Judders
Well-Known Member
I was wondering about the thoughts of the panel when comparing these and other IOR racers for the role of an offshore cruiser for a young couple who cant quite stretch to the Contessa 32.
Centurion versus Albin Ballad verus UFO
- Thread starter Judders
- Start date
bedouin
Well-Known Member
There have been a couple of threads discussing the Centurion recently - at least 3 or 4 forumites sail them (including me). Searching will find them. IMHO the Centurion is better built (and particularly better fitted out inside) than the CO32 but probably very little difference in price.
Albin Ballads are also very nice boats, but I think feel significantly smaller inside - but they may have more practical storage than either the Co32 or the Centurion.
Can't comment on UFOs
Albin Ballads are also very nice boats, but I think feel significantly smaller inside - but they may have more practical storage than either the Co32 or the Centurion.
Can't comment on UFOs
doug748
Well-Known Member
Similar boats, similar performance.
None of them are tardis like, a recent poster fancied a Contessa then went aboard one and reported back that they are small. So don't fall into that trap and go aboard as many as you can. If you fancy racing the Ballad has the PYA advantage over the Contessa at club level. The Centurian is either slow in comparison or has a bandit of a rating. I suspect the latter, as there are not many of them about. You could clean up with one of these at club level.
As you have ruled out the Contessa I will not elaborate there except that the average Contessa tends to be better equipped and maintained than the others. This is because they have been consistently popular throughout their life and have attracted owners who have been willing/interested/able to lavish money and time on them. Do not inerpret this as a claim that all Contessas are wonderful, you could buy one for £15,000, don't. The upshot of this digression is that you have to make sure you are comparing like with like.
Sail some, if you have not already, you may find them pretty staid after your Feeling. The Ballad is probably the most lively but I must admit I have little knowledge of the UFO, except I suspect that many were home built, have bolt on keels and sandwich decks; three things to view with suspicion in my eyes.
Robin
Well-Known Member
The Co32 is very pretty but grossly overpriced IMO. We had an Elizabethan 30 half tonner which was considered the poor man's Co32, designed by David Thomas (Sigma 33 etc) and is at least as good if not better performer with identical space below.
When we looked to move up from the Liz the UFO34 was on the list for sure, IF we could find a good one. Many UFOs were home built and the best we saw (just too late..) was one of these. Most UFOs were race layouts, all bunks and pilot berths with sail bins forward, but Hazelwood and others made very nice cruisy ones. Black Arrow was the RAF owned UFO34 that finished the ill fated 1979 Fastnet, I think won her class.
The Centurian too was a favourite of mine, nicely fitted out and a sweet sailer, but we 'jumped over' this size, perversely to a Westerly 33 Ketch which was significantly bigger than either Centurion or UFO34. Length overall isn't a good measure of size!
Ballads were nice enough too but wouldn't be near the top of my list.