Deck Progress on the Expedition Cruiser.

Last month I introduced the aluminium expedition cruiser that is being built by John Dearden in British Columbia. At that stage the hull had just been turned upright. Now the cabin is taking shape and the cockpit has been started. I will let the photos and captions explain the boat.

How she will when look heeled over under sail. The very sleek bow will present little resistance to water flow. A colleague has said that her bow will peel veneers off the logs that she encounters. John Dearden has done a nice job of building fair lines with our experimental chine detail.

John Dearden working on the small trunk cabin. Ahead of this is a sunken foredeck with hinged hatch to an anchor locker. The sheer is trimmed all around with a pipe to soften the edges and to form a catchment area for rainwater.

View along the cockpit, with the side decks installed. On centreline there is a trench full length of the cockpit, with a perforated plate over it. This trench is open to the top of the swing keel casing and aft into the outboard engine well, providing copious drainage in the event of taking a large amount of water into the cockpit.

The aft end of the cabin is sloped for comfortable lounging under the partial protection of the dodger when under sail or anchored. It also gives room for the forward oarsmen to pull a full stroke without colliding with the cabin. The forward rowing thwart (there are 4 each side) is starting to take shape aft of the cabin.

General Arrangement drawing, showing cockpit layout, interior and the swing keel.

Watch this blog for more about this project. To see more of our other designs, go to our main website or our mobile website.