Cheoy Lee 66
7:55 AM
It took six years of sluggish sales, but the Cheoy Lee 66 Long Range Motor Yacht eventually evolved into the handsome, almost timeless yacht you see here. Originally unveiled as a more homely raised pilothouse design in 1978, Hong Kong builder Cheoy Lee and designer Charles Wittholz transformed the yacht in time for the 1984 model year by lowering the pilothouse profile and gracing the boat with an uninterrupted sheer by re-tooling the fiberglass boat’s hull and deck molds.
In the process Cheoy Lee reduced the amount of Cheoy Lee 66 exterior teak, as most of the vessels built to date were purchased by owner-operators who didn’t care to maintain so much varnish. These boats were built to cruise, not just to look stately at the dock. This refreshed design led to many more yachts being launched, in both four and five-stateroom layouts. Eventually a third deck design, which allowed for a full-beam main saloon, was introduced starting in 1985.
The five-stateroom arrangement proved most popular and included a maindeck galley aft of the wheelhouse. All galley-down examples had the large, dedicated pilothouse seen here, while boats with both galley up and walkaround sidedecks made due with a smaller pilothouse that did not include a watch berth or dinette. Cheoy Lee’s reputation exceeded that of many Asian boatbuilders in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
There’s no high-tech laminate schedule here; these boats were all built with solid fiberglass hulls, something that perfectly suits this boat’s operating speeds and go anywhere demeanor. That operating speed never exceeds 13 knots, with a comfortable 10 knot cruise for this round-bilged, 87,000 lb. live aboard passagemaker. Solid-glass bottoms and topsides are much more repairable in remote parts of the world than elaborate cored composites.
And they’re less vulnerable to structural damage due to water intrusion in the laminate especially as a boat ages, multiple owners drilling holes for transducers and antennae without regard to creating new paths for water intrusion. The Cheoy Lee 66 was originally offered with a pair of General Motors 8V71 naturals producing 350hp, with 320hp Caterpillars as an option.
With 2,300 gallons of diesel on tap she can cruise in comfort for 2,000 nautical miles at 10 knots. The Cheoy Lee 66 was available with Lloyd’s certification for those who wanted to not only look the part, but who planned to take their cruising seriously. Many 66’s were not certifi ed, however, their original owners not requiring offshore insurability or planning on marketing the boat for charter.
Standard equipment included both a 25kW diesel genset and a 15kW unit. An increase in fuel capacity was available, adding almost 20% to the standard 2,300 U.S. gallon tankage for a total of 2,700 U.S. gallons. This combined with 700 gallons of freshwater capacity and a modestly sized reverse osmosis watermaker gives the Cheoy Lee 66 tremendous long range cruising potential. On deck, large yacht features abound, especially considering the wide walkaround side decks on the standard deckhouse boats.
A Portuguese bridge wraps around the pilothouse, high bulwarks frame the business-like foredeck, and the ground tackle looks substantial enough to rip apart the Great Barrier Reef. Should you try to find another yacht less than fifty years old with as elegant a rounded transom as this one, you’ll be searching awhile. The interior accommodations were luxurious for the period, with a large master suite in that voluptuous stern which included a desk and lounge as well as a comfortable head with tub.
Two additional guest cabins are aft, one with it’s own tub as well. Depending on the galley location, either one or two additional cabins are fitted forward of the
engine room, offering great privacy for the owner’s party if a working crew is on board. The engine room itself is positioned slightly forward of amidships and has full standing headroom throughout, along with four opening ports for excellent cross ventilation.
With modestly sized engines there is plenty of room to move about and perform preventative maintenance, a task who’s frequency is directly proportional to the amount of elbow room available in an engine room for so many skippers. You know who you are.
Cheoy Lee 66s remain popular in today’s market due to their blend of timeless looks, good build quality and sensible layout. As of early January there were six on Yachtworld.com, ranging from a 1988 listed at $495,000 to a 1985 listed at $804,000.
In the process Cheoy Lee reduced the amount of Cheoy Lee 66 exterior teak, as most of the vessels built to date were purchased by owner-operators who didn’t care to maintain so much varnish. These boats were built to cruise, not just to look stately at the dock. This refreshed design led to many more yachts being launched, in both four and five-stateroom layouts. Eventually a third deck design, which allowed for a full-beam main saloon, was introduced starting in 1985.
The five-stateroom arrangement proved most popular and included a maindeck galley aft of the wheelhouse. All galley-down examples had the large, dedicated pilothouse seen here, while boats with both galley up and walkaround sidedecks made due with a smaller pilothouse that did not include a watch berth or dinette. Cheoy Lee’s reputation exceeded that of many Asian boatbuilders in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
There’s no high-tech laminate schedule here; these boats were all built with solid fiberglass hulls, something that perfectly suits this boat’s operating speeds and go anywhere demeanor. That operating speed never exceeds 13 knots, with a comfortable 10 knot cruise for this round-bilged, 87,000 lb. live aboard passagemaker. Solid-glass bottoms and topsides are much more repairable in remote parts of the world than elaborate cored composites.
And they’re less vulnerable to structural damage due to water intrusion in the laminate especially as a boat ages, multiple owners drilling holes for transducers and antennae without regard to creating new paths for water intrusion. The Cheoy Lee 66 was originally offered with a pair of General Motors 8V71 naturals producing 350hp, with 320hp Caterpillars as an option.
With 2,300 gallons of diesel on tap she can cruise in comfort for 2,000 nautical miles at 10 knots. The Cheoy Lee 66 was available with Lloyd’s certification for those who wanted to not only look the part, but who planned to take their cruising seriously. Many 66’s were not certifi ed, however, their original owners not requiring offshore insurability or planning on marketing the boat for charter.
Standard equipment included both a 25kW diesel genset and a 15kW unit. An increase in fuel capacity was available, adding almost 20% to the standard 2,300 U.S. gallon tankage for a total of 2,700 U.S. gallons. This combined with 700 gallons of freshwater capacity and a modestly sized reverse osmosis watermaker gives the Cheoy Lee 66 tremendous long range cruising potential. On deck, large yacht features abound, especially considering the wide walkaround side decks on the standard deckhouse boats.
A Portuguese bridge wraps around the pilothouse, high bulwarks frame the business-like foredeck, and the ground tackle looks substantial enough to rip apart the Great Barrier Reef. Should you try to find another yacht less than fifty years old with as elegant a rounded transom as this one, you’ll be searching awhile. The interior accommodations were luxurious for the period, with a large master suite in that voluptuous stern which included a desk and lounge as well as a comfortable head with tub.
Two additional guest cabins are aft, one with it’s own tub as well. Depending on the galley location, either one or two additional cabins are fitted forward of the
engine room, offering great privacy for the owner’s party if a working crew is on board. The engine room itself is positioned slightly forward of amidships and has full standing headroom throughout, along with four opening ports for excellent cross ventilation.
With modestly sized engines there is plenty of room to move about and perform preventative maintenance, a task who’s frequency is directly proportional to the amount of elbow room available in an engine room for so many skippers. You know who you are.
Cheoy Lee 66s remain popular in today’s market due to their blend of timeless looks, good build quality and sensible layout. As of early January there were six on Yachtworld.com, ranging from a 1988 listed at $495,000 to a 1985 listed at $804,000.
Post a Comment