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Lessons Learned-Overhangs

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Pearson Vanguard Merry Way
Here I am on my first floating home.  Note the graceful stern.

My first cruising keelboat, a very experienced Pearson Vanguard named Merry Way, played a big part in shaping my current opinions about what traits are truly desirable in a cruising sailboat.  Merry Way wasn’t exactly the boat that I had wanted at the time, but she was the best boat that I could afford.  As it turns out, to this day she was the most expensive boat that I have ever owned.  Where to spend my cruising funds was one of the things that she taught me–an important lesson, as these days I don’t have nearly the money I did when I was working full-time as an engineer (as I was when I bought Merry Way).

Here are the some of the important particulars of the Pearson Vanguard:

LOA-32′ 6″    LWL-22′ 4″    Beam-9′ 3″    Draft-4′ 6″   Displacement-12,000 lbs (actual weight; brochure lists 10,300 lbs)    Sail area-437 sq ft.    

Sailors spend a lot of time looking at those numbers for different boats and comparing the numbers from one boat to another.  They give a pretty good overall feel for the size, heft, and power of a boat.  

In this case, one of the things that can be seen in the numbers is that the Vanguard has long overhangs–the difference between the LOA (Length OverAll) and the LWL (Length WaterLine).  The Vanguard’s overhangs are over 10′, or almost a full one-third of her overall length.  That’s a lot of boat hanging in space above the waterline just looking pretty (and I admit that it felt great to be told how beautiful my boat was by passers-by!).  When it comes to a cruising sailboat, however, all of that overhang is mostly just wasted length.  It is true that the stern wave will come up under the counter (stern overhang) of a boat like this to increase its apparent waterline when it is moving, allowing a higher top-end speed for the boat, but that be achieved more effectively by just getting rid of the overhang and actually lengthening the waterline by design.  The long overhangs were put there mostly to help the boat achieve a favorable rating under an old racing rule. 

 The characteristics that caused me to grow to dislike the long overhangs of the Vanguard affected everything from the maintenance to the sailing, and even the habitability of the boat.  The first thing that I noticed on my trip home was that the long overhangs contributed to “hobby horsing”–where the boat tends to pitch when traveling into a sea.  Rather than just riding up and over the waves, the bow would first soar up into the air, and then then plunge down in the troughs, adding an uncomfortable element to the already uncomfortable exercise of trying to sail or motor upwind.  The excess pitching slowed the boat, prolonging the agony of having to endure adverse conditions.  Merry Way often behaved like a rocking chair, with the bow continuing to rise and fall even after a wave had passed.  The pitching was made worse by having cruising gear such as anchors and solar panels near the ends of the boat, but storing gear near the ends is necessary on a cruising boat.  I tried to put only light objects there, but even a few pounds contributed to the problem.  

Maintaining the boat was more difficult because of the overhangs.  Keeping the hull clean in the area where the stern overhung the water required feats of acrobatics.  That area needed frequent cleaning because of water splashing under there which caused algae to grow on the topsides.  I spent hours hanging upside-down from my legs while I reached way under the back of the boat to scrub off weed and grime.  I tried doing it from the dinghy, but couldn’t reach all of the hull.  I tried a brush on a stick from the dock, but the long lever arm reduced my scrubbing pressure to almost nothing.  It was easy to clean when the boat was out of the water, but that only happened once per year.  Hanging over the rail was the most effective method of cleaning that area of the hull, but I always ended up with bruises for days afterwards from draping my body over the edge of the boat.  

I have heard others complain about the noise made when wavelets slapped under the counter, but I didn’t mind them.  Every once in a while, though, a big wake or an ocean wave would get under there with a solid thump that was impossible to ignore.

