NAUTICA MAGAZINE
NAVIGATION TEST

Article selected from thousand boat trials performed by Nautica in nearly 50 years

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Text and photographs by Stefano Ruia

ZETA GROUP QUEENTIME

The result usually was a heavy boat, commonly nicknamed "fifty-fifty", which was a mixture of a sailboat with a powerboat unfortunately not performing properly in both cases. The introduction of lightweight high-power engines, the discovery of water-makers and the need of fast sailboats with generous spaces under deck suitable for chartering, together with other technical innovations, have lead to the disappear of motor-sailers, replaced by boats with excellent sailing performances and sufficient speed under power. Zeta Group, a young Italian industrial group constantly searching for new markets, is now revisiting the motor-sailer concept by introducing Queentime, a boat capable of achieving excellent performances both under sail and under power. Conceptual design and project were carried out by Renzo Zavatta and Finot Studio, the same designers who created the Comet 910, the first sailboat with wide stern which have won several races on the most famous circuits. Zeta Group's request and design input, was to create a revolutionary motor-sailer able to achieve excellent performances both under sail and under power.

During the process, Finot has first designed an excellent sailboat's hull which has been, later, adapted to power propulsion. This is the reason why Queentime is not a conventional boat; the new and innovative concepts introduced may seem strange to most sailboaters, while Finot's extreme choices may be the beginning of a new era. In this respect, Queentime's owners may be proud to be the pioneers of a revolutionary idea, just like Comet 910 owners were, some years ago. Queentime has been designed for all those yachtsmen asking for a comfortable cruising yacht which offer good performances and excellent comfort. Sails operation is extremely simple and, in case, the engine provides a cruising speed of 10 knots. Scuba divers will find in Queentime an excellent support boat, thanks to the spacious lazzarete, the comfortable cockpit and the easy and safe access to the sea. Flying Dragon boatyard and Iniziative Commerciali are two of Zeta Group's companies.

The latest own the Queentime and Bluetime trademarks together with the Cantiere Zaniboni boatyard. Flying Dragon, managed by Maurizio and Roberto Zanoni, has a strong building background in the manufacture of high quality boats, taking advantage from the experience of Roberto Zanoni former manager of the R&D Department at Comar and quality manager for Zeta Group: "quality" is, according to Zeta Group's philosophy, is a correct price to quality ratio. Owners' suggestions are always taken into account and, if the case, applied to the production line. This is why Queentime is, after 16 units already delivered, still improving itself with more and more practical solutions. The boat is proposed in three different lay- out: the tested unit feature two cabins and a bathroom. The boat may be registered as sailboat or powerboat with a registered length of 11,98 meters. A second and more powerful engine plant is available on request. The yard do not plan, at the moment, to build larger or smaller boats, while a new deck design with central cockpit has been recently introduced at the last Genova International Boatshow.

CONSTRUCTION PARTICULARS

TECHNICAL DATA

TRIAL RESULTS

OBSERVED PERFORMANCES
Maximum speed under sail (5 knots real wind): 5,0 knots (cross wind route)
Top speed under power: 12 knots at 4.000 rpm
Cruise speeds: 10 knots at 3.000 rpm; 9 knots at 2.500 rpm; 7,5 knots at 2.000 rpm; 6 knots at 1.500 rpm

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

COMFORT AND FUNCTIONALLY EVALUATION

Construction:
Materials: good, Rina certified construction, 10 years warranty against osmosis.
Finishing: good.
Interiors: good lay-out ensuring comfort for 4 persons.

Deck:
Side walkways comfort: due to low shrouds (connected to the chain plates on the hull) the available space is reduced.
Non-skid surfaces: moulded and effective.
Stanchions: 8 along the deck, 65 centimeters high, strong and connected to the deck with brass bolts.
Handrails: on the superstructure.
Bow area: well organized with anchor locker fitted with 1000 Watt electric windlass (Lofrans Airon) with double control station.
Fairleads: 8 built in the toe rail, well dimensioned and fitted with rollers.
Cleats: two at the bow, two at the stern and two amidship for spring lines. Well dimensioned.
Safety: good. Double stainless steel rope bulwark.

