Achilles 24 & Hurley

[camartins77]

Hi all

Just wondering if anyone's got any experience/advice regarding the Achilles 24 and/or Hurley 22 or 20.
Basically I'm thinking of buying my first boat and after some research (and advice from some of you) I found out that both this models are the more suitable for my taste and budget. I'm after a boat to develop my skills in and have loads of weekend cruising fun, firstly in our coast but across the Channel and Channel Islands as soon as possible!!! Any ideas on the seaworthiness of these boats?
Thanks a lot






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[stevebirch2002]

Hi

Both are very good. Have a look and take your choice. I saw a nice one for sale at Uskmouth Sailing Club (Bristol Channel) the other day (£3000) just been completely renovated and looks really good.

<hr width=100% size=1>Albin Vega "Southern Comfort" V1703

 

[Ohdrat]

I would suggest that you go and look and even possibly get to sail both and anything else that remotely looks the same.. many will have been modified by owners and some modifications will be better suited to your requirements than others.. for instance you may view a stripped out round the cans Achilles which probably wouldn't suit your purposes for cruising etc

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[Sybarite]

I would suggest you charter for a year first and try different boats. I changed my preconceptions doing this.

John

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[Dipper]

I owned a Hurley 22 (twin keel)for 7 years and prior to that crewed regularly on an fin keel Achilles 24 (mainly club racing).

The Hurley is a heavy boat for its size so is a bit slow in light winds but extremely seaworthy. They have made Atlantic crossings and I believe a 22 has also crossed the Pacific. It will certainly look after you when the wind picks up. It has the feel of a much larger yacht.

The Achilles 24 is much lighter and consequently faster in light airs but is still a surprisingly good seaboat and my skipper cruised extensively in his, even taking his baby with him. It has a more dinghy like feel to it and responds well to a keen helmsman and crew if you want it to.

I don’t know much about the Hurley 20 but I would not have thought they were suitable for channel crossings if the weather looked a bit dodgy.

Either the Hurley 22 or the Achilles 24 would be excellent as a first boat. If you have nervous crew then perhaps the Hurley would be better. If you intend putting in a few races at the club as well as cruising, then the Achilles would be a better choice.

Having looked at your earlier posts about being really new to sailing, I would recommend you try to get some experience on other peoples boats first. However, if you are desperate to go it alone, then the Hurley 22 will look after you pretty well but it is definitely not a trailer sailer weighing in at around 2 tonnes.

PS One did win the Round the Island Race in about 1967.


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