MEET THE COMPOSITE YACHT 55

"Can you build me a 55-foot deadrise that can run 55 knots?" That's what Jerry Murrell asked the crew of Composite Yacht located in Trappe, Maryland, on the famed Eastern Shore.Murrell loves the graceful, traditional profile of the sheerline, collar boards and deckhouse on these indigenous Chesapeake working boats.

- Jerry Murrell

Classic wooden "bay-built" hulls meet a variety of needs, from hauling crab pots and oystering to charter fishing. They feature sharp bows, big cockpits, forward helms, and semi-displacement, shallow V-hulls and straight-shaft inboards. They've never been built for efficient speeds above 20 mph, much less a soft ride at such velocities.

How did Murrell assemble a team to pull it off?

THE DESIGN

Martin Hardy and his sons, Lewis and Rob, of Composite Yacht (compositeyacht.biz) went to work. "Let's hire an architect, build it on paper, then test it." They signed naval architect Lou Codega, who's drawn Regulator Boats, Cabo Yachts and others.

Tank testing took place at the venerable Stevens Institute of Technology.

"The owner wanted a deadrise-style boat that's really fast. The tricky part of this design is the forward position of the helm," Codega says. As most boaters know, the ride gets rougher the closer that someone one sits or stands toward the bow.

"To run soft in bay chop, I had to make the forefoot as sharp as possible without inducing bow steer," Codega explains. "Being big is a trait that buys you ride quality, especially in the Chesapeake." The boat measures 55 feet, with only 16 feet of beam.

A narrower beam helps in achieving a softer ride and higher speed goals.