BRISE DE MER - LITTLE HARBOR FOR SALE

Timeless shallow-draft Hood centerboard sailing yacht with two-stateroom plan. Effortless to manage and a delight to sail!

Introduction

BRISE DE MER is a compelling exemplar of Ted Hood’s celebrated Little Harbor 53 Series, showcasing fine workmanship throughout and a cleverly conceived cockpit that allows a single helmsman to manage all sail controls without leaving the wheel, while providing effortless, step-free access to the side decks. Her proven hull form carries generous beam and displacement to deliver exceptional living and storage volume together with remarkable offshore stability and seakindliness. A low wetted-surface hull is easily driven in light air by a high-aspect sail plan that rises 72' above the water, and upwind performance is further sharpened by a deep, efficient centerboard that, when lowered, increases draft to 11'-4".

BRISE DE MER features a rare two-cabin layout with an oversized master cabin forward and a VIP/guest cabin aft. She benefits from a relatively new engine and generator, and her teak decks remain in fine condition following a full reconditioning in 2015 and consistent Semco oil treatments since. Offered in earnest by her owners of seven years, who have recently moved to a larger Little Harbor sailing yacht, she represents outstanding value for anyone seeking a comfortable, high-quality, pedigree sailing yacht.

Interior overview

The interior showcases traditional Little Harbor teak joinerwork, with generous solid, custom-shaped teak trim and teak veneers finished in satin varnish with gloss accents, set against contrasting white surfaces for a light yet traditional ambiance. Solid teak and holly floorboards were refinished with Awlbrite in 2019. All exposed hull surfaces are lined with varnished teak ceiling strips, and the overhead is formed of removable white Formica panels with teak trim. Hanging lockers are lined with aromatic wood and fitted with automatic lights, while all other lockers above seat level are meticulously lined with teak or Formica.

In the galley, head and bureau, countertops are Corian, while all other countertops are varnished teak with inlays. The head and shower floors are molded FRP, covered with teak grating rounded on the edges for comfort. Varnished teak towel racks, a toothbrush and cup holder, and matching accessories complement the interior. Canvas lee cloths are installed for all berths, with ample shelving, bookshelves and handholds distributed throughout. Interior fabrics are all blue Ultrasuede, including the mast cover, and there are custom drapes, sheets, bed covers, shams, pillows and mattresses.

All water and fuel tanks are below floor level, providing extensive storage under seats and furniture throughout the interior, while all wiring and plumbing are completely hidden from view behind removable panels.

Accommodations

BRISE DE MER accommodates five in two private staterooms with two heads and two stall showers, complemented by two additional berths in the main salon.

Starting forward, the full-width master cabin offers a queen berth to starboard and a single berth to port, with curved overhead lockers outboard on each side, two hanging lockers, multiple drawers and lockers, and a desk-vanity with seat. Light and ventilation flow through two deck hatches, two deck prisms, and two opening portholes. An ensuite toilet lies forward on centerline, with a separate shower stall and an opening hatch for each.

The spacious main salon invites relaxation with an oval settee and dining table to starboard, complete with built-in bottle storage, while a second full-length settee and coffee table to port provide an additional sea berth or comfortable overflow seating. The coffee table is fitted with a cushion that converts it to a bench for the dining table. Throughout BRISE DE MER, abundant hatches and opening portholes create a bright, airy ambiance, and six topside windows further heighten the exceptional visibility and open feeling while seated.

Aft of the salon to starboard, the full-length, sea‑going galley is appointed with a full-height refrigerator with vertical doors and a top-loading deep freeze, a Force 10 three-burner stove with oven, a microwave oven, Corian countertops, twin stainless sinks, a Grohe retractable faucet, manual fresh- and saltwater faucets, and an exhaust blower.

Opposite, aft on the port side, a fully equipped nav station integrates built-in navigation instruments and a dedicated seat with backrest, while inboard and just aft of the companionway the custom electrical panels and a Raritan icemaker are positioned for easy access from the cockpit.

Dual passageways from either the galley or nav station lead aft to the guest/VIP cabin, where a generous berth lies on each side with a seat on centerline. Storage abounds in overhead lockers outboard, a hanging locker, and multiple drawers and lockers, complemented by a mirrored vanity with seat on the forward bulkhead. Light and ventilation are assured by a large deck hatch and four opening portholes, and this cabin enjoys a private head to port with a separate shower stall.

