Interior Accommodations

With large windows and a raised salon, Capaz’s interior is great for those who like lots of natural light. The large pilothouse with its 360 degree view gives a feeling of spaciousness perfect for liveaboards, coastal cruisers or offshore voyagers. With two enclosable cabins, a pass-through berth and a salon table that drops down to make a double berth, Capaz comfortably sleeps seven. Headroom is 6’ 7” in the salon and galley and 6’ 3” in the pass through, 6’ 3” in the aft cabin and 6’9” in the forward cabin. Storage is abundant throughout. Hydronic diesel heat is ducted to all cabins. The finish is white laminate with a teak and holly sole with a judicious use of just enough mahogany trim and cabinetry to give a warm feeling but not so much that you’ll be spending your days taking care of it.

 

Starting aft is the huge aft cabin. There are port and starboard 6’ 6” long single berths with a central bench. Storage is in a large centerline cabinet as well as under each berth. To port there are five drawers. Outboard of each berth are long book shelves. To port and forward is the aft head with a separate standup shower stall.

Moving forward to starboard is the pass through with a 6’ 6” long sea berth along the outboard side of the passageway. Above this berth is another long book shelf. Underneath there is storage. Inboard are two large doors giving access to the engine room. All engine rooms should have this kind of access! To port and outboard of the engine room there is a mechanical room housing the hydronic heater, isolation transformer and fresh water pump.

From the passageway one steps up into the raised main salon. The salon has a drop leaf table with a C-shaped settee with seating for five, or seven with extra chairs. The table is convertible and drops down to make a large double berth for guests or to be used as sea berths for the longer crossings. When in berth configuration, the bunk measures 6’ 10” long. There is ubiquitous storage under the settee seats and outboard. Across and to starboard is the inside helm seat with engine controls. The autopilot head is located here as well as the engine controls, chartplotter and the VHF radio. Outboard and to starboard of the seat are the breakers for the AC and DC service. The stand up chart table is aft of the helm. The chart table lifts for storage under. There is a large cabinet under the chart table as well. This cabinet is also where the Xantrex 2500 watt inverter/charger is located. The companionway hatch leads to a center cockpit. Beneath the salon sole is a cavern of storage with fuel and water tanks on either side and tank level gauges.

Going forward, the galley is down a few steps from the salon. As with most of Bob Perry’s designs, Capaz has a generous galley with lots of counter space and lots of storage. The galley counter is U-shaped with the counters running athwart ships and the stove outboard and at the bottom of the U. The countertops are beige colored Corian. The top loading refrigerator and separate freezer are located under the aft counter. On center outboard is the three-burner Force 10 stove. Under the stove is a large space for pot and pan storage. Above and outboard of the stove are two large over and under cabinets with finished stainless sliding doors. Another large cabinet is forward of the slider perfect for plates, dishes, bowls, etc. The dual stainless sink is on the forward counter. Hot/cold fresh water faucet, fresh water pump and pressure salt water faucets are all located here. Under the sink is another very large cabinet. To the right of this cabinet is a set of drawers for silverware and other utensils. Finally, the pantry is located across from the galley and has pullout drawers that can be locked in place when underway. All cruising boats should have a pantry!

Across from the galley is the forward head. This compact head has its own hanging locker. The faucet pulls out to make a shower. Above and outboard of the sink is cabinet storage with two doors and two shelves. Under the sink is another cabinet as well. As is the running theme on Capaz, there is lots of storage.

The forward stateroom is enclosable. A bench seat in fills to make a large 6′ 8″ long double berth. There are two hanging lockers in this cabin which have been converted to cabinets with shelves. Above these lockers are shelves with fiddles. On the outboard walls are two more, long book shelves. Under the V-berth is cavernous storage.

