Philip Rhodes 75 ft Bermudan Ketch 1958/2013

KAMALII is considered one of the ‘Rhodes 77s’, but with a big difference: her original owner - heir to his family’s oil fortune, Larry Doheny III - specified a deep, full keel hull form for enhanced windward performance for this deceptively fast and exceptionally comfortable family cruiser-racer ketch. Or is it racer-cruiser? In Doheny’s long ownership, KAMALII participated in seven consecutive bi-annual Los Angeles to Honolulu ‘Transpac’ Races, finishing 2nd in class A in 1959. The present owners purchased KAMALII in California and after major hull restoration, in 2013 cruised the Pacific to her new life in New Zealand where upgrading has continued in between use as a family cruiser with the finest of pedigrees.

KAMALII is a magnificent yacht and represents the ultimate conclusion of traditional timber boat construction. The current owners have sailed around the world on many yachts, and KAMALII is without doubt the most comfortable, sea kindly, sturdy ocean going vessel they have ever sailed. With only a handful of owners in her life she has been the love and passion of all who have owned her.

Kamalii (Kah - Mah - Lee - Eee) is Hawaiian, and is supposed to mean "Pacific Princess" - at least that's what Larry Doheny said. It doesn't. "Kamali'i" (with the apostrophe marking a glottal stop) actually means "child", older than a baby but not an adult. "Kamāliʻi" (with the macron over the second 'a') means "royal child", so "Kamāliʻi Wahine" can be interpreted as "Princess". But since they managed to drop the apostrophe and macron from the name it isn't even spelled correctly! Oh well, that's its given name. and that's how we intend to keep it.

2024
RIG REFIT, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
- With rig on land
- Shipwrights went over the whole rig to check everything
Mizzen
- Replaced masthead
- Spliced in timbers to fill redundant old radar mount thru-holes
Main Mast
- Stripped all hardware off lower mast
- Cut out soft wood and replaced with new timber
- Spliced in new timber in a couple of other areas mid-mast
- where there were signs of softness around fittings
- Repaired timber in a spreader
Main Boom
- Fully rebuilt boom end
- All aluminium bolts replaced in stainless steel
Also general boat maintenance: paint, varnish, etc.

2013 - PRESENT
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
- Extensive work on the interior and exterior
- New electronics
- Upgrading electrical system
- New batteries
- Further work on the spars, including:
- Pulling the main mast in 2020 to undertake refurbishment work
- Further replacement of the standing rigging.
- Interior and exterior repainting and re-varnishing
- New cockpit cushions
- New main and mizzen sail covers

2012
AT NEWPORT HARBOR SHIPYARD, NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA, USA
- Much underbody inner and outer plank replacement
- Underbody refastening
- Much standing rigging replaced
- Systems fully serviced and overhauled where necessary

With KAMALII, Edward Laurence “Larry” Doheny III exchanged racing Transpacs in one of the fleet’s smaller yachts - the characterful Hugh Angelman-designed, Wilmington Boatworks-built, SPRAY-like ketch SEA BELLE - to the largest and undoubtedly most comfortable. As heir to the fortune in oil founded by his namesake grandfather whose life was loosely the basis of the 2007 film There Will Be Blood starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Doheny could afford it. He raced every bi-annual Transpac with KAMALII from 1959 (2nd in Class A) to 1971, and eventually settled on Hawaii.

KAMALII is a yacht born from a fierce passion for the sea by Larry Doheny, most probably formed in childhood launching memories of the oil tankers owned by his father and grandfather. Such a client must have been a dream to Philip Rhodes, who had been developing the idea of large, powerful, fast and very comfortable 70+ footers since the late 1930’s - but mostly shallow, true centreboarders. Doheny’s requirements were for a comfortable, deep keeled Class A ocean racer of the finest materials and workmanship available; capable of competing in the West Coast USA ocean races, such as the Acapulco and Honolulu (Transpac), and for extended offshore cruising. Employing Rhodes and Wilmington Boatworks - locally known as "Wilbo", and perhaps the only producer of beautiful things in a Los Angeles neighborhood otherwise known for its industries and oil wells - was a good start, and Rhodes still got to add a bronze centreboard anyway for enhanced windward performance.

But this was the late 1950s; the war that almost did end all wars - that had used up most of the good boatbuilding timber - pushed enterprising and resourceful yacht designers and builders to find new ways of building fine wood yachts, and KAMALII was in the van at the largest size built at that time in employing laminating techniques and modern glues to form strong yachts with greater internal volume. Add almost 5 tons of bronze, and you have a very strong and long-lasting yacht.

