Waterwitch Drawings

[Eventide Owners Group]

We now have a set of WW drawings available to Registered members only for the princely sum of £3.00 UK and £5.00 overseas!

You can even click on the Donate button on the home page, bottom left, to pay by PayPal from anywhere in the world!

We are selling these as PDF and Jpg files for just the cost of the CD, labelling and postage.

It is our intention to keep the drawings of Maurice Griffiths, and the other designers alive, by circulating them as widely as we can.

We do not expect a flurry of shavings, as builders set too all over the world, but we hope some might.... No, we hope these drawings will help all those trying to restore these fine craft back to full sailing condition.

As time goes by we hope to have scanned many more sets of old drawings, and be able to circulate them in the same way. We already have quite a portfolio!

If you would like a CD and are registered, just E-mail for more info and to send your details as to where to forward and how to pay.
Of course if you feel moved to add a few pence to keep this site alive, then many will be very grateful!

John Williams

[exsumper]

Hi John
Could you tell me if the waterwitch drawings have cockpit details on them, As I have removed "Meldrums" Cockpit to replace, as It had been poorly rebuilt and rot had set in. I wish to rebuild it as per original.Although I'll probably buy a set anyway as a reference work for the future.
Many thanks
Alex Gee

[Eventide Owners Group]

The CD prices have increased slightly over the years, to cover the cost of all the scanning, plus P&P ets, now the amazing price of £5.00 UK and £6.50 overseas!

The drawings are quite comprehensive, but leave a lot to the builder as personal preferences come into it a lot!

I will also reply to your mail, but for the benifit of others all we ask is a cheque to the EOG, I supply an address, and you have to be a member, that's al!

Regards,
John
Eventiders

[Fiddler's Green]

At last I have the set of 3 steel drawings here, waiting for scanning and to be added to the CD.

If anyone with a CD needs them and has broadband, I should be able to mail them as pdf files... might put them on the pages. Our grateful thanks to Walter for also sending size specs for steel contrustion, i will be adding this to the CD as well.

john

[Eventide Owners Group]

In addition to the set of drawings from Walter, that have his notes on them, we have now have now been sent the 3 missing sheets as jpg files, so I have added them straight away to the WW gallery pages and design pages, of the site.

Thanks to Luke for these.

These are the drawings I had re drawn and commisioned after discovering the notes in all the bumf YM gave me in 1980 and never had a copy of them myself!

Luke is also sending the paper copies he has, which are almost pristene, for me to scan as pdf files and add to the CD.

Now we have a full set of all the drawings! Safely back with the owners, for all to see, at no profit. Exactly what the agreement was in 1980, when Des Sleightholme of Yachting Monthly handed them to me.

Thankyou to all the owners who have helped to make this possible.

John

[JamesH]

Hi
Just found the steel lines and pulled of the offsets for the steel adaptation.
Have noticed that the spacing are at 18" rather than 12" for the wood version.
Would it be reasonable to build in wood at 18" centers rather than 12" so as to produce a lighter boat.
What are the scantling sizes for WW.
I was thinking of 4 x 1 1/2, pine frames with 3/4 gussets and 1/2 ply skin does this seem reasonable.
Have a sheet of marine ply free so will draw up the offsets asap!
I have just built a house extension so contruction desn't phase me and I used to own a kestral but lack of headroom got to me! ouch!
Has one one thought to spring out the middle frames at deck level to give a more rounded sheer line rather than a slab sidded one.
However the slab sidedness will allow me to sell it to the wife as a narrow boat!!!! Sees not so sure of seawater as I am!
Also the aft cabin version how much space do you loose in the main cabin?
Thinking of using a 10hp plant diesel which can be brought cheaply.
Want to see the one down the road at the local marina in leeds.
Sorry for all the questions
Yours James

[Eventide Owners Group]

Hello James.

The WW drawings state the frame spacings at 12" for carvel and 24" for ply. I know of some that have increased that to 48" with ply to save weight. As the boats have survived 30 years or more with these spacings, I would say the proof ewas in the pudding! MG did 'over design' many of his boats, you then have only to look at those build by Hartwells or other yards to realise they did not fit half as many to the Eventide, WW or GH!

Do not use pine for frames, unless you intend to rebuild the boat in ten years, it is not durable. It will rot.... If you are going to all the effort of building do it once only! I learnt that lesson when restoring an Eventide 24 many years ago, had to redo loads of jobs because I skimped on materials..... real pain.

Recommend Iroko for all framing and deadwood/keel, beams, carlins etc. Laminate the stem out of it as well. You can buy good plantation grown Iroko at reasonable prices and, as it will not rot, the boat will last a lifetime! Be worth more too.

Slab sided? Yes they can be, the versions with wide side decks, 15 to 18" wide look better and are safer to work on than the conventional WW with raised topsides, where you have to go over the top... your choice. See 'Telia' on the Gallery.

Sadly your offer of a cheap 10hp motor is not really worth it. Most fit 20 hp plus these days and use every horse. Only an Eventide 24 can get away with 10hp...

10 hp would be OK for the canals, even then, once you get a WW moving, you will want more hp to stop in an emergency... 10hp is not for sea use in a blow either. My Eventide 26, (OK, 27'3") has a Beta 17, that actually leaks out 13 hp at the prop, I would have gone for 20 had I realised....

Not every motor hp is prop hp! Take off power needed for alternators, waterpumps, gearboxes...... then you have the real power you might get to the prop....

Keep looking, there are decent used motors out there suitable...

