Sycara IV - Burger Boat

sycara IVRuffolo, president of Burger Boat Company. Describing theelaborate joinery work in madrone burl and mahogany, withebony, sycamore, padouk (an exotic reddish wood), and stainlesssteel details found throughout the interior. "I was told that if youwere to stand back and look from the ceiling to the floor andcount the number of inlays, there are twenty one different layers."That’s quite a number."Unlike most boats, which have a crown moulding and a basemoulding," he adds, "Sycara IV has delicate little mouldings that aremaybe a half inch or three-quarters of an inch tall that have to be miteredat each intersection. It took a lot of hand-craftsmanship to build thisboat." Nearly 100 Burger employees, including 70 workers in the yard'smodern, 50,000sqft facility, were involved in the project.The yacht is also remarkable in that her hull and superstructure arebuilt of Alustar. She is only the second Burger, following the 101ftTò-Kalòn (BI USA #79, Mar 2009) to utilize this high-tech andpricier aluminum alloy, which offers greater corrosion-resistance.Sycara IV ’s draft is just six feet even, and Catena also wantedher to leave a minimal "footprint". Her lean, full-displacementhull—which features a twin-prop, single-rudder configuration,Quantum Zero-Speed stabilizing fins, and large keel coolers thatcreate a freshwater cooling circuit for the twin Caterpillar C-18s—was tank-tested at the Stevens Institute in New Jersey. During seatrials, she left less than a foot of wake at 12 knots. "If you’re ininland waterways, you’re not dispersing a big wake and damaginganybody’s property," Catena says. "She displaces the water soperfectly." She is also fuel efficient, burning just 27gph at 12.5knots—including the generator.The Catenas’ plans to cruise the Erie Barge Canal this fall alsodictated a maximum height limit for the superstructure in orderto clear some fixed railroad bridges. Sycara IV ’s faux funnel canbe removed, opened in half and placed flat on the deck. Hercarbon fiber radar mast is also hinged and can be lowered tothe deck. Everything else on the sun deck—from the functionalstainless steel dorades to the eight-person spa pool—is lowerthan the forward teak cap rail, which sits just 19 feet, 6 inchesabove the waterline.The sun deck overhang was reinforced andstainless steel supports were designed tohold the weight of the tender.The crew areascontinue theelegance of theera, with whitepainted raisedwall panels andcontrastingmahoganybeams andtrim. The areaincludes themain galley andcrew lounge.Catena’s desire to carry the 26ft custom gas-powered runabouthe had commissioned from Elco in 1991 created anotherchallenge for Burger. The tender, recently refurbished byGage Marine in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, weighs close to 5,000pounds. In order to safely hold both the tender and the NauticalStructures davit required to launch it, the sun deck overhang wasreinforced and the stainless steel supports on the fantail belowwere redesigned with double instead of single posts.These fit harmoniously with Freivokh’s overall design scheme,which cleverly incorporates modern cruising amenities andthe equipment necessary to earn ABS and A1 Yachting Serviceclassification into a theme evoking the 1920s and 1930s—for88 89