At first glance you might wonder about the windows on Kaytoo, a 100 Bahamas Skymaster from Paragon Motor Yachts. The choice of vertical rather than sweptback windows had me thinking they were selected to reflect contemporary design trends. I was partially right, but there are more practical reasons for them. And they all point to the ultimate goal of the yacht’s owner: escaping.
For one, vertical windows allow an increase in volume and cabin size for long-range cruising. They also give wide visibility forward and out both sides, so the owner and guests can easily be awed by the world outside. Yet another advantage is reduced heat from overhead sunlight — and there will be plenty of that where this yacht is most likely headed.
“We wanted something mission-specific for fun in the Bahamas,” says Kipp Lassetter, who liked his Paragon-built, 94-foot flybridge Tenacity so much that he decided to have Kaytoo built.
Lassetter collaborated with the yard’s president and founder, Scott Robinson, to design a long and specific list of features into the 100.
“Kaytoo is a great bluewater boat for going north up the East Coast,” Lassetter says, “but first on our list was having the size and draft that would allow us to go to our favorite spots in the Bahamas.”
A proven hull was also important. “We’ve been in almost every type of sea condition in the 2,000 hours on our current Paragon,” Lassetter says. “We wanted our new boat to have similar sea capabilities.”
He also had high expectations for comfort while anchored in the islands. It’s why Kaytoo accommodates eight guests in three staterooms with king-size berths, plus a fourth queen-berth stateroom. Her private master is abaft the helm on the upper deck to take advantage of panoramic views, and to allow an experienced owner, like Lassetter, to share watches with the captain on long cruising legs. Quarters for a captain and two or three crew members are aft, separated from the guest staterooms by the engine room.
“So far,” says Lassetter, looking out from the helm, “Kaytoo has met our lofty expectations.”
The goals for the Paragon 100 Bahamas Skymaster sound like a challenge. Blend traditional techniques and products with current industry methods and materials. Create a structure that’s robust, yet not too heavy. Offer above-par performance, but not at the expense of comfort and safety.
Robinson says the builder accomplished all of the above by doing the following in the shipyard: “We fill the bulwarks with urethane foam from the bow aft to the hull doors to give the hull a really solid feel in a seaway. When you punch through a wave, there’s a noticeable, substantial feel to the vessel, with no trace of drumming that can occur on fiberglass boats with deep, hollow bulwark -sections. The hull is laminated with unidirectional and bidirectional materials with vacuum-bagged coring above the waterline. The supporting structures, such as stringers, girders and bulkheads, are laminated with equal care and attention to integrity. This is all solid yacht-building practice, and it is not intended to be cutting edge.”
Robinson says all portlight frames and bosses, thruster fairings and thruster tubes, shaft logs and tunnels are laminated in the hull during the mold process, to eliminate cutting and patching in pieces out of the mold. “We feel this lends additional integrity to the hull as a whole, and chemically, all of these design features cure at the same time, not as secondary bonding.”
Atop the yacht, all the flybridge furniture and the radar arch are constructed of carbon fiber, keeping the weight aloft to a minimum.
“We’re relentless about building a quiet and -vibration-free boat using well-engineered materials and products that work in harmony,” Robinson says, adding that the shaft system is by Seatorque Control Systems in Stuart, Florida, and the engine mounts were engineered by Dutch-based Rubber Design, producing a smooth drivetrain. Pyrotek provided a detailed noise and vibration insulation system used in various spaces on board.
“Noise and vibration are the greatest cause of passage fatigue for the guests,” Lassetter says. “I wanted this yacht to be the quietest and the most vibration-free boat in its class.”
I wanted this yacht to be the quietest and the most vibration-free boat in its class.”
Sound measurements in dB(A) at cruise speed (10 knots at 1,200 rpm) and full throttle (20 knots at 2,300 rpm) were 59 and 72 in the dining area, 62 and 75 in the salon, and 68 and 72 in the VIP stateroom. Given that normal conversation is 65 dB(A), those numbers are noteworthy for a yacht with a pair of 1,550 hp MAN V-12 diesel engines and three 25 kW Panda gensets growling in the engine room. With 4,000 gallons of fuel, range at 10 knots is predicted to be 1,800 nautical miles.
The owners of Kaytoo have been cruising the 700 islands of the Bahamas since the 1980s. Their substantial experience has helped make this yacht a comfortable, casual home for their continued explorations there, and to destinations beyond.