Regards,
John

[JamesH]

Hello James.
Hi thnks for the input, still pondering the pine v hardwood. I recon the additional cost to be approx £1000 for the shell and 500 for fitting out prices based on £25 ft3 for hardwood.

As to motor that was for a cheap plant type motor which might or might not fit in with what the BSC might require. however a perkins 4 seems to take up too much room. A Kubota 3 might be better bet. Beuhler says put in engine in middle of build. although a smaller engine is not so difficult to lift over.

Freind has offered me an alottment!!!(Part of her garden and shes a sailor!) Half mile from canal.
Cheque will be in the post asap.
Looked at the new WW pics wonderful but she seems longer than the others?

Yours James.



The WW drawings state the frame spacings at 12" for carvel and 24" for ply. I know of some that have increased that to 48" with ply to save weight. As the boats have survived 30 years or more with these spacings, I would say the proof ewas in the pudding! MG did 'over design' many of his boats, you then have only to look at those build by Hartwells or other yards to realise they did not fit half as many to the Eventide, WW or GH!

Do not use pine for frames, unless you intend to rebuild the boat in ten years, it is not durable. It will rot.... If you are going to all the effort of building do it once only! I learnt that lesson when restoring an Eventide 24 many years ago, had to redo loads of jobs because I skimped on materials..... real pain.

Recommend Iroko for all framing and deadwood/keel, beams, carlins etc. Laminate the stem out of it as well. You can buy good plantation grown Iroko at reasonable prices and, as it will not rot, the boat will last a lifetime! Be worth more too.

Slab sided? Yes they can be, the versions with wide side decks, 15 to 18" wide look better and are safer to work on than the conventional WW with raised topsides, where you have to go over the top... your choice. See 'Telia' on the Gallery.

Sadly your offer of a cheap 10hp motor is not really worth it. Most fit 20 hp plus these days and use every horse. Only an Eventide 24 can get away with 10hp...

10 hp would be OK for the canals, even then, once you get a WW moving, you will want more hp to stop in an emergency... 10hp is not for sea use in a blow either. My Eventide 26, (OK, 27'3") has a Beta 17, that actually leaks out 13 hp at the prop, I would have gone for 20 had I realised....

Not every motor hp is prop hp! Take off power needed for alternators, waterpumps, gearboxes...... then you have the real power you might get to the prop....

Keep looking, there are decent used motors out there suitable...

Regards,
John

[JamesH]

Hi
Before I get the plans does anyone know the size of the keel for WW?
Was thinking about 6 x 6?
Also how deep are they let into frames?
Looking to go with pine, well pickled in perservatve / silkens. Which I have tons of!
Yours James

[Eventide Owners Group]

Hi James,
I think you should have the CD by now and can see the keel is a lot bigger than 6" x 6"!

There is 3,000lb of iron on the bottom of a Bilge keeler and 2,000 on a leeboard version, the rest inside.

Regards,
John

[JamesH]

Thats I have recieved my cd many thanks,
seen that the keel timbers are bigger than 6 x 6"!!!!!
Also got a copy of beuhler backyard Boat building which is great for details. I hope to combine both building styles.
However i did not find a set of offsets for WW except in steel whch are are for 18" centers.
Drew up lines from these on some card, just to see the shape in good size.
when I get my mdf (for frame building board obviously!) then I will have really started.
Looking into stretching into 33ft does the stability alter at this length?

Want a 6ft aft cabin 6ft center cockpit, 3ft kitchen. 6ft berth 3ft toilet
6ft front cabin 3ft bow

Yours James

Hi James,
I think you should have the CD by now and can see the keel is a lot bigger than 6" x 6"!

There is 3,000lb of iron on the bottom of a Bilge keeler and 2,000 on a leeboard version, the rest inside.

Regards,
John

[Fiddler's Green]

Maurice was quite used to people wanting to extend boats. His advice was simple, you could stretch everything up to 10% without a problem, but you had to do the lot, length, breadth, depth, ballast, rig etc.

Beyond that and it gets tricky as the percentages of ballast etc will have to increase.

Building on 18" spaced frames is not a problem, for the ply built version MG specified 24". I suspect if you look at the steel version you could use that spacing easily.

Would be great if we could get a couple of the steel builders to respond here....

Regards,
John

[JamesH]

Hi
Have drawn out hull to 33ft which suits my interior arrangement and most boat for buck!!!
Also increased the beam to 10ft which I know is bigger than 110% but due to the limits of having chine beam of 8'6" due to width of panels,
the wider beam at shear height will increase beam when healed.
Also the stretch is a linner one between frames 8 - 9 so that the waterplane is increased more than the wl beam would suggest,
Hope this makes sense.
increased the hull sides by 8" to allow 6ft headroom and the coach roof is 18" sided and 24" crown.
Yours James

[Fiddler's Green]

Sounds like it is working out on paper for you, send the pics in as you progress, we could give you a page on the Builders section!

Regards,
john

[JamesH]

Hi
thanks for all the encouragement.
Particularly the latest pics and logs in the WW drawings.
From what they suggest 18mm ply on 18" centers seems best!
Just getting extension finished first and then timbers carted down to build site.
Before I start in new year.
Recon might take 1 month per sheet of ply!!!!!!
Like the idea of enclosed center cockpit like Nauticat 33!!!!!
Or is it just the weather we have had.
Lancing marine have 22hp Kabotas for a reasonable price.
Might get big cheap diesel genny and split once build is done?!!!
Yours James