Spirit of Lyngen

01 Oct Spirit of Lyngen

Spirit of Lyngen

Redbay Boats have just completed Spirit of Lyngen, one of our most interesting and unqiue new-builds to date. The RIB will be used for a most unusual concept, called Summit to Sea, operated by Lyngen Lodge. Lyngen Lodge is based in Northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. The idea behind the concept is simple: transport skiers from the Lodge to the bottom of a mountain. Upon reaching the summit on skis, long descents in untracked snow, set in outstanding scenery, leads them back to the beach. The RIB is a key link in this whole adventure.

Graham Austick (also owner of the renowned Piste to Powder trips) came to Redbay looking for a Cabin RIB that would fulfill all his requirements. Clearly, a RIB that could transport 12 passengers plus 2 crew safety and quickly was high on the list. However, with such an important role, it was vital that the look and feel of the boat was right. Graham needed two things inside: a high quality interior, and comfortable seating that would permit maximum socialising for his guests when enroute. Graham’s customers were coming on a unqiue adventure, and the boat has to set the right impression.

Spirit of Lyngen is based on the Touring Cabin Stormforce 11 model. This maximises the interior space and ensures that all requirements were covered. Rather than going for our standard "airplane" style forward facing seats, Graham decided on wrap around style interior seating. This ensured that his guests, normally travelling as a group, could spend time chatting to each other when travelling on board. The idea was to help increase the overall experience.

Spirit of Lyngen Interior

The general arrangement was finalised on a well thought out layout to suite Graham’s needs. Forward the standard berths were fitted as normal. In the main cabin, two KAB suspension seats were fitted for the crew. Then, aft of these, two large wrap around benches were fitted with a table between them. A walkway was made between the seats, but an infill is fitted to make a complete U shape to the seating area. Aft of this, a galley has been set to starboard, complete with sink and twin gas hob, microwave and strorage cupboard. On port, a full head height toilet cubicle was fitted with electric flush toilet and sink. The extra aft height of the Touring Cabin was further utilized for two large overhead shelves fitted above the galley and toilet, providing an ideal storage area for all the anticipated kit that can be quickly stored on board.

Spirit of Lyngen Toilet and Galley

The deck has been somewhat customised to allow the skiers to get on and off the boat at their destinations. A customised bow rail and ladder arrangement was developed, with a step through on each side. Aft, a Stainless Steel A-Frame was fitted, the first one to be fitted to an 11m Cabin. This is to help provide support for a stern drop-down ladder arrangement, with the ladder pivoting on the stern platform, along with ski racks.

Propulsion is provided by twin Yamaha ME422 Diesel Sterndrives, each producing 245hp. These are coupled to Yamaha’s Hydra Drive unit for ultimate reliability, performance and smooth operation. Speeds are around 38 knots on sea trials, cruising around 28 knots. The crew from Lyngen spent a week at Redbay getting used to the RIB, and clocking up hours behind the wheel.

Flat Water Sea Trials in the North Channel

The RIB has been fitted out to a very high standard, with many extras fitted including:

• Raymarine E120 Plotter, Radar and DSM
• ICOM DSC VHF Radio
• 2 x ICOM Handheld VHF Radios
• CD Player/Sound System
• Astex Flat Screen/DVD Player
• 3 x Raymarine Cameras (2 on deck, 1 in engine bay)
• Offshore Compass
• Internal & External Lighting
• Stainless Steel Stern Platform with drop down gangway platform
• Stainless Steel Bow Rails with bow ladder/platform
• 2 x Viking 8 Man Liferafts
• Bennett Trim Tabs
• Lofran’s bow anchor windlass with remote operating
• Overhead helm hand operated spot light
• 2 x Deck Halogen lights
• PA System
• Bow Berths with infills
• Gas Hob & Fresh Water Sink
• Microwave Oven
• Electric toilet with Fresh Water Sink
• Allen bespoke red cherry wooden internal furniture
• 3M Keel Guard
• Cabin Window Demisters
• Eberspacher D4 Diesel Cabin Heating System with Electronic Controls
• Window Wipers
• Teak & Holly internal flooring
• 240V Shore Power including battery charger and Engine Bay Heaters

The RIB will be shipped to Norway ready to start at the beginning of the 2008 ski season.