Electronics & Navigation

Garmin VHF210 VHF radio

Garmin 7616 XSV radar/chartplotter

Garmin radar antenna

Garmin PS51 FrontVu forward looking sonar

Garmin GMI 20 multifunction display at helm

Garmin GNX20 multifunction display at helm

Icom M802 SSB radio with AT140 tuner and DSP speaker (2013)

Pactor 4 modem (2013, not currently installed)

Iridium Go satellite phone

iPad cradle and charger at helm station

B&G Autopilot head controls hydraulic autopilot (new pump 2012)

B&G Autopilot remote in cockpit

Spare internal compass for B&G Autopilot

Hydrovane self steering windvane (2016)

Vesper 8000 AIS transceiver (2014)

Starpath Mintaka Duo graphing barometer

Standard Horizon SH HX890 VHF radio with charging station

(2) Standard Horizon SH HX100 floating VHF radios with charging stations

Freiberger sextant in wooden box

 

Electrical

Capaz is wired for 120 volts AC and 12 volts DC. Additionally, a Victron 3000 watt auto switching isolation transformer allows her to plug into either 120v or 230v shore power and outputs 120v aboard the boat. Charging occurs using either the Northern Lights 6kw AC genset or via the 200 amp Balmar alternator with Balmar MC614 smart regulator on the engine. The Xantrex 2500 watt inverter/charger provides AC power when away from the dock and the genset is not in use. The charger side of the Xantrex charges at up to 100 amps. The house battery bank is six Rolls 6v batteries – 720 amp hours total. The separate stand-alone start battery can be paralleled with the house bank if needed via a switch at the below deck helm station that triggers a solenoid. An echo charger keeps the start battery topped off. The genset has its own stand-alone start battery. 110 volt AC and 12v DC receptacles are located throughout the boat.

120v AC and 12v DC electrical systems

12 volt service breaker panel

Hi amp 12 volt service breaker panel

110AC volt breaker panel

Victron 3000w isolation transformer (allows 120 or 230v shore power input and prevents corrosion onboard)

AC source selector

Smart Plug shore power inlet for North American 30amp/120v shore power

Smart Plug Shore power inlet for European 230v shore power (inlet installed but needs wiring and selector switch to isolation transformer)

50’ 30 amp shore power cord

(6) Rolls S6GC2-HC 6v batteries in house bank, 720ah capacity (2021)

Dedicated group 27 start battery

Dedicated group 27 genset start battery

Battery parallel switch for house and engine start banks

Xantrex 2500 watt inverter/charger (a identical spare unit is aboard)

Echo charger for start battery charging

LinkLite Battery Monitor

Balmar 200 amp alternator with serpentine belt and MC614 smart regulator

Spare ARS4 voltage Regulator

Northern Lights 6KW genset (4022 hours)

(4) Solara walk-on solar panels on cabin top – estimated 170 watts

AC and DC receptacles thru-out boat

 

Mechanical

The mechanical systems on Capaz are very accessible. The Yanmar 140hp 4LH-HTE engine had the entire top half worked over in 2009. The cooling system was removed and flushed. The raw water pump was replaced and the old, which still worked, was kept as a spare. The turbo was completely re-built. The mixing elbow was replaced. The fuel injectors were removed, cleaned and rebuilt. The fuel injection pump had a complete re-build. The inter-cooler was removed and re-built. The motor mounts were replaced and the engine aligned at that time. The starter motor was also pulled and rebuilt as well. In 2014, the shaft was removed and trued, the propeller was rebuilt, a new coupling, cutlass bearing and dripless shaft seal (with spare seal carrier) were installed. The mixing elbow was replaced in 2021. At 140HP there is plenty of power when needed but can also be run at a lower RPM for fuel economy. Oil changes for both the engine and the transmission are made easy via the electric oil change pump. Access to the engine is about as good as it gets.

The Hurricane hydronic heater, isolation transformer and the fresh water pump are easily accessed in the mechanical room, which resides outboard and to port of the engine room. The mechanical room is accessed through a lazarette in the cockpit and has a door that gives access to the port side of the engine room. This space is also large enough to be used for storage during passagemaking as well.

