Calling all GK24 owners past and present...

[Trevelyan]

Hi all - I'm really thinking about getting one! Trying to get my head around which rig is best - masthead or fractional. What I'd really like to know is is it possible to step the masthead rig by hand? Is it on a pivot? Can two people lift it? Final question is... if you didn't have a GK24 what would be a close/similar choice? Main criteria is that it must sail quickly!

Trev

 

[rob2]

Sorry, never owned one, but I used to sail on a cruising version, i.e. masthead rig and inboard engine. I believe the fast boats are the fractional rigs with an outboard - much tweakier and less weight. The rig doesn't pivot but isn't a heavyweight section so two or three gurt big Cornish lads should be able to step it by hand (assuming they're good at it). We used to step the mast on a T24 by hand and preferred having as many people around as we could muster, though the grunt was generally supplied by two or three with the remainder holding ropes in case the whole thing went out of control.

Rob.

 

[VicS]

Hi all - I'm really thinking about getting one! Trying to get my head around which rig is best - masthead or fractional. What I'd really like to know is is it possible to step the masthead rig by hand? Is it on a pivot? Can two people lift it? Final question is... if you didn't have a GK24 what would be a close/similar choice? Main criteria is that it must sail quickly!

Trev

GK24 is not that fast. See the Portsmouth Yardstick numbers on the RYA website

 

[EBoat126]

I'm guessing a GK24 rig is similar to the Eboat, we can get our's up by hand (2 or 3 people).

 

[Martin_J]

Had one many years ago.. (or maybe not that many!)..

Mine was masthead rig and based in the Solent.. At the time all the GK24s in the Solent appeared to be masthead. With a username like Trevelyan perhaps I can assume you're in Cornwall.. You will probably find that all the GK24s in Falmouth are/were fractional rig... It just seemed to be that way.

Ours felt like a quick boat (sorry VicS!).. Managed numerous weekend trips across the channel in her.

There was an owners association and you will find original brochure on the google group.. including a review by S(ailing) T(oday) entitled "Westerly's best-kept secret"

Google groups GK 24 brochures

 

[penfold]

Hi all - I'm really thinking about getting one! Trying to get my head around which rig is best - masthead or fractional. What I'd really like to know is is it possible to step the masthead rig by hand? Is it on a pivot? Can two people lift it? Final question is... if you didn't have a GK24 what would be a close/similar choice? Main criteria is that it must sail quickly!

Trev

If you want economic one design racing, the Hunter Sonata(slightly smaller) or Hunter Impala(a fair bit bigger) offer fast and close competition.

 

[vyv_cox]

We had a test sail on one many years ago when about to move up from dinghy racing to cruising. The biggest drawback was the extremely limited headroom below. If the boat is to be for racing only then this may not be too big a problem but it would rule out recreational sailing for most people.

 

[Seajet]

A stripped out Anderson 22 would give a GK24 a good run for its' money and probably be more fun to sail, also a lot more versatile re drying moorings; the earlier A22's with a larger keelcase lend themselves to racing, as the interior is not so cruising friendly; these 'Mk1' boats are very good value too.

 

[Trevelyan]

Hi all - thanks for responses so far (yes I am in Cornwall!), these forums really are a wealth of useful information and advice.

It sounds as though the masthead rig would be manageable to heave ho around - thanks rob useful to know that there's no pivot. Martin J - sounds like the kind of sailing I'm planning. I'm really not too worried about headroom, the main thing is I'd like a boat with a proper heads, everything else is unnecessary weight (!!) - call it extreme recreational sailing, the aim is to arrive first and get to the sailing club, a bit of 'camping' aboard afterward is fine. I'm slightly put off by the fractional rigs as a keel stepped mast just sounds like an additional hassle and I've had a bad experience with mast craning (see other thread) recently. Penfold I had wondered about the sonata or impala too. Poor comparison, but a friend has a old Hunter 701 (not 707) which is darn quick, but suffers badly in any kind of swell and has a rather wet cockpit. How do the sonata/impala cope/compare to this or the GK? Might be nicer to go for a newer boat and avoid the gripes that the GK24 might bring as they're getting quite long in the tooth now...

