History of Seascape

Seascapes Travel Log
Michael Grew
Thu 25 Mar 2010 00:23
Seascape is a Seadog 30 Ketch. It is a very solid small centre-cockpit ketch-rigged cruiser - originally marketed as a motor-sailer, but one that has a reasonably good sailing performance.
The Seadog was first introduced in 1964, designed and built by Reg Freeman A.R.I.N.A. The design was popular, and production continued for many years, with very minor design changes. They offer an unusual combination of qualities - a good tough heavy-displacement sailing boat to cross oceans, yet relatively shallow draught and the ability to take the ground if you have the triple keel version. Add in a deep safe cockpit protected from the worst of the weather by a fixed windscreen and masts mounted in tabernacles so they can be lowered if necessary without outside assistance, and you have a genuinely go-almost-anywhere boat, from ocean passages (at least one has been circumnavigated single-handed) to travelling the French canals.
Seascape was one of the last to be built in the UK (in 1973) the remaining few being build in Holland.
We became the proud fourth owners of Seascape in May 2009, two previous owners having been retired Royal Naval officers. This was probably the 30th or so boat that we had viewed that were advertised for sale, many of which should have been dragged off to the scrap yard long ago. Seascape was, in comparison, in pristine condition and apart from very minor work on the keel, needed little doing to it.
Since buying her a bit of sprucing up has taken place. All her cockpit varnish has been stripped from the woodwork right back to bare wood and several fresh coats applied. A noisy metal drive plate in the gearbox has been replaced with a quieter plastic one and her hull antifouling is to be shortly stripped and replaced with an epoxy copper coating. When completed in May she will be ready for her travels to the Mediterranean .