Maytime
A 34' 7" Double-Ended Jib-Headed Cutter
By William & John Atkin
A Seagoing Cutter
The plans of Maytime were made with a view to long distance ocean cruising. Here is a vessel 34 feet 7 inches in overall length, 30 feet on the water line, 10 feet 4 inches beam, and 4 feet 10 inches draft. Freeboard to the edge of the deck at the bow is 3 feet 11 inches, the least freeboard to edge of deck 2 feet 4 1/2 inches, and the freeboard to deck edge at the stern 2 feet 11 inches.
A cutter rig is shown on Maytime. A cutter rig of modest size designed to be handled if necessary by one man. There is an absence of sail and halyard winches; these are all too likely to give out after months away from a repair shop, and furthermore put entirely too much strain on the sails and the running rigging. For a racing boat this would be another matter, but Maytime is not a racing machine. She is a little ship. The mast is high within reason, boom barely overhangs the stern, bowsprit is short. There is a "back porch" over the stern not intended for attachment of permanent backstay. A permanent backstay is a dangerous thing unless the mast has diamond struts, jumper stays, etc., to prevent mast from bowing forward when course is off the wind and sheets well slacked off. Runners are better gear for seagoing, and a stout well stayed mast as shown for Maytime. The mainsail has an area of 415 square feet; the jib, 116 square feet; the staysail, 97 square feet. Total area is 628 square feet, about right for a deep sea ship of this displacement and length. Notice three rows of reef points in main and the storm size staysail.
The cabin is laid out for the comfortable accomodation of three; but two would be a better crew for a long voyage. There are big lockers, usable galley, chart table, coal range (or wood), separate toilet room, and full six feet of headroom under the cabin house top beams. Water tanks will be located beneath the sofas in the main cabin as well as the tanks in the bow. This would bring the total capacity to well aver 100 gallons. After the war those wonderful outfits used by castaways from ships and planes that convert sea water into drinking water will be available and the problem of the ages, plenty of fresh water to drink and use, will be solved for the voyages over trackless seas.

Maytime is a big boat for her outside dimensions. She is of double-end model and a development of many yachts of similar model and type which I have designed over the last many, many years. Indeed her design number of 549 indicates a big fleet of boats back-tracking among the years. There is a good deal to be said for double-ended boats. Providing this model has reasonably flat buttock lines and long middle body it will not bobble around, will keep its course, will not settle by the stern when driven fast, will not pitch violently in rough water. A double-ender of this model is perfectly balanced at every angle of heel and will not broach-to or slew off every big sea that comes up astern. This is therefore a good kind of boat to sail the seven seas. The iron keel (or lead if you can get it) should weigh approximately 6,500 pounds, and then there is 2,500 pounds of inside ballast.

No use to install a big motor; some plain slow-speed outfit of about 8 to 10 horsepower like the twin Kermath and Red Wing motors will do the trick well and do it with a minimum of fuel, room and trouble.

 
PHOTOS OF MAYTIME
Plans for Maytime are $250

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