Thanks again all

Trev

 

[Bajansailor]

Hello Trev,

I used to sail on a fractional GK 24 in the Solent in the mid 80's - she was based at Marchwood, but we did a few Hamble winter series with her, and had quite a few cruising weekends, including my first cross channel trip to Cherbourg.

She had a Volvo single cylinder diesel (it might have been an MD-1, or the successor), which even back then was very cranky and tempermental.......

She sailed well, and we occasionally placed in the first 3, but not often.
I remember vividly a rather dramatic broach in one HWS race when we must have gone over probably 60 degrees, but she recovered OK - we did get the kite down fairly quickly after that.....

As we were sailing on a handicap system, we found that in light winds we would walk away from the Folkboats, Contessa 26s et al, whereas in heavier winds they would walk away from us......

Her skipper was (still is) 6'2", but the 4'6" headroom down below didnt faze him, and he could still manage to fold himself into the double bunk up forward with the 1st Mate (who was not petit).

Her name back then was Maybee, with black stripes and a black & yellow bumblebee on the hull p & s - I wonder where she is now?
Her owners now have Maybee IV, who is a Jeanneau Sun Fast 35. M II was an Impala, and M III was a MG 33.

 

[penfold]

Penfold I had wondered about the sonata or impala too. Poor comparison, but a friend has a old Hunter 701 (not 707) which is darn quick, but suffers badly in any kind of swell and has a rather wet cockpit. How do the sonata/impala cope/compare to this or the GK? Might be nicer to go for a newer boat and avoid the gripes that the GK24 might bring as they're getting quite long in the tooth now...

Thanks again all

Trev

The Sonata rig is readily stepped and unstepped by 3 people; it's easy with 4. Line up the mastfoot, pop the bolt in, attach the shrouds, 2 strong guys lift and one pulls on the genoa halliard; there's enough sweepback in the shrouds that you don't need to rush the backstay. The impala is the same only bigger; not done it myself, but I've seen it done by 4.

Handling/performance? They are both beamy fin keel light displacement David Thomas designs with a narrow transom stern and transom-hung rudder, large fractional rigs which respond to tweaking; in the right hands they can clean up, they turn on a sixpence and reward skillful boathandling and weight distribution. Try not to plane, it's scary and you will probably broach; it gets crowded in a Sonata cockpit with 2 out of 3 crew sat on the pushpit behind the helm in an effort to keep the rudder immersed. The same applies to the Impala except the cockpit is roomier at the back and you can fit 4 up there!

They can be affected by waves(as are all light displacement boats), but it's dependent on the length and steepness, short steep bad, long not so bad. Unless it's offshore or over 20 knots the helm will not get more than the odd drop of water in the cockpit. Both classes are pretty long in the tooth now, and being light displacement one designs they've often been ridden hard and put away wet; it would be unusual if an example had not had some work to the bulkhead tabbing(sonata), bulkhead, mast pillar and longditudinal bulkhead(impala). Not difficult work to do for the amateur and not very expensive for the nonDIYer; there are other things to look for but they are all detailed on the owners association websites, which also have tuning data, boats for sale and active forums.

I would say that they are as roomy as any of their competitors, the Snot is ideal for weekending and the Imp is good for general if spartan cruising; the best way to assess if they fit your needs is to go and look at one.

 

[ex-Gladys]

... Try not to plane, it's scary and you will probably broach; it gets crowded in a Sonata cockpit with 2 out of 3 crew sat on the pushpit behind the helm in an effort to keep the rudder immersed...

.