Capaz has dual steering systems. Steering from the cockpit is done using the traditional steering cables to a quadrant. The steering pedestal, wheel and steering cables were recently replaced. The below deck steering uses hydraulic steering and the autopilot taps into the hydraulic side. The advantage here is redundant systems. Should one fail the other is available and both are proven.

Yanmar 140hp 4LH-HTE diesel engine (8,185 hours)

Hynautic hydraulic engine controls

Fireboy engine shutdown system

Electric oil change pump for engine and transmission

SMX primary fuel filters (30 micron to 10 micron filtration)

3-blade feathering Max Prop (rebuilt 2014)

Spare fixed blade prop located in aft lazarette

Hurricane Chinook 50,000 btu hydronic diesel cabin heater (provides cabin heat, hot water and engine pre heat)

Tides Marine dripless seal on propeller shaft (2014)

Sea Frost 12v refrigerator and freezer – separate identical compressors can be swapped in case of failure (2013)

Force 10 propane three burner stove/oven

Propane solenoid switch in galley with sniffer

(3) 7.5kg fiberglass propane tanks (2014)

Hot and cold pressure water

Pressure salt water – Jabsco Par Max 50psi pump

Lavac toilet with Y-valve in aft head

Lavac toilet with Y-valve in forward head

(2) holding tanks with electric pumpouts and on deck pumpouts

Gray water systems for all sinks and showers with pump outs.

360 gallons of fuel in 3 tanks – each tank with sight level monitors

(2) electric bilge pumps with electronic switches on dedicated breaker panel ensuring uninterrupted power supply

 

Sails & Rigging

Aluminum two spreader main mast and single spreader mizzen

Aluminum main and mizzen booms

All standing rigging replaced in 2009, inspected 2020 by Northwest Rigging

Harken roller furling on forestay

Mast mounted aluminum spinnaker/whisker pole

Forespar rigid boom vang (2013)

Ullman Sails full batten mainsail with 2 reef points and Ullman stack pack cover (2015)

Ullman Sails full batten mizzen with 2 reef points (functions well as a riding sail at anchor) and Ullman stack pack cover (2015)

Ullman Sails dacron genoa with foam luff and canvas UV cover (2015)

Ullman Sails drifter (2015)

North cruising gennaker with dousing sleeve

Storm jib with removable inner forestay

 

Deck & Hull

The hull is white with green cove and boot stripes. The deck is white with gray Kiwi Grip non-skid. At the bow, gray Treadmaster nonskid has been added for additional traction and for protection from the anchor.

Stoutness was the key word governing the entire build concept for Capaz. The hull construction is no exception. Capaz was built to 130% of ABS standards everywhere. Compartmentation includes a watertight bulkhead forward and another aft. Hull and deck were constructed using biaxial E-glass reinforcements, and vacuum bagged end grain balsa core was employed providing a high compressive factor as well as serving as a good insulator. An all composite fiberglass longitudinal stringer and transverse floor grid system form the initial structural interior components. All bulkheads are heavily attached and the hull and deck are bonded together inside and out to complete the monocoque structure. The chain plates are heavy duty stainless steel bolted to fiberglass gussets formed into the hull. The forward wetted area is reinforced against debris or deadhead strikes. A fin projects aft from the intersection of the keel and hull, protecting shaft and propeller. The keel is fairly long cord length for good directional stability underway. And 16,000 lbs of lead ballast is bolted to the bottom half of the keel providing a low center of gravity making for a “stiff” boat. The skeg hung rudder is large, easily keeping Capaz on course.

