eventide 24 yacht

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Affordable Classics 12 – the Eventide

The Eventide – Maurice Griffith’s era-defining DIY classic

I t is hard to think of another boat so indelibly linked to its designer as Maurice Griffiths is to his Eventide. It was not his only significant design, as the later and larger Waterwitch and Golden Hind, both based on the Eventide, would demonstrate but, alongside his famous books like Magic of the Swatchways and his four-decade-long editorship at Yachting Monthly , during which he played a huge role in the democratisation of yacht sailing in Britain, it is the Eventide that most will remember Griffiths by. It was by some margin his most popular design and is today strongly emblematic of a particular attitude and a particular era; the home-build boom of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Griffiths started work on the design for the Eventide in 1956 and a 1:12 model was shown at the London Boat Show the following year. In this, its original and purest iteration, it was a 24ft, shoal-draught, bermudan cutter yacht, with decent accommodation for four. Its single-chine, vee-bottom hull form would make it a relatively easy proposition for amateur home-builders, which was the intention. These days, very few amateurs will take on the build of a yacht this size, and even then, Griffiths thought a 19-footer more realistic, in line with other popular home-builds of the time, like the Yachting Monthly Senior and the Silhouette, both micro-cruisers around 16ft (4.9m) and both hugely popular. Griffiths’ first idea was for a 19-footer, then a 21, but his colleagues at Yachting Monthly persuaded him to go to 23 then 24. As it turned out, this was still not enough, with many builders stretching the design, leading Griffiths to draw the Eventide 26 in 1963, after which both were available.

The 1970s was the Eventide’s heyday. It must have then seemed as though every back garden or garage near the sea had one in build. This was a nation that, although comfortably within living memory, sounds foreign now; a place of Seagull outboards, Mirror dinghies and practical men comfortable wielding a chisel. GRP yachts like the new Westerly Centaur were seen as expensive and exotic. It was, in fact, an era closer to the adventures of the Walkers and Blacketts than to the world today, and in that benign crucible, around 1,000 were built, mostly in back gardens. Very few – maybe 50 – were built professionally.

Hulls were in traditional carvel, plywood or strip-planking, a few are glass, and there is a popular Dutch variant in steel called the Kasteloo. But most are in ply. The rig, as specified, is bermudan cutter, but some are gaff, a few junk. Engine is usually an inboard diesel – 8hp will suffice for the 24, while the 26 will need 12hp for anything more than marina use.

There is huge variation in style in the Eventide fleet. Maurice Griffiths himself said that the design could be stretched by up to 10 per cent without loss of integrity, and owners have taken similar liberties with the accommodation, making the range of available Eventides bewildering. The stepped sheer, raised deck and distinctive cabin trunk do, however, make them unmistakable, as well as providing unheard of interior space in a design of the size and era. Expect a proper four-berth layout and up to 5ft 8in (1.7m) of standing headroom below decks.

Under sail, the Eventide was originally unweatherly and underballasted, as proved by the voyage of Bora Bee , a Singapore-built Eventide that sailed for England in 1959 with the then-specified ballast of 590lb (267lb)   and a great quantity of tinned food. The boat became increasingly unstable as the crew ate their way through their supplies. The ballast was subsequently increased to 800lb, then 1,000. These days, 2,000 is considered about right which, along with the usual modern refinements internally, add about 5in (125mm) to the draught and a smidge to the waterline. Other common modifications these days include a slightly deeper and/or longer stub keel for better windward performance, an extra 5in of length in the hull, bowsprit (to reduce the tendency to excessive weather helm), and the steel bilge keels moved aft a station (for the same reason).

These days, a well-sorted Eventide offers an inherently stable, shoal-draught yacht whose 20 0 deadrise vee hull (and that extra ballast!) make for a yacht that can cross oceans even better than Bora Bee demonstrated. Recently, our featured owner John Williams sailed his E26 Fiddler’s Green around Britain and it’s worth noting that the Eventides’ successor – the Golden Hind – is thought to hold the record for the most transatlantic crossings of any class. There aren’t many other yachts that will suit creek-crawling and blue-water sailing with accommodation for the whole family that can be had for less than £3,000. There is a caveat of course, which applies to any home-built class of boat where quality is so variable, so as always, the advice is to get a survey before buying. The upside is the possibility of a real bargain.

In many ways, the Eventide is the Morris Minor of English yachts and holds as firm a tenure on sailors as ‘the moggie’ does over motorists. The Eventide Owners’ Group, whose website started in 1992, is very active and will sell you a set of plans to build a new one, if you are brave enough, for £5.50 inc P&P. Otherwise, there are plenty of used examples around, so you should be able to get just what you are after.

