Riga Balsam is a fast cruiser, with good accommodation
Riga Balsam is a bridgedeck version of the Shuttle 31 designed by John Shuttleworth. She is 10m (32.8 feet) long and 6.8m (22.3 feet) wide. Due to the flaired hulls, there is plenty of volume inside. The saloon aft in port hull has room for 6 persons and is the social centre onboard. Adjacent to the saloon is the galley with worktops and lockers on each side, comprising refrigerator, two sinks, cooker and ample space for food storage. Forward there is a cabin with double bunk, shelves and hanging lockers. Starboard hull has a spacious aft cabin with double bunk, shelves, hanging lockers and sliding door cabinets. It also has a wet locker, toilet with shower and a work bench. Forward there is a cabin with double bunk, shelves and hanging lockers as in port hull. Each hull has a locker for sails or anchor in the bow. The bridge deck has sitting height and contains the chart table and navigation instruments and also a table with benches seating four adults. On deck all sheets and dagger board control lines are led to the cockpit. Reefing and hoisting sails is done at the mast. A special hinged pedestal for the wheel and motor controls permits the helmsman to steer from either side of the cockpit. This improves the view forward and on the sails and increases the joy of sailing this exciting cruiser.
Riga Balsam is a pure cruiser and has a conventional sloop rig, with a self tacking jib and a fully battened mainsail. The mast is non-rotating with two spreaders. The motor is a four-stroke, high thrust 9.9 hp Yamaha outboard.
Further information about the Shuttle 31 is available on www.john-shuttleworth.com/designs/S31design.html.