| Heart's Desire II A 22' 10" V-Bottom Seabright Skiff Cruising Cutter By William & John Atkin |
| |
| A Double-Ended Auxiliary Cutter | |
| It is no small problem to provide comfortable headroom in any type of wholesome cruiser in which the overall length is limited to as little as, say, 23 feet. And this problem is especially difficult if the draft of the 23-footer must be kept to something less than three feet. Within reasonable limits generous freeboard is a most desirable feature; but it is a feature which is often overdone. I have often heard it said that the more freeboard a small boat has the more seaworthy she will be. This, to say the least, is an overstatement. Any boat can have too much freeboard just as she can have too little freeboard. | |
| |
Heart's Desire II is rigged as a jib-headed cutter. The area of the mainsail is 184 square feet; the staysail 45 square feet; and the jib 59 square feet; total area 288 square feet. Just a nice handful for a boat of this size and displacement. In the design of Heart's Desire II I have attempted to solve the headroom problem in a small boat by combining the excellent underwater form of the Sea Bright skiff with the sections and topsides of a V-bottom, plumb-stem and plumb-stern, double-ender. In dimensions the design shows a pleasing little packet 22 feet 10 inches over all; 21 feet on the waterline; 7 feet 8 inches in breadth; and 2 feet 7 inches draft. The freeboard to the edge of the deck at the bow is 3 feet 4 inches, the least freeboard is 2 feet l 1/4 inches, and the freeboard at the stern is 2 feet 6 inches. Added to this is the height of the bulwark rail, to the top of the rail cap, another 4 7/8 inches. This adds up to wholesome and normal freeboard for a craft of this size and character. | |
| |
| Below deck Heart's Desire II is laid out for the comfortable accommodation of a crew of two. A third member might sleep on the cabin floor but it must be remembered this is a little vessel and that three grown people take up a great deal of space and that three will crowd the accommodations both below deck and in the cockpit. The broad double-end keel permits the cabin floor to be placed very low in the boat, and this without at all cramping its breadth. The result is that we have under the cabin-top beams 5 feet 3 inches of headroom, and under the companionway slide 5 feet 9 inches of standing room. And all this height without an excessively high cabin house. The forward hatchway coamings are high; this gives full sitting over toilet and adds considerably to the dryness when the hatch is open to the space below. | |
| |
Stepping down the three-tread companionway ladder we find on the starboard side working space for a singleburner stove, ice box and handy dish shelves; on the port side similar space for sink, lockers and a 2-foot 7-inch shelf. Right here, in the galley part of the interior, we have 5 feet 7 inches of headroom. Two sofa-berths, under part of which are two 15-gallon water tanks with room left over for locker space. The walking space between the galley work tables is 32 inches; the walking space between the cabin berths, 24 inches. Ye that build Heart's Desire II can thank the Sea Bright skiff keel for these ample walking areas. Forward of the bunks twin lockers and two stowage bins have a share in the pump closet compartment and the ground tackle locker; all these are hidden in the forepeak. The motor shown on the plans is a single cylinder 6 h.p. Baby Huskie Palmer. It should be fitted with reverse gear and clutch but without a reduction gear. This motor will give the cutter a speed of approximately 6 m.p.h., which is about the maximum speed which can be expected in a boat of this size and type. Motor revolutions will be close to 1,500 turns a minute. It will be seen that the motor is tucked in under the bridge deck and cockpit floor. It is, however, readily accessible through the opening abaft the ladder. | |
 PHOTOS OF HEART'S DESIRE II 
| |
|
| |
| Plans for Heart's Desire II are $100 MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM SHIPS PLANS STORE https://store.mysticseaport.org/ships-plans/ shipsplanstore@mysticseaport.org
+1 (860) 572 5360 | |
|
| |
| BACK TO PLAN LIST | |