ONE OWNER’S VIEW

“Think of the Eventide as the sort of boat you can make to be what you need, either a shoestring boat for day sails or, as I chose, a modern wood epoxy composite yacht, fully kitted out for serious sailing, as well as comfortable day sails. She is sea kindly and steady under sail or motor, stands up to her canvas well and as many have noted, is no slouch. Fiddler’s Green , with 5ft 8in (1.72m) head room, has five berths, holding tank for the heads, water filter for the galley, decent cooker with oven, heater, fridge with freezer, LCD lights, decent motor (Beta 17), good, well maintained tan sails… all the mod cons. She is a boat I am proud of and I know will take me anywhere. She’s no greyhound but under sail can do over 6.5k. Cruising speed under motor is 5 knots, top speed 6.”

John Williams, owner of E26 Fiddler’s Green , president Eventide Owner’s Group

CB would like to thank John for his expertise in writing this article. See eventides.org.uk to learn more about the class

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• Sailboat Guide

Eventide 24

Eventide 24 is a 24 ′ 0 ″ / 7.3 m monohull sailboat designed by Maurice Griffiths and built by Various-Amateur constr. starting in 1957.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Plans first appeared in ‘Yachting Monthly’ (1957). The designer was editor at the time. It was an immediate success with amateur and professional builders alike. Some time later, plans for a 26’ version were issued. Draft for fin keel version: 4.5’. A production, fiberglass (26’) version, with a standard trunk cabin, appeared in 1962. For the most complete information on all Griffiths designs see the web site shown above.

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Eventide 24

The eventide 24 is a 24.0ft cutter designed by maurice griffiths and built in wood since 1957., 800 units have been built..

The Eventide 24 is a moderate weight sailboat which is a high performer. It is reasonably stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a racing boat.

Eventide 24 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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Review of Eventide 24

Basic specs..

The hull is made of wood.

The Eventide 24 is equipped with a bilge keel. A bilge keel is a double keel, which allows the boat to be beached. Bilge keels are the most popular keel for tidal waters.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.84 - 0.94 meter (2.76 - 3.06 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Eventide 24 is 2.02, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Eventide 24 is about 99 kg/cm, alternatively 558 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 99 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 558 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio) Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind: - Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15 - Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20 - Racers have ratios above 20 - High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24 Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 20.00

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 15m 2 (161 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Eventide 24 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

• Yachting Monthly
• Digital edition

• August 5, 2009

When East Coasters wish to epitomise coastal cruising in their area, they evoke Maurice Griffiths. No other design reflects the spirit of the great designer and former YM editor more than the 26ft (8m) Eventide. Designed and launched by Yachting Monthly in 1962, she is a hard-chine bilge-keeler with a remarkably spacious interior. This is due to the raised sidedecks, topped by a coachroof that is almost an extended doghouse. So many modifications have been made to the marque over the years and so many different building methods were used, that it is difficult to generalise about her. There are also stretched and shrunk Eventides. Many were home-built in marine ply from plans, though there are a good few professionally-built ones, too. She has also been built in steel and GRP. The accommodation is usually four-berth, with various configurations of galley and chart table. She had a reasonably large rig but her shallow draught and rather encumbered underwater area, means she struggles a bit in light airs, particularly to windward. In a blow, she can have serious weather helm – many owners have added a short bowsprit to improve balance. Plans for this, the earlier Eventide 24, and many other of Griffiths’ 140 designs are available from the highly active and helpful Eventide Owners’ Association. It is well worth contacting the association before buying. Because of the variability of build and fit-out, and the number of years she has been in production, prices vary enormously. Tired versions sell for almost nothing while good, recent examples fetch remarkable sums among Griffiths cognoscenti.

LoA 8m (26ft 3in) LWL 6.7m (22ft) beam 2.4m (8ft) Draught 0.6m (2ft 1in) Displacement 1,636kg (3,600lb) YM test report July 1962, March 1995

I have been a recreational sailor for many years, with a particular interest in small sailing craft; therefore much of the content of my 'blog' will be related to this subject.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Maurice griffiths and his ‘eventide’ yacht.

Oh Bill, I absolutely loved Magic of the Swatchways, what a book. I think I must have read several times, cover to cover. It must have been my most borrowed book from the central library in Cambridge.

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Search our catalog, go direct, enter a boat reference, eventide 24, £ 0 sold / unavailable.

• Boat REF#  ·  126312
• Length  ·  7.32m
• Year  ·  1986
• Construction  ·  Wood
• Underwater profile  ·  Bilge
• Sleeping berths  ·  3
• Engine  ·  1 x diesel 15hp, Volvo Penta MD2020 ()
• Lying  ·  Barry

Boatshed Wales

This boat is off the market but here are some boats that are still for sale.

• Specification
• Additional Information

Extra Details

Cutter rigged N/K Wood spars (1986) with Galvanised standing rigging (1986)

Electrical Systems

12 volt battery, 1 batteries charged by: engine, shore power

Construction

2 freshwater tanks holding 125 litres each

Accommodation

2 burner propane Stove

4 sheet winches 1 anchors (CQR)

Nav Equipment

Safety Equipment

1 bilge pumps (1 manual / 0 electric)

Broker's Comments

This boat oozes character. She is built of Iroke in double diagonal . She is in good condition with a comfortable interior. If you are looking for a wooden boat in good order then look no further. She is the type of boat one could fall in love with. The Eventide has various ocean vayages to their credit proving their seaworthy design. Around the world or around the Bay this boat has the ability to fulfil your needs, able to dry out in harbours and beaches. As well as being an attractive boat she is atttractively priced. These boat details are subject to contract. Note: Offers on the asking price may be considered.

