After Eight - Northern Marine

ight 

AFTER 

The first debut of the 151 series by Northern Marine, 

this JQB-designed vessel was constructed with the 

revolutionary resin-infusion process, resulting in a most 

voluminous yacht overflowing with understated elegance. 

Words by Tim Pawsey; photos by Steve Cridland. 

64 BOAT INTERNATIONAL USA 

BOAT INTERNATIONAL USA 65

after eight 

To step aboard After Eight is to be instantly cosseted by a 

sense of warmth and understated, classic elegance. Not, perhaps, 

such an unusual occurrence in the world of increasingly ingenious 

yacht design, but the launch of Northern Marine’s tri-deck marks 

an impressive debut of the new 151 series, with five more hulls 

currently on the drawing board. 

The Anacortes, Washington builder (which has developed 

its reputation on expedition-style vessels) partnered with noted 

Seattle-based designer Jonathan Quinn Barnett to come up with 

a vessel that makes superb use of the company’s revolutionary resin-infusion 

process, granting a sense of added space to its already 

capacious, 30ft 9in beam. 

After Eight represents the largest single-piece hull built to date 

by Northern Marine’s trailblazing resin-infusion process, which 

offers considerable advantages. The vacuum infusion allows the 

designer to specify larger and lighter parts by avoiding additional 

resin in places where it isn’t needed. In more conventional builds, 

gravity will bring the resin down and pool it in recesses, creating 

inefficient strength-to-weight ratios. 

That sense of added space is immediately apparent in the starboard 

main foyer, graced by a cashew rose and honey onyx inlay 

marble floor. The feel is clean and uncluttered, with good sightlines 

fore and aft. From here, easy access is gained to all quarters by an 

elegant 90-degree stairwell (wrought iron detail and a full-height 

mirrored wall gives the illusion of even more depth) as well as by 

a full-size elevator that serves all four levels – including the sun 

deck, where a fully enclosed station may be used even in inclement 

weather. This is a vessel that celebrates its accessibility: corridors and 

companionways on all public areas are easily wheelchair navigable. 

In fact, says the designer, whether a client has a family member or 

might themselves at some time require a wheelchair, the potential 

for extra space makes the allowance for wheelchair access a natural 

consideration. But the mere inclusion of extra width doors (all 36 

inches), more spacious decks, and the added elevator volume makes 

Sporting one 

of the world’s 

largest singlepiecevacuuminfused 

hulls 

gives After Eight 

considerable 

advantages, 

most notably 

her extremely 

voluminous 

interior. 

after eight 

AccEssibiliTy is cElEbRATEd wiTh widE wAlkwAys And lARgE windows. 



ThE skyloungE And iTs opEn AFT 

dEck is A Fluid indooR/ouTdooR 

spAcE ThAT will sEE plEnTy oF usE. 



after eight after eight 

a luxury statement in itself. “We went for the widest boat we could 

achieve,” says Barnett. “Not only is it considerate, it also makes the 

entire vessel more comfortable for all guests aboard.” And the crew 

also benefits, in that side decks are wider to the tune of 3 feet – and 

much easier to bring a 24in-diameter fender over the side. 

That sense of space is consistent throughout the vessel, but especially 

in the dining room and main saloon. Here, Northern Marine’s 

cabinetry skills also become readily apparent as the rich, redbrown 

luster of kewazinga and makore woods frame and enhance 

the full-beam saloon. Conversation areas are comfortably relaxed, 

defined by the grouping of an Edward Ferrell sofa and matching 

low-backed overstuffed armchairs. 

Barnett and his design team – interior project design manager 

Erica Lichty and modeler Frank Woll – were determined to create 

a comfortable and casual interior. “We wanted to convey a nautical 

elegance that would appeal to customers searching for relief 

from all the decorated interiors that seem to be so pervasive in the 

industry,” says the designer. “So many of these boats are over decorated, 

over detailed and with more elaboration than one would 

ever have in their own home,” he adds. 

Use of neutral fabrics further highlight the wood, while color 

and interest throughout come courtesy of well-chosen art. Pewter 

sconces and lamps by Visual Comfort provide subtle lighting effects, 

with matching pewter shelf railing. 

The absence of the now standard flatscreen TV and entertainment 

center only adds to the intimate and genteel feel of the area, 

which is easily closed off from the dining room (perhaps while the 

crew is setting the table for dinner) by a pair of complementary 

sliding paneled doors. The resulting cozy space is graced by an 

eight-to-ten-seat high gloss table with an inlaid double border. 

