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Outbound 52

• By Andrew Burton
• Updated: May 8, 2008

Solid blue water burst onto the foredeck of the Outbound 52 and turned to foam as it rolled aft, proof that I’d failed to steer around another large, square Gulf Stream wave. The rest of the crew slid under the hard dodger, out of the spray. Lapses in helmsmanship notwithstanding, we were having fun sailing in the waves kicked up by the 17- to 20-knot northerly breeze blowing against the current. The boat was doing what it was meant to do: get where it was going quickly while giving its crew a comfortable ride. The way the Outbound 52 was going through the water reflected the beliefs that builder Phil Lambert has developed over years of sailing his own boats: Cruising sailboats don’t have to be slugs, and the ability to make fast passages is a safety factor in itself, allowing crews to sail around weather systems or make port before storms hit. An ex-racer, Lambert heads to sea not just for the entertainment of exploring new places but also for the plain and simple joy of sailing.

Lambert grew up in Southern California, then attended the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point, New York, where he skippered one of the academy’s offshore racing yachts. After he graduated, he spent a few years working as an officer on oil tankers before starting a career in yacht financing. Over the years, a boat concept took shape in conversations with a friend and colleague, Craig Chamberlain. Their racing backgrounds and some uncomfortable yacht deliveries gave them the idea that there was a need for an offshore cruising boat that was both fast and comfortable to be aboard.

The stars lined up for Lambert in 1997 when a financing client who was importing motoryachts mentioned that the yard, Hampton Yachts, was interested in building a sailboat. With a young family, Chamberlain decided to stay in the insurance business, but Lambert was ready to jump. A week later, he signed a contract with the builder, and Outbound Yachts was born.

Lambert was soon picking the brain of renowned raceboat designer Carl Schumacher, probably best known among cruising sailors as the designer of the Alerion Express 28. The result was the Outbound 44, an attractive, strong, and adaptable boat that-with a two-foot extension on the transom to increase the size of the swim platform and the boat’s sailing waterline-is now sold as the Outbound 46. There are more than 30 of the 44s and 46s sailing in various parts of the world, and more than half are in the midst of, or have completed, significant cruises. Today, Lambert spends most of the year living in Xiamen, China, overseeing his boats’ construction at the Hansheng Yacht Building Company.

When the time came to design a bigger sister for the 44/46, Lambert approached Tim Kernan. (See “Cruising Origins Breed Go-Fast Designs,” below.) Like the late Carl Schumacher, Kernan is a California naval architect with a reputation for designing fast boats. Lambert once again had a very clear idea of how he wanted his new Outbound to turn out. It was to be a center-cockpit cutter, a fairly common plan for a 52-footer. But neither he nor Kernan were about to let the Outbound 52 look, as Kernan says, “like a wedding cake with layer stacked upon layer” in an effort to squeeze in every possible cubic inch of space below while leaving the cockpit seemingly added to the deck as an afterthought. On this boat, the relatively narrow cockpit is sunk deep into the structure and features high coamings and a short step down to the deck. The seats are long enough for stretching out and close enough together to provide an easy foot brace for those sitting to weather when the boat’s heeling. A hinged watertight panel is built into the cockpit sole to facilitate engine removal in case that, some day, becomes necessary. The wheel is aft and mounted on a substantial pedestal that also holds the compass, engine instruments and controls, and the controls for the autopilot, bow thruster, and windlass. A well in the forward part of the cockpit provides easy access to the saloon with just a few steps down the companionway.

Seated on either side or amidships, I found that the wheel was easy to reach and that visibility was good over the hard dodger when I stood up and through it when I sat down. Designer Kernan says that he spent a lot of time getting the dodger right so it not only provides shelter but neither interferes with vision forward nor offends the eye.

Low bulwarks make the raised-saloon deckhouse look sleek and give the boat an almost racy look that’s offset by numerous ports, hatches, and vents. Voluminous storage in lockers in both quarters and under the foredeck ensures that owners will be able to avoid cluttering the deck with cruising gear.

It’s an advantage to have the builder own hull number one: He can try new ideas before a client gets involved. One thing that will get worked out is the steering system. Three turns lock-to-lock on the silky-smooth Lewmar Mamba system-turning the shaft on Jefa bearings-is overkill to control Kernan’s beautifully balanced sail plan and high-aspect spade rudder. Lambert says that a new two-turn system is on order.

Asked if he thinks a skeg-hung rudder would be more appropriate for a cruising boat, Kernan-the engineer-answers adamantly in the negative. “I’ve seen too many skegs hanging by the rudderstock off the bottom of boats,” he says. “If they’re built right, spade rudders are stronger.”

