Battle of the heavyweight bilge keelers...

Seajet said:
Nicholas123,

no bandwagon; as in your post quoted here, you were having a go at people for not reading previous posts, while if you had yourself you'd know what people were on about in recent posts...:rolleyes:
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The clue is in the opening line seajet."According to Tranona."
I just think that if you are going to belittle someone it should be fair & across the board.:rolleyes:
Do try to keep up seajet :D
 
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I think 'do try to keep up' applies to your good self here; PRV had mentioned he is more interested in performance than the OP - possibly Tranona didn't catch that either, or equally possibly I misunderstood.

I'm sure no-one here aims to belittle anyone; give a steer in the right direction or a prod maybe but certainly not belittle.
 
James W said:
Just pondering the future on a cold day and, for 10K ish, what would you go for?

Macwester 27
Macwester 28
Mirage 28
Snapdragon 890
Snapdragon 27
Leisure 27

Looking for solid, seaworthy, safe, roomy and able to take the ground....I know these don't often come fast as well but that doesn't much worry me.

Thanks all, looking forward to your thoughts!
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I've had a Leisure 27 (albeit fin keel) and a Centaur 26 (bilge). If I was doing it again I'd probably go for the Leisure ahead of the Centaur but I'd also consider a good Macwester.
 
Seajet said:
I think 'do try to keep up' applies to your good self here; PRV had mentioned he is more interested in performance than the OP - possibly Tranona didn't catch that either, or equally possibly I misunderstood.
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Confusion here for some perhaps because there are two people asking for advice in the same thread on simlar but not the same subject. The OP did not have performance high on his list of priorities and actually Pete was looking for something with better performance than his current boat while retaining one of the existing features - shallow draft (with ability to dry out).

There are a number of boats that will meet both criteria, but as I pointed out the number increases particularly in improved sailing performance with a bigger budget to get one of the newer designs.
 
Comrade Red,

thanks but my fault for making a silly joke about spelling; and I'm probably reasonably experienced by now, was hoping to part with some jewels of wisdom re boats to suggest for OP & Pete ! :)
 
aquaplane said:
When heavyweight bilge keelers were mentioned I thought about some of the older more shed like boats. The Jag 27 and Leisure 27 didn't spring to mind but having looked at some displacement figures maybe they should be.
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Yes, appearances can be deceptive until you look at the figures. Some older boats just look "heavy", but both the Jaguar and the Leisure are styled to look more "modern" and look lighter.
 
Bilge keepers

I am looking into sailing and getting a suitable boat and no one on this thread has given an opinion on a boat that seems to tick a lot of boxes for me, and that is the Macgregor 26X, so am I wrong or is it a good boat.
 
Seajet said:
Kingfisher 30 - I haven't sailed one, but I've read they sail better than they look, which is just as well !

I'd think any examples going now must be quite seriously getting on in years ?
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I don't think you have seen a K30 either then. They are not a bad looking boat and sail pretty well. The designer referred to them as having twin keels, and most certainly not bilge keels. Although they haven't been made since the mid 1970's, they were well moulded and tough as old boots, so even if you find one that is a bit neglected, they are still worth a bit of work.
Have a look here
http://www.kyoa.org.uk/index.htm
 
WoodyP,

I've seen them ( Kingfisher 30 ) alright, let's say 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'...

A good friend had a Kingfisher 20+, that was no looker either but sailed well considering the twin keels, largely down to him as an enthusiastic dinghy sailor; personally I am not a fan of the junk rig version ( my chum Jacks' was a conventional Bermudan sloop rig ) though I'm told modern more tweakable junk rigs are a different breed.
 
Seajet
What is your opinion of the Macgregor 26X, I am trying to start sailing with a fair boat and it seems to tick a lot of boxes.
 
Matey1,

welcome to the forums.

Well...for a start I'd suggest you don't pay as much as that for your first boat, you're very likely to feel differently once you have experience and know what you do and don't like, and what sort of sailing you do.

As for the MacGregor, well a lot of people don't like the looks - too much like a motor cabin cruiser - the water ballast - relatively ineffective at keeping the boat upright against the wind in the sails - and feel the hull design is too compromised by the desire for performance under engine.

In a nutshell, if it looks right it is right, and this boat doesn't look right to many experienced sailors - I am one of them, I'm afraid I am not a fan !

It's not absolutely awful, but if I suddenly found myself on one I'd be looking for dark glasses in case someone who knew me saw...

Also as I say they're expensive for a first boat.

There are lots of good sailing boats out there, and it's a buyers market at the moment.

As you are new to sailing, depending on your age & fitness I'd strongly recommend starting with a dinghy, they teach one very quickly about things like trim ( where to sit ) and are responsive to small adjustments of the sails & rudder, lessons which would stand you in good stead on any cruiser.

If you have a particular area to sail in mind, will the boat need to be able to dry out happily at low water ? If so, look at twin & lift keel boats...

One way a lot of people try sailing is to join a club, there's almost always someone looking for a crew, for dinghies and cruisers, often they don't actually need someone with experience, just company; this way you could sample various boats - and styles of skippering !
 
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