For any boat enthusiast intending to spend a lot of time aboard their motor yacht, the Alaska 56 Pilothouse has to be of serious interest.
The combination of walk-around decks, open living areas, user-friendly engineering system and ease of maintenance makes it a natural live-aboard cruiser. Its practical design also makes it easy for the owner to wash down the decks and be ready for the next cruise.
Alaska makes excellent sea boats, so it’s going to be easy to go across Bass Strait or run from Sydney up to the Whitsundays with one stop along the way.
The Alaska 56 Pilothouse carries all the entertainment features you would expect of a luxury motor yacht, including wet bars, ice-maker, quality sound system and plasma TV.
Stepping aboard the first model recently, we found a nice leather settee, with leather finishes throughout the boat. The bed covers are gold and navy and all custom-made to the bed with matching sheets, pillowslips and throw cushions.
A unique feature of this model is the location of the toilet and shower forward of the master, king-sized bed, and there is a toilet, sink and vanity unit to the port side with extraction fans. In the middle of the cabin, there is a flat screen television. On the starboard side, there is another shower, toilet, sink and vanity, with the separate shower and toilet providing privacy and versatility.
On the starboard side there are plenty of drawers and cupboards, all deep and well-finished internally with first-class joinery. The owner of the boat was aboard and confirmed he wanted to use it as a home away from home.
Indeed, this motor yacht will be used in Sydney as a floating home for those times the owner will be working. Having all the luxuries and room to work aboard is all any successful business person needs for their on-harbour office. It goes without saying that the Alaska is big enough to entertain clients in style.
There is a natural ventilation system for those who don’t want to run air-conditioning and want to economise on power. In addition to the fancy timbers throughout the Alaska, there are LED lights all the way through, which softly illuminate the carpet. These can be left on at night so you’re not bumping your toes as you make your way around. These lights illuminate the entire floor area without being too obtrusive.
The vessel I reviewed was also customised with a vacuum-aid system (which is not a standard feature, but a very good one). We don’t want the maid too tired.
From the starboard side or pilot house area, there is a proper watertight, retractable door, made from 3/16 stainless steel. From there it is a small step down to the non-slip fibreglass walk-around, giving the captain terrific visibility from the doorway. The vessel can be driven one-handed when docking the boat on the starboard side, to a starboard side dock. This full visibility is a great asset. As the helm station is located amidships, the vessel now has a great perspective and aspect for looking across the waterway and steering the boat. A potential port blind spot was rectified by creating a third set of controls, including a bow and stern control for the bow stern-thruster. At the push of a button, it thrusts out.
When you’re finished, it’s simply a matter of returning the controls to the centre and locking them back into the boat, out of sight and out of mind. This is a very handy feature when docking portside and very typical of Alaska’s attention to detail.
These boats readily do what they are instructed to do, despite the fact that the 56 is a little over 30 tonnes with a three-quarter keel. The boat will only go to port if it’s steered to port: it’s not as affected by wind and tide as some other big boats.
Making our way forward on the deck, the high-quality stainless-steel fixtures, such as ports, and good, solid, high handrails become obvious.
On the bowsprit, there is a set of manual controls with a Muir 2500 Jaguar winch system, which has the gypsy and chain to the starboard side. All the engineering is done ex-factory, right down to the point where there is a securing pin, which slides through the anchor and locks off. This means that when the boat goes to sea, if it gets any green water over the front, the anchor can’t come unstuck and bang about the boat. The last thing a skipper wants to see is a wave grabbing an anchor and peeling out the chain.
There are two access areas to the front anchor-locker. The one to port is set up for ropes, ground tackle and hardware. Like all cabins in the boat, these areas have full-teak areas which keep all the ropes and wet gear up off the bow. These prevent mould and keep the gear dry and aerated.
On the for’ard deck there is a salt-water deck wash system and handrails going right around, so that if you ever have to come aboard in a rough sea, there is plenty to hang onto. All the external decks, excluding the cockpit, are non-skid fibreglass.
The 56 pilothouse is the first of its kind, and the first of its generation of Alaskas, which do away with external teak capping rails and teak decks. Minimal use of external timber minimises maintenance. Coupled with the traditional internal timber fit-out, the Alaska motor yachts still look connected to their traditional heritage, with classic lines.
The whole point was to introduce turn-key boating and get out of the water for a few hours or few weeks away without having a big job to do at the end of it. Thanks to these changes, the maintenance program is not as labour-intensive as it was.
The flybridge station is also housed under a nice, fibreglass hardtop, with plenty of stainless-steel supports to guarantee structural integrity in a decent sea. The electronic brow line and screen is also good for eliminating much of the glare reflected off the water. The helm station is located amidships, on a small raised area, giving the captain greater height. Under the hard top there is seating for eight or nine, which means that when you have guests on board, you can all be standing and cruising while under way.
On the port side, there is an access hatch which protects the area to the stairs to the lower deck. Of course, there is a barbecue, good quality bench and wet bar.
Behind the barbecue deck area, a raised walkway gives the boat a much softer look aesthetically and houses a 3.5m side console inflatable tender.
On the port side, a 350kg davit is set up for launch and retrieval of the tender. There is also a stainless-steel, flush-mounted cradle system, which can be removed. As a result, that deck area is ideal for sunbathing or enjoying the elements.
Above the hard top there’s a neat, modern housing for the electronic system, such as satellite television, sounders and radar.
Two floodlights at the back of the boat cover the flybridge deck. Another two cover the swimming platform area. At night these would be a great asset for a spot of squid-jigging or partying.
The vessel itself is of full fibreglass construction, coloured with the off-white gel coat which has become synonymous with the Alaska brand.
Up top on the bridge there’s a solid hardtop brow on a split level arrangement. The hard top roof protrudes past the windows of the pilot house providing good shade. There are also side deck roofs all the way around to the back of the cockpit, giving the vessel soft, classic lines: very classy.
This Alaskan model is powered by the latest Cummins QSS 11, 10.8-litre, diesel engines, providing excellent power and economy. With these the vessel has a top speed of about 24.5 knots carrying full fuel and water. It cruises comfortably around 17 to 18 knots.
The power plant for electricity onboard is a 3500W inverter system. In addition, it has an E series generator. By the way, the engine room design has been well thought out by the Australian engineers.
Two soft patches in the salon provide for relatively easy access in the event of an engineering failure in years to come. The signature folding doors on the Alaska not only look good, they are practical because they allow for the inserting of a crane to aid the removal of any heavier items years down the track.
Five independent battery banks, including those for the bow thruster and anchor provide peace of mind. We found the Alaska has a very soft ride at sea, thanks largely to the very deep Vee, flared bow and variable deadrise bow. This design ensures economy while also a reasonable top end speed. There’s nothing especially new about this design but the point is it works.
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