From Napkin to Selene 60

The Selene 60 was developed from the original Selene 57. I had been working on the design of this new model and had an idea one evening at a restaurant during dinner. Sometimes a small idea answers bigger questions. I was thinking about the “commissary,” found abaft the engine room on all of our models between 43 and 57 feet. The commissary is a dry storage space essential for longrange cruising and is accessed from a hatch at the after end of the main saloon. Commissaries provide not only additional storage, but also act as a large freezer and even function as a wine cellar for some Selene owners.

I thought if I located the commissary in front of the engine room on a Selene bigger than our 57 it would be easily accessed from the stateroom level and would also provide a good sound barrier between the engine room and the master stateroom. The 57 was getting larger so I took my napkin and began sketching. The commissary would add another three feet and at that length a bulbous bow would be helpful. I then added a “Cruiser Stern” to the new “Deep Hull” lines and my small idea sketched on a napkin became our new Selene 60!

I finished my dinner, put my napkin in my pocket and went home. Later, in addition to the freezer, I had enough space available in the new commissary to add a full-size washer and dryer, wash basin, working countertop, tool box, and storage lockers on the starboard side, as well as an electric room to port which has battery chargers and inverters.

The Selene 60 is a comfortable, three stateroom worldcruising trawler that started with a small idea, became a sketch on a dinner napkin and is now one of our most popular models. Since 2006 we have delivered over 35 Selene 60s. The latest Selene 60 now under construction is Selene 6041 sold to a California customer by Selene California.

Howard Chen is chief executive officer of Jet-Tern Marine, builder of the Selene line of full-displacement trawlers, more than 100 of which have been launched.