Ideal sailboat

When I started looking for my ideal cruising sailboat, I was told that all boats are a compromise. That I would never find one that had everything I wanted and nothing I didn’t want especially (being on my own again) at a price I could afford.  

I have owned and lived on six other boats prior to buying Eidos over 15 years ago. They ranged from 20-foot day sailers to 30-foot oldies but goodies. I have also sailed with friends and poked around marinas whenever I could. Whenever possible, I spoke to other sailors, as well as designers, builders, surveyors and brokers. I read countless books and magazine articles. Needless to say, over the years, my list of requirements for a perfect boat had grown and became so extensive and detailed that I thought I really would have to compromise. That I would never find her.

I was lucky. I did.

Eidos is a 32-foot East Orient cutter designed by a well-known Canadian designer, Ted Brewer, and built in 1980 in Taiwan. There aren’t many of them around, the builder couldn’t keep up with the competition of mass production, although since I bought her, I have had contact with others and we now even have an owners' web page. She has been compared to a Southern Cross 31, a Valiant 32 a small Pacific Seacraft or Tayana.  

Eidos (means ‘essence’ in Greek) is everything I have ever wanted in a cruising sailboat. She combines form with function perfectly. She is beautiful to look at, comfortable to live on, yet strongly built, capable of taking me anywhere I might want to go. She is also a dream to sail.

Here is the list of ‘want to have’ I had compiled over the years and description of how Eidos satisfies it.

• 30-32 feet so that she has enough room for one or two people living on her full time as well as the occasional guest or two. Also, easy to sail single-handed (I am not very strong, 5’3, 100 lb. and wanted to be able to carry the genoa from the foredeck to the cockpit by myself as well as pull up the anchor and chain by hand if necessary). She would have to be affordable in sail away condition, since I didn’t want to spend too much time or money rebuilding and/or maintaining a large boat. 30-32 feet felt perfect for me. Eidos is 31’9” long with a beam of 10’10”.
• Strongly built, able to take me around the world if I ever wanted to do that. One I would feel secure in during a storm. That means fiberglass construction (steel and aluminum are more expensive in sail away condition and require maintenance I know nothing about), with the deck through bolted to the hull, bulkheads tabbed rather than part of the furniture. I didn't want inner lining below waterline for easy access in case of holing, solid knees supporting the deck to the hull, keel stepped mast, deep bilge. I wanted a lead keel encapsulated in fiberglass for extra strength and so that I could use tide grids for bottom work anywhere in the world.  I wanted a keel shape that helped the boat track well, as well as maneuver in tight quarters and point close to the wind. I prefer a cut-away forefoot and skeg-hung rudder. Eidos has all that. Her displacement is 11,500 pounds with 4,400 pounds of ballast.
• Cutter rig, or a sloop, which for me is the most versatile and easy to handle rig in a small boat. Sails in good condition. Eidos is a masthead cutter rig with 520 square feet of sail area and roller furling on the forestay. She came with a main, two high cut jibs, a staysail and a cruising spinnaker with a snuffer. Self-furling was not on my list of requirements (I prefer low tech, hanked-on head sails) but now that I have tried it, I’m getting used to it.
• Good anchors with plenty of chain. An anchor windlass. I have a Plow, a Fortress and a CQR with plenty of chain. There was a manual windlass on deck but it seized and finally gave up the ghost. Recently I have installed an electric one.
• High coamings (which are rare on modern boats) and plenty of handholds to keep feet and body on deck in rough weather. I have also added jack lines and wear a safety harness at sea. 
• Small, opening portholes for safety and ventilation.  I had secretly hoped for bronze and Eidos has them. Overhead hatches for added ventilation and to watch the stars at night from the forward bunk. Bug screens for portholes and hatches. 
• Cockpit with seats long and wide enough to sleep on and high seat backs to keep the ocean out. Comfortable enough for entertaining at anchor, yet safe at sea. The cockpit on Eidos has teak seats and back rests, and a fold-out table for snacks and drinks. She also has a sun awning for those days when the sun is very intense and a dodger to keep out the spray when sailing to windward. The gas bottles are in a self-contained locker with overboard ventilation.
• Steering wheel rather than tiller, because I need all the leverage, I can get! 
• Inside, I wanted lots of storage everywhere since I was planning to live, sail and work on board. Eidos has teak cupboards, shelves and lockers everywhere; I still don’t have them full. I also love the traditional looking boats, especially the wooden ones. In my opinion, wood adds character and a homey feel to any boat, but I didn’t want the maintenance that wooden-hull boats require, so wood inside with some trim outside is a good choice for me. Eidos has teak decks as well and I have been told that they’re a headache, but so far they haven’t given me too much trouble. 
• Good size V-berth with a privacy door that can do double duty as collision bulkhead. On Eidos, it looks like all the door needs is a cover for the ventilation louvers in the bottom foot to serve as a bulkhead that would slow the water ingress in case of a holing in the bow section. 
• Head that works and doesn’t need rebuilding. That was one thing I didn’t get, but the job wasn’t as bad as I expected and I had help. There is a stainless steel holding tank as well, and a shower, which wasn’t on my list (I like to use a solar shower). 
• A traditional salon with two sea berths port and starboard with a table in between. Eidos has a dinette style salon and it works even better than my original choice with a solid table permanently mounted on the floor to one side and not blocking the passageway to the v-berth and head. The dinette seat slides out to make a small double bunk after the table leaf is dropped.  
• A chart table and a navigation station. I wanted radar (which I don’t have yet), a VHF, a GPS, a depth sounder and an anemometer, which I do. Eidos also has an AM/FM radio with a CD player for that all-important ambiance.
• A quarter berth for extra storage, access to the engine from the inside of the boat and for the extra sea berth. This requirement was the most difficult to satisfy in the boats I looked at. 
• U-shaped galley aft where the motion is best, and where it’s close to the companionway for added ventilation and ease of access for eating in the cockpit. I also very much wanted an oven, since I love to bake. I didn’t care about having power water (which Eidos had but I removed and replaced it with foot pumps) or refrigeration (which she hasn’t) because of the added power requirements. I have learned to live without a fridge and don't miss it at all. I can always fill the icebox with ice.
• Decent diesel engine. Also, easy access to the engine, propeller shaft and steering quadrant. Eidos has a 20HP Yanmar which has a good reputation and for which parts are available all over the world. Access is through a cockpit locker, the quarter berth and under the companionway steps.
• Plenty of water and fuel storage. Eidos carries 60 gallons of water and 20 gallons of diesel plus extra 5 gallon containers which I lash on deck.
• And finally - price I can afford. This was the clincher. I couldn’t afford a $100,000 boat. And I didn’t want a project which usually becomes the ‘pay now or pay later’ choice. I lucked out here as well because the owners just reduced the asking price and were eager to sell. I was at the right place at the right time.
• Since I’m a minimalist and prefer as few gadgets and noisemakers as possible, I’m happy without a water maker and an air conditioner (noise makers), refrigerator (power hungry), and hot water (who needs it in the tropics).
•  I have, however, added a wind vane self-steering (she has an auto pilot already) and a solar panel for power.

Over all Eidos is the ideal boat for me. Now if I could only find the perfect man to join me on my perfect boat. I have a list…