58 Selene Deep Hull

Source: Roger McAfee, Sea Magazine

A Full-Displacement Cruiser with a Goddess on Its Side

One of the better known ocean trawlers in North America owes its name to a moment in history. After the Americans` successful Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, one of Taiwan`s most respected architects, Dr. Da-Hong Wang, was commissioned to design a gift for the U.S. to memorialize that achievement. Since the moon missions were named after Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, Dr. Wang decided his project should be named after Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon. He completed the design, but the memorial was never built.

A number of years later, Howard Chen, a student of Dr. Wang at Tunghai University`s graduate school of architecture, learned about the project, and when he began building yachts he named the line Selene, in honor of his professor and the Apollo missions.

The first Selene arrived in North America in 1999, and more than 100 have followed. The newest one, a 58- footer designated the 58 Deep Hull, promises to keep Selene`s name on the list of vessels potential trawler buyers might want to examine.

This new Selene is not simply a “tweak” of an existing Selene model. It is a new vessel that is longer, beamier and deeper than the 57-footer it replaces. The hull is a completely new design, and the builder, Howard Chen`s Jet-Tern Marine, has manufactured a new set of molds to produce this Chinese-built vessel.

The Selene`s traditional features – raised pilothouse, forward-canted windshield, single diesel engine, covered cockpit and sidedecks, and command bridge – are retained. The additional hull depth allows for a full standup engine room and machinery space, and generally provides more space throughout the vessel. To counter the additional buoyancy caused by the volumetrically larger hull, the Selene 58 carries 3 tons of permanent ballast.

This 118,188-pound hull is a full-displacement design, with a top speed of just less than 11 knots and an economical cruising speed of about 9.7 knots. The aft section of the hull flattens slightly into a more pronounced chine to provide better stability. A prop pocket is designed into the hull to allow the prop to be raised 8 inches. This reduces draft a bit but, more importantly, allows for a flatter shaft angle and a more efficient driveline. That improves fuel economy.

Another design feature of the 58`s hull, while not unique, is unusual. It extends aft completely under the swim step, rather than terminating where the step starts. This increases the waterline length of the hull, which allows for greater speed.

The hull itself has four watertight bulkheads – chain locker, forward engine room, aft engine room and lazarette – dividing the vessel into five watertight compartments. This not only isolates any hull-damage leaks, but also adds significant structural rigidity to the vessel. The hull/deck joint is glued, bolted and then laminated.

Hull construction is solid fiberglass below the waterline and cored above. Vinylester resin is used in the first five laminate layers to help guard against water absorption. Cored glass is used in the deck and upper works structure. Vacuum bagging is used to ensure thorough penetration of the resin. The hull has an integrated keel and rudder shoe.

Access to the vessel is via one of two transom gates forward of the swim grid or two bulwark gates, port and starboard. A cockpit sole hatch allows access to the engine room and a belowdecks supply storage area.

Covered sidedecks, with ample bulwarks, make getting forward to the Portuguese bridge quick, safe and easy. Access to the foredeck is through a gate in the Portuguese bridge. The foredeck arrangement – raised anchor winch, twin bow anchor rollers and a stainless Sampson post – is protected by high, solid bulwarks and makes working there safe and secure. All decks underfoot have nonskid surfaces.

Command bridge access is up a spiral staircase from the cockpit. There`s plenty of room for dinghy storage and ample settee space for entertaining. The upper helm has duplicate controls, and visibility is excellent all around.

INTERIOR SPACES
The interior layout is fairly standard for vessels of this size: L-shaped sofa to starboard, two upholstered chairs to port, a dual-height table and a U-shaped galley forward and to starboard on the salon level. The twin-level granite countertops are easy to clean, and the raised level provides for informal barstool dining. The galley is fitted with a three-burner stove with an oven and an exhaust fan over it, a microwave oven, a refrigerator with freezer, a deep double stainless sink and plenty of cupboard storage.

The fit and finish of the Burmese teak woodwork in the deckhouse is excellent. In fact, the overall fit and finish throughout the boat is first-class.

