Seal
A 31' Raised-Deck Cruiser
By William Atkin
A Bridge Deck Cruiser
Seal is the kind of boat in which a couple of fellows can live the summer through. She is not too big, nor too small; and has ample locker room for clothing, food, and the various lot of things which are required for comfort afloat.

There is an unusual amount of room in the cockpit, this being 11 feet long and slightly over 6 feet 6 inches wide. Since the house top does not extend all the way aft there is a roomy place where one can sit in the sun. The cockpit is self draining, the floor being 21 inches above the water line. This height gives room below for the engine, tanks, etc. But mostly it permits folks sitting in the cockpit to see over the raised deck without standing up.

Going below we find a cabin arranged for a party of two. The engine is out of sight under the small projection forward of the bulkhead. On the starboard side there is a nice place for the stove with dish lockers above it. Then there is a big ice box under the stand upon which the stove rests. The length of this compartment is 3 feet 5 inches and there is slightly over six feet headroom in front of the stove. The sink with lockers under is on the port side and there is a lot of room here for laying out dishes and all those other culinary arrangements that go with getting and cleaning up after a meal. The main cabin has two folding box berths and in addition two full length seats. I have installed berths in Seal that have proved to be comfortable, convenient to make up, and at the same time out of the way during the day. The blankets and things are made up and the berth folded up, and ready for use. The berth is a box 6 feet 3 inches long, 2 feet 6 inches wide, and 5 inches deep. It is upholstered over suitable springs. The box. is hinged at the bottom. There will be excellent room behind the berth when it is folded up for lockers. Then there is a clothes locker either side forward. This does not stand as high as the deck but is a trifle under 5 feet, plenty for coats, trousers, etc. The toilet room is forward and contains the usual arrangements generally associated with this very necessary ante-room.

Seal is built around a model that is hard to beat. An easily driven 31 foot round bilge boat having a water line length of 30 feet, a breadth of 9 feet and a draft of 3 feet. The freeboard at the bow is 5 feet 1 1/2 inches and at the stern 3 feet 3/4 inch. The keel runs well aft; but at station 10 sweeps up to the stuffing box. This gives ample protection to the propeller and rudder in case of grounding and eliminates fitting a shoe to carry the heel of the rudder. It also permits the boat to turn more freely. The rudder hangs outside where it should be.
Do not put in too much power. A twenty h.p. Kermath will give an honest eight miles; thirty horse will give about nine. And don't try to push Seal faster than this. You will only waste gasoline. It seems to me that in a plain little cruiser like Seal it is advisable to use the old fashioned tiller rope with drum wheel and sliding tiller. This is about as simple a gear as can be gotten and has proved to be satisfactory for years among folks who use working boats of all kinds.
Plans for Seal are $100

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