THIS AMAZING DIX/HARVEY 550 IS AN EXTREMELY WELL BUILT VESSEL, BUILT BY TWO
LIFELONG YACHTSMEN IN ALL ASPECTS. THEY HAVE BUILT MANY BOATS BETWEEN THEM, AND
“FRIENDS FOREVER” IS A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF ALL OF THOSE YEARS OF KNOWLEDGE AND
EXPERIENCE. SHE IS READY TO SAIL, BRING CLOTHES, FOOD, BEVERAGES AND YOUR
WONDERLUST! 

FROM THE OWNER:

Rig:

Sparcraft in Cape Town built the rig from two 11 metre lengths of appropriate
Aluminium sections and while the design called for a 21 metre high mast,
discarding a metre from one of the sections did not appeal to us so we contacted
Dudley to see if we could just join the two sections and have a 22 metre high
mast which we thought would look better. Dudley had no issue with the idea as
long we stuck religiously to the rest of the plan and changed nothing else. We
in fact did change one thing, when we did our first sea trials it became
apparent that we would need extra support for the extra length at the top of the
mast so we introduced a pair of jumper stays which are a great improvement all
round and the mast holds up really well, having done two Atlantic crossings in
absolute comfort. Standing rigging is stainless steel Dyeform wire.The boom is
also built in Aluminium with haystacks and lazy jacks with a separate cover. The
self tacking jib is on a rope fed Profurl furler.

Sails:

We chose North Sails South Africa for this project and they produced a very
efficient suit of sails, the self tacking Genoa and fully battened mainsail with
its three deep reefing points drive the boat easily, we found when ocean
crossing that an extra reef hardly affected speed through the water but made the
ride much more comfortable and the autopilot coped so much better. There is a
storm jib/trinquette combination sail which can be reefed and set in two
different modes depending on the wind strength and this sail is set on a
separate stay set up when required without too much effort at all. We found it
efficient when going dead downwind in breeze to set the furling Genoa to one
side and the Trinquette on the other and leave the mainsail down. The Autopilot
loved this set up and the boat went along fine at eight plus knots in twenty
knots or so of wind. We also had a fairly heavy Asymetrical spinnaker made which
really pulls the boat along when one wants to make more miles per day. This is
set on a bridle system off two mini bowsprits and the bridle can be flown well
to either side as required as it is controlled via the winches and jammed off in
the desired spot. Without undue pushing or racing, we found Friends Forever to
average 166 miles per day over the two Atlantic crossings we did from Cape Town
to St Martin and then from St Martin to Spain. The Autopilot did 90% of the
steering on the second passage with only my wife and I on board, steering when
we did, for fun.

Propulsion:

We decided to install two 55 D Volvo Sail Drives  Installed under the bunks of
the aft cabins and they are fuelled by tanks installed in the aft section of the
boat situated higher than the engines so the fuel is gravity fed to the motors.
These 68 litre tanks are monitored with fuel gauges and gravity filled from the
larger, 400 litre fuel tanks situated just forward of the mast. The two Volvos
are more than enough power and can propel the boat at ten knots plus if really
needed. At 1800 revs we cruise at around eight knots in calm waters. Fuel
consumption is around two and a half litres per hour, per motor.

Accommodation:

 A boat this size can be configured to “sleep” many passengers but we decided to
have one larger “owner’s side” to port and two cabins in the starboard hull.
This leaves room up front on the single cabin port side for a utility room where
we installed the generator and water maker in very practical situations so that
working with and maintaining is done easily, something we considered of
paramount importance, so often this type of equipment is installed in the most
difficult and inaccessible places causing poor maintenance and stressful
expense, not to mention lack of service. The other space available allows for an
en-suite bathroom for this side which includes an enclosed shower, wash hand
basin and electric toilet plumbed into the fresh water supply. On the port side
the cabin is a little more spacious as there is no need for lockers as these are
provided for amidships. The cabin has a small desk below a mirror which can be
used as a workstation or other preparations. This cabin can be shut off from the
rest by means of a sliding door which also serves to conceal the washing machine
and dryer also situated in the amidships area. This part of the boat also houses
four large drawers which are designed for longer term galley stocks when passage
making. Forward of the utility room there is meaningful storage space for the
many items needing to be put away safely when passage making. We have extra
salon chairs, fishing rods, fuel cans, extra life jackets and so on. On the
starboard side there are two cabins as mentioned, one aft is very similar to the
port side except there is a cupboard with shelves and some hanging space and a
vanity with a wash hand basin. Before the bed is a foot locker also as on the
port side. Forward is the third cabin which is more than adequate, the only
visible difference being that the bed is somewhat narrower than the aft ones.
The cabin in most adequately fitted with cupboard space, footlocker and wash
hand basin. Forward of the bed is a door leading to the bow section with huge
storage for items not required on a daily or even weekly basis, for example
those large empty suitcases people bring all that unnecessary stuff along in!
Amidships we have an electric toilet also freshwater flushing with its own hand
basin so the guests do not need to use the cabins to freshen up. On the forward
side of the stairs we built in a large airy shower which is a real pleasure to
use compared to many boats.

