'74 Tsunami Pilothouse and Rehab

[Handful in NC]

Good suggestion, Brian A. I'll check out a Parker door. You are right, there are plenty around here as they are made right down the road.

I had a 25' Parker Extended Cabin with a bracket quite a few years ago, which was a great boat except it had the shallow V hull and would beat you to pieces in a chop. Much of what I liked/disliked on the cabin Parker influenced my decisions on the Tsunami rehab and the design of the pilothouse.

[Bryan A.]

Originally Posted by Handful in NC

Good suggestion, Brian A. I'll check out a Parker door. You are right, there are plenty around here as they are made right down the road.

I had a 25' Parker Extended Cabin with a bracket quite a few years ago, which was a great boat except it had the shallow V hull and would beat you to pieces in a chop. Much of what I liked/disliked on the cabin Parker influenced my decisions on the Tsunami rehab and the design of the pilothouse.

Hah, I have a Parker 2530 too, but a deep vee. Still nothing compared to my SeaCraft.

[ct9amr]

Boat looks great and covers a lot of the issues that can be had with a hardtop.
Glad to see you went full glass.
My old Shamrock had an added hardtop (not full express style), it had 1/2 isinglass and it was a pain once it got wet and the visibility went to crap.

Glad to see you ended up with what you wanted after diving in!

[evknot0127]

beautiful boat very very nice job

[Handful in NC]

After a few months of use, here are some observations for those that may be contemplating a pilothouse/cabin addition to a 23' Sceptre/Tsunami.

The glass windows are great. They can be cleaned in about 3 minutes with a squeegee and Rain-X cleaner. On a cold nasty day, we are warm and dry. On a hot sunny day, the cabin cools immediately when the windows are opened for ventilation.

Being able to move around inside the pilothouse with plenty of headroom is nice, but the majority of the time my passengers and I are seated, and I might have gotten by with a lower cabin top. This would have decreased fabrication costs, windage, weight, and resulted in better esthetics. (Check out the original 23' Sceptre hardtop plans in the CSC website specifications pages. Occasionally, one of these pops up for sale if you want to see pictures of the real boat.)

One way to maintain headroom in the pilothouse while lowering the overall top height would be to utilize the well along the centerline of the forward cockpit that joins with the forward cuddy cabin area. This finished space is typically used for storage or an auxilliary fuel tank and would require no significant alterations. By leaving this well open and placing a centerline hatch in the very rear of the cabin top, one could "step down" into this well inside the pilothouse. A large low-profile hatch properly positioned at the helm station would allow the pilot to stand, upper body above the cabin top, when doing so is advantageous.

[Handful in NC]

Strick, that's a mighty nice compliment. Many thanks.

[SBD]

There is no doubt that this is a beautiful boat, and very well executed but I am a form follows function kind of guy.

When this boat loses power in snotty conditions and is getting blown towards the rocks, how are you going to get that anchor from the box in the stern up to the bow? and what will it be tied to?

IMHO you need a door/hatch to the bow or a real bow rail and a good bow roller to make this BEAUTIFUL boat safe.

Rigging is gorgeous!

[Handful in NC]

It's all relative, SBD. There is no such thing as the perfect boat, and there are many compromises we all choose to accept. My boat is highly customized, rigged for what I do and where I operate. I've had my share of hair raising moments with stuck bow hatches/windows, tripping on deck cleats, jammed anchor hold downs, and near overboard experiences despite grab rails.

That anchor in the stern compartment can be overboard and set in seconds, and done in complete safety. It's also convenient for beaning the USCG or Marine Patrol guys when they do the 3rd equipment check of the day on my boat, while a boat overloaded with drunk teenagers zooms by us in the no wake zone!

[77SceptreOB]

I have a similar situation and an easy fix.

Due to my hardtop/mini tower supports I can't open my front hatch fully. So I can't get my big anchor to the front that way. I throw the anchor from the rear and let the rode line spool out until it hits bottom, then walk the rope around the side up to the front and secure to the front cleat.

Simple and effective....

[SBD]

The ocean here is mean and ugly, and I am used to preparing for that. If you have a routine that works for you, and where you go its all good.