When East Coasters wish
to epitomise coastal
cruising in their area, they
evoke Maurice Griffiths.
No other design reflects
the spirit of the great
designer and former YM
editor more than the 26ft
(8m) Eventide. Designed
and launched by Yachting
Monthly in 1962, she is a
hard-chine bilge-keeler
with a remarkably spacious interior. This is due to the raised sidedecks,
topped by a coachroof that is almost an extended doghouse. So many
modifications have been made to the marque over the years and so many
different building methods were used, that it is difficult to generalise about
her. There are also stretched and shrunk Eventides. Many were home-built
in marine ply from plans, though there are a good few professionally-built
ones, too. She has also been built in steel and GRP. The accommodation is
usually four-berth, with various configurations of galley and chart table. She
had a reasonably large rig but her shallow draught and rather encumbered
underwater area, means she struggles a bit in light airs, particularly to
windward. In a blow, she can have serious weather helm – many owners
have added a short bowsprit to improve balance. Plans for this, the earlier
Eventide 24, and many other of Griffiths’ 140 designs are available from
the highly active and helpful Eventide Owners’ Association. It is well worth
contacting the association before buying. Because of the variability of build
and fit-out, and the number of years she has been in production, prices
vary enormously. Tired versions sell for almost nothing while good, recent
examples fetch remarkable sums among Griffiths cognoscenti.

LoA 8m (26ft 3in) LWL 6.7m (22ft) beam 2.4m (8ft) Draught 0.6m (2ft 1in) Displacement
1,636kg (3,600lb) YM test report July 1962, March 1995