The Eventide 26 Sailboat

Many of the plywood-hulled, clinker-built, twin-keeled Eventide 26 sailboats were completed by home builders in the 1950s and 60s.

Many thanks to George Wenman for submitting this pic of his Eventide 26 'Valerie' alongside in Port Owen, South Africa.

Published Specification for the Eventide 26

Underwater Profile: Twin keel

Hull Material: Plywood

Length Overall: 26' 0" / 8.4m

Waterline Length: 22' 0" / 6.7m

Beam: 8' 0" / 2.5m

Draft: 3' 10" / 1.2m. A fin keeled version was also produced which drew 4'6".

Rig Type: Masthead sloop

Displacement: 11,023lb / 5,000kg

Designer: Maurice Griffiths

Builder: Various, designed for home builders

Year First Built: 1957

Year Last Built: ?

Number Built: not known

Owners Association: The Eventide Owners' Group

Published Design Ratios for the Eventide 26

Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: ?

Less than 16 would be considered under-powered;
16 to 20 would indicate reasonably good performance;
Over 20 suggests relatively high performance.

Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 25.6

Under 40: less stiff, less powerful
Over 40: stiffer, more powerful

Displacement/Length Ratio: 273

Under 100: Ultralight
100 to 200: Light
200 to 275: Moderate
275 to 350: Heavy
Over 350: Ultraheavy

Comfort Ratio: 27.1

Under 20 indicates a lightweight racing boat
20 to 30 indicates a coastal cruiser
30 to 40 indicates a moderate offshore cruising boat
40 to 50 indicates a heavy offshore boat
Over 50 indicates an extremely heavy offshore boat

Capsize Screening Formula: 1.7

Under 2.0 (the lower the better): Better suited for ocean passages
Over 2.0: Less suited for ocean passages

Summary Analysis of Published Design Ratios for the Eventide 26

She will be less stiff and less powerful than other similar sailboats in this size range.
She is of moderate to heavy displacement.
She has the motion under sail of a coastal cruiser.
She is better suited for ocean passages than other similar sailboats in her size range.

Sailboats in the Eventide range include:

Eventide 24

Eventide 26

Sailboats designed by Maurice Griffiths include:

The British yacht designer Maurice Griffiths (1902 - 1997) was a former editor of Yachting Monthly. He specialised in sailboats that could be constructed using inexpensive materials such as marine plywood and completed by an amateur builder.