This Is Not Your Average Sailboat

Inside and out, the Venturosa is a model of craftsmanship and a study in subtle elegance. It is also a lesson in economic diversity for Puget Sound's shipbuilding industry.

The Venturosa, a luxury 110-foot vessel being built by Sovereign Yacht in Seattle, is equipped with enough engine power to make it an efficient powerboat as well as a sailboat.

This is not your average sailboat. Its $8 million price tag puts it out of reach of the average sailor.

The Venturosa sports highly finished wood paneling imported from Africa, curved corners fashioned from 36 layers of veneer, real granite surfaces, 18 telephones and expensive leather and fabric interior accents.

Want to find out what's happening with any system, such as a refrigerator or a pump, on the boat? Just call up the command on a computer screen - even if the computer screen is in your landlocked office and oceans away from the boat itself. (Naturally, there's a computer screen on board to do the same thing.)

The Venturosa was designed by Sparkman & Stephens Inc. of New York City.

"Superior quality was stressed in every aspect of the boat, from the selection of the builder to the choice of every item of equipment," said M. William Langan, the yacht's chief designer.

Besides the elegant appointments and state-of-the-art technology, the Venturosa has many other features that required highly skilled craftsmanship, said Bruce Reagan, president of Sovereign Yacht, a 17-year-old shipbuilding company that only recently got into the yacht business.

Sovereign expects to increase its participation in the luxury-yacht business, most of which is centered in Europe, Reagan said.

"This is a great industry for our area," he said. The business employs highly skilled workers and offers an alternative to commercial boat building, for which Puget Sound is known.

Reagan said some other local shipyards have also moved into the luxury end of the business, but the industry faces some hurdles, including the federal luxury tax assessed on all boats over $100,000.

The Venturosa was commissioned by a European corporation that Reagan would not identify.

Reagan and co-founder Bob Morton waded into the boat business in 1976 when they started Workboats Northwest Inc. At the time, they specialized in commercial boats less than 65 feet in length.

Their boats were used for fishing, law enforcement, public safety and utility and tug work.

But after the fishing industry fell into decline, Workboats Northwest built its first yacht in 1989: a 103-foot motor yacht called the Shana.

Two years ago, the owners formed a separate company, Sovereign Yachts, which has won yacht-building work such as the Venturosa. Reagan said one key to landing that job was the company's willingness to let the buyer be involved in the project, he said.

Reagan would not say how much Sovereign is being paid to build the Venturosa. However, he said making a profit in such a venture requires that it be done on a "time and materials" basis instead of charging a fixed fee agreed upon in advance.