Advice on Westerly Riviera

[kharley]

I am in the process of buying a riviera and would like to speak to any owners who would be willing to share their knowledge with me I have not used this forum before so dont know weather this is the right place or would PM be better

 

[nigelhudson]

Welcome to the forum! I suggest that you also try the Westerly Owners Association forum. You can register without being a member but I would recommend that you join anyway.

Enjoy the boat.........

 

[kharley]

Thanks I am a WOA member would like to reach wider group also

 

[Kantara]

Hi Kevin,
I have a Riviera and would be willing to answer any questions you may have.
I'm very pleased with mine, plenty of space and sails remarkably well. Haven't used the inside steering a great deal but it is possible to sail from inside. The in-mast reefing for the main is a bit of a pain as the standard leads for the block make an awful lot of friction but plenty of lubrication makes an amazing difference and it is possible to operate everything from the cockpit.
The best bit about her is the ability to sit in the saloon with a glass of wine and see what is going on outside - something that many of the newer deck-saloon designs don't seem to have.

 

[kharley]

Thanks for your responce
Have you had any problems with the windows

 

[kharley]

The one i'm interested in has had the mast and sail replaced and has stack pack and lazy jack system
The agent says this is ment to offer better performance but I dont know if it will be as user friendly as inmast furling
I have not used a modern reefing system like that

 

[tome]

Re: Advice on Westerly Riviera

I wouldn't consider in-mast in a boat smaller than 40+ feet. The main has to be cut horribly flat, and you lose a fair bit of sail area

On a bigger boat it does come in handy for short-handed sailing, but you'll have no probs with slab reefing on a 35 foot boat and will enjoy much better performance IMO

 

[kharley]

Went to see Riviera at weekend
Was disapointed with the size of seating area- is it comfortable for lounging around in the evening ?
Does'nt look like four could eat comfortably either
I would love to be told otherwise - any thoughts?
The owner has removed pedistal seat at the inside helm position which leaves lots of room but also not much to hold onto at sea
The sail and reefing does seem to be an improvement on the original and the boat looks generally good but not sure about the salon area for the above reasons

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Sent you a PM - shout if you have difficulty finding it.