Don't they just... One fo the quickest things I've ever experienced on a boat was a Snotty broach. We seemed to be on a very stable nice broad reach racing in the 70's, and she broached so fast, my head spun... The other interesting Snotty moment was a riding turn during a tack, and with the job stuck aback, the spreaders went into the water...

 

[Simonpk]

I chose a masthead version over fractional, partly because on the fractional version 1. the mast is keel stepped so you will need a crane to drop it through the deck onto the keel. 2. the mast sits right in front of the heads making access to the loo a little tricky, unless your built like a racing snake. It's quite a heavy mast but 2 people, if you are careful, can raise it on the pivot bolt. I've found weekending on it no problem I'm 5'11", limited headroom admittedly but plenty of width & is cosy

 

[Trevelyan]

Thanks Bajansailor - sounds like the GK is up to the job, also interesting to hear that the owners then for an Impala, so must be thinking along the right lines in terms of boat choices. The sonata sounds exciting - but does she still make way in a short chop/into swell or is it one of those forget it and try another day (i.e. more suited to an estuary) boats? I'm going to be doing mostly short hop coastal sailing (20 nm or so).

Botheras - well that's a new way to wash the rig....

Trev

 

[ex-Gladys]

Snotty and GK24 are very little different in suitability for coastal cruising... In both cases as a surveyor I've used says bear in mind many of these boats will have been raced hard

 

[AngusMcDoon]

A stripped out Anderson 22 would give a GK24 a good run for its' money and probably be more fun to sail, also a lot more versatile re drying moorings; the earlier A22's with a larger keelcase lend themselves to racing, as the interior is not so cruising friendly; these 'Mk1' boats are very good value too.

Is an Anderson 22 a good boat then? Any links to a website where I can get more information?

 

[Seajet]

Is an Anderson 22 a good boat then? Any links to a website where I can get more information?

 

[RupertW]

Thanks Bajansailor - sounds like the GK is up to the job, also interesting to hear that the owners then for an Impala, so must be thinking along the right lines in terms of boat choices. The sonata sounds exciting - but does she still make way in a short chop/into swell or is it one of those forget it and try another day (i.e. more suited to an estuary) boats? I'm going to be doing mostly short hop coastal sailing (20 nm or so).

Botheras - well that's a new way to wash the rig....

Trev

I've owned a couple of GK24s (currently got one on sale) and have always used them for fast cruising rather than racing, and find they're pretty bulletproof compared to most light boats, and can maintain direction and good progress in horrible seas and winds (for a small boat) and we thought nothing of doing Western approaches and South Brittany - usually a single 140 mile hop from Plymouth to Morgat as our long leg.

When I bought the second one a few years ago as a break from our bigger boats I had to singlehand it across from Felixstowe to Ramsgate as my first trip and remember laughing out loud at how quickly the main went up and how tiny the full genoa looked. But the feel of the tiller brought the sense of sailing right back. The boat just fitted like a glove. Even the broken Autohelm wasn't an issue even when reefing and unreeling during the day. I did have to get used to the heel again but without passengers I could sail the way that suited best progress.

V wet for crew in strong conditions but the flat deck is good to move about quickly on with no silly side decks. Down below its amazingly wide and spacious compared to similar sized boats with double and single secure bunks, proper loo, table to eat at etc. - when you are sitting down! Laughable headroom though and moving around bent double is mighty strange.

 

[PeteCooper]

Following on from the Sonata/Impala suggestions, there is also the Bolero - another David Thomas design at about 26 ft - rates as a quarter tonner. They usually have runners which is a bit of a pain for singlehanding, but some don't. A lovely boat to sail, and reasonable accomodation for what it is. There is one for sale up here for £4000 - no connection other than I have raced on that one.

 

[Trevelyan]

Rupert that's exactly the kind of sailing I'm going for... crew can probably cope with an occasional rinsing (assuming the GK24's are still dry in a moderate sea?, or am I being too hopeful...!). Did you go masthead or fractional each time...and why? Trev