We Find a Hand Built Steel Expedition Sailboat: Interview + Boat Tour [Ep 70]

Anchored within the rugged volcanic amphitheater of Bahía de los Ángeles in the upper Sea of Cortez, David and Jess of Sailing Into the Mystic encounter an extraordinary monument to amateur naval shipwrighting. Gliding across the turquoise bay aboard their cruising boat, their attention is arrested by the commanding, dark-hulled profile of sailing vessel Tyama—a name derived from Tahitian and Māori traditions signifying ultimate freedom. In Episode 70, the cruising duo steps aboard for an exhaustive walkthrough and builder interview with Captain Hank and Bunny, unearthing the thirty-year history of a custom 50-foot steel expedition cutter engineered to conquer the most forbidding high-latitude waters on the planet.

Unlike mass-production fiberglass cruisers built for light-air Mediterranean chartering, Tyama is a purpose-built polar expedition vessel designed by renowned naval architect Alan Mummery. Handcrafted from raw structural steel plates over a ten-year backyard build, this 50-foot cutter represents an uncompromising philosophy of physical invulnerability, total systems independence, and forensic domestic engineering. The tour offers an intimate masterclass in what it takes to construct, maintain, and charter a custom metal yacht across decades of extreme voyaging.

Naval Architecture: The Alan Mummery 50-Foot Steel Expedition Blueprint

The genesis of SV Tyama began when Captain Hank sought a vessel capable of navigating high-latitude ice fields, uncharted coral atolls, and heavy Southern Ocean gales without structural compromise. Hank selected a design by Alan Mummery, an architect celebrated for heavy-displacement offshore cruisers with clean hydrodynamic waterlines and robust reserve buoyancy. Commencing construction in his private yard, Hank dedicated ten years of disciplined metal fabrication, cutting, framing, and welding thousands of pounds of marine-grade steel plating.

The resulting hull features thick welded steel plating, heavy framing stations, and an encapsulated keel capable of withstanding direct impacts with growlers or grounding on submerged granite reefs. To eliminate the persistent threat of interior condensation and thermal bridging that plagues steel hulls in polar climates, Hank completely insulated the vessel with closed-cell spray foam from the cabin sole to the deckhead, creating an airtight, thermal envelope that remains warm in freezing squalls and temperate in the Mexican desert heat.

Deck Architecture: Enclosed Pilothouse and Heavy Cutter Rigging

Stepping onto the expansive steel flush deck, David and Jess observe the functional simplicity that defines high-latitude expedition vessels. The centerpiece of Tyama’s topside architecture is her custom welded steel pilothouse. Outfitted with heavy tempered safety glass windows and integrated windshield wipers, the pilothouse offers 360-degree panoramic sightlines, enabling the watchstander to navigate through freezing gales or treacherous shallows from a climate-controlled, dry interior helm station.

The cutter sail plan is engineered for shorthanded ocean handling under severe loads. Oversized stainless steel standing rigging, heavy-duty sheet winches, and redundant halyard clutches ensure that sail area can be rapidly reduced down to a heavy storm staysail and deep-reefed mainsail without leaving the safety of the cockpit well. Substantial bow rollers house massive ground tackle, backed by an industrial-grade electric anchor windlass and high-tensile all-chain rode designed to anchor securely in uncharted, rock-strewn anchorages.

Below-Decks Forensics: Arctic Insulation, Dedicated Workshop, and Galley

Descending the companionway into Tyama’s interior, the contrast with standard production cruisers is striking. The salon radiates warm joinery, featuring solid timber bulkheads and hand-fitted cabinetry built to endure decades of hard ocean passages. At the center of the living quarters stands a dedicated diesel-fired heating stove, providing dry, radiant heat essential for extended voyages through Alaska, Patagonia, and Antarctica.

Deep within the hull lies Captain Hank’s pride: a fully outfitted mechanical workshop. Stocked with drill presses, bench vises, extensive hand tooling, and categorized spare parts drawers, the workshop enables Hank to repair pumps, rebuild diesel injectors, or weld structural hardware thousands of miles from the nearest commercial boatyard. Tankage is cavernous, carrying hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel and fresh water, complemented by a high-output reverse-osmosis desalinator and extensive battery banks charged by solar and engine alternators.

Thirty Years of Freedom: Hank and Bunny’s Expedition Legacy

Throughout their conversation in Bahía de los Ángeles, Captain Hank and Bunny reflect on decades of high-latitude expedition chartering. Operating Tyama as an independent charter vessel has taken them across the Pacific, through remote island chains, and into demanding ocean corridors where mariners must be completely self-reliant. For David and Jess of Sailing Into the Mystic, inspecting Tyama serves as an inspiring validation of what determined sailors can achieve with their own hands.

Hank’s advice to aspiring bluewater cruisers is grounded in hard-won wisdom: simplicity, structural strength, and intimate mechanical knowledge trump electronic gadgets and cosmetic luxury. As the afternoon wind funnels off the Baja peaks, Tyama rests quietly on her heavy chain—a testament to master craftsmanship and the enduring dream of unrestricted maritime freedom.

SV Tyama 50-Foot Expedition Cutter Specifications

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