Boats to sail well AND take the ground (2)

J

JimC

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 Aug 2001
Messages
1,570
Location
Lancashire
Visit site
Further to my earlier post on this topic, and with thanks to the forumites who responded, I've narrowed the choices down to a shortlist of what I can hope to afford:

Hunter Channel 31, Moody S31, Westerly Fulmar & Sadler 34, all as their twin keeled versions of course.

I'd be glad to hear any further comments or recommendations on these. I'm uneasy about the unsupported spade rudders on the Hunter and the Westerly. I should have thought these would be vulnerable to damage on a twin-keeler where there's no centre keel to take a first impact.
 
I'd have thought the Moody S31 would be a lot more expensive than the others you list. Do you mean the Moody 31? - a bit older and hence cheaper - they are listed at £35-40k whereas the S31 are usually over £50k.
 
A Parker (eg Parker 31) will easily outsail all the twin-keelers, but the price you pay is small accommodation size for the length and price. Of the twin-keelers the Hunters and Sadlers are probably the best performing.
 
The Seawolf 30 does both: David Feltham the designer was obsessed about making twin keel boats go well to windward, as we proved by winning lotsa chocolates round the cans, probably due more to the advantageous handicap than our skills!
Interior finish leaves summat to be desired but you could improve it as the hull is sound. Not many around tho . . .
 
Hi Jim. I seem to remember that Sadler 290 was mentioned but Sadlers had ceased trading at the time. However since then it has been announced that Hillyards have bought them so the 290 will continue to be produced. I have seen s/h examples on the market from about £65k. Its a brilliant boat, sails unbelievably well, I own one & my previous was a Fulmar 2K, I think the 290 is faster. However it has a spade rudder which you dont like. Strongly advise you include 290s in your list.
 
Sorry if I missed the original discussion - did cats come up? Your budget would get you an older Snowgoose, a very good HT27, a top class older Prout or a good Catalac 9m. All of those will take the ground with ease; all will sail well, the Snowgoose would be the best sailer but your budget would only get one that needs a bit of work.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry if I missed the original discussion - did cats come up? Your budget would get you an older Snowgoose, a very good HT27, a top class older Prout or a good Catalac 9m. All of those will take the ground with ease; all will sail well, the Snowgoose would be the best sailer but your budget would only get one that needs a bit of work.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm fond of cats too, but to say that " all will sail well " is stretching it a bit. The Catalac is a motor sailer by any sensible standard, and the HT is only a bit better. The older Prouts are better than the later heavier ones in this regard, but mine was definitely a motor sailer to windward in a chop. No way would it match a Hunter 31 or a Sadler 34.
 
would disagree the catalac a motor sailer we have a 900 gives great sailing 11kns recorded under cruising shute. far better accomodation than others of the same length & with full standing head room, unlike other cats suggested.
 
We chartered a Sadler 29 bilge keel this year for 2 weeks and were very disapointed in the performance. Not sure if the 290 is much difference. Ok in flat water but stopped in any waves and very bad pointing angle in waves.
Not as good as a Sadler 26 twin keel.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'm fond of cats too, but to say that " all will sail well " is stretching it a bit. The Catalac is a motor sailer by any sensible standard, and the HT is only a bit better. The older Prouts are better than the later heavier ones in this regard, but mine was definitely a motor sailer to windward in a chop. No way would it match a Hunter 31 or a Sadler 34.


[/ QUOTE ] Apologies, I meant the Catalac 900 which is a much improved version. The early HT26's are amazing cats, almost perfect, but then the MkIV and then the 27 had considerable improvements in sheeting angles and hull shape and taller rigs so quite different. [ QUOTE ]
definitely a motor sailer to windward in a chop

[/ QUOTE ] boy does that describe a lot of monohulls and multihulls! The post didn't specify a flyer, all the ones I listed are good sailers. You have to be careful with boats that had a long production run as improvements were often incremental and so the Catalac 8m for example is a completely different animal to the 900. Prout had so mnay different models that it's too hard to generalize, but a well set up Snowgoose 35/37 is no motor sailer.
 
I have a Moody 31 fin keel which I think is an excellent boat and certainly sails well. I recently went on an S31 and was amazed how much bigger it felt inside and I have been wondering where I can find the extra £15k + to buy one. I would even appease my wife by buying a bilge keeler as these also sail pretty well.
 
"We chartered a Sadler 29 bilge keel this year for 2 weeks and were very disapointed in the performance. Not sure if the 290 is much difference."

Completely different luggers, the 290 having been designed from the ground up by an extremely accomplished race boat designer some 30 years after the 29 first saw the light of day.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ [ QUOTE ]
definitely a motor sailer to windward in a chop

[/ QUOTE ] boy does that describe a lot of monohulls and multihulls! The post didn't specify a flyer, all the ones I listed are good sailers. You have to be careful with boats that had a long production run as improvements were often incremental and so the Catalac 8m for example is a completely different animal to the 900. Prout had so mnay different models that it's too hard to generalize, but a well set up Snowgoose 35/37 is no motor sailer.

[/ QUOTE ]

Prout didnt really have that many different models until the later years (just mods of the original ones), and the Prout managers / family I talked to freely admitted that the earlier Snowgoose and earlier Quest / Event were better sailers than the later heavier versions. Personally I have never sailed on a 35 and that is the nearest model to the original race winning Snowgoose, but I have sailed on / owned the models immediately after that and I would stick by my motor sailer description. Try to get (say) a 37 to sail at 35 deg to the wind with a decent sea and you will make not very much progress without engine. The Quest was a bit better but not a lot. Times many I proved to myself that it was quicker to motor directly up wind than try to tack, not least because it became difficult to reliably tack once you had 20 - 25 knots or so over the deck. The problem was lots of boat area to give windage and insufficient weight to give momentum to carry you through the waves. Start going backwards, quick reversal of wheel and start to build up momentum again!

Still very fiond of them and wouldnt go long term cruising in anything else. But for day sailing and decent sailing performance - no.
 
I understand you've sailed a seawolf 30. If you had £20k and wanted a well made boat, that could handle a bit of rough, could sit on it's keels in the mud and still go up wind well would you buy one? Or is there something better?
Cheers The ships cat
 
I sailed a Seawolf 30 bilge keeler - cruisin g and racing out of Liverpool and North Wales for four years, excellent performer, especially in light airs, then when it pipes up, one reef in the big fractional rig main and a no. 2 jib and she performed like a Konsort, very good value for money, sorry I sold mine, had cats, now Konsort,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top