KAMALII became a West Coast legend, first in Larry Doheny’s ownership and later when owned by Shull Bonsall. However, time eventually catches up, and when purchased by her present owners the years of hard use had taken their toll. But a yacht like KAMALII will always rendezvous with angels, or at least lovers. In 2012 she fell into exactly the right hands – and here she is: a most comfortable, and fast, cruiser-racer/ racer-cruiser. She’s only just over 60 years old; it’s nothing in classic yachting.

During her first ever true Pacific passage from Newport Beach to New Zealand via Hawaii and Tonga, KAMALII's new and present owners paid their respects to Larry Doheny's widow, Joss, and arrived in Auckland just before Christmas 2012.

©2024 Iain McAllister/ Sandeman Yacht Company Ltd.

- Double-planked mahogany on laminated white oak frame
- Oregon pine beam shelves, and clamps
- White oak and spruce deck beams
- Deck-to-keel bronze strapping
- Bronze fastenings
- Bronze floors
- Bronze mast steps
- Bronze centre-board
- Solid 1¾ in/ 45 mm teak deck
- Teak superstructure
- 2 x Everdur solid bronze water-tight bulkheads

KAMALII's U-shaped raised helm area with seating for eight has a stainless and plexiglass spray dodger forward. There are two removable forward hatches (racing “doghouse” and conventional). The upper saloon has custom roll-up opening side windows. Combined with the classic Rhodes large deck saloon, they make for an extremely comfortable, light and airy space, leaving the decks free for sail handling and leisure.
- Stainless boom gallows
- Stainless steel bow and stern pulpits
- Stanchions with double life lines
- 2 x Deck Stowage boxes
- Numerous winch handles

SHEET WINCHES
- 2 x Sheet winches main sheet.
- 4 x Sheet winches foredeck
- 4 x Barient self tailing sheet winches aft deck
- 2 x Mizzen mast sheet winches

GROUND TACKLE
- 230 V AC Electric Ideal Windlass
- 2 x Horizontal chain gypsies; 1 x vertical warping drum
- Bronze anchor davit system
- 1 x 105 lb / 48 kg CQR anchor
- 2 x 65 lb / 29 kg Danforth anchors
- 330 ft / 100 m of ½in / 12 mm High test chain
- Salt water deckwash pump

KAMALII is a well laid out vessel, with three good sized aft cabins providing the main accommodation, with a V-berth in the fore-peak for crew, or as a guest double. (Originally the fore-peak just had pipe-berths, and the V-berth was added in the 1990's). The master cabin aft was also altered to provide a double plus a single berth, while the port-side aft cabin was converted to a full double.

DECKHOUSE SALOON
- Dual navigation stations with very large navigation table
- Extensive chart storage under and in overhead lockers
- Dining table and seating to port
- Settee to starboard with pilot chair
- Full standing height engine room directly underneath
- Incredibly spacious, making for easy service and maintenance of systems
- 1 x Washing Machine, Samsung 7.5 kg

FORWARD OF DECKHOUSE SALOON
- AND FWD ENGINEROOM WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD
- Lower saloon
- Dining area to port
- Settee to starboard

GALLEY FORWARD
- 2 x Gimballed tables (bronze)
- 1 x Microwave
- 1 x Electric fan oven
- 1 x Gas hob (4 burner).
- 1 x Cold plate refrigerator system
- 1 x Cold plate freezer system
- 1 x Drinks cooler refrigerator

CREW ACCOMMODATION/ GUEST DOUBLE FWD
(& CHAIN/ SAILS/ STOWAGE LOCKER)

AFT OF DECKHOUSE SALOON AND AFT ENGINE ROOM WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD
- Centre passageway - moving aft

GUEST DOUBLE CABIN TO PORT
- Hanging locker

GUEST TWIN CABIN TO STARBOARD
- Hanging locker

GUEST WC COMPARTMENT
- Toilet and shower

MASTER EN-SUITE CABIN
- Double berth to starboard
- Single berth to port
- Hanging lockers
- Overhead deck hatch

LAZARETTE accessed through hatches in the aft cabin deck

GENERAL
- 2 x Vacu-Flush 24 V marine toilets
- with 100 Gallon plastic holding tank and pump out
- 2 x 220 V AC ½ HP compressor for refrigeration/ freezer
- 1 x Hot water tank with engine heat-exchanger and 230 V electric heating
- Pressurised water system with triple redundant water pumps and accumulator tank
- Dock-side water hookup direct into house system with pressure regulator
- 2 x Water makers (currently decommissioned)

