GLEN JUSTICE
Into the growing fleet of modern new motorsailers floats a new competitor: the Shannon 53 HPS. And as you can see, she's quite a ketch.
It's no secret that motorsailers have been gaining in popularity in the last two years, spawning a new generation of heavily engineered vessels, from Hunter's Edge 27 to the Nordhavn 56 Motorsailer.
"Right now it looks like motorsailers are coming back," wrote Walt Schultz, the designer of the Shannon, in an essay introducing the vessel. He calls it "my first design that was ever done 'in response to popular demand.'"
The trend has resulted in some interesting boats—and the Shannon 53 HPS (it stands for Hybrid Power Sailer) may be the most intriguing yet.
Starting with the rig, Hull Number One (pictured here) is a ketch, which differs from the current crop of single-masted motrsailers. But the rig is what Shannon calls a "Sketch," meaning it is just 64 feet tall, short enough to travel the Intracoastal Waterway. The company also offers a 76-foot, single-masted cutter rig.
Moving on to propulsion, the Shannon 53 HPS is offered with a single 259-horsepower Lugger engine or a pair of 125-horsepower Yanmar engines. Both will support a 12-knot cruising speed, according to the company, and a 1,500 mile range under power alone. In the twin-engine configuration, the engines are angled, so the leeward motor can run while the boat is heeled.
TWO MASTS, TWO ENGINES, TWO DAGGERBOARDS
Look below the waterline and there is more to tell. The Shannon draws just 4 feet, 9 inches, thanks to a hull design informed by Shannon's Shoalsailer line and a pair of fixed daggerboards. Take a look at the photo of the model (below) for a visual. The company claims the 53 will sail well to wind, despite the lack of deep keep or centerboard.
"Implausible as it may sound to someone who has never heard of or seen the Shoalsailer...the hull design really works," Schultz wrote.
On deck, the boat has wide side decks to move forward, and both a trawler-style aft cockpit and a high sailing cockpit with twin helms. Another helm station in the pilothouse is protected from weather.
Down below, Shannon offers four standard interior layouts, but the company has always offered custom interiors, "only limited by the imagination," as Schultz put it.
The Shannon 53 HPS follows the release of the Shannon 52 Global, a more traditional motorsailer. The 53 HPS is 55 feet, 7 inches LOA, with a beam of 17 feet, 6 inches and a displacement of 51,000 pounds. At a base price of $1.6 million, the Shannon 53 HPS is billed as "a design alternative to the shortcomings of motorsailers, 'fast' trawlers, power cats and conventional trawlers."
Who's buying that? We'll see — this is one ambitious and unique boat, and the tests aren't back yet. The first hull is on display, the second is in the factory and the third is on order. The new boat will compete with Nordhavn's 56 and the Hood Expedition 55, both of which are comparably priced. There are also smaller, cheaper alternatives, like the 41-foot Island Packet SP Cruiser.
But Shannon is on a roll. Bob Bitchin, of Lattitudes & Attitudes magazine fame, recently bought a Shannon 52 Global, attracting enough attention that the 53 HPS was festooned with signs at the Annapolis show.
"This is not Bob Bitchin's Shannon," they said, "His is back at our shop."
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--Glen Justice
