On Jun 23, 3:34*pm, Frogwatch wrote:
YES, I'll start a real flame war here but I am serious about the
question.
HK says a cutaway transom allows the boat to drain if it is swamped,
seems sensible.
The designer of my Tolman (Renn Tolman) says to have a high drywell in front of the
motor on a cutaway to make sure she does NOT fill with water.
A compromise seems to be to have the dry well but also have serious
cockpit drains, not the tiny ones you see on most boats, I mean at
least 6" diameter AND have the cockpit drains with flapper valves made
of thick rubber sheet attached to the transom with SS screws. *This
would require the boat be decked with floatation underneath.
I am curious because I am considering in the long term what boat to
build next and am considering a modified 23' Tolman Jumbo with more
deadrise.

In either case, the cabin entrance should have a high step to get over
to prevent water from going below. This seems sorta a pain but
necessary. Many sailboats are built with such a step (bridgedeck) to
prevent water from going below if the cockpit floods. In addition, in
nasty weather, I keep the bottom hatchboard in place. Maybe such a
hatchboard would help on offshore boats with cabins? What is done on
such boats to prevent water from going into the cabin?.