A Marriage of Old World Craftsmanship and State-of-the-Art Engineering

Van Dam Wood Craft completed the 31 ft. Alpha Z in the fall of 1998.  From her curved mahogany lines to her custom fabricated drivetrain, she is the epitome of craftsmanship and engineering. Designed by Michael Peters yacht Design, the boat is a stunning example of the level to which wooden boats can ascend.

In typical Van Dam style, Alpha Z is built to the highest standards in modern laminated construction. The 3/4" hull bottom is double-planked with two layers of Okoume plywood. The third skin is Honduras mahogany, hand selected for both grain pattern and color.

A custom fabricated windshield defines the front of the cockpit. Its compound curves are made from a double layer of 1/4" glass. There is no frame of any sort, and it is held in place by a fiberglass retaining ring under the dash.

From a distance the dash looks as though it is painted, but on closer inspected the grain comes through the dark stain, and reveals a single piece of hand-carved mahogany. The center console houses a t.v. monitor, stereo display, switches for the boat's operation, and storage. The cockpit sides sweep back into custom fabricated leather seats. In the front the seats were placed in a polished stainless steel frame. They are power actuated to adjust for comfort, and their backs swing down into a dining and beverage tray.

The floor of the cockpit is covered with both varnished mahogany and stainless steel perforated plate. Directly underneath are bladder tanks holding 110 gallons of fuel. Getting to the engine compartment is easy. A single push of a button will lift and roll back the engine hatch. A second push will close it.

Alpha Z is equipped with an exquisitely detailed 572 cubic inch fuel injected offshore V-8, custom built by Keith Eichert Power Products. As with the construction of the boat, the showcase engine istallation required an extremely high level of engineering and attention to detail. Every item attached to the engine block itself was custom engineered, fabricated, and mirror polished by Van Dam Wood Craft for this specific installation. A notable example of this level of detail is the total lack of rubber used in the engine's installation. There are no hoses. All external lines were fashioned by the Van Dam crew of bent, welded, and polished stainless tubing.

The entire induction system was specifically cast and fabricated by Eichert to allow sufficient clearance between the engine and the boat's ultra low deck centerline. This is no mean feat considering the engine produces in excess of 800 horsepower with natural aspiration.

Sending the torque to the Arneson drop box is a Huber Marine 950 transmission modified by Tom Huber to incorporated his new experimental soft-shift technology, which does away with the abrupt shift engagements normally associated with high-strung racing engines.

Fuel and spark controls are handled by an EFI Technologies digital control with a matching LCD dash display and built-in data logger. By connecting the Electronic Control Module to the boat's lap top computer, critical engine functions and performance curves can be monitored and adjusted if necessary.

According to Van Dam and his crew, this boat was a "once in a lifetime" project. Each person contributing his talents to the building of the boat was challenged, and all grew as craftsmen because of it.|top|