Sea trials completed on custom 28m sailing superyacht Sonny III

1 June 2018 • Written by Chris Jefferies

The new custom 28 metre sailing superyacht Sonny III has been launched by Brooklin Boat Yard, christened and completed sea trials.

Sonny III is the new flagship from the American yacht builder. Technically measuring 27.84 metres, the sloop was built for a repeat client under the project name Custom 91. She is constructed with a cold-molded, laminated wood hull.

She was designed by Bruce Johnson and Brooklin Boat Yard, while naval architecture is courtesy of Bruce Johnson.

Sonny III launched by Brooklin Boat Yard - photo by Billy Black

Steve White, president of Brooklin Boat Yard, said this was the third boat for this customer. "He’s a very experienced yachtsman who is a pleasure to collaborate with," White said during the course of Sonny III's build. "His interest in sailing performance is equaled only by that of the designers and builders.”

Sonny III replaces the owner's previous 21 metre yacht from Brooklin. The yard explained that the owner is a retired senior citizen with limited mobility and therefore part of the he brief was for greater accessibility. The new yacht was designed with multiple solutions including a chair lift at each companionway, connecting the cockpit and exterior decks with the accommodations. There is also a power reclining chair in the master cabin, a side boarding ladder and a transom boarding platform.

Accommodation is for six guests, split between a master cabin and two twin rooms, while the single crew cabin allows for a staff of two.

The tender garage is in the transom, with twin davit cranes that can launch a hard-bottomed inflatable tender.

Rockport Marine of Maine was appointed to construct the bare hull, with Brooklin Boat Yard taking over the yacht's fit out.

She has a classic exterior styling, with a flush deck and an aggressively raked bow and reverse transom. Her twin cockpit configuration allows guests to stay comfortable in the centre cockpit, while sail handling is handed out of the aft, working cockpit.

The flush-deck design of Sonny III includes a central cockpit and a single helm station back aft. Auxiliary power on this single-masted sailing yacht comes from a single 300hp Cummins 6.7-litre engine. With a beam of 5.79 metres, the yacht has a total displacement of 61.2 tonnes.

"We're proud to provide Sonny III's owner with a yacht that performs to his high expectations and accommodates his unique needs," said White. "He's been a great collaborator on every boat we've built for him. This was a true challenge that required a lot of teamwork – a highly customized, 91-foot yacht built in only a year and a half."

Other recent projects Brooklin Boat Yard include a 22 metre sloop designed by Spanish studio Botin Partners.

More about this yacht

Brooklin Boat Yard   27.84 m •  2018

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