The overall effect of having a boat with long overhangs in a cruising boat is to cause the boat to become apparently smaller.  The ends would optimally be kept empty to avoid hobby horsing, but that isn’t practical.  Waterline length is reduced–even if the stern wave comes up under the counter, the bow still has unused overhang not contributing to waterline length.  This reduces the speed potential of the boat, as the longer the waterline length of a boat, the faster it can move through the water (we’re talking about displacement boats here that don’t get up on the surface of the water and plane).  Basically, the Vanguard is functionally similar to a heavy 25-28′ boat.

This isn’t all meant to sound overly negative.  I lived with the quirks of the Vanguard for a few years and sailed many enjoyable miles on that boat.  The sweeping overhangs paired with the beautiful sheer drawn by Phil Rhodes are beautiful to look at, and that is worth something.  The Pearson Vanguard is a pretty good sailing boat if she is kept light, especially in the ends.  It is still a reliable, old-school racer/cruiser design that can be pressed into more serious cruising service, if one is willing to accept the tradeoffs.

From the past- My First Cruising Boat

Barry2 Comments
Merry Way at Dutch Wharf
Merry Way at her home dock in Branford, CT

I bought my first cruising sailboat 2001.  I had owned a couple of smaller boats, having bought my first boat when I was 14 (a Newport 21), but ever since I could remember I had wanted a cruising sailboat that I could actually live on.  I lived in an apartment, and then a house after graduating college, but soon grew restless.  Living more than a 30-minute drive from the water wasn’t where I wanted to be.  I had always lived close to the water, but I really wanted to be on it.

Searching for a boat suitable to turn into a floating home became almost an obsession.  I would comb classified listings in print and online.  I immediately flipped to the back sections of magazines to look at boats listed for sale.  I started driving to marinas up to 10 hours away on my weekends to look at boats that I had seen advertised and to walk the back rows looking for others that might be for sale.

From years of reading sailing books I already had a good idea of what I wanted.  I focused on “classic plastic” sailboats between 28 and 35 feet long of the type that was popular in the 60’s and 70’s–mainly “CCA” type boats with moderate beam, cutaway keels with attached rudders, and long overhangs.  These boats were solidly built and I felt that they offered a good value and go-anywhere strength.

Merry Way 1On one long day trip to Florida, I found a Pearson Vanguard 32 with a “For Sale” sign on it.   Her owners were serious cruisers, and had outfitted her with solar panels, radar, mast steps, a tillerpilot, and a cockpit enclosure.  She was in pretty good overall condition and was priced reasonably.  A deal was soon struck and I was suddenly the new owner of a proper cruising sailboat!  She was my key to adventure; a floating realization of a long-held dream.

My brother and I brought that Vanguard up the coast from Florida to Connecticut in February and March.  It was cold and rough and I only had two weeks off from work, so that meant a lot of long days of powering into biting north winds.  It seemed that I didn’t need a chart or compass–I could just point the bow directly into the wind, and that was where we needed to go!  The full cockpit enclosure was praised again and again.MWay 2 April 30, 2001

An offshore passage from Norfolk, VA to Sandy Hook, NJ seemed like a small challenge for my sturdy new boat.  We headed offshore in pretty good weather, and motored straight for the entrance of NY harbor.  That night we were hit by an awful squall.  We were motorsailing along with most of the genoa out when my brother called me up to take a look at something strange.  I peered into the gloom and could see what looked like a bright patch on the water, sort of.  After a couple of minutes, it became apparent that it was actually a white line just above the horizon, and it appeared to be getting closer.  We quickly secured all sail.  Just seconds later, the boat was laid over on her beam ends with no sail out.  I revved the engine and pointed our bow into the wind and spray and Merry Way came back upright, but the wind was so strong that the boat was being forced down into the surface of the sea.  Water was gushing up through the cockpit drains!  (Water never backed up those drains again in the time I owned that boat–even with 5 or 6 guests onboard for daysails.)  It was all over in a few minutes and we continued on over a confused sea with lots of rolling and banging around.

