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#5452--HOW TO BUILD THE 36-FOOTER SEA DAWN by Daniel S. Crocker, Jr. The auxiliary ketch Sea Dawn, was designed by the well-known Boston designer, S. S. Crocker, Jr. who has specialized for many years in the design of yachts of the cruising type. Sea Dawn is 36-feet in length and 11 feet in width
and is of the husky seagoing type intended for service on deep waters but
just as suitable for sailing on Long Island Sound, the Great Lakes or any
similar bodies of water. We have heard a great deal about the seaworthiness
of centerboard boats and we have received so many letters in this regard
that we have no excuses to make for the use of the board in Sea Dawn. She
is not an extreme shallow draft craft for there is a fairly deep keel with
a good deal of drag which should be sufficient to permit her to go to windward
in shoal water with a fair amount of success. In deeper waters the board
can be sent dowr to provide the maximum lateral plane area. The ketch rig
was used for obvious reasons. For short-handed cruising there has never been
a better rig. In a short squall the mainsail can be let go with a rush and
there will still be canvas enough to keep way on the boat. The average yawl
has so small a mizzen that she will do nothing but bob up and down in the
sea if the mainsail is taken off. The total area of canvas is low but quite
sufficient for a cruising boat where comfort is the watchword and the crew
is not pleased with the idea of jumping about every few minutes shifting
sails. If there is any one item which can utterly spoil
a good hull it is over-canvasing. Sea Dawn is fitted with a gaff-headed rig.
Without a doubt many readers will think that they prefer the jibheaded, or
Marconi, rig. Those who insist upon making this change are referred to the
designer who no doubt will be quite willing to design a new sail plan, at
his regular fee for such work. From the standpoint of THE RUDDER staff we
urgently advise you to stick to the gaff rig. If Sea Dawn was intended for
afternoon racing we would suggest a marconi rig but for ordinary cruising
there has never been a better rig than the one shown. Below decks Sea Dawn
is laid out to suit the desires of the average yachtsman. There are berths
for four and a good toilet and galley. The latter is equipped with a sink,
ice-box and one of the old-reliable Shipmate ranges. We believe that many
owners of this fine boat will feel that four is a crowd, and not company,
in a boat of this size. A suggestion for such folks would be to make the
saloon berths a little longer and to add a great deal to the locker space.
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