Project Ouzel goes right-side-up for the first time
by MCM 19 Dec 2023 21:31 UTC
The 95-foot pilothouse sloop known as Project Ouzel reached a major milestone on a snowy day in Maine at the end of November. The hull emerged from the build shop at Rockport Marine with all structural bulkheads in place, was raised and carefully inverted in a Travelift, and then rolled back into the shop to begin work on the interior components. This event is a significant step towards the completion of the hull, designed by Langan Design Partners and built of cold-molded Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, and carbon fiber over a male building jig.
"We planned for this carefully, and there were no surprises other than some light snow," said Sam Temple, president of Rockport Marine. "It's not the first time we've done this operation, but Ouzel is certainly on the larger end of the spectrum for us; I'm happy to say it all went smoothly."
Peter Wilson, MCM co-founder and the owner's representative, remarked, "This process certainly marks the passing of an important milestone. Even though Rockport Marine has their systems well dialed-in, there is always some element of trepidation when turning a large hull. My congratulations go out to Sam Temple and the team at Rockport—one big step."
"The process of flipping the hull requires precision and careful coordination," said Langan Design's Tom Degremont. "It highlights the attention to detail that Rockport Marine brings to every aspect of the build. In addition to the technical achievement, it is the first time we all see the yacht right-side-up and outside—as there isn't much room left inside the building to stand back and appreciate her scale and lines. She has given us all a stunning first impression."
The next step in the yacht's construction is to prepare the inside of the hull for the composite structural grid that will transmit the keel loads into the hull. Once that is complete, the shipyard will start the layout of the systems, install the main engine and associated machinery, and begin preparing for the interior components designed by Mark Whiteley Design, many of which are already under construction.
The yacht's deck is being built in parallel and will be installed later in 2024 in an equally exciting outdoor operation: Due to the size of this yacht, the hull and deck will be joined outside and brought back into the building to complete the build.
In the weeks leading to her launch, project Ouzel will emerge from the building for the last time to be attached to her keel and to receive her mast. The launch is scheduled for the summer of 2025.