High on Lambert’s cruising-boat criteria is strength. The Outbound’s solid hull is hand laid with vinylester resins; a foam-and-fiberglass structural grid that incorporates stringers, the engine bed, and three-quarter-length longitudinals is built into the hull during the layup. Watertight bulkheads fore and aft add another measure of safety, and all the bulkheads are bonded to the hull and deck for their entire perimeter. The deck is vacuum-bagged with a Divinycell core and bedded with 3M 5200 adhesive sealant before it’s through-bolted to the hull on four-inch centers.

The external lead keel has a long, flat, efficient bulb for added stability. It’s bolted onto the bottom of a deep sump that’s deeper aft than forward, adding grounding protection by spreading the impact force over the whole top of the keel rather than point-loading the aft corner. To my mind, the external lead helps mitigate damage from groundings, too, as lead absorbs impact much better than iron or fiberglass-encapsulated ballast.

There were no crashes or bangs as we flew along in the choppy Gulf Stream. I’d expected the relatively light-displacement performance-cruiser to pound as it blasted upwind in rotten sea conditions. But thanks to the boat’s V-shaped sections and a fairly fine entry, we had very little noise. Considerable rocker in the body of the hull makes for a seakindly ride; there was no jerkiness to the motion, as there can be on some performance cruisers.

The Outbound’s light-to-moderate displacement had another benefit in that we didn’t have to break out foul-weather gear because the sailboat strode over, rather than through, (most) of the waves. In smooth and rough water and 15 to 20 knots of breeze the 52 tracked well, demanding little more from the helmsman than an occasional flick of the fingers to keep the boat going in the right direction, even when we bore off to a broad reach in quartering seas.

The high-cut Hood Vectran headsails on manual Furlex furlers are set far enough apart that the 130-percent outer jib makes it through the gap relatively easily during tacks and jibes; the main has full vertical battens and furls into the three-spreader Seldén mast. A solent rig is available as an option. In my fantasies about the boat, I’d have hydraulic or electric furlers on the headsails. Discontinuous rigging keeps the mast pointing in the right direction.

Though the boat was sailing just fine, we had more than enough wind to experiment with different sail combinations. Kernan says the tall rig was designed to sail better with a reef once the breeze tops 16 knots. The boat sailed well with full genoa and a reef, but it went fine with full main and staysail or a partly rolled genoa. The 52 has a big rig, but it’s easily handled. The thinking is that offshore, you’re not going to be able to cut down your voyaging time by much when it’s windy and the boat’s already doing hull speed. Indeed, most 52-footers are going to make time in a breeze. Where you can cut passage times is when the breeze is light and your boat still goes. Owners of the 52 are going to be able to make good speed under sail for a long time before they have to turn on the engine.

Below, the saloon is spacious without being cavernous. Handholds on the table, nav station, and beneath the windows along the starboard side on future 52s will be supplemented with a deckhead handrail or two. The large ports let in plenty of light, and ventilation comes from a pair of opening hatches and dorades forward. The nav station is to starboard of the companionway, where a strong-voiced navigator can communicate with the helmsman fairly easily. The desk is large enough for a full-sized chart folded in half, and there’s plenty of room for electronics. Panels are on latches to fold down easily for access to the neat wiring. The saloon is very livable, with a settee to starboard opposite an L-shaped dinette that’ll seat four-or six, with the addition of a couple of chairs amidships. With lee cloths, the settees will be good sea berths. Large shelves and lockers are outboard on either side, and there’s more storage behind the seat backs and under the seats, thanks to the fact that the integral fiberglass 250-gallon fuel and 225-gallon water tanks are beneath the floorboards, where they add to the boat’s stability.

Forward of the saloon, to port, is a large head with a separate shower that boasts a high sill so water won’t slop over when you’re showering at sea. The queen-size berth has access from either side. A hanging locker, drawers, and shelves will provoke guests to bring enough gear with them to almost affect the performance of the boat. Looking at the drawings, I notice an option to move the main bulkhead aft, shrink the head and forward stateroom, and add a smallish cabin with upper and lower berths.

Aft of the saloon, the galley is in the passage to the aft cabin. The sink and stove are near the centerline and next to, rather than opposite, each other for convenience. Several doors and hatches-both vertical and horizontal-allow access to the refrigerator and freezer. Plenty of counter space will make it easy to prepare meals for an army of guests.

The aft cabin is sumptuous and has abundant storage. A queen-size island double dominates it; drawers pull out from the forward end, and the whole bunk top opens, like the trunk lid on a car, on gas rams for access to more storage aft without having to unmake the berth. The generous head compartment features a separate shower stall with another high sill.

