Drawing Board: Hood 35 LM
Hood 35 LM
Hood and Lyman-Morse team up again, this time on a 35-foot Down East cruiser.
Hood 35 LM
Hot in the wake of the Hood 57 LM—by all accounts a viral sensation—comes the announcement that C.W. Hood and Lyman-Morse are once again teaming up on a new build, this time in the form of a handsome 35-foot Down East express.
Built in Thomaston, Maine, this single-cabin cruiser has been in design for years and construction, I’m told, is well underway. A cold-molded-composite like her predecessor, at first glance, the Hood 35 LM looks damn-near traditional when dressed in a flag-blue hull. But looks can sometimes be deceiving. Beneath her Down East skin is a thoroughly modern motoryacht.
“We’re taking the Down East model and brining it light-years ahead because the owner is very techy,” said Designer Chris Hood. “One example of that is that I mentioned HamiltonJet have a military version but unfortunately, they’re not available to us. He said, ‘You let me handle that.’ So he called Hamilton and talked to the president and told him that he wanted to use their AVX system in his boat. They shot the shit a bit and all of a sudden, they’re best friends and the boat’s getting these jets.” Hood went on to explain that this version comes with improved controls and thrust.
Hood 35 LM
Renderings show a boat with versatile cockpit seating and individual helm and co-pilot seats. Like boatbuilding Wizards of Oz, Hood and Lyman-Morse President Drew Lyman are quick to remind you that if it’s not your style of layout “then pay no attention to the renderings.”
Inside the 35-foot package one can make all kinds of custom changes. Want IPS or outboards instead of jets? They’re already working on such accommodations. In the market for a flybridge cruiser? “We drew a flybridge in the very beginning,” said Hood. “I really loved the look of that boat. It will be nice to offer that model as well.”
Hood 35 LM
Lyman also points out that if an owner wanted to wrap the boat in the glass-like wood veneer like on the first 57, which graced our January cover, they can accommodate that as well. “That’s the advantage we have here,” said Lyman. “We’re not production-line oriented.”
Based on the current workforce and facility size at Lyman-Morse, Lyman said they could ramp up to build as many as five to seven boats a year, though I expect he would find the room for hulls eight and nine should the orders roll in.
The first 35 is expected to splash this fall and accompany her sistership 57 at the Newport boat show. The one-two punch of displaying both boats side-by-side should help show the boating masses what I’ve already learned: This brand is going to be one to watch in the years ahead.