The next day, I found a huge crack in one of the Sta-lok backstay insulators.  It was hanging on by a thread and ready to go at any minute.  I quickly rigged a support for the backstay by tying lines from above the insulator to the aft mooring cleats.  I also cranked down on the topping lift and main halyard aft.  We made it in to Sandy hook without further problem and anchored to catch up on sleep.

The 12-hp Yanmar had its biggest test on the last stretch of the trip.  First, there was the East River.  At one point, people in wheelchairs in a riverfront park were moving faster than we were.  Then, once we made it to Long Island Sound, there was an ENE wind to contend with.  Well, actually, it was a gale of wind.  I had to be back to work, so we pushed into the teeth of it, motorsailing back and forth across the sound trying to make headway into the steep seas and bone-chilling wind.  If you ever want to test out a boat, I can recommend taking it to the west end of Long Island sound during a NE gale and waiting for the tide to change against the wind.  That stretch of water gets rough.  It took us two and a half days to make it to Branford, CT from NY city, which is double what it usually takes for even a relaxed trip in settled weather.

All that was just on the trip home.  I lived on that boat through two winters in Connecticut, and had plenty of other sailing adventures before finally selling her and moving back ashore for a short while because the marinas in the area where I was living stopped allowing people to live aboard their boats.

Merry Way at Jeckyll Island, GA
Merry Way at Jeckyll Island, GA

More on the Contessa 26

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Cavendsyh flying across Tampa Bay on a blustery winter day
Cavendsyh flying across Tampa Bay on a blustery winter day

So many people love the Contessa 26 that I have decided it is time to dedicate part of setforsea to this design.  I am just learning how to better organize things around here, and one of the changes that I have made is to create a Contessa 26 category, which can be found in the toolbar to the right of this page, that contains all of the posts that I write pertaining to this versatile little boat.

More videos:  I have posted most of the video log style clips that I took while sailing my Contessa 26, Cavendysh, out of the Great Lakes in fall of 2010.  I didn’t take many videos during my time on the rivers, or out on the ocean because I was running out of storage space, and was more interested in taking pictures and writing about the experiences.  The ones that I have can be found the Contessa 26 playlist on the setforsea Youtube channel.

More pictures:  I will add more pictures of Cavendysh and make a gallery on the Contessa 26 page.

More stories:  Some of the log entries and experiences on Cavendysh are worth writing about–like the time I took the mast down singlehanded… in the middle of a huge storm.

Idle Queen in art

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The Idle Queen bowl
The Idle Queen bowl

Idle Queen has been immortalized in pottery now…

I have been to a lot of museums over the years, and some of the things that have survived the best from thousands of years ago are pieces of pottery.  Even when there are only shards because a piece has been broken, they are still recognizable.  Where the pottery was painted and glazed, the finish has often survived in good condition.  So, I like to think that the painting that I did of Idle Queen on this bowl will be around for a good, long time to come.

This bowl is the product of my second visit to a pottery studio where you get to paint your own pieces.  There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to figuring out what the glaze is going to do after it is fired, so I am pleased with how the Idle Queen bowl came out.  The experience was more fun than I had anticipated, so I am looking forward to visiting the studio again in the future.  Maybe I will even try visiting a place where I can experiment with the pottery itself instead of just painting on pre-made pieces…  Then again, the last thing that I need is another hobby.

Update to Sirocco sale page

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The information on “Sirocco is FOR SALE” page has been updated with a huge new gallery of pictures and a few short video tours of the vessel.  Please take a look and let me know what you think.

A foggy day in mid November on Long Island Sound
A foggy day in mid November on Long Island Sound with Sirocco floating in grey space.

A couple of new videos

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Here are another couple of videos from when I was sailing my Contessa 26, Cavendysh, on the Great Lakes in October of 2010.  These two were taken on Lake Michigan while sailing upwind under a double-reefed mainsail and small (85%) jib.  I haven’t started trying to edit the videos yet, so there is no fancy soundtrack or anything–just me talking to the camera while sailing alone in a small boat on a big body of water…

On motoring efficiency

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Cavendysh and Sirocco
Cavendysh and Sirocco facing each other. Sirocco weighs three times as much, but motors in a flat calm at almost the same economy as the smaller Contessa 26.

