Symbol 68: Sea Trial
Symbol 68: An indicator of great cruises to come.
October 6, 2003
The 68 has impressive dockside appeal, with nice lines and a bow flare design that looks like it was built for ocean cruising.
How many kinds of symbols can you think of? There are status symbols, sex symbols, financial symbols and cultural symbols — however, Western boaters usually think of just one kind of Symbol: a high-quality yacht line designed by Pacific Northwest-based naval architect Jack W. Sarin.
I have seen many Symbol motoryachts, fast trawlers and pilothouse yachts cruising the West Coast over the years, so I was looking forward to the opportunity to test the new Symbol 68.
Symbol Yachts was founded in 1982, and the company was originally known for producing the first Taiwan-built 41- to 44-foot planing hull yachts. In 1998, Sarin came aboard as the exclusive designer for Symbol's new projects. Sarin created the Symbol 62 and 66 models before designing the new 68: the subject of this Sea Trial.
We tested the Symbol 68 with Curtis Newton, owner of Holiday Marine Sales in Newport Beach, California. When I met Newton at the dock, I could tell that he was excited to show me this boat — and my first impression was overwhelmingly positive.
The 68 has impressive dockside appeal, with nice lines and a bow flare design that looks like it was built for ocean cruising. I immediately noticed the frameless windows, designed to prevent leaks, and the large recessed stainless steel cleats. Newton also pointed out our test boat's unique fiber optic underwater lighting system, which adds a touch of elegance at nighttime.
The boat is 68 feet overall with a 59-foot waterline length and a beam of 18 feet, 6 inches. As a result, the interior of the boat is remarkably spacious.
Step Aboard
You can board the 68 from your choice of three hatches into the cockpit: on the port side, the starboard side or through the transom door, via a large swim step.
Newton pointed out that the boat's onboard drains do not spill directly out the side. Instead, every water drain — including those for air conditioning and deck scuppers — empties into two built-in main drain lines on each side, which empty neatly out the stern.
The large teak cockpit gives ample space to those who want to be in the fresh air and for those who want to fish. A hydraulically operated hatch conceals a large lazarette for storage below the deck and access to the aft running gear.
A day head, accessible only from the cockpit, is located on the port side of the main saloon door. This is a nice arrangement, preventing guests in wet swimsuits or grimy anglers from having to stroll through the boat to change clothes or take a break.
This boat has a full exterior walk-around that is cockpit level until just forward of the beam, where there are a few steps with well-positioned stainless steel rails to gain access to the bow.
On the other side of the main saloon door, to starboard, is the access to the engine room. I stepped down into the engine room, and there was almost standing headroom — with just less than 6 feet of clearance.
Our test boat was equipped with a pair of 825 hp MTU/DDEC Series 60 engines and two 21.5 kw Onan generators. The boat holds 1,200 gallons of fuel. At 82 percent engine power, cruising at approximately 18.5 knots, the boat consumes around 65 gph, providing a respectable cruising range.
There is ample room for servicing the engines and the gensets, and you can easily get to all the support equipment.
Located just outside the engine room hatch (but concealed) are cockpit controls for the engines and controls for the boat's Wesmar bow and stern thrusters.
There is insulation and a sound-deadening pad under the interior carpeting to help keep excess engine noise out of the living space. Additionally, insulation has been added at the waterline, to help soften the sound of slapping water when the boat is at anchor.
Luxury Zone
The main saloon is designed with an L-shaped settee along the starboard side and abundant cherry wood cabinetry — including an electrically controlled pop-up 42-inch Panasonic plasma-screen television along the port side. The saloon's high-low table is also electronically controlled.
The galley, forward, is separated from the saloon by a granite-topped counter. Our test boat was equipped with GE appliances, a full-size refrigerator and a pullout 6-foot pantry.
We continued forward along the port side and stepped up to the pilothouse. It offers a dining table with U-shaped seating for six. There is a small electric roll-up window directly behind the table that you can open for a galley pass-through.
The pilothouse is well laid out, with two Pompanette Premier custom helm chairs. On each side of the pilothouse, solid doors provide access to the exterior walk-around decks.
The large size of the dash provides space for a lot of equipment — and, believe me, our test boat was packed with electronics. One stand-out item was a Nauticomp computer with a 15-inch monitor, running Nobeltec Admiral software.
Other items included a Sea Tel satellite antenna and Globalstar satellite telephone service, a Furuno GP-37 GPS navigator, a Simrad CA54D radar/chart plotter/sounder unit, a Simrad AP20 autopilot, an Icom M802 SSB radio, an Icom M602 VHF radio and four closed-circuit video cameras feeding a control board for zoom and panning. An Auto Anchor control allows the skipper to preset the length of anchor rode the windlass should deploy, automatically.
