Anyone sailed a Westerly Falcon: what did you think?

[NealB]

Just idle musing (well, probably, just idle musing), but I'd be interested to hear any stories and opinions about the Westerly Falcon, eg performance, handling, layout, common problems, etc.

I've tried the WOA, but they've not got a feedback volunteer for the Falcon.

Thanks.

 

[Tranona]

as you may know, Westerly used the same hull for a number of boats, including the Seahawk. The Falcon was not very popular as centre cockpit were the fashion at the time.

There is a used boat test of the Falcon from PBO a few years ago - probably available as a reprint.

Very typical Westerly and many of the issues will be common to other models of the same family.

 

[NealB]

as you may know, Westerly used the same hull for a number of boats, including the Seahawk. The Falcon was not very popular as centre cockpit were the fashion at the time.

There is a used boat test of the Falcon from PBO a few years ago - probably available as a reprint.

Very typical Westerly and many of the issues will be common to other models of the same family.

Thanks, Tranona.

I've read as widely as I can (WOA, Yachtsnet, etc., and even paid ridiculous amounts to get copies of 4 old 'test' reviews in YM and PBO).

It'd be great to hear any other opinions.

 

[pvb]

We had a trial sail in a Seahawk many years ago. It sailed OK. But it's a very long way down into the saloon, and presumably the Falcon is similar. It was like going down into the cellar.

 

[NealB]

We had a trial sail in a Seahawk many years ago. It sailed OK. But it's a very long way down into the saloon, and presumably the Falcon is similar. It was like going down into the cellar.

Oooh ... you're selling her to me, now: I have very happy childhood memories of making model ships in the cellar of my grandparents' east end Victorian terrace!

 

[pvb]

Oooh ... you're selling her to me, now: I have very happy childhood memories of making model ships in the cellar of my grandparents' east end Victorian terrace!

You asked for opinions!

 

[Robin]

Great caravan in Sehawk format, poor to windward, sailed many times on one owned by a friend, a fin keeled one, but the fin depth was not great and it slid sideways nicely new sails improved it a bit. At the time I owned a Liz 30 and later a westerly 33 ketch and also sailed both in company with the Seahawk. my friend's Seahawk had a lightash interior and black mould got into the wood grain of that and he never could get it out. It had a Volvo 2003 27hp motor which moved it well enough and it was handy enough under engine in confined places. pvb said very deep down steep stairs below which made cooking at sea a bit claustrophobic for me who prefers to be able to sniff fresh air It was my friend's wife that actually chose the boat truthfully, because she liked the aft large aft cabin and long galley. but then the Falcon is different, no walkthrough and a smaller galley IIRC.

Edited to add: in a quartering sea the waves picked up the fat arse and it was a lottery where they put it down, the autopilot never did learn to cope with that even under engine.

 

[burgundyben]

I delivered a bilge keeled Falcon from Hamble to St Malo, it was awful.

 

[NealB]

I delivered a bilge keeled Falcon from Hamble to St Malo, it was awful.

Don't suppose you give a little detail on what it was that was so awful, please?

 

[NealB]

Great caravan in Sehawk format, poor to windward, sailed many times on one owned by a friend, a fin keeled one, but the fin depth was not great and it slid sideways nicely new sails improved it a bit. At the time I owned a Liz 30 and later a westerly 33 ketch and also sailed both in company with the Seahawk. my friend's Seahawk had a lightash interior and black mould got into the wood grain of that and he never could get it out. It had a Volvo 2003 27hp motor which moved it well enough and it was handy enough under engine in confined places. pvb said very deep down steep stairs below which made cooking at sea a bit claustrophobic for me who prefers to be able to sniff fresh air It was my friend's wife that actually chose the boat truthfully, because she liked the aft large aft cabin and long galley. but then the Falcon is different, no walkthrough and a smaller galley IIRC.

Edited to add: in a quartering sea the waves picked up the fat arse and it was a lottery where they put it down, the autopilot never did learn to cope with that even under engine.

Agreed .... the Falcon's stern cabin is nothing like as impressive as the Seahawk's.

Her 'arse' is fairly trim by modern standards, I'd say. So, a common problem, these days, perhaps?