Rigging:
Mast: Nemo, well built.
Standing rigging: well dimensioned.
Sails: the standard sails are of good quality (South Sails) with three-years warranty.
Blocks: excellent quality (Antal) and well dimensioned

Running rigging: Solimar steering system with 80 centimeters diameter wheel (excellent under sail but hard at high speed under power); Nemo Wonderfurl genoa furling system with winding drum on deck with very good maneuverability. Mast built in mainsail furling system with good maneuverability. Two self- tailing two-speed Antal 225 winches for headsail sheets and mainsail. One Antal winch to reach the top of the mast.
Winches quality: excellent. Two genoa trolley with track (1,80 meters about) on deck. Four stoppers Antal on deck and three on the mast. Rigid Nemo vang with 20:1 twofold. Ultraflex engine throttles. Compass and engine monitoring instruments and gauges

Cockpit:
Dimensions: 215x220 centimeters, including the steering area.
Comfort: good for 10 persons plus the helmsman.
Steering station: placed to the starboard side in the forward cockpit area; comfortable and practical. The engine is noisy at high rpm but with limited vibrations.
Lockers: one very large plus an internal space. Fixed table, round shaped with 70 centimeters diameter, extensible to 70x175 centimeters. Fully hidden external shower with hot and cold water. The cockpit locker is suitable to store the life-raft. Very practical and comfortable sea access.
Cabin access: very comfortable and safe. Excellent watertight. Sliding Plexiglas portion with two wooden doors and lock.

Interiors lay-out (from the bow): double cabin with bathroom, large dinette to the port side, galley in front, charting area, stern cabin and bathroom.
Main saloon: minimum head-room: 200 centimeters. The dinette is very comfortable for 6/8 persons. The table is 150x90 centimeters. The dinette is convertible into a double bed. Excellent ventilation is provided by a 50x50 deck hatch and two portholes (32x12 centimeters). Excellent natural lighting. Artificial lighting is provided by a lamp and three independent halogen lamps. excellent storage space and two long hanging lockers. absence of vibrations when steering under power.
Charting area: the charting table is 70x60 centimeters. Charting comfort is sufficient but one has to operate standing tall. one side panel provide space for the electronics. Excellent ventilation and good natural lighting. Artificial lighting is provided by a halogen lamp. Safety and storage space is poor. No vibrations under power.
Galley: minimum head-room: 200 centimeters. Two stainless steel sinks, 38x37 centimeters (cylindrical shaped) with 30 liters aprox. capacity. Fresh water plant with hot and cold water. Three burners stove. Gas oven. Openable porthole on request. Working top (Varicor) 60x50 centimeters. 120 liters electric refrigerator. Good storage space. good comfort level. Excellent natural lighting. Artificial lighting is provided by one halogen lamp. Good overall safety. No vibrations under power.
Bow cabin: minimum head-room: 200 centimeters. Bed 198 centimeters long and 170 wide. Minimum bed width: 125 centimeters. Maximum bed clearance: 105 centimeters. Minimum bed clearance: 100 centimeters. Good natural light and ventilation is provided by two 50x40 centimeters hatch. Artificial lighting is provided by one lamp, two reading lamps and one courtesy light. Excellent storage space. No vibrations under power.
Stern cabin: Minimum head-room: 205 centimeters. Bed: 210x175 centimeters. Minimum bed width: 175 centimeters. Maximum bed clearance: 110 centimeters. Minimum bed clearance: 55 centimeters. Ventilation is provided by three portholes 32x12 centimeters. Poor natural lighting. Artificial lighting is provided by three halogen lamps. Good storage space. No vibration under power but fairly noisy.
Stern bathroom: Minimum head-room: 205 centimeters. Sink 45x32 centimeters (elliptical shaped) with excellent comfort. Marine electric toilet. The shower is not in a separated space. The toilet is not very comfortable (both at sea and at the dock). Shower area height: 180 centimeters. Light and ventilation is provided by one porthole. No vibrations under power but fairly noisy.
Engine room space: Lead and polyuretanic foam noise insulation. Good access comfort. Oil level easy to reach.
Reduction gear inspection: good. Natural ventilation (the blower is available for larger propulsion plants).

On board plants:
Electric plant: easy to access, with 20 magnetotermic switches 12V ABB S251 plus a double ABB S241Na for the anchor windlass. Three 220V switches, four fuses for navigational lights in addition to the megnetotermic switches. Digital ammeter and digital voltmeter. Water level indicator. The fuel level indicator is outside. The 12 volts and the 220 volts plants are well built with CE cables. One 100 Amp engine battery and two 100 Amp auxiliary batteries. 40 Amp alternator and 24 Amp battery charger with shore line. Stainless steel fuel tank with inspection hatch. Structural water tank with inspection hatches and sight level. Gas tank outside with twin valve. The fresh water plant is well built. All valves are ball-type. 30 liters electric boiler (220V) with engine exchanger. Two electric bilge pumps, one cockpit manual bilge pump and one emergency pump driven by the engine. Complete tool set.