All the words to describe the new Turner T45 start with high—high quality, high performance, high pedigree, and high tech. This boat has gran prix IMS stamped all over it.
Engineering and design by Bill Tripp should be the first clue. Sailors may be less familiar with Turner Marine, a phoenix-like resurrection of the superb craftsmen left jobless by the disastrous fire at the C&C plant in St. Catherines, Ontario.
The details of the T45 are just as impressive. A 45-foot plus LOA sitting on a 38.26 LWL and only 18,500 pounds displacement. With a max. beam of 13.82 feet and a waterline beam of only 11.20 feet, the Turner 45 has nearly a skimming dish hull. Ballast at 8,500 pounds comprises over 45 percent or her displacement, which is needed to keep the 1,081 square feet of sail in the air. A Displacement/ Length ratio of 147.46 combined with a Sail Area/Displacement ratio of 24.72 spell speed from start to finish. Standard draft is a nine-foot fin with optional six-feet five-inch shoal bulb and a free standing elliptical spade rudder to match.
Hull and deck construction are vacuum bagged vinylester resin and Kevlar/S-glass reinforcements over a balsa core that should give immense strength-to-weight ratios. Hull and deck are laminated together for leak-proof longevity. The high-polish stainless is a work of art. While the rudder glides on state-of-the-art Tides Marine bearings, I question the use of an aluminum rudder post for long term immersion in salt water.
Rising above all this is a three spreader carbon fiber stick fitted with Antal track, discontinuous Navtec rod rigging, ultra-low-stretch Aramid, Spectra and Vectran running rigging. At 65.17 feet off the water, the T45 is perilously close to many bridge heights.
| Length Overall | (LOA) | 45.16' | 13.765 m | | Waterline Length | (L) | 38.26' | 11.662 m | | Beam Maximum | (BMax) | 13.82' | 4.212 m | | Beam Waterline | (BW) | 11.20' | 3.41 m | | Displacement | (Disp) | 18,500 lb. | 8,400 kg | | Ballast | . | 8,500 lb | 3,856 kg | | Draft | (D) | 6' 5"/9' | 1.96 m/2.74 m | | Ballast/Displacement | 45% | | | | Righting Moment | (RM) | 2,100 | | | Limit of Positive Stability | (LPS) | 125 degrees | | | Sail Area | (SA) | 1,081 sq. ft. | 100.46 sq. m | | Spar Height Above | DWL | 65.17' | 19.86 m | | Masthead Sail Plan | E | 20.68' | 6.30 m | | | P | 54.52' | 16.762 m | | | I | 61.0' | 18.59 m | | | J | 16.97' | 5.17 m |
|  | Turner Yachts 580 Read Rd. St. Catherines, Ont. Canada L2R7K6 905.934.8300 |
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On deck the Turner 45 is simplicity itself. Decks are wide and clear, and the large cockpit is geared for action. The helmsman is separated from the crew by the mainsheet traveler and a 60" destroyer wheel running in a cockpit channel. An unusually high bridge deck makes access to the companionway difficult, but adds space to the smallish galley below.
The Turner 45 does have some performance cruising appeal as well. Power is supplied by a standard 47hp Yanmar turbo diesel through a "Z" drive just aft of the keel. 30 gallons of diesel should be adequate tankage. Stainless steel tanks hold a surprising 150 gallons of water and another 70 of waste holding. Two hatches and five opening ports are standard.
Down below, the combination of white surfaces with teak paneling and trim creates a modern classic in rich contrasts. Two staterooms and two heads are separated by an ample saloon amidships. Hanging locker space is generous as is the nav table.
At a base price of US$385,000, the Turner T45 will not be for everyone. Ready to race with a full complement of sails, electronics and gear, this head-turner should price in at close to $500,000. But the fun it could generate might be worth it.
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