 

[NealB]

Just in case anyone else might be interested, I came across this, by Andy Wilson, in Scuttlebutt, May 2003:


"Re: How well does a Falcon sail?

I helped deliver one from Pwilhelli to Brest a year last Easter.

From memory we logged about 350 miles and to within an hour or so took 3 1/2 days.

Not a fantastic passage time, but this included a spell sailing backwards inside Ushant due to lack of accurate tidal info. (sailing backwards that is with engine on full chat too!), followed by a spell pretty much sailing nowhere off Ushant, as the Owner / Skipper wanted us to keep going.

I say sailing nowhere, the vertical progress was amazing. If you have ever been through overfalls off a headland in The Channel, consider that Ushant represents a whole country sticking out into the Atlantic. I can say with some confidence therfore that they handle robust conditions very, very well indeed.

She seemed reasonable to windward though we didn't encounter any competition beating to windward so it is hard to say.

I started one particular 4 hour trick across the Western Approaches by setting the sails and locking the wheel, and didn't attend to them again all watch. I sat with the dolphins (or porpoises) at the bow, watched their efflorescent torpedo-like wakes, brewed up, plotted etc, etc, and she just plugged on and on through the swell in a F 3-4. Indeed, nearly everytime someone stuck the A/P on, whoever sat at the chart table and caught the battery switches with their boot tops left us heading up to wind, sails flogging once the power was accidentally switched off. If the batt. switches are in front of the chart table seat, watch out for that.

Having not been afloat for some months, I was suprised not to be sick all trip (though I was on Stugeron, I expected to succumb).

Layout was good for the length, given the beam of 12 feet or so, and worked well on passage, something that cannot necessarily be said for many modern designs. So good accomodation per metre charged by the marina then.

Engine access was good, aft heads were useable (but the front ones wern't as they had about 5 mountain bikes in there !).

Aft cabin seemed OK as a crawl in bunk, with good standing headroom between cabin door and heads if my memory serves me correctly. No good for sleeping on passage (I was shuffled in there for 1 period of rest, which was unsatisfactory for some reason, may have been sea state, probably also noise) but bags of space for in port. Probably suffers from slap under the afterswim at rest.

I prefer aft cockpit to centre for open seas as the motion is kinder at the back, so more brownie points there.

You may get the impression that I rate them well.

I do, and if I ever tire of my Fulmar I would consider highly a Falcon as a next, modest step up.

You will of course have sea trial?"

 

[Poecheng]

I don't pretend to be a boat tester - Looking back I can see I generally buy Sadlers and know I have bought the best :encouragement:

I am pretty sure I did my Coastal Skipper weekend practice and exam on a Falcon in the early 1990s. Our skipper was very experienced and qualified yachtsman and colleague.
The only thing I remember about the boat was that we had to get from Gosport to Hamble harbourmaster's pontoon to pick up the examiner (Geoff Hales) for the following morning. We just had to get there. The weather was atrocious and as we went along the coast to windward I remember thinking - as the boat smashed its way ahead - that I didn't know boats of that size could do what that Falcon was doing. I was impressed and I have never forgotten that experience which was confidence inspiring to me.

 

[NealB]

Thanks for that, Poecheng.

I've also found some favourable comments, on a US message board, from someone who has done several transatlantics in his Falcon.

They seem to be the Marmite of the sailing world.

 

[Tranona]

They seem to be the Marmite of the sailing world.

Just like most boats! Owners generally have nothing but praise for the boat they one, otherwise why would they own it? Similarly with those who have snapshot positive experiences with particular boats are usually complimentary.

The reality is there are very few "bad" boats, but clearly individuals have preferences for particular characteristics based on their expectations and how well a particular boat meets those.

You find very few dissatisfied owners so the process of choosing a boat for most seems to work well, even though this process varies from person to person.

 

[NealB]

Just like most boats!

Ain't that the truth!

I've genuinely lost count of the boats I've owned over the last 50 years (I easily run out of fingers just doing a quick mental list). Every one of them was great in some respects, weak in others.

If I were more single-minded, boat choice would be so much easier.

Ah well .... variety is the spice......