Any throughts on the Westerly Conway ketch?

[Viking]

Anybody: got, sailed, owned one. Looking for Pros or Cons.

 

[nigelhudson]

It's a Westerly - you know what you are going to get! Link to the Westerly Owners site and the view of an ex-Westerly man.......
http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/html/dg16.html

 

[bilbobaggins]

No.

 

[Lakesailor]

A particularly unhelpful post.


and you got there before me!

 

[bilbobaggins]

and you got there before me!

Unusually pertinacious...

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bilbobaggins]

"It floats like a duck; it sails like a duck; it looks like a duck;

It's a Westerly..."

QED

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[IanPoole2]

so it's quite good then

 

[Viking]

Thanks for your help!

 

[Viking]

Thanks ! I had already check it out. I just want to know if anyone had any first hand knowledge.
I'm sorry the 'nerds' got to it first. Its seems the question or inquire was not of the intellectual standard for LS and BB. which is a wonder at some of their posts, LS seems to have been sailing round the lake to much, hes court up with himself and finally sailed up his own intellectual axxs!

 

[trouville]

There very conservative!Heavy(solid sorry)there looks have been coverd and not that much room below for size they also ask a very high price becouse there safe and solid???

I was recently invited aboard one for drinks the interiors "traditional" bit depressing "British 60s" Good boat thought! Big engines will motor "sail"

Personly id buy a Folkboat in preferance

 

[Robin]

We owned a W33 Ketch for 14 years, a little later design but otherwise very similar from Laurent Giles. I was roped in to skipper a chartered Conway Ketch a couple of times for a company charter weekend once in the Solent only and once across Channel in roughish conditions. They are very sturdy and seaworthy boats which with decent sails (not in-mast) can be made to sail very well and they will keep up decent passage speeds but light airs greyhounds they are not. Earlier ones had internal grp mouldings and were very plasticky, later ones had all wood interiors and were much better. The normal engine was the Mercedes OM636 42hp but some had a Volvo 36 I think, we had the Mercedes on our W33 but replaced it after an oil pump failure. Lots of Conways have done the RTW circuit, they are renowned long distance cruisers.

 

[ColinHuggins]

Re: Any knowledgeable thoughts at all today?

[ QUOTE ]
"It floats like a duck; it sails like a duck; it looks like a duck - it's a Westerly..."

[/ QUOTE ]

I've done several cross-Channel passages without incident in a smaller version, the Renown, and umpteen R the Is Races in Fulmars and Storms.

NOT to be dismissed lightly just because of the brand name.

(Not that anyone who admits to sailing a Bav can possibly know what he's talking about . . )

CJH

 

[waterboy]

Re: Any knowledgeable thoughts at all today?

They are basically good boats and handle well in rough conditions. Look after the boat and the boat will look after you. To date, they have been holding their prices reasonably well as they have a sizable bunch of admirers via the owners association. I believe that one problem with Westerlys centres round the fact that they are no longer in production, meaning that the numbers of admirers will inevitably diminish as time goes by leading to in a fall-back of the healthy values they enjoy today.

 

[SvenglishTommy]

Re: Any knowledgeable thoughts at all today?

I've sailed a lot in a conway ketch, my mother has one. Very sturdy and seaworthy, the performance is not too bad for a westerly, at least with the fin keel version. Not the prettiest boat on the water, but got my mother to New Zealand and back, which speaks for itself.

 

[oleander2]

The best boat I have owned to date. The ketch rig gives you lots of sailing options. I do find that going upwind in anything more than a five I have to drop the mizzen as I have far too much weather helm.

Going astern under power is tricky as she has a strong kick to port. Having said that she will turn on a sixpence.

SWMBO loves the space down below. We normally sail two up which invaribly means that I am singlehanded as SWMBO is down below clutching her bucket.

 

[Barry777]

Frank....a Westerly Conway wouldn't be fast enough for you...compared with a Maxi it's a bit of a lump....comfortable and safe, but not the fastest on the water

PS Charlotte is here with us at the moment.

 

[Viking]

Thanks for that Smokey

 

[Viking]

Hi Barry Its just that ones going cheap in the marina. (£28k) It did the ARC in 2004 so all the equipment on it is only a couple of years old. The guys brought another boat and he need to be shot of it. It does need a bit of TLC though.

PS Hope she behaving herself.

Regards to Lotte

 

[Mudplugger]

If you are talking 28k in £'s, and its in reasonable condition, sounds like a steal!. Normal asking prices are around the 45k mark. Built like a brick outhouse and sail suprisingly well if you set them up well. the old Ptmth Rating was 103...which was pretty quick at the time! Have to say that my w33 would point better than the Conway, but off the wind away it went! particularly if you can get the Mizzen staysail to fly, like a turbo kicking in. But have a feeling that they run out at about 10tons loaded up, which is a lot of weight to stop! HTH

 

[12 Year Plan B-)]

Ancient thread...but I have something to add:
I needed strength and reliability for a cruise to Faroe and Iceland. I would never feel safe in those waters aboard a plastic fantastic, so I bought a W33 Ketch.
Even with old sails and a fouled hull, I got over 7 knots average over 50 minutes on a close reach in a 4/5 under all plain sail.
SOG was calculated using GPS fixes and any tides were on the beam.
You can sail quickly or slowly. For me, survival is the no.1 priority.