Best offshore yacht 20 -24 foot?

Nicholas123 said:
I don't any longer the keel nearly dropped off.That's why I like my boats built to last :)
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Should have bought a Hurley then, because they all have encapsulated Ballast which is part of of the hull moulding!

And as for the rudder posts being Galvanized tube, this is the case on the early yachts 1963 onwards yachts as the use and availability and cost of Stainless steel prohibited many yacht builders not to use it. By the mid 1970’s the rudder tube had been totally re designed, and then again by the 1980’s.

If you like the design , you will be pleased to know that they are still being made in Holland under the name of the Hurley 700.

If you look at lots of boats from around that era you will find a lot of old Classics used Galvanized fittings including deck fitting such as cleats and fairleads.

There are always wear and tear and weather degrading issues with all boats, especially ones of 48years old?

Build quality can’t have been that bad, as they were available with Lloyds A1 Certificates, and the Navy purchased several over a 10 year period suggesting that there build quality was not inferior.

I think that the fact that so many, over 400 still sailing after 48 years, and this is only those which are in the Association, is a testament to their design and build quality, and wonder just how many current boats will stand the test of time?

And I don’t know of any that have had their keel fall off, not like some of the modern yachts I could mention?
 
Still think they should have proper shoes fitted & the mast decompression faults are a design fault that should never have happened.They also tend to look cheaply fitted out inside to my mind.
Still lovely looking little yachts & I hav'nt written them off altogether.They are head & shoulders above many of the competitors!
Just as ever striving for perfection.:eek:
 
Funny how boats produced in very large numbers end up with a list of well known 'problems'.
My own boat (Albin Vega) is one of 3,500, and if you look hard enough you will find various faults documented including mast compression, bow fitting failure, one or two rudder failures.
Likewise everybody knows a Centaur might suffer from droppy headlining, wonky keels, or osmosis.

When you end up with a 'perfect' boat that doesn't have a history of any faults whatsoever, you will probably find that it was only produced in small numbers and hence there are not enough boats around for the faults to appear. It doesn't mean that they aren't there!

I would rather admit to reality and buy a popular and well understood model of boat with an active owners' association to help me watch out for and rectify any faults.

But happy searching, anyway.
 
Robwhelton said:
Funny how boats produced in very large numbers end up with a list of well known 'problems'.
My own boat (Albin Vega) is one of 3,500, and if you look hard enough you will find various faults documented including mast compression, bow fitting failure, one or two rudder failures.
Likewise everybody knows a Centaur might suffer from droppy headlining, wonky keels, or osmosis.

When you end up with a 'perfect' boat that doesn't have a history of any faults whatsoever, you will probably find that it was only produced in small numbers and hence there are not enough boats around for the faults to appear. It doesn't mean that they aren't there!

I would rather admit to reality and buy a popular and well understood model of boat with an active owners' association to help me watch out for and rectify any faults.

But happy searching, anyway.
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I agree that there probably has'nt been a boat that has been built that dos'nt have any faults & that that is in fact the way that we learn.What I object to is that some owners associations & websites give away more information than others.The Hurly association for example seems to come clean whereas the Macwester owners association you first have to join before you get any inside knowledge.
 
Lakesailor said:
Mast decompression. Is that to make them easier to start?
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OK typo;I went down to see a Macwester 27 the other day & on being given a surveyors report I found that there was a recommendation for a new floor to be glassed in because the mast had been driven down producing a bulge at the bottom of the boat.:eek:
I would'nt say that was an aid to any sort of starting :D
 
Nicholas123 said:
OK typo;I went down to see a Macwester 27 the other day & on being given a surveyors report I found that there was a recommendation for a new floor to be glassed in because the mast had been driven down producing a bulge at the bottom of the boat.:eek:
I would'nt say that was an aid to any sort of starting :D
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Hmmmmm - that doesn't sound right to me. Often a surveyor will report that the coachroof under the mast step has been pressed down by the mast and rigging and suggest a way of repairing this - often by glassing in a small part bulkhead having jacked the coachroof back up to the correct position. I am sceptical about it causing a bulge in the bottom.
 
Doug & co,

there was a Hurley 24/70 fin keeler at my club, the keel was encapsulated all right, but it wobbled visibly side to side like jelly when in the hoist travelling at about 3mph over slightly rough ground !

I noticed it and called to chums " look at this ! " and after that a gang would crowd around whenever that boat was hoisted; the owner seemed to disregard my concerns at the time.

A surveyor from these forums was keen to see it, but the boat has disappeared; might have been a one-off freak, but I certainly wouldn't fancy going to sea in that one.
 