A spiral staircase leads from the forward port side of the deckhouse across from the galley to the belowdecks accommodations. The full-beam master stateroom forward of the engine room and the VIP stateroom in the forepeak feature queen beds, hanging lockers, reading lights, opening portlights and plenty of storage. Additionally, the master features a TV cabinet and a wardrobe, complete with an aromatic cedar lining.

Both the master and the guest head use freshwater electric toilets, have separate shower stalls with tempered-glass sliding doors, vanities with integrated wash basins and single-lever hot/cold shower faucets.

Also belowdecks is a compact office. That same space can be a bunk-style third stateroom, depending on how an owner wants the vessel configured.

The expansive pilothouse is up three steps from the salon. It has a comfortable L-shaped settee with a well-finished table. Unlike many other modern helm stations, this 58-footer has plenty of room to lay out paper charts. Port and starboard Dutch doors allow access to the sidedecks, and the ability to open half a door should make ventilation easier, even in the rain. Access to below can be gained from the pilothouse via a set of steps. Another set of steps allows access to the command bridge.

POWER & PERFORMANCE
Our test vessel is optionally equipped with a single 763 CI (12.5L) six-cylinder John Deere computer-controlled common-rail diesel. This 3,142-pound unit is rated at 341 hp; although, with a change in the computer chip the horsepower rating can be upped to 526 with no change required in the engine itself. Selene`s engineers determined the 341 hp chip was plenty to drive the vessel at full speed. The standard engine is a Cummins 450 hp QSM 11.

A fuel polishing system is standard on this vessel, which makes good sense, as modern diesel fuel is much less stable than it was a decade ago. Since Selene yachts are designed for ocean cruising, and fuel in outlying ports may not be as clean as that in well-traveled areas, the fuel polishing system helps deliver clean fuel to the combustion chambers.

The vessel is equipped with bow and stern thrusters, active fin stabilizers and a hydraulic “get home” system, powered by the generator. This will push the boat along at 4 knots should the main engine fail.

The deep-hull design results in an engine space with 6 feet, 2 inches of headroom. It is bright and well-laid-out, and there`s plenty of room to service the single diesel and the 20 kw generator. A Kabola diesel hydronic system provides heat throughout the vessel – a highly appreciated feature in Northern waters.

We fired up the main and, with a touch of the bow and stern thrusters, we eased away from the very tight moorage at the Selene Seattle dock. The engine started with no fuss or muss and with no signs of smoke, and it ran smoothly from the outset. There was no vibration, and the sound level on board was less than 70 decibels, the volume of a normal conversation.

As we moved through the no-wake zone at 5.3 knots, the engine spun at 710 rpm, burning 1.3 gph. With the throttles advanced to 1000 rpm, we burned 2.7 gph and made 7.2 knots. At 1200 rpm, the engine put out maximum torque, and we made 8.4 knots while burning 4.7 gph. At 1700 rpm, the engine was under 72 percent of full load, burning 13.1 gph and making 10.3 knots. Wide-open throttle was 1845 rpm, and we made 10.6 knots and burned 17.3 gph.

Clearly the Selene hull is very efficient at 7.2 knots, a good sailboat speed, where it has a range of 3,600 nautical miles with a 10 percent fuel reserve. However, as with most displacement hulls, top speed – 10.6 knots in this case – reduces that range to 827 nautical miles, again with a 10 percent reserve. With this 58- footer, it`s obvious that the skipper and not the boat design determines fuel burn.

The vessel responded smartly and precisely to the helm with no cavitation in hard turns. It was eerily quiet, with the noise meter reading 75 decibels at WOT in the salon, which is situated directly above the engine room.

All our tests were done with stabilizers deactivated, and speeds were based on GPS readings. Fuel-consumption figures are based on the engine`s computer system.

The new Selene 58 Deep Hull is a lot of boat in a relatively small package. The equipment on board is first-class, and mechanically it`s right up-to-date. It`s a full-displacement hull, and the single engine has been sized accordingly. It handles well and is very quiet. The fit and finish throughout is excellent, and there`s plenty of storage for even the longest cruises. The hull design allows the skipper to determine the fuel consumption and the range. The price, as tested, is approximately $1.5 million, and while this is not an insignificant amount, the new Selene will give good value for the money.

If you are looking for a capable, full-displacement trawler, the Selene 58 Deep Hull should be on your must-see list.