The best part of the boat for me-aside from enjoying the sailing-was on the starboard side, aft of the nav station: A compact cabin has a single berth with drawers underneath to hold tools; remove the cushion, and you find a stainless-steel-topped workbench. Conveniently enough, the door to the engine room is right across from it. Inside the engine room everything from through-hulls to the generator appeared to be readily accessible. Just inside the well-insulated door I found easy-to-understand manifolds for switching saltwater feeds, freshwater tanks, and fuel tanks; there was also easy access to fuel filters and raw-water strainers.

When the boat heels, the deep sump keeps bilge water in the bilge, where it belongs, not under the bunks. Easy-to-reach through-hulls are identified with plastic tags.

Tim Kernan nicely sums up the philosophy of the Outbound 52: “Aesthetics were a consideration right from the start. For instance, Phil and I spent hours and hours just getting the hard dodger integrated into the overall design.

“Cruisers have a responsibility to sail pretty boats for all those people who come down to the beach to admire them sailing by,” he says. “And when you’re in some anchorage, heading ashore in the dinghy, if you don’t turn around, pause, and admire your boat on the way, then something’s wrong.” I couldn’t agree more. He and Phil Lambert have fulfilled their responsibility to the public and created a boat that people will enjoy looking at and a lucky few will get to sail.

Cruising Origins Breed Go-Fast Designs

Outbound 52 designer Tim Kernan grew up in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, far from the Southern California sun that he now enjoys. His family kept a series of cruising boats called Madrine, and he fondly remembers the summer cruises and seasonal boat deliveries to and from the Caribbean that he made as a teenager.

After graduating from New York University, he studied yacht design at the Landing School in Maine. As part of the curriculum, he spent a two-week internship with well-known designer Bob Perry, whom Kernan credits with teaching him to draw boats. According to Kernan, Perry told him that because he wasn’t going to be any use during the two weeks he was there, he should merely “sit in that room and draw boats.” Every now and then Perry would walk in, look at Kernan’s painstaking work, give him instruction along the lines of “No, no, no! You’ve got to have fun with it!,” then set him back to his task.

Perry’s style of instruction, apparently, was effective because when the students’ final projects were displayed at the school, legendary yacht designer Olin Stephens complimented Kernan’s work. And Perry must have received some value from his young intern because upon graduation, Kernan went to work for him for five years.

Later, Kernan worked for a couple of years for Morelli & Melvin Design and Engineering, helping to develop high-tech multihulls before hanging out his own shingle.

His first boat was the 50-foot Water Wizard oceangoing powercat; his 68-foot high-performance raceboat, Peligroso, has put together a string of wins since her launch in 2005, most recently a first in class and overall in the 2008 San Diego-to-Puerto Vallarta Race. Kernan is widely viewed as a talented, up-and-coming yacht designer, and I wish him the best of luck, especially with his campaign to save the world from ugly boats.

Outbound 52 Specs

LOA 52′ 00″ (15.85 m.) LWL 47′ 10″ (14.58 m.) Beam 15′ 4″ (4.67 m.) Draft 7′ 6″ (2.29 m.) Sail Area (100%) 1,312 sq. ft. (121.9 sq. m.) Ballast 15,000 lb. (6,804 kg.) Displacement 39,500 lb. (17,917 kg.) Ballast/D .38 D/L 161 SA/D 18.1 Water 225 gal. (852 l.) Fuel 250 gal. (946 l.) Mast Height 72′ 0″ (21.95 m.) Engine 110-hp. Yamaha 4JH4-HTE Designer Kernan Yacht Design Price $830,000

Outbound Yachts (949) 544-1227 www.outboundyachts.com

Andrew Burton is a CW associate editor.

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• Outbound 46 Review—Part 2, Keel, Rudder, Bow Thruster, and Construction

In Part 1 , we analyzed the Outbound 46 hull design, including comparisons to recent designs. She acquitted herself well.

And we who will never be able to afford a new Outbound 46 learned a lot from the boat that will help us choose a less expensive option.

Now let’s look at other hull-related stuff, including the keel, rudder, bow thruster or not, and some thoughts on construction, all relevant no matter what boat you are thinking of buying.

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More Articles From Outbound 46:

• Outbound 46 Review—Introduction
• Outbound 46 Review—Part 1, Hull Form
• Sailboat Deck Layouts
• Cockpits—Part 1, Safe and Seamanlike
• Cockpits—Part 2, Visibility and Ergonomics

Hi, John, regarding Spade rudders – my reservations about this design are mainly that it is a system that is only suspended at a single point, together with a rather powerful lever arm. Not a good position if the tip of the blade comes in contact with the ground, or a rock, and not to mention the fact that in the event of a catastrophic issue the rudder can simply choose to leave you for good – although this in’t very likely it already has happened. At least the single point suspension problem can effectively be countered with a skeg, and many skegged rudders are at least semi-balanced, as seen here: https://imgur.com/8S2d1iq

Sure, there are benefits to a skeg, but the idea that skegs are inherently stronger dosn’t work for me. The skeg itself with the attached rudder has exactly the same lever arm on the hull structure for a given depth and size of rudder as a spade does on the rudder shaft and bearings. So a well built spade could easily be stronger than a poorly built skeg. Each must transfer the same loads to the hull, they just do it differently.

