I asked Paul Fisher to draw some changes in the Tideway design, and he was perfectly willing to do so, for a price.
The Tideway 14 now has a storm sailplan, a 26 sq. ft. trisail and a 15 sq. ft. storm jib. I've already put that sailplan up on my blog, so I won't do it again.
The changes I asked Paul to make in the hull were a little more complex.
The original Tideway 14 does not have a self-draining cockpit. I wanted the cockpit on my boat to drain on its own. At the same time, the transom has a steep slant that makes attaching standard outboard brackets a bit of a chore. I asked Paul to design an outboard well for Tideway, which the cockpit could drain into. Both missions accomplished. The new construction drawings show an outboard well to port with the cockpit draining into it. The cockpit floor is about 3 inches above the water line with a large drain to port.
Raising the cockpit floor also meant raising the seats. Now they come up to the sheer line at the cabin bulkhead. Paul straightened out the curve of the after coaming, so there is something to put your back against even with the higher seat position.
Raising the cockpit seats allowed Paul to make another change I requested. I asked him to put quarter berths on each side all the way back to the “D” bulkhead. Now my Tideway shows two 2-meter quarter berths that end about 8 inches forward of bulkhead “B” in the center of the cabin. This will give me room for a little galley to port and a place for the Porta-potti to starboard.
I plan to lower the cabin floorboards just a mite as well.
Not much space for floatation in my version of Tideway. Some in the stern beneath the locker floor. Some forward of bulkhead “A” in the area beneath the anchor well. Perhaps a bit under the floorboards of the cabin forward. Certainly not enough to make the boat unsinkable. So I plan to put a Turtlepac 500-liter inflatable bag beneath the cabin floorboards. If my calculations are right, that should make her float even if completely flooded.
The final change in the standard hull is right forward. Tideway now has an anchor well. While it may not carry the anchor under way, it is a place where the storm jib can be secured, ready to set flying whenever the need should arise. It can also hold the anchor rode, which can double as parachute anchor line if necessary.
The revamp of Tideway’s cabin will give me storage under the quarter berths, in the space beneath the cockpit floor (accessible from the cabin, in the forepeak (light stuff) and in the lazarette, which will hold smelly stuff like fuel for the outboard, paint, kerosene, propane bottles (for the Seaswing stove) and the like. I’ll add more stowage space by hanging pockets from the sides of the hull and perhaps by putting duffels in the after ends of the quarter berths.
At the moment, I don’t see voyages longer than about 500 miles at a time. Still, I could be on the water for as long as two weeks, and that means carrying up to 50 liters (13.3 gallons) of water or drinkable liquid. Most would be water. Some would be cartons of UHT milk and pasteurized juices.
Are you able to see my Tidway now? It will be a bluewater-capable pocket cruiser with a range of 500-1000 miles in terms of stowage capacity. As I said, at the moment, I lean toward internal flotation rather than a liferaft, but that could change as there is room enough for a liferaft on the lazarette deck. But let me say this: anyone who ventures offshore without the proper safety gear – liferaft or equivalent, EPIRB, flares, first aid kit, PFD (I prefer inflatables), safety harnesses, jacklines, parachute anchor, drogue (series seems best), etc., can only be called irresponsible.
I will build my Tideway as if she is to carry me across oceans, then equip her with the same intent.
