Martin 66
66' / 20m
The Martin 66 fast cruising yacht with lifting keel – a “Sailor’s Voyager.”
We became attached to this capable design after developing it for a client whose plans changed. The model and drawings have been widely admired by those who have seen her. While this is certainly a seaworthy and seakindly hull with space for plenty of fuel and storage, the Martin 66 is HALF the weight of a popular cruising boat of this size!
A fast, seaworthy, safe, capable and versatile yacht that can be safely and comfortably sailed across an ocean by a couple, their children and a helpful friend or two. The rig and sail-handling are simple and easy to manage, making her easy to get under way for a day sail. She is a voyager, capable of solitary adventures or in the company of other yachts, as in the many organized rallies across the Atlantic, Pacific, to the Caribbean, and even Around the World. Up to date ‘appropriate-technology’ weight-efficient construction.
An effective, handsome design (in our humble opinions!) looking for happy owners!
Yacht Specifications
| Length Overall | 66' / 20m |
| Length Waterline | 61' / 18.6m |
| Beam | 18' / 5.5m |
| Draft | 11' / 3.35m (keel down) ~ 6.5' / 1.98m (keel up) |
| Displacement | 41800# / 18960kg |
| Sail Area | 2190 sq.ft / 203 sq.m |
A SAILOR’S YACHT
After several preliminary layouts were drawn, comparing raised saloons, mid cockpits, aft cockpits, etc. (a total of 5 primary configurations) the one chosen has a full, well-lit saloon down below, with a hard dodger (with its own steering and engine controls) at the forward end of the cockpit. This arrangement allows the best of both worlds – comfortable and safe watch-keeping, excellent deck spaces with good visibility, and allows the off watch the full use of the saloon, which, unlike the raised saloon configurations, is all on one level!
 VERSATILITY
A hydraulic lifting keel allows access to shallow berths & anchorages, while giving the yacht great stability under sail when fully extended. Draft is reduced from 11 ft. (3.35 m.) to 6.5 ft. (1.98 m.) Stability meets EC requirements in an intermediate position at 8.75 ft. (2.67 m.) Twin rudders are shown so that they draw less than the keel in its shoalest position, thus avoiding the complexity of a rudder with a board in it. The deck arrangement also allows varied uses. Day sailing or racing, the boat can be steered from one of the wheels aft, while there is full engine and steering control within the hard dodger as well.
SEAKINDLINESS
We have worked for 20 years on Around-the-World racing boats and cruisers where the demand for seakindliness and seaworthiness are high priorities of the owners. We have learned to design high-performance hulls that have a comfortable motion, rarely slam, and are very dry on deck. These hulls have fine entries, great usable volume, sail more upright and track well.
INTERIOR LAYOUTS
The Martin 66 is a lighter yacht than most other voyagers of her length, and has great usable volume and well-lit spaces. We have shown two ‘Owner’s’ layouts with either two double cabins, one at either end of the boat for privacy, with a guest or children’s cabin between them. The other layout has two cabins aft, one with a double berth; the other with one up-one down and an owner’s cabin forward.
Arrangements with full crew-quarters are also available.
HANDLING
One of the advantages of a contemporary, lighter yacht is that it takes less sail area to drive the hull; therefore contemporary cruising sail-handling systems can make the boat much easier to handle without a paid crew, even into this size. Roller-furling systems are well advanced for headsails, and either boom-furling or a cockpit-led reefing system with lazy-jacks and a catch-boom can be used for the mainsail.
SUMMARY
Our brief is to design a handsome yacht as a planned-for series of voyaging sailboats to be semi-custom built. We have given these yachts a signature appearance with a sweet sheer and clipper bow. It is planned to build these yachts in a variety of sizes. The design provides a platform with great volume, excellent behaviour, and great versatility to allow owners to get the best out of their sailing lives.
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