I would guess that the 4″ SS shaft on the Outbound is way stronger that the combination of skeg and shaft on many other boats. But even that’s wrong since sharing loads between materials of different modulus doesn’t happed, the stiffer material takes it all until it breaks. So in most cases all the lever load will be on the skeg, assuming it’s stiffer. So then the question becomes how many skegs are stronger than a 4″ ss shaft, or better still carbon shaft? I would guess very few. On the other hand, if the skeg is even a little bit flexible, then most of the load is on the rudder shaft and the bearings, not good either—I have seen this.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a skeg hater, I have one. But hating spades makes no sense to me either.

As for the rudder in the photo shot. Yikes what an efficiency hit when compared to Carl’s beautiful rudder! Each to their own, but as a performance oriented guy I know which rudder I would prefer.

Bottom line, it’s all about how well the boat is built.

John, I’m not a skeg “hater”, just some reservations … anyway Matt shows below that it can be built right when engineered correctly. For my situation this gives me just another issue I have to deep-dive in when I’ll be actually starting to select the (used) boat for my retirement…

Sorry, did not mean to imply that you hated anything, what I was trying to say is that I don’t hate either type and that it all depends on how well each is built.

Hi John Do we know for sure the if rudder stock is a solid shaft, or alternatively heavy wall pipe? The Outbound site is not clear on this point. I know my own yacht’s “barn door” rudder, which the shallow draft Outbound’s closely resembles, functions very well with a shaft of what appears to be 100NB Sch 160/XXS SS pipe, and is very heavy! Solid shafting has a lot of extra weight for not much benefit cheers Alan

No, I don’t know for sure, would have to check with Phil on all the details, that’s why I say that any buyer should do good due diligence on the rudder. The good news is that the track record on Outbound rudders seems to be good.

As to tube or solid, while I know that tube is stronger weight for weight, the exact engineering of when one or the other is appropriate is way beyond my pay grade. One thing I do know from masts is that the thinner the walls the larger the diameter must be to yield the same stiffness. So I’m guessing that a tube will need to be larger than a solid shaft.

The other thought would be that a solid shaft might be less susceptible to stresses from having the straps or plates welded on and to stress risers from corrosion pitting, but that’s a guess.

Bottom line, I’m thinking that the tube or solid call is more complex than just saying one is better than the other, and depends on other design parameters that we probably need a mechanical engineer to explain: Matt?

The important thing here is that to carry a load, every material must deflect.  If you think about a cross section of a tube in bending, one side is in tension, one in compression and there is almost nothing going on in the center.  Therefore, the center contributes very little to strength and very little to stiffness.  This is the reason that I-beams exist, they concentrate the material in the areas of highest tensile and compressive stress and in the center of the connecting web, there is only a small amount of shear stress.  I-beams are great but they are directional, they must be loaded in bending in a specified directly, if you try to put one in torsion, you will find they are a very poor design, a cylinder or rod is the best in torsion.

You are correct that if you hold bending stiffness constant (sometimes this is called section modulus), the hollow shaft will need to be larger in diameter.  However, the difference is smaller than many think.  For a rod, stress is proportional to the cube of the radius as the moment of inertia is proportional to the fourth power and when you make it a hollow cylinder, the section modulus is proportional to (R^4-r^4)/R.  This means that a 4″ diameter hollow shaft with 3″ ID has equivalent stiffness to a 3.52″ solid shaft and if you compare the weights, the hollow shaft is only 56% of the solid one.  It is possible to push this too far and go to too large a diameter and too thin a wall which is hard to manufacturer, hard to connect to, etc but it is surprising how far you can push it (masts being a good example).  In the case of rudders, you need to watch your foil shape too.

Going back to a pure strength standpoint, the fact that maximum stress is at the surface of the part is really important to understand.  In a fatigue application, this means that any small blemish in the surface is also a blemish in the highest stress area so it presents an area for a crack to propagate from.  For this reason, in highly stressed fatigue applications, the surface is carefully spec’ed and then it needs to be maintained that way.  In some applications, it is necessary to go even further with processes like shot peening and even laster peening, if you want to go down a rabbit hole, these are really cool and really do work.  Of course, on a rudder shaft this doesn’t really apply as it is impractical to keep the surface that pristine and the shaft should be sized so that you are nowhere near the fatigue limit as the grounding load is so much higher.

