Oceanic

Lately, I have posted pictures of an early prototype, a rusty version and a couple of weird pictures of this boat in strange positions. It is only fair to post a few of the more charming pictures of that particular boat. After all it is a nice boat. It is not a racer, and it won't win a beauty contest, but it is a wonderful cruiser. It's the Oceanic from Motor Loon.

The Oceanic

So here it is. On land. It looks pretty much like a boat from here. Not sure why the waterline stops mid-ship, but you can always paint it yourself. It is probably a graphical designer gone mad. It happens. The keeldesign is kinda weird though. Luckily  you can't see it while you sail, but when you find that island and go for a swim, you'll see this:

Oceanic keel design

After seing this, you'll definately need to go up for more air. It looks like the designer couldn't make up his mind... finn keel or full keel. This is neither. Not that it matters. You can't feel the difference anyway.

Hull shape

The hull shape is somewhat different from what I'd expect. It is less round and more v-shaped. There is way too little underwaterhull to carry that huge boat. Check the boat sailing away in the shot above. Not a big problem, but a round shape looks better, sails better and it gives you much more space inside.

Lower shrouds inverted

As you can see, the mast the spreaders and the sails look pretty nice. The shot above focuses on the lower shrouds, because they are somewhat weird. The lower shrouds are inverted. In reality the mast would break in 5 m/sec or less.

Busy day

However, this is a virtual boat and physical issues like hull shape and shrouds don't matter much. Here's three boats sailing and one moored. Note the guy on the pier, right in the center of the picture. He stood there for ages watching that boat. I wonder what kind of dreams he had. Bluewater dreams maybe? He is also there in the previous picture.

A decision

He finally got away with a decision; Bon voyage. Go see the islands. May the virtual wind Gods be with you. Otherwise, there's a huge engine and there's even a folding prop. Just beware. Murphy says you will run out of fuel at the most inconvenient time...

Sailing it

I sailed the Oceanic too, - here with Becca and her friend. It sails very well. The feeling is good, and it stays on course. It is lively like a dinghy, and the sounds are well made. It might not have currents, waves and local windshifts, but I suspect there are other features that sell well too.

Gizmoes

Gizmoes. Knobs and handles, screens and levers. Things you can look at and click. Here's me behind the wheel, and I have so many gizmoes in front of me. Screens too and stuff, and behind me is...

Engine room

The engine room. Guys will probably love this. Me, I don't like engines, and I particularly don't like engines in sailboats. They are noisy, they smell and they're no good once you are out of fuel. Oh, and they are heavy. The fuel is too, I mean... Who would want 500 liters of fuel placed this far aft? Besides, they are a pain to operate and maintain. Never the less... here I am checking out the diesel. Power it up and you have the drool of a huge engine in your ears. Eeeew :-D

Back to sailing

Close hatch. Sails up. Lets go sail. After all, that's what this baby does best. Here's a better view of the gizmoes available to the helmsman. There's also a view of the sheets dangling over the cockpit, making it extremely dangerous to sit in the cockpit while sailing. Those sheets and halyards are bound to catch a foot or even a neck sometime. They should definately not run like that. Put them on the side where they usually are. This is hazardeous.

Spinnaker

The cabin is very nice. Very spacious and loaded with features. Almost like a flat or something. You can see the cabin in this old post. Right now, it is about the sailing, so here's a shot of the Oceanic with the spinnaker up. Not too bad. Not too bad at all. I took this picture on my way back from the virtual optirace. The Spinnaker is really easy to "operate", so no danger there.

That shot from the Shelly makes another important point: Windvane and telltale missing on the oceanic. It's sail by numbers, staring at a hud. Not a big problem to cruisers, it seems.

Cruising

All in all, if you always dreamt of the ocean and never really went there, this boat is for you. It has all the features you need. Not only the the sailing itself, but engine, living quarters, poses, gizmoes and what nuts... It might not support currents, waves, local windshifts and windshadows, it may not have a realistic polar, there's no telltales, but it is a great  cruiser, and it will safely take you anywhere in the virtual waters of the Blake Sea and the North Sea. Lotsa water to sail. Plenty of islands to explore...