On deck starting at the stern there is a built-in swim step with two steps up the transom for access to the aft deck. This is perfect for boarding via a dinghy but also serves as a great spot to shower using the pressure H/C shower on aft deck. The aft deck offers an expansive area to lounge, read, fish or whatever suits your fancy. On the aft deck, a large Lewmar hatch gives access to a very large lazarette space, aptly named the “Garage”. The Northern Lights 6kw genset is located on the port side of the garage. Sails, spare anchors and rode, fenders, etc., all store in this area. The liferaft is mounted in a hard case on the stern pulpit. Moving forward the deck offers clear and easy pathways from stem to stern. The center cockpit is good sized with seats long enough for the tallest person to lay down and take a nap. The cockpit is well protected by bimini and dodger and provides a safe and comfortable spot to stand watch. The pilothouse roof is finished with non-skid and is a good location to work with the boom and for standing on to gain a higher vantage point for spotting coral heads or underwater hazards. A cabin top electric winch has been mounted near the base of the mast and is perfect for hoisting the main or a person up the mast. The electric winch makes launching the dinghy an easy and quick operation. At the bow, the Maxwell 2200 windlass is operated by deck foot switches feeding the 300′ of 3/8″ chain into the watertight bow compartment.

Stainless anchor roller on bow

Maxwell 2200 electric anchor windlass

Spare Maxwell 2200 windlass motor (old but functional at removal) and spare buttons and relays

Spade primary anchor

300′ of 3/8″ chain (2021)

Delta 55# spare anchor

Fortress FX-37 anchor

Spare 100’ 3/8 G4 chain and 300’ 3/4 8 plait rode

Stainless hand rails on deck from bow to stern.

(2) Harken 64 electric 2 speed self-tailing primary winches

(2) Harken 46 self-tailing secondary/mainsheet winches

(2) Harken 16 self-tailing mizzen halyard winches

(2) Harken 42 self-tailing main mast halyard winches

(1) Harken 44 self-tailing electric halyard winch at main mast (rebuilt 2015)

Iverson’s Designs cockpit dodger and bimini in excellent condition (2015)

 

Additional

Viking 8UKSL 8 person liferaft (manufactured 8/2019, repacked 2023, next service due 5/2026)

ACR Globalfix v4 406 GPS EPIRB (2016, battery expires 6/2026)

ACR Ditch Bag with signal mirror, fishing tackle, flashlight, rations, spare batteries, flares, first aid kit, water packets and thermal protective jackets

(4) Spinlock Deckvest Lite inflatable lifejackets with AIS locator beacons and tethers

Jack lines

Gale Rider drogue w/300′ rode (used only in practice)

Emergency tiller

Storm shutters for all windows

Edson outboard motor mount on pushpit and additional outboard motor mount in aft lazarette

400′ of 3/8″ poly line on spool for stern tie and anchoring

Magma stern mounted propane BBQ

Extensive inventory of spare parts

 

Recent upgrades:

(10) new Lewmar Atlantic portlights (2021)

½ length side curtains for dodger (2019)

Two coats Pettit SR60 bottom paint and Prop Speed on Max Prop (2021)

Rebuilt muffler (2021)

Hurricane hydronic heat

Garmin radar/chartplotter and sailing instruments

Victron isolation transformer

Rolls batteries and battery trad (2021)

New foam and upholstery for all cushions and mattresses (2012)

New rudder and Tides Marine rudder shaft seal with spare seal carrier (2014)

Hydrovane self steering windvane (2016)

Ullman Sails mainsail, mizzen, genoa and drifter (2015)

Stack Pack type mainsail and mizzen covers (2015)

Iversen design dodger and bimini (2015)

Forespar rigid boom vang for main boom (2013)

Spade anchor (2016)

(4) Solara solar panels on cabin top – estimated 170 watts (2016)

Icom 802 SSB radio with AT140 tuner (2013)

Vesper XB8000 AIS receiver/transceiver (2014)

ACR Globalfix v4 406 satellite EPIRB (2016)

200 amp Balmar alternator with serpentine belt, external regulator (2016)

New shaft coupling, shaft seal, cutlass bearings. Propeller shaft trued and propeller rebuilt (2014)

New binnacle, steering cables and wheel (2014)

Acrylic shower door with sailplan engraving (2016)

 

Notes on Recent Passages:

Kodiak to Sitka, 500nm in 3 days

Anacortes to Ketchikan nonstop in 3 days

PV to Marquesas Islands, 3,000 miles in 18 days

Tahiti to Hawaii, 2,300 miles in 14 days

HawaiiI to Seattle, 2,300 miles in 16 days

Diesel range: ,1500 nm at 6 knots, 1100 mi at 7.5 knots

At sea power: 3 hours/day on genset to cool fridge and supply all DC power needs

At Anchor power: 1.5 hours/day for above

Safety features:

Oversized standing rigging

Inside steering

Redundant steering systems – cable and hydraulic

Extra stringers were place in hull for possible collisions at sea-logs whales, etc.