The wheel on a truck is a “single point suspension” and we don’t often hear of the axle snapping. It’s all about the design – ensuring it’s up to the task of carrying the loads – not how many suspension points.

Great metaphor, thanks.

I’ve never seen, or heard of, a spade rudder that’s supported at a single point. The rudder stock is usually supported by two bearings – upper & lower – spaced as far apart as possible inside the hull. The blade is then attached to the part of the stock that’s cantilevered below the lower bearing.

This is an inherently very strong approach that has the added benefit of being quite simple to analyze for structural design.

Back-of-the-envelope example. 4″ (101 mm) grade 316 solid stainless steel shaft, rudder bearings 60 cm apart, rudder blade 170 cm deep. I_z = 5.1E6 mm^4. Young’s modulus = 193 GPa, yield strength = 290 MPa.

That rudder would require hydrodynamic force of 34 kN (about three and a half tons) or a tip point load of 18 kN (about two tons) to bend the shaft, and about double that to break it. You’d select the bearings, and design their mounting structures, to withstand 102 kN at the upper and 168 kN at the lower, thus ensuring that the shaft will fail completely before the bearings or the tube will let go under any conceivable overload scenario.

Put another way, you could prop the boat up on shore at 90° of heel, hook a chainfall hoist to the tip of the rudder, and pick up an entire Ford F-150 with it….. and the rudder would only bend about 4 cm.

As always, thanks for bringing mathematical rigour to this. Much appreciated.

Hi Matt, thank you for the engineers inside view on that topic, makes me a bit more unstressed 😉 And I didn’t actually mean “single point” but “single side” with an open lever arm – but your calculations show that this can be perfectly valid if engineered correctly. When looking for a used boat this needs to be counterchecked double or triple, of course.

Thanks John, I have been looking forward to this instalment since I read the first. You’ve also go me reading and watching everything Outbound since then!? stay safe. ( now for part 3 ?) SK in the UK.

As owner of#58 I have to disagree. The 4 inch diameter rudder post is mounted through two sleeve bearings about 2 1/2 ft apart mounted in substantial structure inside. Though I hate to admit it, due to distracted driving I clipped the bottom of the rudder on a rock doing 6 kts or more. Took a chunk out of the rudder, but that’s all. A long skeg would extend the support with a longer lever arm, but the longer the skeg the less stiff unless it’s the back end of the keel.

Should the rudder “choose to leave” (nicely put), the lower bearing mount extends above the water line so you still have a fighting chance.

I have a question the very experienced people here might care to answer. It’s my impression that most cruisers plan for downwind passages, broad reaches at worst. How does this work out in reality? What fraction of time do people sail upwind?

If the answer is anything < 20% then how much value should be placed on a deep keel that optimises hard on the wind performance? Especially if it comes at the cost of not being able to anchor in shallower, more sheltered spots.

I've no doubt that there are times when being able to point close to the wind is a real safety advantage, clawing off a lee shore, or giving a headland more room all feel like important reasons. But to be honest, if I was caught in a situation where moving closer upwind was a vital concern, I'd be starting the engine.

Racing is of course a different paradigm, but for cruisers, just how important is upwind pointing performance really? (I'm entirely open to being educated on this.)

That’s a good point and you are right, with good weather planning we have often gone for weeks, or even months, without having to do a tough up wind passage.

However, on at least three occasions, due to the season closing in on us, we have simply had to do a long offshore passage up wind all the way and at that point having a boat that can do that in reasonable comfort without pounding is really important.

To me the key point here is the comfort one. Going to windward in big seas offshore is no fun. Doing it for days on end is even less fun. Doing it in a boat that pounds is truly horrible and can actually result in the boat starting to break up under you. (We completely trashed a boat in the 1984 Bermuda Race this way.)

As to motoring, motor sailing works well, pure motoring does not in a sailboat due to the pitching, mainly from the mast weight, and even most pure motorboats don’t go up wind well once there is swell.

So, yes you are right that say a getting a shoal draft Outbound would not be a world ender. My own boat is shoal draft for her length, although the same depth as the Outbound.

But to me, with the Outbound, the benefits would be outweighed by the performance hit. Or to look at it another way, if you are the sort of sailor who buys an Outbound to get the sparkling sailing performance why compromise? And if sailing performance is not what you want, then why buy an Outbound? Also, as I said in the article 6.5″ has always been a good compromise depth for us and I don’t think 5.5″ makes a lot of difference.

Any thoughts on how much the designers preferred 8′ draft would reduce the trip to Bermuda often used by AAC to compare boat types?

