1985 Custom Pinical 14-34

Tumbleweed is a custom-built aluminum center cockpit sloop designed for heavy-weather bluewater cruising. The hull employs a distinctive construction method: aluminum planks running lengthwise are interlocked and bolted together, then sealed with epoxy. This robust approach creates a structural integrity more akin to steel vessels than conventional fiberglass designs, and the hull shape reflects careful engineering for resilience in challenging offshore conditions.

Power comes from an 85-horsepower Perkins diesel engine, giving the boat a cruising speed of 8 knots. At 48 feet in length with a 14-foot 5-inch beam, the yacht offers a substantial platform for extended passages. The rig is a sloop configuration, suited to the boat's design purpose and ocean-going capability.

The aluminum hull has been sandblasted and sealed with seven layers of paint for long-term protection. The boat is rigged and has cruised extensively throughout the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico, including passages through the Florida Keys and up the Eastern seaboard to the Carolinas.