Many sailors pride themselves on how little they can use their engines, but any boat equipped with an auxiliary will end up motoring some percentage of the time.  Being able to motor somewhere is a big part of the reason for having the engine, right?  My last three boats have each come equipped with auxiliary engines, and I have used them at times to travel a good many miles on rivers, canals, and in confined channels.  Sometimes that meant motoring all day, and I would begin to wonder just what I was getting out of each gallon of fuel consumed.  With fuel prices currently over $4 per gallon this subject is on my mind frequently, especially now that I have moved to a much larger boat.  So, I pulled out my logbooks and did a little figuring.

Here is Cavendysh on stands next to Sirocco. From this angle it is a bit more apparent how much heftier Sirocco is.
Here is Cavendysh on stands next to Sirocco. From this angle it is a bit more apparent how much heftier Sirocco is.

The three boats that I am comparing are a Contessa 26, which weighs about 5400 lbs; a William Atkin “Ben Bow”, weighing about 17,000 lbs; and a Dreadnaught 32, weighing in at 20,000+ lbs.  They are all powered by inboard diesels.

One of the things that I had enjoyed most about my trim little Contessa 26, Cavendysh, was that she was very efficient both under both sail and power.  I figured that would be the case when I bought her.  Efficiency was one of the reasons that I chose the design.  For power, she carried a little one-cylinder Bukh diesel engine that made all of 9-hp.  The propeller was a 2-blade fixed model.  I could motor all day at 4 knots with that little one-lunger banging away and only burn a couple of gallons of diesel fuel.  Cavendysh returned about 20 nautical miles per gallon on calm water at that speed.  Pushing the throttle forward farther resulted in a big drop in economy.  She returned about 10-12 miles per gallon at 5 knots.  I motored quite a lot when I had the mast down heading south from the Great Lakes.  My efficiency through the water over 150 hours of motoring worked out to about 20 nautical miles per gallon of diesel.  That number reflects varied conditions–sometimes I was motoring into wind and chop, and sometimes I had the wind behind me (when the mast was down), but overall, that is pretty stellar economy.  The little Bukh could run for ages on just cupfuls of fuel.

A view of Sirocco with her freshly refinished bottom. I still have to peel the tape off... Sirocco has a full keel with a deep forefoot.
A view of Sirocco with a freshly refinished bottom.  Sirocco has a full keel with a deep forefoot.
Looking at Sirocco head-on while she hangs in the slings. Her fine underwater lines are apparent from this angle. The very bottom of her keel is narrower than that of the Contessa 26, which contributes to her relative efficiency.
Looking at Sirocco head-on while she hangs in the slings. Her fine underwater lines are apparent from this angle. The very bottom of her keel is narrower than that of the Contessa 26, which contributes some to her efficiency.

When I moved to Sirocco, the “Ben Bow” designed by William Atkin, I was prepared to spend a lot more for fuel.  The new boat was almost three times the displacement of the Contessa, but also longer on the waterline (28′ versus 21′) and with a much fuller keel.  The big full  keel meant a lot more wetted surface, which results in more drag as the boat has to overcome more friction with the water.  The engine in Sirocco was a big jump up too–a 28-hp three cylinder Beta diesel driving a three-blade fixed prop.  However, I was surprised to find that my mileage over the last 150 hours only dropped to 15.2 nautical miles per gallon.  That was running mostly between 4 and 5 knots, and mostly in calm water, although at least 10% of that was motoring into headwinds, which consumes a lot more fuel.  Sirocco was also capable of motoring at over 6 knots, but would burn 2/3 of a gallon per hour at that speed (9 miles/gallon).  Motoring at 4 knots in a glassy calm I could still get 20 miles per gallon out of Sirocco–about the same fuel economy as the Contessa, but much more efficient because Sirocco weighed three times as much.  I was more comfortable on the larger boat, as well, and the engine was much quieter.

