Creating a fishing motorsailer

Hi retrosub, You're right, it takes a lot of careful measuring and planning to do it successfully. I see you're in Ithaca, NY, I used to keep my Lyman in Watkins Glen, I still have land in Stuben county.

 

My middle daughter graduated from Cornell, in Ithaca

 

It's a small world. I started my boating life on the NY Finger lakes as a boy. In reference to the thread, I've mounted a hauler on my sailboat and I figured I'd try some fishing to see what changes might be worthwhile.

 

Small world indeed. I grew up in Ithaca, went to Cornell (class of '89). Moved to the SF Bay area which is where I went from being really into boats to actually building boats.

In reference to the thread, there are no good lumber stores in the area. Cayuga Lumber only has marine fir, and only in 1/2" and 3/4". They don't have teak and won't get it. They couldn't order Meranti, so I had to go to Buffalo for it. If anyone knows closer sources for wood and epoxy, let me know.

 

Greetings,

Have the T-27 as well and was working on rearranging the layout to something as you describe. Took the actual drawings as PAR posted and began drawing different layouts and drew in the lowered cockpit floor (with scuppers) aft idea. After figuring total costs and time involved I decided against it but this was more for reasons of needing to upgrade the atomic 4 to diesel (would have made it dry exhaust) which would have been 50-60% of the total cost. If I recall correctly, costs would have been between $7,000.00 - $10,000.00 doing the work myself.

The boat is a great design for your intended purposes. It kind of reminds of the All Weather 26 eventhough that one is double ended without the cutaway forefoot but almost similar draft and beam. Its hull lines are of scandanavian workboat origin. The T-27 is slightly heavier and more roomy. Look at that design to give you an idea of what an aft fishing cockpit would look like for a similar size.

 

Never really liked the look of the doghouse, the T-27II (exact same hull) with the freeboard raised 6" and deckhouse extended forward is a much better looking boat and the increased feeling of space is dramatic. Some might object to increased windage or to boxy looking but I think its within reason and well thought out.

I finally came to the conclusion that if using as a sailing/fishing boat I would keep everything as is (other than raising boom and cutting sail accordingly) since the cockpit makes great sitting area which you would lose if you lowered the entire aft area to sole height. I would maybe just lower the lazarette area. It would definitely need raised rails and lines with new stanchions.

The narrow beam makes it problematic designing a small wheel house if you want to go forward so would just have a canopy of some sort, like fabric but wouldn't work around fish hooks.

Would change the mast/chainplate bulkhead to a ringframe as this would greatly increase the feeling of more spaciousness as you would have uninterrupted views of entire interior without the walls. The head would be a composter with lid and some type of curtain arrangement for privacy and showers. Using the head or shower as originally designed is ridiculous.

 

A cockpit unconventional alteration I'm using is center seating. My Albins originally have deep center cockpits where the scupperless sole is below waterline. Not self bailing. So I decked across cockpit seats mainly by installing back to back fiberglass sofas on the centerline.
I got the seats free from a wreck cockpit in a boneyard. Boneyard operator is pleased for me to haul off the fiberglass.
The area between the former cockpit seats and now under the center seats GREATLY extended my aft cabin.
Now cockpit sole is high enough (seat height of former cockpit) to be self bailing through scuppers.
And you are better protected from spray while seated.
And your feet are braced against coamings, not the opposite seat.
In addition, you don't have to move after tacking. Your weight is centered amidship on all tacks.
Unless you want the comfortable windward seat, where gravity keeps you leaned slightly backwards in the seat (the way it does on the lee side in conventional cockpits).
Anyway I like it.

 

I think T-27's are better than the much acclaimed (overpriced) albin vega. You can get the T-27II with almost same displacement/room as the NorSea27, its just as capable, and for a fraction of the price. The only thing I don't like is working ontop the deckhouse and would change that if doing extensive cruising.

 

Center seating would make it difficult to have a proper helm

 

At the cockpit forward end, where the seats meet the cabin, the back rest is cut away and the combined seat is T shaped, one level. A bridge deck. Convenient to stand on for greater height of eye when needed. Also provides aft facing seating leaning against the cabin as backrest.
The cockpit double backrest where it rises just aft of bridgedeck is an elevated helm saddle that you can straddle. Wheel steering could be mounted on it's forward face (of the cutout), if I wanted it.
All seating convenient for fishing at anchor. Not designed to troll fish.
Steering will be electric, joystick and autopilot. Project is still a work in progress.
Only offered it up as an alternative way of looking at cockpits.
If you don't like the concept, by all means don't copy it!
Different ships, different rum punches.
It would also be a difficult world if we all chased just a single woman, wouldn't it?

 

I like reading the different opinions and ideas, keeps my creative juices flowing. I just finished installing a longline hauler on my T27, simple rig just an electric capstan and a davit and hauling block. I haven't changed much on the boat yet, I'm going out to set a couple of hundred hooks and see how things work. I'll try and post some pictures.