PeteCooper said:
Hmmmmm - that doesn't sound right to me. Often a surveyor will report that the coachroof under the mast step has been pressed down by the mast and rigging and suggest a way of repairing this - often by glassing in a small part bulkhead having jacked the coachroof back up to the correct position. I am sceptical about it causing a bulge in the bottom.
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Then you need to talk to the surveyor.What I saw on my brief visit (the bloke that put me onto it said it was a real bargain,just needed the instrument panel putting back in place & possibly one or two cabin lights wiring up) was the linings were in a mess & there seemed to have been some work carried out at the mast base inside.The bulkheads just forward of the mast base had been mucked about with & some sort of repair made but I did'nt have any more time than that to investigate as the bloke that had given me a lift & put me onto it was in a hurry to depart.
Just as I was leaving the lady owner showed me the survey report which highlighted the problem I have mentioned + talk of osmosis & the need to replace the skin fittings which I must admit I was skeptical about.
 
Seajet said:
Doug & co,

there was a Hurley 24/70 fin keeler at my club, the keel was encapsulated all right, but it wobbled visibly side to side like jelly when in the hoist travelling at about 3mph over slightly rough ground !

I noticed it and called to chums " look at this ! " and after that a gang would crowd around whenever that boat was hoisted; the owner seemed to disregard my concerns at the time.

A surveyor from these forums was keen to see it, but the boat has disappeared; might have been a one-off freak, but I certainly wouldn't fancy going to sea in that one.
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Sounds like it must have been missing ribs & floors.:eek:
 
Optical illusion? Mass hysteria?

Are you sure it wasn't like that trick that uncles do for kids where a pencil is wiggled and the hand moves a bit, making it look like the pencil is wobbly? Moving a bit in the strops and rolling a tad too could perhaps suggest an effect like this, and once you get this in your mind, you persuade yourself (and others by suggestion maybe) that you're seeing the keel moving relatively to the hull.

Otherwise, wow, that's some flimsy hull (and as Nicholas123 suggests, lack of ribs, flooring, etc.), if an encapsulated keel wobbles! Unless of course my understanding of the definition of an encapsulated keel is wrong- the keel is part of the hull moulding, and filled from inside with dense material/combination of materials such as concrete or shot in resin.
 
one more with doubts?

I wask asking myself about the Best offshore yacht 20 -24 foot that i wanted to buy, as I'm a little bit more south, and i doesnt have so many choices, i've come to the 2 options, a Eyghtene 24 and a Achilles 24. I've read a lot about this 2 little sailboats, and all thats been said talks good things about them, but wich one is best? In terms of acomodation, maybe the Eyghtene is a litle bit more spacious than Achilles, most of it, because Eyghtene as a larger beam, thats allow it, more space.

In terms of security with rought conditions, maybe Eyghtene is also better because it heights a litlle bit more and also because of is larger beam. Am I rigth?

Achilles as a tradition of long cruises, Eyghtene is more a club racer...!

Does anybody already sailed this two boats?
 
gilao said:
I wask asking myself about the Best offshore yacht 20 -24 foot that i wanted to buy, as I'm a little bit more south, and i doesnt have so many choices, i've come to the 2 options, a Eyghtene 24 and a Achilles 24. I've read a lot about this 2 little sailboats, and all thats been said talks good things about them, but wich one is best? In terms of acomodation, maybe the Eyghtene is a litle bit more spacious than Achilles, most of it, because Eyghtene as a larger beam, thats allow it, more space.

In terms of security with rought conditions, maybe Eyghtene is also better because it heights a litlle bit more and also because of is larger beam. Am I rigth?

Achilles as a tradition of long cruises, Eyghtene is more a club racer...!

Does anybody already sailed this two boats?
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Gilao,

have you been on an Achilles 24 ? When I did go on one I was amazed at the tiny interior, and I'm not one who's fussy about space compared to some.

Good boats, but worth thinking 'where am I going to put the inflatable & sails plus self / selves' ?!

The Eythene is obviously a bit of a rocket, I've only ever heard good things about them but not sure I'd want to singlehand one offshore, I suspect she needs a bit of weight on the rail.

For accomodation, she would be like the QE2 compared to an Achilles.

Good luck with your search.
 
Hi Saltylegs and Seajet. Thank's for your opinian. After all I've decided for another boat at the last minute, an Invicta 26 (with long keel), and with another advantage a inboard yanmar motor. Both achiles or eythene have outboard. She's a litle bit older, but she looks very robust. The first ride was about 25 miles along river Tagus, to bring her from a mooring to a litlle marina, and it was a nice ride althgou she was a little bit lasy, I think she was in the water for already 2 years, so she most be very dirty. I'll tell you more about.
Regards from Lisbon
 
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