Expertly considered – those two words come to mind after talking through the design of the Pacific 62 with its owner and builder Jason Dickey on a day out on the Waitematā.
The Auckland Boat Show had just finished so it was a chance to take the new Pacific 62 Khaos for a run and find out what makes this boat so special.
All boaties know that boat design is a compromise between quality (strength), comfort, cost and performance. One of the keys to choosing a boat is determining whether it is fit for purpose. The first criteria, therefore, is to define that purpose. With the Pacific 62, Jason is clear: it’s a powerboat for exploring and adventure – in local coastal waters and over the horizon. With a background in engineering and oceangoing vessels, he had the experience and knowledge to build a vessel that perfectly suited his requirements.
Range and power
Khaos has a range of 4,000 nautical miles – that’s enough to travel from French Polynesia to Panama without refuelling. To achieve this remarkable capability took some very clever engineering. Obviously, this is a simplified explanation, since design is always a combination of factors, however a simple and efficient drive train is key.
The boat is powered by twin 150hp Yanmar diesel engines. Why Yanmars? “Because,” said Jason, “they are fully mechanical – no electronics.” Reliability and easy maintenance was the goal.
The engines are mounted low, with their sumps in a section of the hull that extends below the propellers. This allows the boat to take the ground without damaging the running gear and also ensures great propeller shaft angles – close to zero degrees – which maximises propulsion force.
Variable pitch propellers are driven through a reduction gearbox, to achieve optimum fuel efficiency.
The propeller pitch is tuned for optimum efficiency at set rpm, monitored through exhaust gas temperature readings. If the propeller pitch is too high exhaust gas temperature increases. Jason demonstrated this on our run out and back to Motuihe Island. At 7.5 knots fuel consumption was one litre per nautical mile. At 8.0 knots it was 1.2 to 1.3 l/nm and at 10 knots 1.7 to 1.8 l/nm.
On a passage, the boat can run on just one engine with the redundant propeller set to zero pitch. This has the advantage of doubling the 250-hour service interval on the engines. Twin engines, each with an independent fuel supply (total 4,400 litres) provides drive train redundancy, but with enough power to cruise at 12-14 knots on occasion.
When I viewed the engines installed, they looked almost comically small for the size of boat, but that’s because I am used to seeing much bigger engines in vessels of similar size. As a bonus, their small size gave more room around the engines for better servicing access.
Aluminium hull
The hull is built of aluminium. No other options were considered since aluminium provides the strength and performance required and Dickey Boats build boats in that material. It’s also a very practical material when it comes to wear and tear – robust, Nyalic-coated belting protects the painted hull from the odd bump against a rough wharf.
The hull’s paint is a bit different. Used for utility vehicle tray finishes, it’s a coarse, extremely durable paint finish that is easy to touch up. Very practical. I joked with Jason that it was a ‘five-metre finish’: take five steps back and then see how it looks!
The overall size of the boat was significantly determined by the design of the cockpit and its intended uses: fishing and comfortable seating, with plenty of rod and cup holders to enjoy the experience. Accommodation, layout and equipment considerations all followed. Examples include the flybridge being predominantly for tender, kayak and ancillary gear stowage. This allows unobstructed use of the transom boarding platform. The flybridge is also functional when required, providing a high vantage point when looking for coral outcrops entering a tropical lagoon or spotting gamefish offshore.
A convenient head in a separate compartment to starboard on the cockpit bulkhead wall is accessible from outside – great when fishing.
Layout
The main saloon is connected to the large cockpit through an opening rear door and a large window. The cockpit BBQ and seating area next to the window is effectively an extension to saloon, which has the galley immediately to starboard featuring a Tavolo solid surface bench top and 240V electric cooking, fridge and freezers.
For eating or entertaining there is a raised dining table aft, opposite the galley, and another settee/berth forward across from the helm station.
The helm station has two very large Furuno multi-function displays running TIMEZERO PRO software. The software integrates with Furuno radar, other Furuno sensors, and WASSP sea floor mapping to provide all the necessary charting and passage routing options. Communications are routed through Starlink. There is excellent visibility outwards from almost everywhere in the saloon, but particularly the helm, through double-glazed, toughened glass windows all around.
The accommodation and bathrooms are forward, down a few steps: two double bunk cabins either side, with the head to port, vanity and shower to starboard, and the owner’s spacious double berth cabin forward in the bow. The choice of fabrics and materials is practical and stylish – I particularly liked the horizontal ribbing on the settee upholstery.
There is plenty of headroom throughout this vessel, even though keeping the superstructure’s height as low as possible was an important design consideration. I asked Jason how he was going to keep the boat cool in the tropics? Simple answer: “Air conditioning!”
Comfort
Passage making is about long days at sea, often with swell and waves running at different angles, or else a long period roll, so limiting hull roll to enhance comfort was a major design consideration. Jason has a blog on the Dickey Boats website where he goes through all the options for creating a comfortable boat. Part of his solution for this boat is the hull design, which includes chines aft to increase stability, as well as fitting active anti-roll control. He chose gyro stabilisation by Quick, which is compact and does not require any external hull appendages.
Jason is very happy with Khaos’s comfort level. Best of all, should there be a slight roll while anchored in a bay, Quick gyro-stabilisation is so quiet he can run it while they’re sleeping.
Power systems
The diesel engines both run alternators to charge the Lithium-ion battery bank. If you are stationary for long periods or need to use the 240V oven or electric hobs, the genset kicks in.
“Why not add solar?” I asked Jason and he explained, for his particular situation, with all the charging capacity on hand, it didn’t make practical sense to add yet another system.
Ground tackle
Khaos is set up with twin anchor leads. The main anchor is
a Rocna 55kg on 100m of 12mm galvanised chain. For setting a stern line to run ashore in tight, deep anchorages such as Fiordland, there are winches in the rear of the cockpit.
I noted the side stanchions are nice and high with good cabin-side external handrails so there’s plenty to hold onto when moving forward in a seaway. The forward deck is wide and clear.
First Pacific 62
As this is the first boat produced, there are still some decisions to make on optimising storage spaces. For instance, there is a clever ceiling rack for fishing rods in the cockpit overhang, but Jason is working on Mark II to improve its effectiveness – the sign of an ever-active mind always seeking ways to make things better.
That in a way sums up this extraordinary vessel – how can I do this better? For what it was intended to achieve, I think it has succeeded on so many levels. But there are always compromises and in this case the biggest is in top end speed. However, Khaos is a remarkable boat that suits its purpose – a practical, comfortable passage-making adventurer for exploring, diving and fishing beyond the horizon.
The 2,500-plus nautical miles Jason Dickey has clocked up so far have made him even happier with his creation.
Future
Pacific 62 hull numbers two and three are currently under construction at Dickey Boats in Napier, for owners who are obviously convinced of the design’s merits, and after such a high level of interest at the boat show, there may well be a few more orders on the way. The construction period is around 18 months.
Oh yes, and the boat’s name: Khaos? Jason explained it describes those mad moments when all hell breaks loose immediately after a marlin is hooked. There will doubtless be plenty more of them aboard Khaos.