That would depend on wind direction, sea state and many other variables. That said, once on the wind, deeper draft boats generally get to their destinations more quickly. Over 24 hours on the wind a rough guess would be the deeper version being an hour or so ahead of the shallower. That assumes the shallower being not too shallow. If the shallower were say 5 feet then the difference gets a lot bigger. Point being that windward performance seems to reduce more than linearly with reduced draft.

More on this trade off: https://www.morganscloud.com/2022/05/23/adventure-40-keel-draft-and-shape/

Toodle-oo! is an Outbound 44 – hull #27: 2007 vintage – we are the second owners. I agree fully John that a bow thruster is not necessary – it’s very easy to spin the boat on her axis (provided you turn to starboard!) – and only rarely do I feel one would be a benefit. As to the rudder, initially I felt that the lack of a skeg might be a problem, but have learned to really like the spade – even though… in 2014 we were cruising up in Scotland and I very stupidly selected a small harbor with visitor’s mooring and a distillery but without optimal pilot instructions. The inevitable hard landing occurred and we got ourselves stuck on a rock on a falling tide. Having failed to kedge off once already, I accepted assistance from a friendly rib that came to investigate. He pulled us off but in the process the rudder took a serious hit and bent the shaft, jamming the rudder hard against the hull. The good part of this story is that once we were laid up at Ardfern a few days later, Phil was able to send me pictures of hull #27 during it’s build to show some critical elements. He also arranged a new rudder to be manufactured and shipped to us in Scotland and we were back cruising just 5 weeks later! That’s customer support – even though we didn’t actually purchase the boat from him! One downside to the spade is that when motoring you can’t take your hands off the wheel – or you’ll be doing doughnuts in no time flat! I’m glad that Toodle-oo! is a deep draft – she certainly does exceptionally well to weather and so far, we’ve not had to compromise our cruising grounds due to draft – including motoring through Holland’s ‘Standing Mast Route’.

We were considering the purchase of a New Outbound 46 last year and contacted Steve D’Antonio who confirmed that I should be allowing some $50,000 plus all of his expenses for a full “Holding of Hands and Advice” Service for the specification preparation, contract writing, construction and commissioning overseeing of a New Sail Yacht. I too like the idea of a Carbon Fibre Rudder Shaft, though perhaps one should also apply the idea of being able to “lower the rudder” as applied in the Nordkyn design in the event of it being hit and jamming on the hull.

That’s more than the 30K, including expenses, that he estimated to me, but then again I was cherry picking his services, as detailed above. Either way, I think you made a very good call on talking to him.

Good to hear from you again.

What a drag to gave an accident like that, although I guess some would argue that good malt makes it almost worth while getting a new rudder!

Anyway, great to hear that Phil gave you such good support. Five weeks for a new rudder, including shipping, is pretty amazing.

Outbound Yachts Are Built To Take You Wherever You Want To Go

True Bluewater Cruising Sailboats

Designed To Handle Offshore Conditions

Built For Maximum Liveaboard Comfort

Made For Cruising Couples Who Want To Explore

Outbound Yachts

The ultimate offshore cruising sailboats.

Outbound Yachts are first and foremost exceptional sailing yachts. Our flagship model, the Outbound 46, was first designed and built over 20 years ago to be a capable offshore sailboat that provided the capacity required for serious cruising, added safety that comes with performance and handling, and maximum comfort to encourage living aboard. Today, these same characteristics are still hallmarks of the Outbound brand as we continue to offer finely crafted cruising sailboats that are built to the highest standards.

Your Escape Awaits

Fast, safe, comfortable sailboats are few and far between, but Outbound delivers these desired attributes on every boat. Built for offshore passagemaking, each model can take her owners anywhere in safety, comfort, and style.

Built For Offshore Sailing

Experienced sailors value the added safety that comes with good sailing performance. The ability to sail off a lee shore, shorten a passage to within the available weather window, and safely maneuver through heavy seas are all features that make Outbound Yachts some of the best cruising sailboats in the world. Equally important is having the comfort required to avoid fatigue when heading offshore. A dry and comfortable cockpit, good visibility, and a forgiving motion are essential for a safe and enjoyable passage.

Outbound 46

An aft cockpit with 2 cabins, the Outbound 46 was is the ultimate cruising boat for couples who want to go offshore.

Outbound 521

A center cockpit with 3 cabins, the Outbound 521 is a capable bluewater cruiser that offers a spacious interior.

Outbound 5360

Offering spectacular 360 interior views, the all new Outbound 5360 is a raised salon unlike any other cruising yacht on the market.

The All New Outbound 5360

The new Outbound 5360 is a next generation cruising yacht featuring impressive interior spaces that provide panoramic 360 views from within.

