63′ Nigel Irens Modern Classic, MOLLY BAN OF DUBLIN

Broker’s Comments

Designed by Nigel Irens and Theo Rye for a discerning and experienced racing and cruising yachtsman’s entry into motor yachting, this uniquely stylish yacht is equally at home as a cruising weekender or as a proven, economic coastal and offshore passage maker. She offers excellent sea keeping together with comfortable and convivial accommodation for up to 6 people.

Having a maximum fully loaded speed of 15 knots via a single 300hp Cummins diesel, MOLLY BÁN’s easily-driven/low displacement/length ratio (LDL) hull offers comfortable cruising at 14 knots on 30 litres of fuel per hour. For really quiet long range cruising, throttle back to 10 knots and the fuel consumption falls to just 10 litres per hour – that’s 1 litre per nautical mile.

On the Designer

Nigel Irens designs efficient hulls, whatever the power source. He may be best known for his record-breaking sailing multihulls, but from early in his career he has been in the vanguard of efficiently driven power yachts.

In recent years Irens has concentrated on monohull motor yachts fitting the LDL concept – Low Displacement /Length Ratio. At its simplest: a long narrow, relatively lightweight hull will be easily driven through the water. There is nothing particularly new in that, but it seems to have become lost along the path of motor yacht design over the past 40 years. MOLLY BÁN’s lineage stems from the 38’ Rangeboat, a production yacht built in France; a 70 ft version of which has also been built in China.

16 tonnes displacement requires a comparatively modern foam-sandwich hull construction and relatively modest systems – as well as careful fit-out, to which the single engine installation and light New England style interior with “picture framing” in cherry wood both contribute.

The aim was a largely independent yacht, capable of cruising in some of the less populated areas of northern European waters, including inland, and not requiring regular visits to marina berths. She has also acted act as a “mother ship” to yachts at sailing regattas and as a committee vessel and “VIP” boat at major international regattas. Here her spacious aft cockpit and opening transom offers an efficient work place, and a dock for support RIBS. In cruising mode this space doubles as the tender’s “boathouse”, and, with the large table erected, it is also a very pleasant social space.

Owner’s Comments

MOLLY BÁN was designed to be a comfortable seagoing mobile holiday home, and a mothership to my classic gaff cutter of 1894, PEGGY BAWN. Since she was launched in Denmark in June 2008, she has fulfilled these roles and has cruised thousands of miles, including Scotland, Ireland, the south coast of England, a return to Denmark and Sweden in 2010, and even the upriver Thames.

Representing a significant departure from conventional motor yacht design, her status as a modern classic was recognised by her invited participation, as the only modern craft, in the Historic Squadron of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Thames Water Pageant.

As she glides by with her long unbroken sweeping sheerline, you may agree that:

MOLLY BÁN exudes a unique air of purposeful elegance.

Note: “Bán” is white, or blonde in Gaelic.

History

• MOLLY BÁN is a one-off motor yacht quite unlike any other, designed by Nigel Irens and Theo Rye. Nigel is best known for his racing trimarans, including Ellen Mac Arthur’s KINGFISHER and Francis Joyon’s IDEC. MOLLY BÁN embodies two of Nigel’s favourite concepts: Fusion design – a blend of modern lightweight materials and construction techniques with traditionally inspired styling, and LDL – Light Displacement and Length.
• During her first six seasons MOLLY BÁN clocked up almost 20,000 passage-making and cruising miles in Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English, French, Dutch, German, Danish and Swedish waters, including a North Sea passage from Scotland to Denmark.
• In 2012 she was selected to represent efficient modern classic power boat design in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Thames Water Pageant, and acted as “hotel ship” during the London Olympic Games whilst still fulfilling her regatta duties home in Ireland.
• In the summer of 2013 she completed a detailed exploration of Ireland’s ruggedly beautiful west coast, where her ability to make quick headland passages – ahead of weather systems – to reach the next bay to be explored at a more leisurely pace – came to the fore, as did her self-sufficiency and long range on a coastline where marina berths and refueling possibilities are sparse.
• MOLLY BÁN sailed round Ireland in 2014. Since then she has generally been cruised in Irish waters, and splendidly serving as a committee boat. She continues to prove herself to be a comfortable and effective platform for cruising and spending time aboard.
• MOLLY BAN is professionally maintained.