Coastal cruiserr

This 31-footer has been prepared for the homebuilder with modest boatbuilding skills. The hull form is a double-chine shape with no twist to any of the panels. This makes it easy to bend plywood around the frames/bulkheads. This hull form starts off as a single-chine shape with V-ed entry and stern, but then Tanton slices off the bottom in a straight horizontal plane to form the second chine. The D/L is 196.8. Ballast-either lead or steel-is poured in the bottom of the boat in a concrete slurry.

The daggerboards or leeboards run parallel to the topsides and, when retracted, allow the boat to sit on the mud or the beach with a high degree of dignity and aplomb. This makes the Seashell an ideal gunkholer. With a board-up draft of only 2 feet, you can "gunk" some very small "holes" in this boat. I would be slightly concerned that the small rudder will maintain a grip on the water at high angles of heel.

This will be a very picturesque rig. It also has enough area to keep the Seashell moving in light air. There are some unusual features to this rig: The big, loose-footed gaff mainsail is hoisted with both throat and peak halyards and is sheeted to the stern pulpit aft. The topsail uses a jackstay to extend its area above the masthead. The working staysail is on a club that the designer calls a "balastron." This balastron extends to form a bowsprit so you can set an asymmetrical chute for reaching. The balastron is controlled inboard by a small track and at the stem by a snotter line. The balastron can also be used to help lower the tabernacle-mounted mat when bridge clearances demand.

The interior is very simple and is designed around the structural bulkheads that provide the frames for the plywood shell. The head is large and the galley is workable, though modest. I think the forward berth, shown as a double, might be on the light side and might benefit from spanning the entire beam forward. As shown it is perfect for one big, sleepy sailor.

I hate to see the entire pursuit of sailing reduced to a search for "sensible shoes." Sailing is a frivolous pastime and makes little sense when juxtaposed with the pressures and success models for modern life. We should have some fun with our boats, treat them like toys and allow them to express the playful side of our nature. Seashell is a handsome and distinct boat.Tanton says, "This boat is a kind of Swiss Army knife. There is nothing she cannot do with a little reflection and time."