This is a good view of Idle Queen to show off her long, shallow keel.
This is a good view of Idle Queen to show off her long, shallow keel.

My present boat, Idle Queen, at 20,000 lbs, is definitely the biggest and heaviest of any boat that I have owned.  She is also the most lightly powered.  Her inboard engine is a 15-hp, two-cylinder Beta Marine engine that drives a 3-blade fixed propeller.  That gives her 1.5 hp per short ton (2,000 lbs) of displacement–relatively less than half as much power as either of my last two boats, which were both very close to 4 hp per  short ton.  Would this drastically different setup change the economy of motoring in a calm?  Well, I don’t have as much data yet as I do for the other boats, but it seems that at 4 knots in a glassy calm Idle Queen gets very close to 20 nautical miles/gallon!  At 5.5 knots on flat calm water, Idle Queen seems to burn around .5 gallons per hour, giving an economy of 11 miles/gallon.  I need more data to be sure that figure is accurate, as it was taken over relatively few hours, but I have enough data to be close.  

I am surprised that all of the numbers are so similar across such different boats and engines.  I really thought that the Contessa 26 would come out far ahead of the bigger boats, but that was only true when motoring into wind and waves–hence the better overall economy of the Contessa.  Even then it was not as great a difference as I had expected.  The numbers show that moving displacement hulls at relatively low speeds in a flat calm is really quite energy efficient.  There are many factors at play here, but I think that the biggest surprise is that I can move a 20,000 lb boat in calm conditions at about the same cost per mile as a 5,400 lb one as long as I keep the speed to about 4 knots.

The next biggest surprise is that the larger wetted surface of Sirocco and Idle Queen really didn’t translate into a much greater cost per mile under power.  Modern boats are made light and with small keels and rudders to improve their efficiency by reducing wetted surface.  At least as far as economy under power is concerned, the difference is not as big as I had thought.  Granted, even the Contessa had a relatively full keel, but she had less than half the underwater area of the other boats (measured by how much bottom paint it took to paint her).

When the wind and waves come up, the smaller boat requires much less energy to keep her moving, and then her fuel economy is much better than the bigger boats.  Motoring into wind and sea is frustratingly slow as well as expensive.  Idle Queen’s fuel economy quickly drops to about 10 nautical miles/gallon with only a 12 knot headwind and small chop.  Motoring into 15-20 knots and a bit of sea will take her right down to 2 miles/gallon or so.  I have only tried this for a short while, so my figures might be off a bit, but you get the idea. 

My estimated long-term figures are based on actual volume of fuel added to the tank versus engine hours and average conditions.  Still-water economy was measured in calm water (no current) by GPS, on glassy calm sections of canal, and the fuel volume was taken by sounding the tank.

A head-on view of Idle Queen while she hangs in the slings. Her very shallow keel is evident, as well as her almost barrel-shaped (round) underbody. This semicircular section, along with her shallow keel helps keep wetted-surface low.
A head-on view of Idle Queen while she hangs in the slings. Her very shallow keel is evident, as well as her almost barrel-shaped (round) underbody. This semicircular section, along with her shallow keel helps keep wetted-surface low.

 

 

A few projects

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Foredeck
The foredeck hatch of Idle Queen. The blue square in the foreground is a solar panel. The hatch is not actually attached to the boat because all of the wood trim has rotted away.

Having an old boat and a small budget means that things aren’t always going to be perfect, but there are a few things on Idle Queen that are going to need some attention before I take her out on any long trips.

To try to bring Idle Queen up to a “yacht” standard of finish would end up just being frustrating and expensive, and I would not get the chance to leave port any time soon.  It would take years to rebuild and refinish her.  Instead, the goal is to keep things strong and simple.  First, there is a lot of cleaning to do.

