Sunseeker’s Specification

Sunseeker’s Specification

Sunseeker of Hamble
9 Ton Hillyard Centre Cockpit Cutter
Double-ended, Canoe Stern
Length: 35ft (incl. bowsprit) LWL 29ft Beam 8ft 6in Draught 4ft 6in
Built 1953

Returned late summer of 1998, from a three-year cruise in the North Atlantic and Caribbean, providing her current owners with a comfortable and seakindly home. Her three cabins provide cosy accommodation with five berths including two excellent sea-berths. Cutter rigged, her three tan sails provide a good turn of speed and ensure easy handling by a short-handed crew and may even be single-handed. Auxiliary power is provided by a BMC four-cylinder diesel developing 30 hp.

On Deck Plank bowsprit housing 35lb Plough anchor with 30 fathoms of 5/16″ chain stored in chain locker below deck. She carries two additional 35lb anchors below decks, together with further chain. Stainless mooring cleats port and starboard. Her manual windlass is the original SL Clyde type. Abaft the windlass is her forehatch, covered, while at sea by her nested, rigid dinghy (8ft x 4ft when assembled).

A pin rail of pitch pine, at the foot of her spruce mast, keeps the halyards tidy and provides a good handhold while at sea. Her forward coachroof has full-length handholds, port and starboard, and is equipped with water catchers for long periods at sea. Her cockpit is protected by a hardwood doghouse, glazed with toughened glass. A 48 watt solar panel is housed forward of two hatches, atop the doghouse, that provide good sight of the sails. A flexible canopy and side screens allow the entire steering area to be fully enclosed.
Abaft the cockpit is a pitch pine boom gallows to support the solid spruce main boom. Again, this provides an excellent handhold to compliment the handholds to port and starboard along the length of the after coachroof. A hinged locker houses two 30-lb. LPG bottles and abaft of this, a galvanised steel mast supports a Rutland wind generator. Galvanised steel guardrails enclose the entire deck.

Down Below

Sunseeker is comfortably fitted out below to provide ample storage and living space for a couple to live aboard for long periods. However, for a family, or group of friends, she has five berths in three cabins. Let me give you a tour….

Centre Cockpit

Step aboard Sunseeker and enter her deep, secure cockpit. To port and starboard is seating for three, with storage beneath. Her steering wheel is situated on the after bulkhead and her instrument console is housed in an encloseable cabinet to port. Her doghouse windows afford excellent visibility and a unit, providing light to the chart area, to port, houses switches for deck and navigation lights.

Aft Cabin

Aft, through a sliding door and down two steps, is the after cabin. To starboard is a hanging locker and single berth with storage beneath. To port is a further hanging locker with large storage shelf above and storage beneath. Forward of this is a chest of five drawers, again with storage beneath. The after cabin has natural light through three coachroof coaming ports and an opening porthole in the after bulkhead. A deckhead lamp and berth reading lamp provide electric lighting. Further forward, to port is the enclosed toilet compartment with Baby Blake Sea toilet and folding hand wash basin. A coachroof coaming port provides natural light and there is a mushroom vent in the deckhead. A deckhead lamp provides electric lighting.

Saloon

Forward from the cockpit, through a sliding door and again down two steps, is the saloon and galley. Beneath the step is a two-section storage area and flip front litterbin. To starboard is a large, shelved locker beneath two drawers and a shelf. To port is the galley with fiddled stove, stainless steel sink and drainer, fresh water foot pump, numerous shelves and lockers and mushroom ventilator. A deckhead lamp provides electric lighting. Forward are two settee/berths with seat and back cushions, storage lockers behind and below and full-length bookshelves. The dining table, rotateable through 360 degrees, with two, hinged, folding sections has ample space for five people to eat in comfort whilst in harbour.

Further forward, to port is a large, shelved locker, while, to starboard is a smaller, shelved locker and large hanging locker. To port, in the passageway to the forepeak, are shelves for charts and navigational books. The saloon has natural light through four coachroof coaming ports and two opening portholes in the forward bulkhead. A deckhead lamp and berth reading lamp provide electric lighting.

Fore Cabin

Forward again is the fore cabin. This has a large double berth with storage’ and bookshelves and an opening fore hatch which provides natural light. Massive under bunk storage uses all the available space. A deckhead lamp provides electric lighting. Right up in the bows is the chain locker with a storage shelf above.

The engine lives beneath the cockpit flooring and is easy of access as the entire floor may be removed. Fresh water is stored in two steel tanks of 15 gallons beneath the saloon sole and a 30-gallon flexible plastic tank in the turn of the bilges, beneath the cockpit.

End of Sunseeker’s Specification