55’ Coaster

(More pictures at bottom of page)

John & Teddi Holzemer are the owners of this new 55’ Coaster, just recently delivered; Teddi Bear is named after Mrs. Holzemer. The 55’ Teddi Bear is an intermediate size, between the original 50’ (Florida Bay 1987) and 65’ (Key Largo 1988) Florida Bay Coasters. Like them, she also carries a vehicle on deck. (Florida Bay Coasters 42’ and larger may be equipped with a utility deck capable of handling a vehicle, if needed.) Built of rugged steel, she has very large integral tankage for fuel and water, giving her a long range and ability to be self-sufficient for long-term living aboard.

Jay Benford began working with the Holzemers about 15 years ago, to get their final concepts just right. The Owners worked directly with the builder to guide her construction; see the RNPA Article written by the Holzemers in the Resources section of this website; it’s quite a story. She was built in Auckland New Zealand, and after three years was finally competed last Fall, brought across the Pacific aboard a ship and delivered her to British Columbia. After some final outfitting there, the owners will be introducing TeddiBear to the public at the Anakortes, Washington TrawlerFest in May, 2008. After the show, they will head for Sitka, Alaska her new home port.

Why Not carry your own vehicle aboard? And liveaboard in great comfort? If this is your dream, as it was for the Holzemers, this is the right sort of vessel. And, if you want the ability to liveaboard in outstanding comfort, Florida Bay Coasters owners do this in a way that no others do. See the YouTube Florida Bay Coasters videos to see how the vehicle can be lifted off the deck by the hydraulic crane.

Distinctives:

• She will carry a Robinson R22 helicopter on the boatdeck.
• With the same 20’ beam as the 65, she has tremendous stability. She can carry a vehicle of up to 2 tons on deck – just be sure it’s short enough that the crew can walk port and starboard of it when it’s on deck! (The Holzemers carry a diesel Golf.)
• The pilothouse has stairs to the boatdeck, notched into its after port corner, for easy access up and down.
• The well deck is at the level of the galley, giving standing headroom in the hull cabins below it. There are entry doors port and starboard.
• The master stateroom is in the hull, in what is usually the cargo hold and workshop area on a Coaster, and the room behind the pilothouse is an office that converts to a guest stateroom. There is a smaller workshop by the entry to the engine room.
• The saloon has the dining table and fireplace, plus sofas and chairs for relaxing. Being full width of the hull, it feels like being aboard a much larger vessel.
• The foc’sle has upper and lower berths on the aft bulkhead, plus the exercise equipment. Otherwise, these twins would be raised with drawers underneath for storage. All three staterooms have ensuite heads with shower stalls, with the master head being a tub/shower combination.

*CAUTION: The displacement quoted here is for the boat in cruising trim. That is, with the fuel and water tanks filled, the crew on board, as well as the crews’ gear and stores in the lockers. This should not be confused with the “shipping weight” often quoted as “displacement” by some manufacturers. This should be taken into account when comparing figures and ratios between this and other designs.