s/v Alianco

From Dermot, owner of "Alianco"-

I bought a 36' Ebbtide in 2003 rigged as a junk schooner. She was built by a retired engineer in Cornwall in 1986 with some modifications (including the junk rig) designed with the help of a naval architect. I have never seen an original ebbtide to compare mine to, but I think the non-original parts would be:

The coach roof only drops 3 inches or so in front of the companionway entrance and continues well forward up to the foremast, giving plenty of headroom through the boat and space for 7 traditional portholes on each side. The side decks are around 12 inches wide. As a permanent liveaboard,the extra standing height and general space is excellent.

The keel extends further forward comapred to the line drawings I have seen on the internet, probably another 25% or so and she had bilge keels as well so she could dry out up the south of England river estuaries where the owner/builder planned to sail. I left these monstrous pieces of steel plate off when I bought her and sailed her perfectly happily from Cornawall round the south of England to Kent. Her draught is 1.4 metres which I asume is standard

In the rear, starboard side of the engine compartment he built a steel well around 9 inches square with a removeable, suposedly watertight lid which allows for clearing the prop of anything wrapped round it. Very useful in the French Canals where she is now.

She was built with a big perkins (not sure of the size) but when I bought her had an old, raw water cooled Yanmar fitted. This died in the canals and I fitted a new, freshwater cooled Yanmar of 27 bhp (29 in an emergency) which seems powerful enough as an auxiliary engine. The supplier in the UK has fitted these to a few Ebbtides in his time and matched a new propeller to the boat as well.

The rudder looks similar to the ones on photos of Ebbtides I have seen, but I wonder with the increased underwater area of the larger keel whether it is a bit too small and contributes to the weather helm I experienced. I know that a bit of increased weather helm is a feature of the particular junk rig I have on the boat, but John Teale's book on boat design gives a formular for the surface area of a rudder to hull and mine is on the small side of that. I will probably play with the rig until I can get no further and then look at the rudder.

She had a homemade wheel steering system which was ingenious, but was thrown away in favour of the steel emergency tiller and then a timber one.

I don't know if the Ebbtide was designed with integral, steel tanks, but mine has two stainless water tanks in the bilges and a polypropelene diesel tank in the lazarette, between two lockers for two 13 kilo gas bottles.

The cockpit floor comes up to allow access to the rear of the engine and the drive train.

Over last winter, among curing surface rust on the entire inside surface of the boat, welding in new steel in the bilges, fitting a new engine and fitting an entrely new interior including rewiring and plumbing (everything working but needs finishing) I built a deck mounted chain locker to keep mud out of the bilges.

Having seen every last square milimeter of the boat I think she is beatifully designed and being essentially a monocoque, can be customised inside with ease (in design if not execution). The three weeks I sailed her before entering the canals gave me a lot of confidence in her sea keeping abilities and I very much like her traditional looks.

I'd appreciate any feedback from anyone on anything I've said. Has anyone felt the weather helm to be a slight concern or is it just my rig? (I don't understand the junk rig yet having trained on bermudan sloops, but I like it and will enjoy trying to work it all out). I'd love to see some internal photos of the Ebbtide hull being built to see how they are going about the fit out.

I have many photos of 'Alianco' in the canals and more work photos than anyone could wish for. If you've never seen the inside of an Ebbtide completely naked, I'm your man. Also, if you've found a bit of rust and are daunted by the prospects of getting rid of it, I can show you some photos that will make you laugh and think that things are not that bad.