Outbound 521 Center Cockpit

A center cockpit offshore passagemaker that is safe, comfortable, and can be handled by a cruising couple with ease.

World-Renowned Outbound 46

Designed and built for serious sailors, the Outbound 46 is a fast, easy-to-handle, couples cruising boat that is capable of crossing all oceans in comfort and speed.

Owner Testimonials

"we had to write to tell you, again, how much we love this boat.".

It was such a delight to have Allora flying along day after day with such power (800 miles). We almost caught up with a boat that left several days ahead of us. One particularly great trait....

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Highlights & features.

Offshore Safety

From deep cockpits that are designed to keep you secure in any condition, to heavy duty lifelines and grab rails, Outbound sailboats are equipped with all the features for safe offshore cruising.

Classic Styling

Beautiful clean lines and elegant interiors with fine woodwork, Outbound sailboats have a classic yacht style that is lost on most of today's production boats.

Dedicated Workrooms

Each Outbound has a workroom onboard that is a dedicated space for tool storage and to perform repairs and maintenance.

Comfortable Interiors

The interiors of Outbound yachts are built to maximize comfort for long distance cruising and extended onboard living.

Built For Performance

Outbound sailboats are designed to sail fast and handle adverse conditions.

Additional Resources

Learn more about what goes into an outbound sailboat.

Outbound Yachts are built to the highest standards with quality construction methods, top of the line materials, and fine craftsmanship. Discover what goes into an Outbound.

Discover The Outbound Lifestyle From Owners Themselves

Outbound owners are an active group that have sailed their Outbound sailboats to locations all over the world. See photos, videos, stories, and testimonials from Outbound owners themselves.

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Whether it be at the next boat show or a private viewing of a current owner's boat, we can get you on an Outbound. Contact us to learn about current opportunities.

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Outbound 46 Revisited

After being dropped ashore by dinghy, I paused on the seawall to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything aboard, then looked back at the Outbound 46 sitting at anchor and gave a nostalgic wave to the crew in the cockpit. We’d just finished a fun few hours of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and I don’t think anyone wanted it to end. I sure didn’t. And I was envious of the boat’s owners, who would soon venture into blue water on their way to the Caribbean with the Salty Dawg Rally.

Our sail was just after the 2014 Annapolis sailboat show in October and we had found a perfect fall day to get the Outbound out for a gallop around the bay. When I stepped aboard the 46 there were three couples in the cockpit along with Phil Lambert from Outbound Yachts. Interestingly, one of the couples owned the boat and the other two were Outbound buyers who’s boats were in various stages of the build process, so it was fun to sail with them and to gain insights into why they had chosen the boat.

OUTBOUND’S STORY

Also, by showing a willingness to evolve and tweak the original design as necessary, the Outbound team has been able to dial the 46 into what is now a well refined boat that meets the discerning needs of their customer base. As Lambert puts it, “The story with Outbound is that it has been going strong since 1999. Experienced offshore sailors recognize and appreciate the importance of stowage, tankage, comfort and performance—all in a very forgiving hull.”

And though the Outbound 46 isn’t necessarily a “custom” boat, the company has proven adept at valuing customer input, which has led to some practical modifications to the initial design. While Outbound can still build the 44, they started building the 46 with hull number nine when the owner wanted to double the size of the swim step. Then in 2012 they adjusted the interior arrangement to offer more space for electronics at the chart table and a larger stall shower near the companionway.

For my test sail I literally hopped off a similar sized, but much different, boat onto the 46 while out on the bay. Greeted by Phil and a gracious group of excited sailors, we raised the mainsail out of the LeisureFurl boom, rolled out the Solent jib and sheeted on for close hauled.

As we tacked our way farther out into the bay, the waves kicked up slightly and the feeling of the helm didn’t change. The boat felt stiff, yet forgiving underneath us and as we talked about the owner’s impending trip offshore to the Caribbean, I got the impression that this boat would treat them well.

After sailing upwind for a bit we cracked off to go through the various reaches and switched out the Solent for the larger genoa. Our speed stayed up in the sevens and we toppled the eight-knot mark while on a beam reach. I relinquished the helm at this point so some of the other crewmembers could take a turn and everyone had glowing remarks as to how the boat handled—apparently much better than the previous boats they had owned.

When it was time to head for the anchorage in Spa Creek, the owner took the wheel and fired up the 75hp Yanmar. I wasn’t offered the helm, and didn’t necessarily need it, but could tell that she handled well and was easy to control as we lowered the main, made our way into Annapolis Harbor, waited for the Eastport Bridge and then anchored snuggly in Acton Cove. With that amount of maneuvering in tight quarters, it didn’t seem to present any challenges for the skipper.

