DLBA launches new division & design

US, Virginia. Donald L. Blount and Associates (DLBA) has launched a new design division called Fathom Studio. Operating under the DLBA umbrella, the new department will be driven by director and project manager, Peter Buescher. One of the latest designs to come from the drawing board—under construction—is a 7.6m boat called Pandion 25, created in collaboration with Buescher’s own label, Pandion Art & Design.

“In its current state, the aesthetic of the 25ft cold‐molded runabout shares little with the boats responsible for its inspiration,” explains Buescher. “The original concept was inspired principally by Rooster, a 31ft (9.4m) runabout launched in 1990 by Hodgdon Yachts and designed by Bruce King, and Elektra, a 24ft composite electric displacement hull built by Patterson Boatworks.”
Designed to accommodate four to six guests, the boat features a strong stem profile and a bow with moderate flare, an inverted sheer that drops off towards the swim platform at the stern, and a rounded‐over sheer with increasing radius from bow to stern. The interior benefits from four seats in a square formation, with an additional two facing aft.

With a cold-molded Okoume plywood skin set over a frame of Okoume and Douglas Fir, Pandion 25 will be capable of speeds up to 40 knots from its twin Weber waterjets connected to Weber engines producing a total of 286hp. A lower‐speed, electric, propeller‐driven version is also under development.


Although the project was intended as a one-off, the team are in discussions with a number of shipyards with a view to creating a tender-specific series, as construction on the prototype model continues at Pandion Art & Design. The series will be based on a 7.9m version, with a 2.5m beam and powered by a single diesel engine.

“While the interior details won’t be finalised until the hull is flipped and the ergonomic relationships and impacts can be correctly determined, the design package does include an interior that depicts the general locations of seating, step areas, the dashboard and so on,” concludes Buescher. “Pandion 25 has been well received by the builders we’ve approached, and we’re on the lookout for clients who may be interested in this or a similar project.”

Related Links:
Donald L. Blount and Associates / Fathom Studio - company profile

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