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Artisan 30 by Artisan Boatworks

LOA:30'

LWL:18' 6"

Draft:3' 10"

Beam:8' 6"

Displacement:5800.00 lbs

We were inspired to commission Mark Fitzgerald’s design of the Artisan 30 after many years of receiving the following inquiries:  “The Herreshoff 15 and the Dark Harbor 17 are the most beautiful boats I have ever seen.  Can you put an engine in one?” or “I’m looking for a classic wooden daysailer:  something simple and beautiful.  A boat I can single hand, but which has lots of room in the cockpit. I might choose to sleep aboard, perhaps one night or two a summer- and oh yea, it needs an engine.”

Typically when we receive these sorts of inquiries, we are able to delve into the archives of Herreshoff, Crowninshield, or others of that era and discover a suitable design with stunning good looks, but in this case we were coming up empty handed.  Such a basic set of parameters, and yet nothing yet designed quite fit the bill.

I think the reasoning is actually quite simple.  When knockabouts of this style were being designed, from the 1890’s through 1920’s they were strictly racing boats, and an engine or cruising amenities were uncalled for.  What today we consider beauty, was then just about speed.  Boats designed for cruising in those days, as they are today, with engines and interior accommodations, also have higher freeboard and shorter overhangs.  Both good things in a cruising boat, but less sexy.

There were two existing designs which came close:  BB Crowninshield designed a 20’ waterline cruising knockabout in 1913 for the Meyer family of New York, and in 1899 WB stearns designed the Seawanhaka knockabout which was a racing boat, but which had the space for an engine.  The drawbacks to these two designs were the cockpit.  Although plenty large, they were self bailing.  Self-bailing sounds like an advantage, but on a boat under 40 feet, with long overhangs and relatively low freeboard, for the cockpit sole to be above the waterline, it is necessary for the skipper and crew to sit at nearly deck level. A low coaming keeps the water off one’s backside, but offers absolutely no reclining back support.

Nat Herreshoff preferred deep comfortable cockpits with canted coamings.  From the Venerable 12 1/2 on up to the ubiquitous Alerion and Buzzards Bay 25, his cockpits and coamings set the standard for comfort.  The deep cockpit holds the skipper and crew securely within the hull boat rather than on top of it, creates the wonderful sensation of being close to the water, and improves visibility under the sails.

What prevented us from simply using these Herreshoff designs was that the boats in our size range were all centerboarders, and we wanted a full keel boat.  Moderate draft was important to us for trailering, and we decided against a fin keel and spade rudder, as we were going for a truly classic design, and not a “modern classic”.  Several designers, most successfully Bob Stephens, have applied a full keel and engine to the Buzzards Bay 25.  This works wonderfully, and achieves our practical goals, but is a different aesthetic than this ethereal knockabout drawn by Mark.

Most of us in the business know that cost is directly linked to displacement.  We wanted to design just enough boat to fulfill our needs and no more.  What determines displacement in preliminary design is the underwater volume of the midship section.  The midship section of most boats is in the cabin.  Now most knockabouts such as the Dark Harbor 17 which weighs 3500 lbs, can offer a couple bunks down below, but which are the floating equivalent to a pup tent.  Having slept aboard a 17 on more than one occasion, I will attest that it can be done- but tipping back a beer is out of the question, and getting dressed in the morning requires the talent of an escape artist.

We decided that one of the most important attributes of the new design, and what would ultimately decide the displacement, was comfortable sitting headroom.  We recognize that the boat will rarely be slept aboard, but we wanted offer a pair of well upholstered, very comfortable seats- the sort of inviting seats that would have you actually looking forward to going below for a cup of tea or reading a book on a foggy afternoon- or a cat nap on the leeward side in the shade during a long afternoon sail.  There will be a porta-pottie or cedar bucket aft of the mast, well secured and concealed when not in use- that can actually be put to use without lugging up to the cockpit.  There will be room for a small igloo type cooler and single burner propane stove- both off the shelf items which can be taken on or off the boat with ease. 

