Here Is The Plan...

The "Spirit of Tradition" movement has produced a number of stunning boats in recent years. These boats feature modern hull designs and construction techniques while exuding the beauty and simplicity reminiscent of the early 20th century designs. The Brooklin Boat Yard Design Associates (Bob Stephens and Paul Waring) have recently produced preliminary drawings for a 27' design based on this theme. The design was initiated by the Great Cove 27 Class Association and is called (you guessed it) a Great Cove 27.

The Great Cove 27 Class Association was formed in response to the scarcity of designs of over 25' available to the ambitious amateur builder. It is the mission of the class to sponsor a quality "Spirit of Tradition" design and make it available to both amateur and professional builders at a reasonable price. The cost of a custom design is beyond the means of most of us. The Great Cove 27 Class Association will be a cooperative that allows builders to share such things as design costs, castings patterns, keel molds and sources of supplies.

The Brooklin Boat Yard and their design office have led the "Spirit of Tradition" movement. The Great Cove 27 Class Association, therefore, felt that the design team of Bob Stephens and Paul Waring were the perfect choice for their design. "About 27', an inboard engine and modest accommodations below (aka - it needs a head)" were the only design requirements given. With only these constraints, the designers produced their vision of the perfect sail boat. Looking at the results, most would agree that "perfect" isn't far off.

The Great Cove 27 Class Association is currently seeking builders (amateur or professional) who want to participate in bringing this design to fruition. Advance sales of licenses to "Charter Members" of the Great Cove 27 Class Association will be used to fund the final design work. If you are interested in becoming a "Charter Member", inquire at the Great Cove 27 Class Associations web site (www.greatcove27.com).

 

From the designer...

Now, to the boat: as you can see, she owes a lot to the CH 31 in appearance. I have given her proportionally shorter overhangs and a longer waterline, and she is proportionally a bit beamier, which is not surprising for a smaller boat. I have hit your target for overall length—she should come out of your barn! At 5,000 lb, she is a bit heavier than you hoped, but still proportionally a bit lighter than the CH 31. I don’t think we can count on shaving any more weight than this out of the boat. For comparison, an Alerion Express 28 is 5700 lb.

The rig is a simple single spreader arrangement, made possible by keeping the shrouds out at the side of the hull for a solid staying base. This will lessen the weight and cost of the mast, also. It does mean that she won’t sail well with an overlapping genoa, but she has enough sail area with the 108% working jib to ensure good performance, and she’ll be closer-winded and easier to sail.

The Saildrive 330 engine fits snugly beneath the cockpit sole without an engine box, which surprised me a bit. This’ll be a pretty slick installation. The cockpit sole is high enough and narrow enough to be reliably self-bailing.

The interior is tighter than the CH 31, but shares many of the same features. The forward berth should be pretty terrific—it’s wide, and nearly unobstructed by the mast. I’ve shown more furniture in the galley area than you had talked about, but this can be installed at the discretion of the builder.

Construction will be straightforward—three cold-molded skins over ½” strip planking. Laminated frames and plywood bulkheads will provide the framework over which you’ll lay the strips. A ½” plywood deck will be covered with Dynel or fiberglass—an option will be ¼” ply and ¼” teak.

All in all, I think this will be a terrific boat — fast, fun and easy to sail, and comfortable for a couple to take weekending. Also, I think, very pretty.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.