Generosity of space and tasteful understatement are the hallmarks 

of the forward, full-beam master suite, which is entered 

through the owner’s study. A king-size bed is finished with a 

padded low-profile headboard. All bed linens are by Cloud Nine 

With its antique 

brown granite 

counters and 

hardwood floors, 

the galley is akin 

to a gourmet 

cafe. Equally 

outfitted is the 

crew mess, 

featuring plenty 

of workspace. 

A coRnER bAR Adds chARm To ThE spAcious Full-bEAm skyloungE. 


BOAT INTERNATIONAL USA 71 71


with bedspreads and pillows on a cream base. A settee by Edward 

Ferrell offers a starboard window side seating area for daytime 

escape or reading, while a large vanity occupies the port side. A 

full entertainment system with a big screen television occupies a 

forward wall that backs on to a superbly spacious master head. 

The luxurious bathroom is book-ended by a pair of walk-in, cedar-lined 

closets, capable of hanging a considerable wardrobe. Twin 

Kohler oval sinks with pewter fixtures set in in cashew rose marble 

are framed by a full wall mirror with pewter sconces and teardrop 

lamps. The matching marble floor is tastefully detailed with a Breccia 

Paradiso inlaid border, also picked up on the wall behind a fullsize 

Jacuzzi, as well as in the wheelchair-accessible shower. 

If After Eight’s guest accommodations are generously spacious, 

the design team at JQB was equally thoughtful in granting the 

crew plenty of room in which to work. The gourmet galley, which 

would make any seagoing professional chef happy, centers on a 

full-size island with a profusion of antique brown granite counters, 

along with full Miele ranges, Sub-Zero fridge and a walk-in pantry 

and sink overlooking port windows. A separate workstation with a 

flatscreen and two stools is the perfect spot at which to indulge in 

a late night snack. In fact, with its rich finish of chatoba hardwood 

floors, the room feels more like a high-end cafe than a galley. 

Quarters for eight crew in four double berths are reached on 

the forward lower deck via a convenient straight stairway from the 

main galley. The living area includes a small kitchen with a microwave, 

TV, an oversized walk-in fridge and freezer, and double sets 

of stacked washers and dryers. This vessel is seriously equipped for 

long-range cruising – and won’t have to pull into port to do laundry! 

The captain’s very spacious double accommodations and head 

is located aft of the wheelhouse (conveniently close to the central 

stair and elevator), while the chief engineer’s quarters are aft to 

port, with adjacent tool room and access to lazarette storage. 

A sealed escape door allows crew easy midships secret access 

to mirrored port and starboard guest suites, each with queen-size 

beds. The rooms, spacious with good headroom, feature heads and 

showers finished in cashew rose marble with a Breccia Paradiso 

inlay. A focalpoint of the guest foyer is its central alcove and superbly 

detailed floor with concentric circular inlays by Seattle master 

stoneworker Jeff Homchick. Two VIP suites are slightly more 

elaborate, with king-size beds and heads with dual vanities. All 

guest staterooms feature lamps by Christopher Spitzmiller (seen 

in the White House) and grace lights around the pedestals. 

Easily reached from the central stairwell or elevator, the pilothouse 

makes for an impressive command center, dominated by three 

Stidd chairs, with a comfortable raised white leather banquette and 

granite table behind, that can easily accommodate five. Sightlines 

for both skipper and guests are impressive, with an easy 180-degree 

sweep, thanks to extensive glass in a dozen wraparound panes. A 

portside separate communications center doubles a convenient 

separate workspace, while an innovative solution to chart storage 

uses concealed drawers that retract into the fascia and underneath 

the upper deck bulkhead, leaving more space in which to work. 

In the design’s early stages Barnett and Northern Marine canvassed 

many past owners about what they desire in a vessel. Dave 

Mahalko, VP of Sales and Marketing for Northern Marine, shared 

his insights, “Meeting with potential customers and hearing them 

talk about where they spent time was very revealing. Many suggested 

they didn’t use the more formal saloons, choosing instead to 

Northern 

Marine’s woodworking 

and 

cabinetry skills 

are apparent 

throughout, 

as is exquisite 

stonework by 

Jeff Homchick. 