Battery box
The heart of Idle Queen’s electric system.  Some marine electricians would recommend that a few things should be done differently here. Alligator clips for attaching the navigation lights are not shown…
Engine room
View of the engine room. The main fuel tank is the box to the right of the picture. Duct tape and string holds most of the plumbing together, but amazingly it all works.
Galley
The galley on Idle Queen is very simple, with a one-burner stove that uses butane cartridges, a sink, and an icebox. There is refrigeration installed, but it doesn’t work.
Idle queen head
Looking into the head compartment. The companionway stairs are to the right of the frame. The dogs that close the porthole in the head are all broken.
Staysail outhaul
This is the staysail outhaul. It works, but is not very easily adjustable… It’s a good thing that there are lots of lashings, because the blocks fell off when I touched them. The aluminum boom was corroded through.

3-foot-itis

Barry2 Comments
Idle Queen as I found her
Idle Queen as I found her.  She looks pretty good from this side.

It seems that one of the universal problems aboard small boats is not having enough room–not having enough storage space for clothes; tools; toys; spares; fuel; awnings; safety gear; etc…  Immediately after finding a storage solution for a particular piece of gear, a new thing arrives that just has to be kept somewhere aboard and the challenge of finding a place to put it begins.  I strive to keep my boat as simple as possible, but it still seems that there is never enough room aboard.  When the space is shared, such as when guests come aboard, the problem compounds.  The obvious solution to this problem is to have a bigger boat.  A boat just a few feet longer than the current one sounds about right to a lot of people.  This is such a common phenomenon that there is even a name for it:  three-foot-itis.  Three-foot-itis is when a boat owner decides that his or her current boat is inadequate, but that a boat three feet longer would be just the ticket.  There is no other solution in the owner’s mind.  A bigger boat must be found.

I succumbed to the above described boat-owner’s malady and have been working on Idle Queen for a while now.  Idle Queen is a Dreadnought 32 built by the Dreadnought Boatworks of Carpentaria, California.  She is three feet longer than Sirocco.

Deck view of Idle queen
Idle Queen as I found her–the view on deck

 

The space problem was just one part of what drove me to this boat, however.  Cost was the other driving force.  Everyone knows that bigger boats are more expensive, but in this case, I took a big step down.  Sirocco, my last boat, is a beautifully finished boat.  She has teak trim and bronze fittings and beautiful joinery.  Idle Queen is home-finished with plywood and plexiglass and latex paint.  I found her moldering in the back of a boatyard.  She had been for sale so long that the sign had faded and broken.  She is heavily-built and practical though.  Because of her rough-and-ready working finish I won’t feel bad keeping her going with whatever I happen to scrounge or buy when things break.  I don’t have to worry about a “yacht quality” finish.   Strong and cheap will do it.

Idle Queen as I found her--not in pristine condition...
Idle Queen as I found her–not in pristine condition…

I will start getting some more pictures up in the near future and maybe some videos to document progress on Idle Queen‘s rehabilitation.  My goal is to have a safe, strong, inexpensive voyaging yacht with this project.

Idle Queen dinette
The dinette in Idle Queen on the first day that I went to see her. It was a bit depressing below and difficult to breathe because of all the mold in the air.
Idle Queen cockpit
Cockpit view of Idle Queen when I found her. This photo does not show the pool of water that was in the forward corner of the cockpit slowly leaking into the diesel fill.

Sirocco is for sale

Barry3 Comments
Sirocco silhouette sailing upwind New Year's regatta
Sirocco silhouette sailing upwind New Year’s regatta

Update to post:  Sirocco has been sold.  Thanks for looking, and please read on if you would still like to learn more about this unique vessel.

For lots more pictures, videos and more detailed description, please visit the Sirocco is for sale page here.

After a long period of debate and a lot of internal reflection, I am finally officially putting Sirocco up for sale.  The asking price is a very modest $19,500 to encourage interest in this unique vessel.

