COASTAL CRAFT CONCORD 65 DEBUTS AT 2014 VICTORIA HARBOUR BOAT SHOW
Canadian Yachting joined Jeff Rhodes, president of Coastal Craft, on his delivery of the new CC 65 Concord to Victoria’s Inner Harbour for the floating boat show May 1-4. It was our opportunity to experience the performance and ride of this smart, stylish new yacht, the largest launch to date by the Gibsons BC builder. But the trip also gave some key contributors to the project a chance to see the finished product of their work. We stopped at Port Sidney, just north of Victoria, to collect yacht designer Gregory Marshall and six members of his staff for the rest of the ride to the Inner Harbour. Marshall’s Victoria-based team contributed hull and structural design, interior design and some engineering for the CC 65 – and relished the opportunity to see how it all turned out.
While Marshall joined Rhodes at the boat’s ultra-comfortable helm station, the design staff crawled through, over and around the vessel, snapping pictures in a buzz of excitement.
“The other half of the office that didn’t work on this boat is a bit jealous today,” observed Marshall as we sped toward Victoria.
Most of the Marshall office’s work is done on much larger yachts built far from the Pacific Northwest, so it’s rare for his staff to see finished boats up close. So the last few miles into Victoria were kind of a celebration of success by two of the leading players in BC’s resurgent yacht construction business: Coastal Craft and Marshall Naval Architects.
Look for a full review of the 65 Concord in Canadian Yachting’s June 2014 issue.