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Mike de Graaf

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• Boat REF#  ·  142562
• Length  ·  7.30m
• Year  ·  1963
• Construction  ·  Wood
• Underwater profile  ·  Bilge
• Sleeping berths  ·  4
• Engine  ·  1 x diesel 13.5hp, Beta BZ482 (2000)
• Lying  ·  Bristol

Boatshed Bristol

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• Specification
• Additional Information

Extra Details

Sloop rigged Aluminium spars () with Stainless Steel standing rigging (1997)

Sails serviced by Jeckells in 2011 Plastimo roller furling on jib Wykeham Martin furling gear on staysail

Electrical Systems

12 volt battery, 2 batteries charged by: engine

Construction

Strip planking pitch pine on oak

Cast iron keel with bilge plates

Accommodation

Space for Porta Potti

2 burner propane Stove

1 halyard winches 2 sheet winches 2 anchors (CQR & Bruce) 30.00m of chain 30.00m of rode

Nav Equipment

Safety Equipment

Broker's Comments

Classic Maurice Griffiths design which has been in the same ownership for the last 16 years and has been subject to a regular maintenance schedule while being cruised extensively. She has the benefit of a modern diesel engine and relatively new sails and while not offering all creature comforts she represents a very economical way to get on the water. These boat details are subject to contract. Note: Offers on the asking price may be considered.

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Deben Gypsy: Eventide 24ft bermudan sloop From Andy Seedhouse Boats

Deben Gypsy

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Eventide 24 project

by ChrisRudge

Just got this wooden 24' yacht. Originally built in 1975, has had loads of work done to it for restoration, but needs lots more. A mast Deck fittings Sails erm... and much more.. Should get it craned onto a truck and back to Seaton harbour soon.. hen this years restoration work can begin. Will keep images coming in as stuff happens. I'll try and keep em interesting! I've done some overland travel, flying is really messing up environment, so its time take to the water by sail..

Pleasure craft, MMSI 338442595

• VesselFinder
• Miscellaneous

The current position of EVENTIDE is at North West Atlantic Ocean reported 5 days ago by AIS. The vessel is sailing at a speed of 20.0 knots. The vessel EVENTIDE (MMSI 338442595) is a Pleasure craft and currently sailing under the flag of USA .

Position & Voyage Data

Map position & Weather

Recent port calls.

EVENTIDE current position and history of port calls are received by AIS. Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of EVENTIDE data.

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• Eventide 24

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• Boat REF#  ·  15204
• Length  ·  8.00m
• Year  ·  1986
• Construction  ·  Wood Laminate
• Underwater profile  ·  Long Keel
• Sleeping berths  ·  3
• Engine  ·  1 x diesel 6hp, Petter (1990)
• Lying  ·  SW Wales

Boatshed Wales

This boat is off the market but here are some boats that are still for sale.

• Specification
• Additional Information

Extra Details

Engine re-built 2004 with replacement cylinder head fitted. Comprehensive tool kit.

Sloop rigged Aluminium spars (1986) with Stainless Steel standing rigging (1986)

Can be sailed as a cutter.

Electrical Systems

12 volt battery, 2 batteries charged by: engine, solar panels

Construction

Marine ply, possibly on oak. Long keel with bilge plates.

Accommodation

. Nicely constructed joinery by the builder, a time served cabinet maker.

2 burner propane Stove

1 halyard winches 6 sheet winches 2 anchors (CQR & Danforth) 30.00m of chain 20.00m of rode four wheeled yard trolley/cradle. New lazy-jack and zipped sail cover.

Nav Equipment

New fish finder combining depth/speed/log. TP 1600 autohelm.

Safety Equipment

3 bilge pumps (2 manual / 1 electric)

Broker's Comments

This must be one of the prettiest Eventide 24’s around, and certainly one of the nicest I’ve seen. She was built by a cabinet maker for his own use in 1984-86 and he owned her for sixteen years. Her present owner has had her for the last three years and it is only on ‘Doctors Orders’ that he is reluctantly parting with her. She is dry, appears to be sound (a survey will confirm that question) and most importantly for a wooden yacht, smells sweet! Ideal for coastal sailing and creek crawling, takes the ground with ease and safety, capable of crossing the Irish sea or Bristol Channel, reliable little diesel that you can hand start if you have to……..oh dear, it’s happening again, I want it myself!! This boat has been viewed and photographed by Alan of Boatshed Wales. Register or log in to see more photos of this boat. These boat details are subject to contract.

Note: Offers on the asking price may be considered.

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