Sirocco is a William Atkin designed “Ben Bow” cutter.  She was professionally built in Airex-cored fiberglass by Falstron of Sarasota, FL, and first launched in 1981.  Her build quality is first-rate, and only the best materials were used throughout. The hull is faithful to the “Ben Bow” lines, but the rig is that of a modern Marconi cutter with a bowsprit.  This gives her plenty of sail area while keeping the rig height modest and gives her a look very much like the popular Lyle Hess Bristol Channel Cutters.  The deck is built on laminated beams and is sheathed in fiberglass.  The nonskid media is set in epoxy.  She has traditional finishing touches, including bronze portholes and cowl vents (set on teak dorade boxes); teak deck hatches; and teak cockpit coaming.  The heavily-built rudder is set on oversized bronze gudgeons and pintles.  The underwater portion of the hull is barrier coated with epoxy.  This is a solidly built, confidence-inspiring cruising boat.

Down below the layout is very practical and easy to live with.  Access to the engine room is through doors beneath the companionway ladder.  Immediately forward of the ladder is a full-sized chart table to starboard with the icebox below the forward portion.  The galley is to port, and features a 2-burner stainless Shipmate stove with oven, and a nice, deep sink.  Forward of the galley, two settees face each other in the saloon, with storage in seat backs and outboard.  The main saloon can be converted to a large double bed by adding a filler between the settees.  Forward of the mast is the head and another berth to port, which can be converted to a double.  The head is to starboard, with additional storage.  There is a spacious anchor locker and storage area in the very forward end of the ship with plenty of extra hanging room for spare lines, etc.

Auxiliary propulsion is provided by a 28-hp Beta Marine diesel engine driving a 3-blade propeller.  The engine has less than 2,000 hours.  Recent improvements to the machinery include a new cutless bearing; new bronze stern gland with dripless packing; new shaft coupling; new flexible coupling; new engine mounts; and new ball joints and ends on the shift cables.   Valve clearances were checked at 1950 hours and everything is within specifications.

Systems are simple and easily accessed for maintenance.   The well-insulated icebox has electric refrigeration.  The galley faucet is supplied with pressure fresh water.  The manual head flushes to a holding tank or directly overboard.

Electronics include a fixed Standard Horizon VHF; Raytheon speed and depth sounder; Raymarine ST-4000+ autopilot with electric linear drive; and Garmin Oregon 400C GPS chartplotter.  Additionally, there is a flat-panel LCD television; DVD player; and installed stereo system.  The masthead tri-color light and anchor light are LED, and the anchor light has a sensor for automatic operation.

Ground tackle includes a 35-lb CQR anchor on 40′ of 3/8″ chain and 250′ of 3-strand nylon rode.  Anchor handling is assisted by the manual windlass.

The spars are aluminum painted with Imron polyurethane.  The main mast is stepped on a massive support at the level of the cabin sole.  This keeps the heel of the mast out of any potential bilge water, preventing corrosion problems.  There are two deep reef points in the main sail.  The yankee is roller furling, set on a Profurl roller furling unit that can also be used for reefing.  The staysail is hanked on to the inner forestay and has a storage bag.

Also included is a 7-foot Eli Laminates rowing dinghy that fits on the cabin top.  This dinghy has been reinforced with extra layers of fiberglass and epoxy on the chines to take the abuse of being hauled up beaches, etc.  New main thwart installed in 2011.

The “Ben Bow” design was William Atkin’s own cruising boat–the one he did for himself and his family.  She is a beautiful little cruising boat that is just right in proportion and balance.  What designer wouldn’t pay extra attention to detail on his personal craft?  She sails well and with a good turn of speed, has a very kind motion in a seaway, is dry, strong, and has an inviting interior.  There is little else that one could ask of a good cruising boat.   The video below shows her underway in perfect conditions one hundred miles off the coast of  South Carolina.