The saloon and galley area are really the piece de resistance on Friends
Forever, being so large, airy and friendly. One can move around without having
to disturb other shipmates with ease, the space being more like an apartment
than a boat! The galley is fitted with a five burner gas stove and oven by Smeg
and there is enough room to work and make magic. There is a twin bowled sink
which could be larger but is actually adequate. Under the eight seater counter,
offset to the port side are the galley refrigerator, freezer and the drinks
fridge. The galley fridge and the freezer can be powered with 220 Volt shore
power which eases up on the batteries, when possible. Starboard side we have an
L shaped settee, loose coffee table and forward of that the chart table/desk.
Large airy windows add to the overall impression of space and light. The aft
cockpit is adequate and easily accommodates six for meals or cocktails but is
smaller than found on many other catamaran models but then that is why the
saloon is so spacious, which we prefer.

Equipment :

Electronics. We chose Garmin for all the sailing electronic equipment and it has
worked well for the 12000 odd miles we have sailed so far, there is a chart
plotter at the helm station with autopilot alongside and the two are integrated
which means the autopilot can be controlled from either. The autopilot machine
is a rotary type which I rate very highly having used one right around the world
without a moment’s trouble. In full view of the helm station are two displays
which can be personally configured we have speed and depth on one and wind
direction, strength etc. the two motor controls and dials are also there along
with the binnacle magnetic compass. Above ones head we have mounted various
gauges, fuel and water, electricity management DC and AC and the Lewmar AA 560
Auto Anchor control dial, which I must admit we have not mastered yet. Also
mounted there is the control panel for the generator. The VHF radio is mounted
on the left of the helm station, with the autopilot hand held control mounted
next to it. On the right of the helm we have the Fusion dvd/cd player which has
8 speakers, 4 in the saloon, 2 at the foredeck and 2 for the aft cockpit, all of
which can also be controlled in the master cabin.

Solar Panels. These are priceless items to have on board. We installed four
large panels which keep the batteries well charged most of the time as it has to
be a really cloudy day to seriously affect them negatively. We found that we
needed to boost the batteries either by some motoring every week or so or by
using the 220Volt battery charger when running the generator which should
preferably be done after dark for best results, when the solar panels are
dormant.

Deck gear. We chose Lewmar for the deck hatches and for the deck hardware and
running blocks and all the running rigging and sheets are controlled from the
centre cockpit in front of the centrally placed helm station by means of two
very powerful Electric Lewmar winches and a series of well placed jammers, 21 in
total, all led towards the winches. At first one might be sceptical but with a
little practice the system is understood and much appreciated because it works.
My wife and I sailed the boat very easily across the North Atlantic in twenty
days from St. Martin to Gibraltar. The custom made Dinghy davits are operated by
means of a Lewmar 45 hand powered winch which also serves as a strong point aft
of the vessel in case of need.

Generator. We have a 9,4 KVA Westerbeke generator in a sound proof casing
mounted at waist height in the Utility Room for ease of service and maintenance.
So far it has been more than adequate for our needs.

Water Maker. We chose Sea Recovery, the Aqua Whisper Mini 750 which makes us
superb water at the rate of about 30 US gallons per hour. This is a 220 volt
machine powered by the generator. The unit self back washes one weekly when
connected to shore power and the water pressure has to be on.

Air Conditioning. This is an area where we went more than big! There is a total
of 75000 BTU of air conditioning power on board, 16000 for each aft cabin and
43000 for the saloon. The forward cabin does not have a dedicated unit but will
cool down with the saloon area adequately unless the cabin door is closed.. We
used Cruisair marine air conditioners from the USA, to say they are efficient is
an understatement, the boat cools down in minutes.

Tender. Gemini Inflatables from Cape Town supplied our 3,8 metre semi rigid with
an aluminium bottom panel, ideal for when beaching or hitting hard objects,
powered by a 15 Horse Power Mercury four stroke motor which puts the tender
easily up on to a plane with two passengers on board. Good for squeezing up to
six for a slower ride to the Taverna.

Water. The boat carries an impressive 900 litres of water in two stainless steel
tanks which can inter connect or be separate, one serving the Port hull, the
other Starboard, each with own pressure pump, i.e. two systems. Each hull has a
hot water system heated either with the motors running or with 220 Volts when
connected to shore power or by running the generator.

Fuel. There are two stainless fuel tanks each carrying 400 litres, gravity
feeding fuel to two more 65 litre tanks situated in close proximity to the
motors. We believe it is a good thing to have the fuel close to the motors and
also higher, so the fuel gravity feeds to the motors. The total fuel therefore
is 930 litres, enough to motor around 1300 miles or so. Having said that our
motors have only 450 hours each after two years and 11000 miles so this is
really a great sailing catamaran!

installed a crew cabin port / front, copper slip and a completely repainted
deck. In addition, an AIS transponder is now also installed, as well as an 2000
watts inverter for small requirements.

35 Yachts is pleased to assist you in the purchase of this vessel. This boat is
centrally listed by W S Yacht Brokers. It is offered as a convenience by this
broker/dealer to its clients and is not intended to convey direct representation
of a particular vessel