Growing up, my penchant for building model boats was insatiable. In many ways—like the glue I used to hold hulls and decks together—it cemented my career path as a boat designer.
A few of those creations have survived and are now my children’s toys. For some reason, the ones that remain are Storm-class patrol boats that are modeled off vessels built for the Royal Norwegian Navy in the mid-1960s.
In Norway, the fast patrol boats are called missilkanonbåter, meaning boats with missiles and guns. Their design is attributed to countryman Harald Henriksen, a career Norwegian serviceman. The graceful proportions of these fighting craft always stuck with me: Henriksen gave the navy a functional fighting machine in a streamlined, beautiful craft.
Recently, while engaging in my morning ritual of drinking coffee and browsing brokerage websites for a diamond in the rough, I stumbled upon my childhood dream boat. Someone in Latvia had listed an original storm-class patrol boat for about $48,500, calling her “neglected but with strong bones.” She still wore her battleship-gray paint and hull numbers from her time in the service. Take my money!
Before I jumped on the first flight to the capital city of Riga, an exercise in design was necessary to envision her as a proper exploration craft. The 122-footer offers significant space, both on deck and belowdecks, for family and crew. I would need to tame the rugged attitude a bit into something more appealing, with yacht-grade finishes and spaces meant for leisure.
Fortunately, this can be achieved within the boat’s generous proportions. I chose to start with the bow, adding a Portuguese bridge around the deckhouse with high bulwarks and seating, topped with a faux teak caprail. Forward of here, on the main deck, a bow lounge with sunpads would sit abaft her beefy ground tackle.
We’d also rework the stern, adding a tender garage and swim platform, with a passerelle to ease boarding. A few steps up from the swim step past her flanking sunpads would be a circular lounge that seats a dozen guests, with a sunshade that sets up on carbon fiber poles. Our inspiration here would be drawn from classic commuter yachts, with varnished caprails, woven rattan decorative inlays and miles of Forest Stewardship Council-
certified iroko decking. The adjustable dining table at her center would become a gas fireplace for alfresco evenings.
The enclosed deckhouse would be transformed into a plush skylounge. Forward, we would retain the helm station, four steps up, adding a pair of captain’s chairs and modern electronics. We’d also keep the day head, but would rework the ship’s office into captain’s quarters.
The remainder of the space would be her galley, a natural gathering space while underway with enough seating for guests to lounge about and stay in contact with the helm. Drop-down glass grants the area versatility. Lines between indoor and outdoor spaces merge while on the hook or coastal cruising. With the thick glass windows up, she’s ready to battle the seas. Also note the open flybridge, a fine place for piloting in good conditions with commanding views for crew and guests.
Belowdecks, the bare-bones accommodations of staterooms with several bunks would be reworked into a four-stateroom layout. I envision a full-beam amidships master and a forward en suite VIP with a pair of twin-bunk staterooms that share a head. Crew quarters would be aft with access to the engine room.
This vessel still had her original power plants: a pair of 3,600-hp MTU diesels mated to straight shafts that grant her a 35-knot top speed, but that limit her long-range capability. A wealth of power options are suitable, from commercially rated Scanias to diesel-electric setups.
UNICORN
Length: 122ft.Beam: 21ft.Draft: 5ft. 6in.Displacement: 242,508 lbs.Fuel: 2,641 gal.Water: 528 gal.Power: 2x 3,600-hp MTU
This article was originally published in the May/June 2024 issue.
