beneteau/ jeanneau

[Sybarite]

Everything is a trade-off. My Feeling 920 has a flat forefoot and can slam a bit when beating against strong winds and waves. However she will still go to windward in a F8 (a 60 knt squall snapped two of the metal hanks on the storm jib when I later bore off ) and you can enjoy 8 - 12 knot surfs when there is a good wind on the beam. Nothing so far has become detached in its 20 years.

It's 30 feet long, standing headroom, two double cabins in addition to the saloon and a lovely light elm interior. When from time to time I am tempted to get something bigger I rationalize and ask myself if I would enjoy a bigger one anymore. I have saved myself a lot of money this way.

Part of Feeling's publicity years back was the testimony of a well known skipper who got caught in a Feeling 10.40 in a full Atlantic hurricane on a delivery trip. The boat came through absolutely unscathed. How do you define quality then?

John





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[Robin]

If you had a genuine F5/6 wind ie say 21kts true gusting say 25kts and were travelling upwind around 7kts (normal for this size of boat) then VMG is around 5kts plus/minus giving 26 - 30kts over the deck, ie F6/F7 QED.

Locker doors do not open on my boats nor do berth cushions etc fly around. I suspect that this may stem to an extent from some (previous) customer abuse and poor [ah em!] maintenance. The locker catches used are the same type as on many makes as is the velcro I think that holds the settee backs in place. At least we have established we are not calling in the MAIB to investigate structural damage, but like you I would be pretty scathing also. However most owners purchasing will sort things like this in the warranty period and add their own bits as well, like proper lee cloths etc that I doubt are standard.

I'm not a fan of in-mast reefing, we have slab on a fully battened sail with all lines run back separately. Optimum upwind angle is 28 degs, we can go to 22 degs in flat water but VMG drops, at 35degs apparent we are easing sheets. Speed at 28 degs is around 7kts and in the kind of sea you describe we might ease off to 35 degs and do nearer 7 to 7.5 kts seastate permitting or chose to drop in another reef or rolls in the genoa for added comfort with very little actual loss of speed.

As a matter of interest, what would the Twister achieve in similar wind and sea conditions, I suspect you would have had no choice but to go into that anchorage in the dark. On my old boat, a very heavily built Westerly 33 ketch with fin keel I would probably be 1 kt slower at least unless I used the 50hp iron genny and teeth shattered my way straight into it.





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[Twister_Ken]

In the Twister I would have had two tucks in the main and a blade jib, pointing moderately high (sorry, don't measure these things to a degree), with a consistent boatspeed of a tad under 5kts. The main difference is that we would have been swooping not crashing, a deal more comfortable.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[billmacfarlane]

Re: Prophet of doom

The sailing reviews of the latest Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35 and the Bav 36, make no mention of slamming on a windward beat. I's expect their motion to be on the lively side but some sea sickness sufferers actually prefer this motion.

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[billmacfarlane]

Sorry to spoil the illusion about the HR, but it's not actually some wizened old cabinet maker that creates the woodwork onthe likes of HR and Malo, but it's actually computer controlled cutting equipment, just like the French and Germans. They also cite the same resaons-cost and consistency.

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[billmacfarlane]

Yes!!! nm

nm

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[Chris_Stannard]

From what you say about your sailing you might think of busting a gut and buying a nearly new Najad 373 like I did. My reasonong gores as follows:

It has the wide stern cabin that you want, but at the same time I have sailed in Force 8 and the boat does not broach in the way that most people will tell you that wide sterned boats do. We came back across the Channel with a quartering sea Force 7 and the steering was neither heavy nor did the stern get thrown around unduly. I think this is due to the hull design with a medium length keel, and a large skeg hung rudder. The sailing qualities of the 373 were proved by a boat called Galatea qwho won the cruising class at Antigua week last year,

As to build quality, I went over to the Najad yard to help a rich friend bring his bnew boat back. Whilst there I went round the factory. I was told that the Health and Safety rules mean that they no longer build their own hull but they are produced in Denmark, in the same factory as the Halberg Rassy, but the Najad hulls cost almost twice as much as the HR Their claim not mine,

What I did see and can vouch for is that the interior furntiure is all made for each boat individually and from one tree to ensure that it all tones down at the same rate.

The other advantage of the Najad over French boats is that it is designed to be sailed by two people, and thats how we sail, Incidentally we just had to live aboard for three weeks whilst we had a new bathroom installed in our flat. No sweat.

If you want more info email me and we can talk on the phone


<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard

 

[Robin]

Poetic licence, I'm sure they do, but also take more time fitting to the hull rather than fitting in it. I'm not especially a fan of Malos or modern HRs either. The older, albeit slower HRs had some class, the modern ones with add on tails no longer look the part to me, it is like they are unsure of their identity.

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[Robin]

Just me and SWMBO sail our 41ft Jeanneau Sun Legende. The previous owners took 6th place in the AZAB two handed race, then lived aboard in the Med, then sailed her home 2 up from Malta with just a couple of days stop in Lisbon. We also live on board for 5 weeks at a time each year. It is very dangerous to generalise, each boat from each builder and each designer is best judged on it's merits. Actually though I do like Najads (generally) and the 373 in particular.

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