Solid Foundation
Let’s start from the keel up. The hull design is called a “Slide Hull.” While it has a good amount of dead rise at the bow, it also incorporates two chines, with anhedral pitch (aka: reverse chine), for stability and to counter spray.
The hull was developed by Vripack Naval Architects in the Netherlands. It’s based on successful designs used in the North Sea. Many people say, “If you can sail on the Great Lakes, you can sail anywhere in the world,” and the North Sea would challenge that saying so that hull design responded to the desire for safety and efficiency. A scale model was built to test the design. It was put through its paces in the test tanks at the Wolfson Unit in the United Kingdom to confirm its seaworthiness and performance. For its size and weight, the hull design showed to be more efficient than a traditional planning hull. The Slide Hull helps reduce pitch in heavy seas. The Volvo interceptor propulsion system is tuned to the Burger hull. It includes auto trim, list and coordinated turn features specific to the boat. To combat roll and to keep the ride more enjoyable, Burger added the Seakeeper 6 gyro unit to its list of performance features although it’s not installed on hull number one.
From the keel up, the boat is all aluminum. In particular, it’s “Alustar” (brand) aluminum that is a specific alloy designed for marine application with improved structural properties and corrosion resistance. While being a strong alloy, it can’t be so strong that it becomes brittle in any temperature environment. Burger has been building aluminum boats for a long time. They are so confident in this material and the design that they put a lifetime warranty on the hull structure. That doesn’t go to say there isn’t some steel onboard. Diesel engines and stainless-steel hardware or fittings are taken into consideration when assuring the owner they have considered every possible method to reduce any form of galvanic corrosion and to give the boat the long life it deserves, and the owner should get from it.
