Moor Or Less: Moor or Less

Adams 31 Centre Cockpit

Intended layout of Moor or Less

The Name
Many people pick romantic names for boats, however I am not really the romantic type, so wanted to select a name which was more light hearted. While the boat had been given a name by the previous owner, it wasn't written anywhere on the vessel, only on the boat registration. Therefore I felt it was possible to change the name without having to slaughter a goat, to appease King Neptune.

The original name was Persistence, reflecting the long hours spent by previous owner working on the fitout.

So why "Moor or Less"..... To me, I wanted a name which reflected a laid back lifestyle which cruising the islands will create. A lifestyle which which will more or less fit my dreams. So using a play on the word "more" to be more nautical, slected "Moor or Less".

The Vessel
A popular trend in the early eighties by several yacht manufacturers in Australia was to take a sucsessful aft cockpit racing boat, and build a centre cockpit deck version. This was done to appeal to larger market, and also extend the market of the hull mould.

The Adams 31 Centre Cockpit is an example of this trend. Joe Adams, the designer, created a functional centre cockpit for his successful 31 foot quarter ton yacht. Unlike many smaller centre cockpits of that period, the Adams 31 version has access to the aft cabin from the main saloon. The passagway along the starboard is low but there is still room along the hull to place large ice boxes and storage.

Moor or Less was built as a home completion project, with the hull and deck being purchased from the builder, and then the fitout completed at home. Moor or Less has never been finished, and spent most of its life at the back of a factory being intermittently worked on by its owners when time permitted.

Even though the hull and deck were made in 1994, the vessel only went into the water in 2006. It was used as a place to live for the owner for a short period, but then he moved to a farming area, and progress on the vessel came to a halt.

I have always liked the design of the Adams 31, and in early days raced on the aft cockpit version of this design. When this vessel became available I thought that it would make a great cruising boat. It also fitted my planned size range for a cruising yacht (30-35 foot), so I took on the task of completing the fitout.

There are several things which I wish to change to make it more suitable for maintenance and cruising comfort. Many of the systems and equipment on the boat need replacing already, allowing for them to be setup how I need them for extended cruising.

Some photos of the vessel before the changes. The blog will show the progress and changes over time. (Hopefully not too much time)