The staterooms are located in the forward section of the hull, with a curved stairwell leading down from the port side of the pilothouse. The companionway on the lower level has a washer and dryer, and additional storage.
The master stateroom is aft, to starboard. The master stateroom has large cabinets — and, when needed, its en suite head with a spa tub can be closed off with two pocket doors.
All the portlights belowdecks are covered with Shoji screens, providing nice soft, diffused lighting throughout the staterooms. The forward guest stateroom's V-berth is of ample size.
A second guest stateroom is located on the starboard side. This cabin has twin bunks, however, this space could be modified into an office area.
The guest head is located on the port side, with well-positioned mirrors to make it look quite large. Each head has its own holding tank.
I made my way up to the flybridge, as we prepared to get under way. It has a very large open section abaft the radar arch with a wet bar, a Gaggenau barbecue, a refrigerator/freezer combo and a large deck for a tender.
The upper helm has two Pompanette chairs, plus additional bench seating. I liked the all-around visibility for maneuvering the boat from the upper station.
Sea What Happens
As we left Newport Harbor, we finally reached the open ocean, where we encountered 3- to 4-foot seas. They were barely noticeable on board our 68 — and we activated the stabilizers for increased comfort under way.
We hit a top speed of 21.3 knots at wide-open throttle, while burning 88 gph. Our cruising speed was 17 knots, at 2,103 rpm — burning considerable less fuel, at 56 gph. That is not bad for a vessel of this size and weight.
This boat's recorded displacement is 54 tons, and I was impressed with the immediate quick-handling response time in the turns. I put the boat through the paces with figure eights, hitting swells, riding the trough. The 68 performed far better than I had expected — and I think this boat will perform well for long-range cruising.
The boat tracked very well, and there was no laboring when starting a turn. I feel the performance of this boat, whether close quarters or on the high seas, will rank high in customer satisfaction.
There is much more about this boat I like, from its overall quietness under way to little things I did not mention — such as the wireless remote control for the Glendinning Cablemaster, the Hurricane diesel-fired furnace system and the 220v 50 amp shore power system that can be split to two 30 amp hookups when visiting other marinas.
I may get a chance again to cruise aboard this yacht, as my good friend Capt. Mitch Keeler in San Diego is the delivery skipper for the new owner. If so, I'll definitely be a lucky guy.
Symbol 68 Specifications
| Length | 68' |
| Beam | 18'6" |
| Draft | 4'4" |
| Weight | 105,000 pounds |
| Fuel capacity | 1,200 gallons |
| Water capacity (approximate) | 250 gallons |
| Sleeps | 6 |
| Propellers | 4-blade Faster propeller |
| Price as tested with twin 825-hp MTU/DDEC diesel engines | $1.95 million |
| Base price with twin 800-hp diesel engines | $1.7 million |
Performance
| Top speed | 21.5 knots |
| Cruising speed | 18.5 knots |
| Miles per gallon at 18.5-knot cruising speed | .28 |
| Miles per gallon at 10 knots | 1 |
| Estimated fuel cost for 100 miles | $159 |
| Range at 10 knots | 100 miles |
| (Estimated fuel cost based on a fuel price of $1.59 per gallon.) |
Standard Features
Wesmar hydraulic bow and stern thrusters; Wesmar stabilizer system; 75,000 Btu air-conditioning system; dripless shaft seals; emergency rudder tiller; emergency hand-operated bilge pump; triple windshield wipers/washers; Hurricane diesel-fired furnace system; two 21.5 kw Onan generators with sound shields; electric bilge blowers with Delta-T extraction system; Glendinning Cablemaster system; 4 kw inverter system with built-in charger; Pompanette adjustable helm seats, 1,500 pound Brower Systems hydraulic davit; GE washer/dryer; central vacuum system; electric fireplace in master stateroom; 22-inch flat-screen television in master stateroom; teak and holly sole and marble countertops in heads; QuietFlush electric heads; granite countertops in galley; 42-inch plasma screen television in saloon; cockpit engine control station; Panasonic closed-circuit television system with four pan, tilt and zoom cameras; two Bilge Buster ozone generators.
Construction
Moderate-V hull designed by naval architect Jack W. Sarin. Hull is FRP composite using E-glass mat and biaxial roving, framed with molded FRP stiffeners, with a polyester resin system. Hull bottom is solid laminate; hull topside is cored with linear PVC foam; decks and superstructure are cored with cross-linked PVC foam. Three watertight bulkheads.
For More Information
Symbol Yachts
Ta Liao Village, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan
(886) 778-73157
www.symbolyacht.com
Holiday Marine Sales
Newport Beach, CA and Seattle, WA
(800) 515-1425
www. holiday-marine.com