A sEAlEd EscApE dooR givEs cREw EAsy, sEcRET AccEss To ThE guEsT suiTEs. 




relax in the usually less formal upper deck skylounges with their ease 

of outside deck access.” When the vessel’s significant high bulkheads 

pose a challenge for docking, twin exterior control stations concealed 

under flip covers are well sited right outside the pilothouse doors. 

With its corner bar, dayhead and spacious full-beam layout, After 

Eight’s skylounge opens right onto a generous, open aft deck area 

with a portside wet bar, fridge and eight-seat table under the shade 

of the sun deck canopy. It’s a fluid, indoor/outdoor space that should 

indeed get plenty of use. Similarly, the spacious aft main deck offers 

the ability to walk behind the seating area that allows guests to be 

comfortably seated and undisturbed by crew who need to access the 

lazarette or engine room. 

That same sense of space and openness rules the sun deck – 

reached by an aft staircase as well as by the elevator – which features 

a central horseshoe bar, five fixed stools, and a barbecue under the 

communications arch, as well as a dayhead and a capacious, aft, open seating area with teak 

deck chairs. However, the best view on the vessel is left to the occupants of the hot tub, 

which secures a commanding position overlooking the bow. 

“We are currently planning to offer the option of a touch-down helipad to our upcoming 

builds by adding an extended aft sun deck,” says Mahalko. Much of the extra space 

on the sun deck is gained by the fact that the 15 and 19ft Nautica tenders are stored on 

the bow deck, sheltered by the high bulwarks in recesses that have space below to accommodate 

toys such as jet-skis. A single, port-mounted extending Nautical Structures davit 

handles all launching and lifting needs for the vessel. 

The underlying theme of elegant simplicity that underscores this vessel is precisely the 

sense for which Northern Marine and the JQB design team were striving. “Often I find 

these yachts have beautiful characteristics above and below the waterline,” says Barnett, 

who again points to the new resin-infusion process as fundamental in offering the chance 

for a radical shift in style. “From a design point of view, we can draw shapes with lot more 

dynamic detail. Certainly, because of the impregnation process, far more intricate cuts 

and detail are possible. In the exterior design, there was an intentional effort to create confident 

and bold shapes that weren’t watered down or radius blended, or with additional 

detail added where not necessary. We’re starting to see those kinds of shapes across the 

board: much cleaner—less fussy and overtly stylized surfaces.” 

With After Eight as its highly successful protoype, three years in the development, Northern 

Marine’s 151 series looks set to redefine the classic megayacht character and style. o 

The resininfusion 

process 

also allows for 

more dynamic 

detailing in the 

hull shape – and 

After Eight’s 

confident lines 

are a testament 

to this. 

spEcs 

LOA: 150ft 8in (46m) 

LWL: 135ft 2in (41m) 

Beam: 30ft 9in (9m) 

Draft: 6ft 6in (2m) 

Displacement: 

230 tons (half load) 

Engines: 

2 x caterpillar 3512b 

Propellers: michigan propeller Five-blade 

Speed (max/cruise): 21/18 knots 

Fuel capacity: 

15,000 gallons 

Range: 

3,000nm @ 12 knots 

Bow thruster: AbT Trac dual prop 24in 

Stabilizers: 

AbT 4-fin w/ zero-speed stabilization 

Generators: 

2 x onan 99kw 

Watermakers: 

2 x 1600gpd sea Recovery Aqua whisper 

Freshwater capacity: 1,800 gallons 

Grey/black water capacity: 

600/800 gallons 

Sewage system: headhunter Tidal wave 

Fire-control system: 

kidde Fm200/Fog Type system 

Security system: nightwatch 

Monitoring system: nightwatch 

Air-conditioning: dometic 

Stonework: Jeff homchick 

Communication/navigation electronics: 

Furuno 

Entertainment system: Audio source 

Owner and guests: 10 

Crew: 12 

Tenders: 19ft/15ft nautica Ribs 

Tender-launching system: 

nautical structures 

Passerelle: nautical structures 

Paint: Awlgrip 

Construction: vacuum infused FRp 

Classification: Abs/mcA 

Owner’s project manager: peter kehoe 

Naval architecture: george Rodden 

Exterior styling: Jonathan Quinn barnett 

Interior design: Jonathan Quinn barnett 

Broker: n/A 

Charter broker: n/A 

Price guide: not available 

Builder/Year: 

northern marine co., llc/2007 

3116 v place 

Anacortes, wA 98221 

Tel: (360) 299-8400 

Email: dmahalko@northernmarine.com 

www.northernmarine.com

After Eight - Northern Marine

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