Mark and I spread out three or four designs, and decided that Herreshoff’s Buzzards Bay 18 was the best starting point- not to mention she was a boat we’ve been dying to build for quite some time.  We would take the 18, and re-draw her with a moderate full keel, increased displacement, and raise the sheer 2”.  Our goal was not to create a bold new design, but simply draw what Herreshoff or Crowninshield might have drawn in 1920 or so, had they been put to the task.

The location of the engine was a challenge, but one which resulted in a solution which makes the boat a better boat.  As previously discussed, for the engine to be under the cockpit sole, it would be necessary to sacrifice the deep cockpit with high back support, or raise the sheer to a point which would ruin her good looks.  The natural location with a conventional straight shaft would be at the break between the cockpit and cabin, which would necessitate crawling over it or around it to go below.  

By incorporating the V-drive transmission on the Beta diesel, we are able to get the engine box aft in the cockpit just far enough to open a nice pair of doors (which will lift off their hinges and stow beneath the seats in the classic Herreshoff tradition) and create a perfectly situated “coffee table” of sorts, complete with fiddles and drink holders, which could support a larger table top for fine dining that folds up beneath the bunks.  The beam of the boat was determined as the maximum allowable for regular highway trailering, thus providing a wide cockpit with ample room for legs and passage around the engine. The box offers perfectly positioned foot bracing for passengers or crew at the forward end of the cockpit, and for those who prefer a forward main sheet position, the engine box is the perfect anchor for a JM Reineck bronze cam cleat with 360 degree swivel base.
Of course in true Artisan Boatworks fashion, the controls, batteries, and fuel tanks will all be tastefully hidden from view, yet easily accessible for operation and maintenance.

The rig will be essentially self tacking.  The halyards will all lead aft to the house top, and the shrouds swept back in order to eliminate the need for running backstays under most conditions.  We will provide handy-billy type running backstays for extreme down wind performance, but the fixed end which will be spectra, can be made off to the base of the shrouds and the running tackle end with integral cam cleats can be stored in a locker out of sight when not in use.  The spars can be Carbon fiber, wood, or some combination of both.  We will likely design a Marconi rig for this boat with a fixed backstay.  As they will be custom built, the cost of designing such a rig will be relatively inconsequential at the time.   The Marconi rig would likely be a traditional fractional type, as were common in the 30’s. and the self tacking jib would remain unchanged.  As with all Artisan Boatworks replicas, consistency of hardware will be absolute, and everything will be bronze except the shrouds. There will not be a single iota of stainless steel or plastic visible anywhere on the boat without opening a locker or the engine box.

Construction will depend on the customer.   For a boat of this size and type, I have always felt that the steam bent frames were as important an aesthetic element as the sail plan and hull profile.  The internal structure is what creates the ambiance in the cockpit and down below, and even cold-molded boats with bright finished interiors, for me, lack character.  I can foresee two construction types.  For a customer familiar with wooden boats and with the assurance of proper off season storage and thorough maintenance, we would advocate traditional carvel cedar planking, edge glued over steam bent frames and a laminated mahogany backbone. All surfaces would receive at least four coats of single component paint inside and out, but no epoxy coatings.  For a customer less familiar with wooden boats, or if the boat were traveling far enough afield that we were uncertain of the maintenance she would receive, then we would advocate strip planking over steam bent frames and a laminated mahogany backbone.  The outside of the hull would be sheathed in 10 oz glass and the inside (frames, floors, and all) would receive three coats of epoxy beneath 2 component paint systems.  Of course if a particular customer wanted a cold-molded or strip-composite version of the A-30 we would happily oblige, or for that matter we could toss out the full keel and incorporate a modern fin and spade rudder with a sail drive engine.  Thus is the beauty of custom boat building!

As far as performance is concerned, we are looking for a fast, stiff boat.  One which is perfectly balanced and tracks the way only a full keel boat will. The tiller will be the most delicate of Herreshoff tillers, with a spherical knob that which is held with two fingers under most conditions. We want her to be as light weight as the interior accommodation and freeboard will allow, and to be manageable under all conditions for one person.  I look forward to Mark’s lines drawings and Art Paine’s evaluation of them to complete this section.