Electrical system

The yacht’s electrical architecture is engineered for reliability and flexibility, beginning with a 12-volt DC supply delivered by eight heavy-duty six-volt house batteries arranged in series/parallel for a total capacity of 1,000 amp hours. Two independent 200 amp-hour batteries are dedicated to engine and generator starting, while charging is handled by twin 100-amp Balmar alternators; alternatively, all batteries may be replenished by a Pro Mariner Promatic 12-30 P charger or a Xantrex combo charger/inverter unit, each running off the generator or shore power. The AC system is 110-volt/60 cycles and is supplied via two 50-amp shore power inlets, a Fischer Panda 8 kW diesel generator (2009 - 656 hours), or a Xantrex Freedom 3102 inverter/charger, delivering dependable power for the water heater, battery charger, refrigeration, electrical outlets, air conditioning, microwave oven, watermaker, etc. Multiple switch panels inboard of the nav station provide intuitive control, while two shore power cables with adapters and a splitter simplify dockside connections. Navigation and deck illumination are comprehensive, with running lights, a masthead light, a steaming/flood light, and two down-facing spreader lights. Interior ambiance and task lighting are equally well considered, featuring Frigast reading lights, fluorescent lights in the heads and galley, chart table gooseneck lights, and dedicated lighting in the forepeak, lazarette, and engine room, complemented by night vision lights throughout the interior and indirect lighting in the main salon. Comfort and safety are enhanced by variable-speed fans in the cabins, GFIC AC outlets in the heads and galley, and a waterproof 12-volt outlet in the cockpit. For optimal radio performance, copper screening is fiberglassed into the hull to provide a robust antenna ground.

Electronics and navigation equipment

Designed for precise passage-making, the yacht’s suite begins with Raytheon sailing instruments featuring four repeaters above the companionway, complemented by three Autohelm speed, wind, and depth displays at the nav station. Command is centered around a Raymarine 7-inch hybrid touch radar/GPS/chartplotter display at the helm, paired with a 12-inch display in the forward cockpit and a 9-inch display at the nav station, while a Raytheon radar from 2017 with AIS elevates situational awareness. For redundancy, a Raymarine RC 320 back-up GPS/plotter stands ready at the nav station. Confident course-keeping comes from an Autohelm ST 8001 autopilot, new in 2009, with a repeater at the nav station, and clear communications are provided by an ICOM M 502 VHF at the nav station with a Command Mic at the helm. Offshore capability is further enhanced by a KVH Tracvision satellite TV antenna and a Sirius satellite weather receiver. For entertainment, the main salon features a Samsung 23-inch HD curved screen paired with a Fusion RA 70 stereo, a Kenwood amplifier, a subwoofer, and multiple speakers.

Mechanical equipment and engine details

Power is provided by a Yanmar 4JH3-DTHE 125 hp freshwater-cooled diesel engine, installed new in 2006 and showing 2,590 total hours (current tach hours plus 2,244). It turns a 21-inch diameter MaxProp feathering three-blade propeller to enhance sailing performance by minimizing drag. A Scatra flexible engine coupler links the thrust bearing to the engine, enabling installation on flexible mounts and virtually eliminating vibration.

Fuel is polished through a Racor fuel/water separator, and all engine gauges at the helm were renewed in 2023. Protection and monitoring include low oil pressure and high water temperature alarms, an automatic fire extinguisher certified in 2024, and a high-water bilge alarm system. Bilge management is robust, with two electric bilge pumps featuring automatic switches—one replaced in 2024—plus a manual bilge pump. Maneuvering is effortless with a Sleipner 24-volt bow thruster powered by two independent batteries.

Comfort and utility systems are equally comprehensive: Royal Flush freshwater electric toilets serve each head, each fitted with a holding tank and a by-pass for direct overboard discharge; a Grunert combination 12-volt/110-volt refrigerator and freezer system and a Raritan icemaker provide reliable cold storage; MarineAir air conditioning delivers three zones of climate control, with the salon unit new in 2018; a Sun Pure water maker added in 2018 ensures independence at sea; a hot water heater and a pressurized saltwater system support convenient anchor wash-down. The Headhunter holding tank monitor system is fitted for each toilet, while Tank Tender gauges monitor both water and fuel tanks.

Below the waterline, thru-hull fittings are equipped with bronze ball-type seacocks secured with double hose clamps—each serviced and greased in 2024—and the fittings are installed flush with the hull to reduce drag. Recent service in 2024 further includes replacement of various engine, generator, and deck drain hoses, a rebuild of the aft deck shower, and installation of a new propane system.

Sails and rigging

The yacht’s rigging is anchored by a Hood electric Stoway mast whose furler motor was rebuilt in 2014, paired with a Harken Mark III genoa furler and a Harken staysail furler that is currently in storage. Vang and backstay loads are controlled by a Navtec hydraulic system featuring a failsafe turnbuckle and a dedicated control panel in the cockpit, while Navtec backstay insulators provide clean performance for the SSB antenna. The sail inventory is equally capable, comprising a North furling mainsail, a North 130% genoa, a North furling staysail, and an asymmetrical cruising spinnaker with a sock for effortless deployment and dousing. Power and precision on deck come from two Barient 32 electric self-tailing primaries, two Barient 32 electric self-tailing mainsheet and outhaul winches, two Barient 28 self-tailing secondary winches, two Barient 22 halyard winches on the mast—one of them self-tailing—and one Barient 21 halyard winch, delivering confident sail handling across all points of sail.

