Santa Ana Couple’s Custom Yacht Is One of a Kind

A custom yacht owned by a Santa Ana couple and launched here this week is drawing attention for its revolutionary construction.

The 88 1/2-foot vessel is the first ever built entirely of fiberglass-foam-core construction, according to the builder, Admiral Marine Works. No structural wood was used to build it, said Tom J. Johannsen, a New Jersey manufacturer of exotic foams and materials.

Called the Crazy Horse, the $1.6-million vessel is named after a Santa Ana restaurant owned by the boat’s owners, Brad and Tracy Miller.

With a 23-foot, 10-inch beam and a six-foot draft displacing 190,000 pounds, the new boat is the culmination of four years of effort, the last two spent in construction after the selection of Admiral from about four top Northwest boatbuilding firms. The Crazy Horse was designed by Jack Sarin, a naval architect from Winslow, Wash.

Built to wander the world, the Crazy Horse is expected to go to Alaska and then Mexico following some finishing work and sea trials, which should take about three weeks. The Millers plan to cruise to Panama, through the Canal to the Caribbean and Mediterranean and finally to Greece.

The boat’s amenities include two water makers, five ice makers, TV throughout the craft, instant hot water, high-pressure air for diving equipment and low-pressure air for starting the engine. It is also loaded with masses of electronic navigational equipment and an Apple Macintosh personal computer on the bridge.

The computer keeps track of crew and other manifests, the ship’s stores and accounting. It also stores the information contained in hundreds of volumes of maintenance and repair manuals for all the gear on board.

Among other unusual qualities of the Crazy Horse are its bow thruster, twin stabilizers and a unique oil-changing system for the two diesel engines. Used oil is pumped out periodically, replaced by new oil and the used oil is refined and precisely metered into the diesel tanks. The process increases the vessel’s range and eliminates used-oil storage problems, said Bill Romadka, Admiral’s public information officer and a marine buff.

“This is really something, and a feather in Port Townsend’s cap,” Romadka said. “This is one of the largest non-wooden boats ever built in Port Townsend, and it was all done right here. It involved a lot of people in this town.”

“The boat came in somewhat over $1.6 million, and every inch of her is truly one of a kind,” said Casey McKinney, Admiral’s general manager. “We’re really proud of this vessel.”

The elegantly appointed vessel is powered by twin turbo-charged 540-horsepower Cummins 1150 KTA engines, with a cruising speed of 12 knots and a top speed of 15 knots.

“This is the leading edge of the new-age approach to boat building,” Johannsen said.