 m
Hull speed	11,5 kn
Overhangs	13 m, 36%
Habitable Length	13 m, 36%
Beam	5,58 m
Draft fixed keel	5,20 m
Draft lift keel	3–5,20 m
Displacement	62 t
Ballast	28 t
Water ballast	5,000 l
Up Wind Sail Area	594 m2
Segeltragzahl	6,2

If the boat is a little longer, it comes with sufficient headroom and a reasonably low freeboard, without a disturbing superstructure. And, like the racing yachts of the 1930s, there is a sliding hatch console for the companionway.

Photo at the top and interior shots by Joep Niesink.

More on the topic: → Cabin heights Swede 55, → Comfort aboard Jubilee S40, → Headroom S30, → Headroom Swede 41, → Headroom Swede 41 Classic

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