About Isosceles
Isosceles is a Moody 37 centre cockpit sailboat, designed in the 1980's by Bill Dixon and built by Moody's of Swanwick, UK in around 1987. She is a solid and capable cruising boat, unlikely to win any prizes in a competitive race, but then that was probably unlikely even in her heyday.
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| Isosceles in Poole Harbour |
The choice of a centre cockpit will seem odd to some, but at sea I feel increased safety and security in a centre cockpit. Yes you are higher up, which gives you a better view at close quarters, but you are also further from the edges of the boat if you're being knocked about by bad weather. There is also a reduction in the movement being closer to the centre of the boat which makes a difference if you are prone to Mal-di-mare (sea sickness) as I am. This may seem surprising to some but it works. You may be higher up but you are further forward towards the pivot point of the boat, so movement is actually reduced. On a relatively stable boat this makes for a much more gentle motion. Yes there are difficulties with berthing, particularly in the Med, but these are just challenges to be solved ....
Above Deck
At the moment Isosceles is set up as a standard sloop, to my non sailing friends and family that means two big triangular sails, one at the front and one at the back. I'm working on a modification to the rig that will make sailing short distances a lot more manageable, without limiting the abilities of the boat when she is in her stride on longer offshore passages.For the more technically minded, I'm looking at putting a smaller inner head sail on the removable emergency headstay and using this for short hops. There are a few options for this which I'm sure will get covered in a post at some point in the future.
In terms of sailing, the controls on Isosceles have not been led back to the cockpit, however I don’t see this as a problem. Being a centre cockpit the mast is not far away, and getting there can be made quite safe. Everything happening around the middle of the boat makes for reduced movement and adding extra hand holds to the top of the spray hood as well as safety jack lines to clip a safety harness on to from the cockpit side to the mast base will add to security. I would like to make the wheel removable to increase the space in the cockpit, but as with everything it’s on a wish list, a very long way down that list.
Interior
As designed, she has comfortable accommodation for 2 couples with extra space in the main cabin for those extra big parties.
While there are many advantages for me with a centre cockpit boat, the big downside comes as you enter the cabin. Because the cockpit of the boat is so far further forward then the main cabin is shorter to make up for this. Add to this the steep steps entering the boat it can feel like you are entering some kind of deep, dark cave. Once inside the cabin is cosy. It isn’t huge by 37 foot boat standards, but for one or two with occasional guests it is fine.
The galley (kitchen) is off to port (left) as you go down the ladder. There is a reasonable amount of storage here, but I’m planning on a few modifications over the next year or two which should dramatically increase storage in the galley, but that bit of the re-fit is going to have to wait a while at the moment. To access the galley you have to squeeze by the companion way ladder, but when you are in there is provides a nice safe space to work in with the ladder to brace yourself against when at sea. Opposite the galley is the chart table which provides ample working space, especially in these days of electronic navigation.
Forward of this you have the main saloon area, with bench settees down each side that can be made into nice secure sea births with good strong lee cloths going up the outside to keep anyone sleeping there secure. I have also modified the starboard (left) “L” shaped settee so it can be made into a double bed, or a day bed for snuggling up and watching a film if the nav station monitor is turned around.
Just in front of this is the main toilet and shower area to starboard (the right-hand side of the boat) and a locker opposite that is now the linen cupboard, with towels, bedding and the like stored there. In the front of the boat, in the forward cabin is the standard V birth / double birth, with storage in the cabin for guests.
It has been suggested that I should get rid of the forward cabin, turning this into the toilet / shower room with storage, and using the current toilet and locker space to extend the saloon forward. I’ve not discounted this idea, but I will wait a while and see how much, if at all, this cabin gets used by visitors once I start travelling.
Heading towards the back of the boat through the “tunnel” behind the chart table leads through to the aft cabin. In this tunnel there is the main engine access, which is a definite plus on boats of this size as you can get round the entire engine.
The aft cabin on Isosceles has been modified extensively. The bed is a centre-line full size double birth, with extra locker space either side of the bed. It is a bit of a hike up on to the bed, and rather than one double mattress I am replacing it with two 2 ft 3 in wide mattresses with a decent mattress topper to hold them together. The advantage of this is easier access to the emergency steering in the event this is needed, and access to the batteries and other under bunk storage. This isn’t needed regularly, but often enough for a one-piece mattress to be annoying when it’s in the way!
There is also an en-suite in the aft cabin. Once again, in the grand scheme of things I am unsure if I’m going to keep this. The space could be put to use with a small washing machine, or storage, including wet hanging items. Again, this is just a thought at the moment. In the past having a second toilet on the boat has been useful when one of the toilet seacocks has become blocked. However this hasn’t been a problem over the past couple of years, so maybe the cause of the problem has been removed.
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| Layout of Isosceles, with a modified aft cabin |
While there are many advantages for me with a centre cockpit boat, the big downside comes as you enter the cabin. Because the cockpit of the boat is so far further forward then the main cabin is shorter to make up for this. Add to this the steep steps entering the boat it can feel like you are entering some kind of deep, dark cave. Once inside the cabin is cosy. It isn’t huge by 37 foot boat standards, but for one or two with occasional guests it is fine.
The galley (kitchen) is off to port (left) as you go down the ladder. There is a reasonable amount of storage here, but I’m planning on a few modifications over the next year or two which should dramatically increase storage in the galley, but that bit of the re-fit is going to have to wait a while at the moment. To access the galley you have to squeeze by the companion way ladder, but when you are in there is provides a nice safe space to work in with the ladder to brace yourself against when at sea. Opposite the galley is the chart table which provides ample working space, especially in these days of electronic navigation.
Forward of this you have the main saloon area, with bench settees down each side that can be made into nice secure sea births with good strong lee cloths going up the outside to keep anyone sleeping there secure. I have also modified the starboard (left) “L” shaped settee so it can be made into a double bed, or a day bed for snuggling up and watching a film if the nav station monitor is turned around.
Just in front of this is the main toilet and shower area to starboard (the right-hand side of the boat) and a locker opposite that is now the linen cupboard, with towels, bedding and the like stored there. In the front of the boat, in the forward cabin is the standard V birth / double birth, with storage in the cabin for guests.
It has been suggested that I should get rid of the forward cabin, turning this into the toilet / shower room with storage, and using the current toilet and locker space to extend the saloon forward. I’ve not discounted this idea, but I will wait a while and see how much, if at all, this cabin gets used by visitors once I start travelling.
Aft Cabin
The aft cabin on Isosceles has been modified extensively. The bed is a centre-line full size double birth, with extra locker space either side of the bed. It is a bit of a hike up on to the bed, and rather than one double mattress I am replacing it with two 2 ft 3 in wide mattresses with a decent mattress topper to hold them together. The advantage of this is easier access to the emergency steering in the event this is needed, and access to the batteries and other under bunk storage. This isn’t needed regularly, but often enough for a one-piece mattress to be annoying when it’s in the way!
There is also an en-suite in the aft cabin. Once again, in the grand scheme of things I am unsure if I’m going to keep this. The space could be put to use with a small washing machine, or storage, including wet hanging items. Again, this is just a thought at the moment. In the past having a second toilet on the boat has been useful when one of the toilet seacocks has become blocked. However this hasn’t been a problem over the past couple of years, so maybe the cause of the problem has been removed.
