Choice of Boats!

welkman

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Hi Guys,

Im new to this forum and would like to seek your combined advice!

I am currently looking for a boat with a budget of around 10k.

Background:

I love racing, cross channels or longer races are my favorite kind of race but im not too bothered about round the cans!

Currently I have a fair bit of experince with racing older IOR boats as well as newer designs. I have owned the 1/4 tonner runnaway bus and also regularly crew on a boat called tumble home II.

Most of my sailing is done with my girlfreind or shorthanded. Personally performance is an important factor but so is ease of handeling and strength. I had a real problem with the 1/4 tonner as it was too tender for my needs.

I follow the french mini transat class and love the idea of sailing a production pogo 6.50 but my girl freind is not so keen!

I am looking to do some longer distance short handed racing in the future and would dearly love to do the jester.

I am 22 years old.

Boats I have considred so far are the jenneua 2000, beneteau 210 in its various incarnations and a contessa 26.

I feel the contessa will be a bit dull, but really have no idea about the other two boats other than having a look round the both of them.

I would be really intrested to hear any honest opinions on these boats and welcome any other suggestions, I am really interested to see how they sail in all weathers.

Many Thanks

James
 

NickiCrutchfield

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I'd love a Beneteau 210. Light, swift, twin rudders and unsinkable. My one day of pleasure with it is all I can draw on, but it was a great day. Sadly they are no longer billed as unsinkable, 'cause,legally, it puts them on dodgy ground as the boat could fail to float if it broke up. Due to this 'trade descriptions' problem the current incarnation has had the foam taken out to make more locker space. Talk about a triumph of crap over good sense. The 211 is still 'unsinkable'. No actual hull changes across the 21' range.
Never sailed Jeanneau 2000. Contessa 26 will keep you safe and allow you to sleep.
Nicki
 

arfa

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I sail a first 211 and can honestly say they are fun coastal boats with spritely performance but I would not be sure about taking them into heavier weather (i.e. much more than a force 6) as it is a light displacement boat and my sense is that in heavy weather you would be seriously challenged on one ! I know that a family circumnavigated in an etap 21i but again i thnk they are braver than I. Good luck in your search
 

andlauer

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Bonjour
There is a "tradition" saying that heavy deplacement should be more.... in heavy wind.
Minis for example but also FigarOne Open 60.... show that light deplacement may also be very safe.
I'm personnaly convinced that light deplacement are safer at equivalence of length to heavy deplacement. (I know that some of my friends don't !) The main reason is that they have less inertia so the efforts, specially from the waves, are less important.
The First 210 is one of the boats I could be interested in for the JC.
The only thing that could stop me is the moving keel. For offshore I would prefer a fix one. (It is not a scientific point of view but just a feeling!).
Don't take the last version (2007) because, as French regulation doesn't consider any more insinkability, they are not unsinkable anymore.
Eric /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

welkman

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Hi again, thanks for the information!

Im generally not a fan of heavy displacment boats (I learnt on an itchen ferry). I feel that some of this type of boat can need a good force six to get going properly, having said that you shouldnt sail a boat that restricts you from sailing in high winds. I am a cautious sailor, but not one that has to have the perfect conditions before I go on the water!

As far as the swinging keel goes, i am really interested. The mini has a 2 meter draft which is no good where I live (the thames estuary) so to have a boat with a deep keel that swings away is a massive bonus for me.

I am quite aware that a light displacment 21ft boat will be uncomfortable in high winds, but im much more concerned with the saftey aspect, ie will the boat stay intact. If I look after the boat and dont push excessivly will it be ok in a storm condition? After all Frank dye did manage to extensivly cruise a wayfarer to Norway and Iceland in some pretty bad conditions!

The swinging keel on this type of boat seems to be very diffrent from the keels on the open series boats. The open sixtys keel pivots must take a tremendous amount of force (the keel looks 3-4 meters with a considerable bulb on the end!).

Has anyone thought of usin a small multihull for the Jester?
Somthing along the lines of a typhoon trimaran (26ft long)?

James
 

Noddy

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[ QUOTE ]
Has anyone thought of usin a small multihull for the Jester?
Somthing along the lines of a typhoon trimaran (26ft long)?

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm planning to go in my Iroquois cat (if I can get it all nailed and glued back together in time that is) on the JC08

Nick Barham is taking a Val 31 which I believe was originally designed for the Jester class in the OSTAR.

Here is the entry list for the JC08 to The Azores:
http://www.jesterinfo.org/jac2008entrylist.html
There are a few other multihulls in there.

Get a multihull... You know it makes sense!

Paul
 

andlauer

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Bonjour
I have almost any experience on multihulls.
I only know that they have two stable positions : up side up and up side down. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
While monohull, most of the time, have also two stable positions : floating or sinked /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I just wanted, without any pro or cons, to signal an interesting experience from an catamaran designer (in english).
Eric /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
articles- Eclipse's perfect storm
 
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