One of the features I noticed first when climbing aboard for my test sail was the height of the lifelines. They are 30-inches tall, which in my mind should be the standard for offshore work. When moving forward or aft they provide a solid handhold, but are also tall enough to lean against without feeling as though you’ll fall overboard.

The hull is solid 100 percent hand-laid fiberglass and the deck is vacuum bagged Divinycell polymer foam cored for maximum rigidity that felt firm underfoot. It seems as though Outbound is one of the few boat builders that still employs a stainless steel toe rail and I am a huge fan of its utility and lack of maintenance.

Standard on the bow is a double anchor roller with a sturdy Lewmar V-4 captsan windlass with 200 feet of high-test chain. Just aft of the windlass is a large standup locker/storage area that can house downwind sails, fenders, dock lines and more.

The side decks are wide and uncluttered as you move aft to the cockpit and stainless steel handholds run the length of the cabin top.

The cockpit is a classic T-shape that is designed to seat six comfortably, though we had seven without a fuss. The benches are long enough to stretch out on and padeyes are affixed nearby for tethers. With today’s penchant for large open cockpits with double wheels and big tables in the middle, it’s nice to see Outbound sticking with a tried and true offshore cockpit.

Winches are placed on the cabin top to port and starboard of the companionway for control lines, halyards and the mainsheet. And two primary winches are aft near the destroyer wheel for the genoa and jib sheets.

As is the theme throughout, the cockpit has functional storage spaces for a life raft, propane tanks and lines. And the starboard settee lifts up to reveal the work/storage room below and gives you standing headroom while working.

The walkthrough stern allows for quick access to the large stern platform that makes it easy to get in and out of the water or dinghy and gives you plenty of room for a stern shower.

Knowing that I would be doing my test sail by jumping from boat to boat while on the water, I made it a point to stop by and see the Outbound 46 while at the show. When going below I was immediately struck by the craftsmanship and sheer beauty of the wood and joinery. The raised saloon emits quite a bit of light to offset the wood and handholds are seamlessly fitted into the interior. And though they weren’t open, there seemed to be a sufficient amount of hatches and ports to ventilate each space in the boat.

Aft to port behind the galley is a quarter berth. There is standing headroom at the head of the bunk and two drawers pull out from underneath. A hanging locker will take your foulies, and cupboards next to and above the foot of the bed will house more clothing. For ventilation, there are three opening stainless steel ports.

The Yanmar diesel is found underneath the companionway and the steps rise up on gas struts. From my quick look, it seemed as though you could access all the engine essentials quickly, and major repairs wouldn’t be too much of a fuss.

Across from the galley to starboard is a proper navigation station with a desk big enough for chartbooks and a laptop, and plenty of room above and to the side for communications equipment and a multifunction display. This is also where the boat’s electrical panel is located.

The main saloon has a U-shaped settee to port with a large drop-leaf table and room to seat four to six. To starboard is a long bench settee that would make a good sea berth and has a dropdown table in the middle for drinks or small plates.

Forward of the saloon is the master cabin with a sizeable island queen berth, hanging locker to starboard and a head to port. In 2013 Outbound moved the sink into the cabin itself. This allowed them to move the holding tank into the headspace and raise it, allowing for gravity feed discharge, eliminating pumps and hoses that were previously under the dinette seats, which adds even more storage in the saloon.

BWS  THOUGHTS

From my test sail I got the impression that each couple aboard had taken quite a bit of time in deciding what would be the right boat for their cruising needs. They were all planning on doing offshore passages with their boats—two from the east coast and one from the Pacific Northwest—and would be living aboard for extended periods. After sailing the boat with them and Phil, it was easy to see why they were smitten with the design and build qualities that the Outbound presents.

I see this boat as the model in couples cruising boats. There is plenty of room aboard for living and cruising in comfort, and if you wanted to invite another couple aboard or take on extra crew to help on passages, there is enough space to accommodate them. And as one seeminly adept show-goer so aptly put it while we walked through the boat together at the docks in Annapolis, “I’d have a hard time taking any other boat over this.” That about sums it up.

By Andrew Cross

(Originally published in the Feb. 2015 issue of BWS)

Outbound 46

LOA: 46’4’’ DWL: 40’3’’ Beam: 13’6’’ Draft: 6’6’’/5’6’’ Disp: 33,000 Ballast: 10,000 (w/ 3,500 lb bulb) Mast Height: 64’ Sail Area: 1,083 feet Water: 200 gal Fuel: 190 gal SA/Disp: 18.75 Disp/Length: 189 Beam/Length:  3.3

Outbound Yachts, LLC Phil Lambert 1314 E. Las Olas Blvd Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301 949.275.2665 www.outboundyachts.com

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