You might be moving up in size from an outboard-powered sport boat. Or, maybe it’s time to downsize into a smaller boat. Either way, the Rover 29 might fit your needs. It’s for cruising with a friend or spouse, or for cruising solo. It could handle three or four people in a pinch, but just for a single night.
Originally, I used my little tugboat TugZilla as the basis for this new cruiser. TugZilla is 26 feet long, and I have run her many hundreds of hours, but I wanted a bit more length to play with on a fresh sheet of paper. I penned a double-ended design that measured 29 feet long, and I gave it a couple of twists.
I increased the width of the rear house to stretch almost from sheer to sheer, with the walk-up side deck eliminated in favor of moving forward and aft within the house itself. There is still a 7-inch side deck alongside this wider cabin, but I would only need to work this area to set a fender, and the truth is that it could be rigged from aft or forward and flipped over the side at the last minute.
The main transit from the cockpit to the pilothouse and to the foredeck is done by moving through the interior of the boat and going out the two sliding doors on each side of the pilothouse. I designed 6 feet, 4 inches of headroom in the centerline of the rear cabin, and added more in the raised pilothouse, which has 6 feet, 6 inches.
Another difference from my little tugboat is the raised/flush deck forward, allowing generous sitting headroom over the berths below. TugZilla had a lower foredeck and bulwarks forward that allow for a berthing and small galley area below, but did not allow full upright sitting on the bunks. The Rover 29 adds a foot of headroom in the forward cabin. With the flush-deck configuration, the space feels even more comfortable than the tape measure indicates.
The rear cabin of the Rover 29 is entered from the stern moving through the aft cabin and up a couple of steps to the pilothouse sole, or from sliding side doors to port and starboard. The deep, bulwarked side pits are nice for getting access to the pilothouse and keeping the captain or crew secure while setting spring lines. It’s just a double step up and moving forward over the flush forward deck, and then a single step down into the anchor well pit.
Standing in the anchor pit feels secure if you happen to have the unpleasant duty of anchoring in inclement weather or a rough seaway. A guy line that runs from the stemhead up to an eye just under the brow of the pilothouse roof creates more security if things are tough weather-wise. A lifeline can be clipped in for safety. For single-handing, this arrangement is easy to rig and keeps the skipper and crew safe, and the cost is minimal.
She also has a tabernacled mast, trolling stabilizer poles on either side, and a long boom that would accommodate a boom/tent cockpit shade cover.
Entering the cabin from the aft cockpit, there is a centerline companionway with a sliding hatch, allowing upright, standing entry. A dinette is aft against the port side, and a full head is to starboard. Forward of the head is a U-shaped galley with space for a range, below-counter refrigerator and cabinets.
Forward of there, the pilothouse has a bench seat against the rear bulkhead. The helm is to starboard, and the engine is below the bench, accessed through a hinged seat. The after end of the engine is accessed by a removable section of galley counter.
For sleeping, I included port and starboard single berths. This arrangement has maximum flexibility, and lets you wake up in the middle of the night for anchor watch without disturbing your mate. The dinette converts for short-term overnight guests or grandkids who do not yet know the difference between a truly good night’s rest and the alternative.
This article was originally published in the March 2023 issue.
