| Jersey Blue A 25' 2" Seabright Skiff By William Atkin |
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| 25-Foot Seabright Skiff Cruiser | |
| Not so long ago I was looking forward to designing my 450th boat; counting back in months, this was a very short time ago. And now I am a little surprised to see I have come to number 461, so it is now opportune to look into the future for the 500th boat! It is always best to look into the future, anyway -- pointless and futile to bother greatly about the past. The past is a thing so little can be done about. The past for me is beginning to be a long fading wake with a lot of happiness hobbling in the white water -- the view ahead not so long, but jammed full of new things, interest, uncertainty and, I am glad to feel, fragrance and charm. It is quite appropriate, therefore, that this latest design for MoToR BoatinG's large and expanding family of boats should be an up-to-date version of a Seabright skiff. And so, herewith, design number 461, the cruiser Jersey Blue, a useful little hooker for tomorrow's needs and pleasures. | |
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| Jersey Blue was designed with a view to accommodate two in comfort while cruising and four as a party for day sailing. Of course you can stow many more than this number aboard but, as I have said hundreds of times before, too many people are just too many to have around for comfort, for safety, for good seamanship. If, however, you possess the latter, you will instinctively know these things. There is a useful side deck all around the deckhouse and cockpit coaming. And, be it noticed, the sides of the latter and the sides of the deckhouse batter in, thus providing decent room along the decks. This with the toe rail makes a trip around the house reasonably safe. Also by battering in the sides there is little chance of having the upper works strike against dock stringers, piles, etc., when loading up with fuel or supplies. To say nothing of the better appearance. The cockpit is 10 feet 2 inches long and 5 feet 5 inches wide. The after portion is 8 inches above the water line and will be fitted with proper scuppers. There is 6 feet 1 inch headroom under the deckhouse, this being ample for most folks. It is a great mistake to add more height than is necessary to deckhouses. Not only does this practice detract from the looks of the boat, but it contributes to unwholesome rolling and topheaviness. Skyscrapers are all well enough ashore; very bad afloat. The cabin is simply arranged -- two full length bunks with lockers beneath, stowage space forward, toilet room big enough to be comfortable, stove, sink, ice box and lockers. Headroom under cabin house beams is 5 feet 2 inches, a lot for a little boat. | |
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The motor shown is a four cylinder Red Wing Arrowhead, a very good motor for this particular design. At 1,600 r.p.m. the speed of the boat will be very close to 17 miles an hour. It is a difficult problem to select a motor because all are so blessed reliable and satisfactory. Gray, Kermath, Universal, and many other manufacturers make 25 to 45 h.p. power plants that will fit the space requirements of Jersey Blue and do excellent jobs in the way of performance as well. I would not advise excessive power. The boat is 25 feet 2 inches long on the deck; 24 feet on the water line, 7 feet 8 inches in breadth, and 1 foot 8 inches draft. The freeboard at the bow is 3 feet 5 inches; while at the stern the height above the water line is 2 feet 8 1/2 inches. For all her modest dimensions you who build will find this quite a chunk of boat. A study of her lines will show the form of the deadwood. This is in the shape of an open box, pointed at its after end and blending into the after sections and, forward, fading out into the rounding section at station 6. It will be seen from this that the water flows very easily and naturally along the sides of the box deadwood, beneath the bottom board and along the rounding bilges into the propeller. And mark this! It is always best to leave plenty of space between the propeller post and the propeller just about as shown here on the plans. The topsides carry conservative flare and flam in the fore sections, and are properly rounded abaft station 7. The rudder is outside the stern. This is the best location for the rudder on this kind of hull. There are so many advantages in this type rudder that I sometimes wonder why all small craft are not so fitted. But then, there would be no fun if we all thought alike about things of this kind. | |
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| There is much to be said for the peculiar form of the underbody of this particular type of hull. Its flat double-ended keel permits landing ashore without danger of damage; the draft is little; the strength unusual; the facilities for installing motor ideal, and with very little angle of shaft; the seagoing ability exceptional; and the possibilities of speed with modest power better than that of many other models. The topsides in this newer version of the well known Seabright skiff offer dryness, buoyancy, and all the earmarks of our conceptions of present day shipshapeness. Shipmates, all, you will find this Jersey Blue an excellent little craft in every respect. | |
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| Plans for Jersey Blue are $100 MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM SHIPS PLANS STORE https://store.mysticseaport.org/ships-plans/ shipsplanstore@mysticseaport.org
+1 (860) 572 5360 | |
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