RIG
Bermudan ketch
Hollow sitka spruce main mast
- Merriman winch tensioned topmast backstays
- Merriman Highlfield lever-tensioned running backstays
- 2 x Barient halyard winches (wire reel)
- 1 x Merriman halyard winches (wire reel)
- 1 x Rope reefing winch
- Spruce main boom
- 1 x Main boom topping lift
Sitka spruce mizzen mast
- 1 x Barient halyard winch (wire reel)
- 1 x Merriman halyard winch (wire reel)
- 1 x Barient rope reefing winch
- Merriman Highfield lever tensioned running backstays
- Spruce mizzen booms
- Spreader lights

SAILS
- 2 x Main sails (one working; one free-footed “delivery” sail)
- 2 x Mizzens
- 1 x Furling Genoa
- 1 x Furling jib
- 2 x Staysails (one free foot, one for self-tacker)
- 1 x Mizzen staysail
- 1 x Storm trysail
- Vessel was fitted with a self-tacking staysail
- Current owners have removed
- All components in storage and come with the vessel

CANVASWORK
- Mainsail cover
- Mizzen sail cover
- Full boat sunshade/ weather cover with wooden poles
- Various canvas covers.

MECHANICAL
- Cummins V-8 300-M 300 hp diesel
- ZF dual clutch electric transmission
- 2 ¼ in / 57 mm Monel shaft
- 4 x Fixed blade bronze 30 RH 20 aperture mounted propeller
- Electrical Generators:
- 1 x Northern Lights PX-G 302 12 kW (902.5 hrs)
- 1 x Northern Lights PX-G 302 12 kW (870.5 hrs)

ELECTRICAL
- 12 V, 24 V DC, and 120/240 V AC
- System presently configured for 230 AC house outlets
- Can be readily converted back to 115 V AC
- LED lighting throughout.
House batteries:
- 4 x 220 Ah 6 V lead-acid in series for 24 V
- 12 V DC for electronics, sound system, etc supplied via 2 x DC-DC converters
Engine batteries:
- 2 x N200 1000CCA 12 V in series
Chargers:
- House Alternator: 150 A 24 V; 7-step multi-stage smart regulator
- Engine Alternator: 1 x 80 A 24 V DC Motorola
- 1 x 40 Amp 24 V multi-bank battery charger
- 1 x 25 Amp 12 V multi-bank charger
- Switchable shore-power connection with galvanic isolator.

TANKAGE
Fuel:
- 875 Gal / 3312 L in 5 x Monel tanks
- 120 Gal / 454 L in 1 x Converted water tank
- Fuel transfer pump
Water:
- 500 Gal / 1893 L in 2 x Monel tanks
- 2 x Water makers
- BEP Marine electronic tank level and power/ Ah meter.

NAVIGATION/ ELECTRONICS
- Cockpit Compass: 7 in /17 cm Kelvin and Wilfred liquid
- PC-based navigation computer with dual screens
- Integrated to NMEA data bus
- B&G Triton display
- AC42N autopilot with electric drive
- B&G wind
- Garmin NMEA2000 GPS
- B&G NMEA compass
- Rudder angle indicator

COMMUNICATIONS
- ICOM SSB Radio (ICOM) with independent ground plane and auto tuner
- Standard Horizon VHF Radio 25 W with AIS receiver and remote cockpit mic
- On-board Wi-Fi and mobile internet

ENTERTAINMENT
- Lower salon has an entertainment computer (Netflix etc)
- Connected to ships network and data storage
- 1200 watt four channel stereo plus subwoofer, connected to ship computer

- 6 x Removable storm windows for upper saloon
- 1 x 6-Person life raft (2013 - currently out of test)
- 406 Mhz EPIRB
- 2 x Emergency axes
- 1 x MOB inflatable retrieval unit; 1 x Lifesling, 2 x liferings.
- 3 x 24 V DC 3700 Gal p/h Rule primary bilge pumps
- Engine-driven high volume emergency bilge pump
- Switchable manifold between bilge compartments
- Additional manual bilge pump for aft bilge (fitted but not plumbed)
Alarm systems:
- Bilge high water alarm (per compartment)
- Connected to GSM module for alarm SMS messaging
- Engine oil pressure
- Engine high temperature.
- 4 x Fire extinguishers
- Emergency steering, stowed in lazarette.

- 3.5 aluminum RIB (Aquapro SMR 1101)
- 5 hp Tohatsu outboard motor
- Stern ensign flagpole
- Huge inventory of Merriman traditional bronze blocks and snatch-blocks
- Extensive spares and parts, including:
- Numerous winches
- Bronze seacocks
- Electrical and plumbing parts, etc
- New Blue Water bronze lip-seal shaft seal assembly
- Not fitted yet but intended to replace shaft stuffing box
- Assorted brightwork and winch covers, lines, etc
- Original signal flag kit
- Swim ladder
- 6 x Boat fenders
- Teak side dock ladder with platform
- 1 x Portable Stainless BBQ