Emergency tiller easily rigged and accessible

Ketch rig offers better options for storm conditions vs. trysail on mainmast

Large lazarette and large aft deck allows easy access to safety gear and storm sails

Comments by designer, Bob Perry

My philosophy for the CAPAZ Class Ketch was a vessel of uncompromised strength capable of passage making in the most severe conditions. The boat would be fun to sail, but would also have the cruising advantages of a motor sailor with attention in both hull and rig to efficiency under both sail and power.

The hull form shows the transom drawn down to the DWL in order to maximize the waterline length for speed under power.  This has a side benefit of pushing accommodations volume aft. The d/l of 184 indicates a boat of medium displacement that coupled with a prismatic of .54 will provide an easily driven hull. Keel, shaft nacelle and skeg/rudder were all designed for good directional stability. The general hull form will make for a very stiff boat. The lead is all located on the bottom half of the keel fin. This results in a low VCG further increasing stability while providing a durable grounding shoe.

The all inboard ketch rig was chosen for its versatility. The fore triangle is small… The mizzen boom doubles as a lifting davit.  Rigging is oversized and in keeping with the power of this hull.

High on the requirement list of most experienced sailors are lazarette space and engine access. The CAPAZ features a large lazarette and an enclosed engine space with adjoining machinery annex. The interior is marked by expansive cabin sole and generous sized proportions in all areas. Care was taken to maximize the visibility in the pilothouse. Each berth is over 36” wide at the head and over 68” long.  There is a snug pilot style berth adjacent to the engine room for passagemaking comfort.

Executing this design has been a most pleasant experience for me……….The CAPAZ Ketch shows a nobility of purpose usually reserved for boats of the working fleet and so lacking in our current production “all things to all people” models.

Fair weather or foul the CAPAZ will be capable.

Comments by the engineer involved the original build, Craig A. Goring

With a displacement of close to 40,000 pounds, we had the luxury of being able to build CAPAZ to very high strength standards. She is built to 130% of ABS standards everywhere; hull, deck, keel support, rudder supports, chainplates, etc., this is a boat that won’t require pampering.

Comments by the Builder, Lynn Bowser of Westerly Marine 

…In addition to capable and spacious other adjectives which might be used to describe CAPAZ are stout and “beefy”. From the hull laminates up this boat has been put together with longevity, seaworthiness, and easy maintenance as the prime requisites. Biaxial E-glass reinforcements were chosen for their structural superiority, and vacuum bagged end grain balsa core was employed for its higher compressive factor. An all composite fiberglass longitudinal stringer and transverse floor grid system form the initial structural interior components. All bulkheads are heavily attached and the hull and deck are bonded together inside and out to complete the monocoque structure.

As we’ve watched CAPAZ grow around us these past months, we’ve also watched her grow “on” us. The interior layout is roomy and flows well as you move about down below. There is plenty of room to install the many plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems and everything has easy access. The white painted bulkheads and interior cabinetry are accented with warm varnished Honduras mahogany trim while the earth tone interior cushions blend well with the satin finished teak and holly sole and teak baseboards.  The deck layout is functional with everything conveniently placed.  Safety has been paramount with ample hand holds, double thirty-inch high lifelines, a through-bolted, anodized, aluminum toerail, and an effective nonskid surface for firm footing at all times.  This will truly be a comfortable yacht to stay aboard and a solid boat to sail…