Hull and deck

Molded in FRP with a 3/4" Airex foam core for exceptional strength and sound/thermal insulation, the hull is engineered for quiet confidence offshore. Its two-part, female-molded FRP centerboard features a bronze protective shoe on the leading edge and solid FRP around the pin area, and its highly efficient foil shape is filled with lead ballast to ensure negative buoyancy. Hoisted by wire cable to a deck-mounted winch, the board delivers a versatile draft profile, drawing only 5'-6" with the board up and extending to 11'-4" with it down. Steering precision comes from a balanced, high-aspect spade rudder, also two-part female molded in FRP, mounted on a robust 3-1/2" stainless steel rudder stock. Structural integrity continues inside with marine-grade plywood bulkheads reinforced with FRP in the chain plate areas, while integral FRP fuel and water tanks add stiffness to the laminate and maximize usable volume.

The one-piece molded FRP deck, cored for strength and stiffness, is bonded and bolted to the inboard-angled hull flange with epoxy putty and 5/16" bolts on 8" centers. All deck hatch landings are molded in FRP for durability, and the separately molded propane locker is properly ventilated with a direct drain overboard.

A large, functional main cockpit is designed for effortless egress on either side without climbing over the coaming. The steering pedestal consolidates all engine instrumentation and sail-handling functions, and the deck winches are easily reached from the helm—a helm-centric layout rarely found on other yachts. A generously sized cockpit table with built-in cooler and fold-up leaves seats six comfortably for alfresco dining underway or at anchor.

Topsides gleam in Flag Blue Awlgrip with a double white boot stripe over a green bottom, while the cabin house is finished in white with tan nonskid renewed in 2010. A new Durotec Vinylester barrier coating was applied in 2005. All floorboards were refinished with Awlbrite in 2019.

Stainless steel hardware underscores the yacht’s seakindly purpose: a bow pulpit with port and starboard running lights; a stern pulpit with boarding gate and stern light; a rubrail with stainless striker; 27" stainless stanchions with double lifelines and side gates; a stainless stemhead fitting with twin anchor rollers and well-rounded, built-in chocks; and stainless stern and springline chocks set flush with the toerail. Mooring is assured with six stainless mooring cleats. The helm is graced by a stainless steering wheel with a varnished teak rim, and sail trim is precise on stainless genoa and staysail tracks with reference numbers stamped atop. Natural light and ventilation are abundant through seventeen stainless opening portholes with screens, eleven stainless deck hatches with new glass in 2018, and nine stainless cowl vents. Line handling is streamlined by custom stainless turning blocks and deck blocks, and ground tackle is managed with a Maxwell 12-volt anchor windlass. The anchoring suite includes a 60 lb. CQR anchor with 200' chain and 100' rode, a Danforth 45 HT with chain and rode, and a 60 lb. stainless CQR with chain and rode kept in storage.

Elegance meets surefooted practicality on hand-laid teak side decks and a teak cockpit sole of 1/2" minimum thickness, bedded and fastened to the deck and fully reconditioned in 2015 with all new caulking. Brightwork accents include a varnished teak toe rail, teak dorade boxes, a teak drip rail, teak handrails, cockpit backrests, and a cockpit table with drop leaves, all protected by tailored canvas covers. The custom dodger features a roll-up front and an oversized stainless frame, updated with new Strataglass in 2018, while the bimini—with a window over the helmsman, an oversized frame, and full enclosures including screens—expands the protected living space on deck. Navigation and control are centered around a Ritchie 6" compass installed on the steering pedestal. Thoughtful touches include built-in lockers for rope-tail stowage outside the cockpit, closed-cell foam cockpit cushions with backrests, a hot/cold shower in a flush stern locker, and a custom fold-down stern ladder with a stainless frame and teak steps. Six tinted Lexan topside windows further brighten the interior.

Safety and readiness are comprehensive: a Revere six-man life raft with ditch bags new in 2018, an EPIRB new in 2018, a first aid kit, a flare kit, eight life jackets, a horseshoe life ring, a man overboard module, and portable fire extinguishers throughout. A Lensref radar reflector is mounted on the mast, and a hand-held spotlight stands by for night maneuvers. Dockside and alongside protection comes from eight large fenders with covers, dock lines, and two fender boards. Serviceability and support include a bosun’s chair, tools, and a full complement of engine, generator, pump, and head spare parts, along with a clock and barometer. For shore excursions, the AB 10' RIB with a Honda 20 hp four-stroke engine is ready to deploy. A new centerboard pennant was fitted in 2021.

Exclusions

Owner's personal effects and all artwork are excluded from the sale.