COLVIC SAILOR 29.6

[GORDONREID]

Can any one give me some info on my colvic sailor 29.6 , she seems to sit very high in the water ,Has any one had one of these and added more ballast , Shes a great boat but often wonder what she would be like further in the water ??

 

[Jonny_H]

She may well have been fitted out by a 'home' completion. Therefore the ballast may have been added by the person who fitted her out - hence there may be different ballast in yours to others?

Also - are you judging height by looking at the waterline - if so then consider that the waterline may have been raised if the boat has done a lot of offshore sailing.
My Colvic Countess 37 looks to sit high in the water, but the prior owners lived aboard and so raised the waterline to accomodate all their weighty posessions - with less kit on her (at the moment) she appears to sit high in the water.

Just some thoughts

Jonny

 

[GORDONREID]

she sails well but i think she could do with a bit of ballast , and as you say the water line looks high , Bought her down in plymouth last year , had a great year in her , she was a home completion but to a very high standard by a boat builder , small wonder she was named at that time , cheers GORDON REID

 

[Caer Urfa]

Not the same boat but my Covic Watson Motor sailor had a mind of her own when steering when I first bought her, but I talked to another owner of an identical model and found my bow was lower in the water than his who had had similar problems and had experimented with adding extra ballast.
By Adding ballest 3 (sand Bags 50Kg each) as far aft as possible to start (but 1 at a time) to see the reaction we have raised the bow now by 100mm and she steers much better.
Might give you some ideas!
This winter I will replace the sand bags weight with something more permanent.

 

[DavidGrieves]

Hi Gordon

I have a Colvic Sailor 29.6. Yes they appear to sit high in the water, or maybe I should say they have lots of free board. Probably due to the designer (David Feltham) giving it lots of internal volume.
I have some data from an old drawing, it says the displacement is 10,000lbs with 4000lbs of that being ballast. They are a big heavy lump of boat, and not a very fast boat, so adding more weight might slow it down a bit more. I have seen one that had a wide stripe painted just below the gunnels and another just above the water line. The overall effect was to reduce the appearance of the high sides.
This is mine
and here

 

[GORDONREID]

Thanks for the comments, What size of engine is aboard ure boat? Mine has the 1500 bmc when she was built .

regards GORDON REID

 

[DavidGrieves]

Hi Gordon
My engine is a Volvo Penta MD11c 23hp, the same age as the boat 27yrs old! In bits at the moment, doing a de-coke and clearing out the water ways.

I was recently contacted by a guy in Australia who was buying the same boat. It had sailed from the UK on her own bottom and was now up for sale. It was a bilge keel too.

Regards

David

 

[aussiemike]

Hi David & Gordon

I'm looking at a Colvic sailor here in Australia. Probably the same one you mention. Having never sailed in one before I was wondering how close they point into the wind.

Regards

Michael

 

[duncanpockett]

Hi Gordon, I have owned a Colvic Sailor 29.6 for 15 yrs and sailed to Norway, Orkney,Shetland, Scotland West Coast including St Kilda. She is currently out of the water at Lossiemouth if you are interested. She is high sided, but voluminous inside and doesn't point particularly close to the wind but what a sea boat. She has a 35 horse Hawker Siddely Piranha and because of her beam she doesn't like punching into weather. I am very happy with her.

 

[hduv]

Dear David Greaves:

my sailing grounds are the waters of SE Alaska- much similar, i think, to those of north Britain: large tides, currents; rain, cold, ghastly weather [and seas] much of the year.

I am looking at the Colvic Archer 29, as good bilge keelers are hard to find in America. And a motor sailor is he answer in rainy, cold climates

Here's my questions, if i may:
- your performance under power: she is a heavy pumpkin seed of a boat... US and Britain uses a different gallon meassue, but could you give me a rough idea of fuel consumption for your power under flat conditions and, say, just under under hull speed [which i presume is about 6k].

Also, it looks as if ballast is about 4,000 pounds on the Colvic Watson 29, and total displacement is 10,000; draft, about 4.5'.
So that would make her heavy, but not unreasonable, and fairly safe with that ballast ratio.

Last question, please:
I've asked about fuel consumptioin under calm conditions.
What about sailing performance?
Of course, she will not point well. But on a reach- can she be expected to safely reach hull speeds? Or would you rate her "a slug".

She won't set any records- but i'm looking for an easily handled boat, that pretty much self tends under sail.
I don't want to be running forward to reef or change foresails with every fluke in the weather.

But i don't want to be running under power all the time, either, burning fuel and just carrying the masts for weight.

In other words: i'm looking for a boat that sails efficiently on a reach and powers efficiently as long as weather is not too forcefully against her.

A balance of fuel consumption, safety and comfort.
Accomodations below are of small concern, as one can always rework his quarters: but performance is pretty much a function of the hull and superstructure and rig placement.
My own preference is the junk rig for simplicity and downwind efficiency, but i'd be very interested on your thinking of the Covlic Watson's balance?

I'm looking to sail to save money on fuel.
Of course, if i bought the boat in England, I'd need sail her across the Atlantic: reasonable venture in a motor sailor of this type?

I'm looking to power, because in SE Alaska, summer winds are often calm and one must go only with the tide.
In winter, winds are nasty: up or down channel: in your face or at your back: one tries to sail/power only when wind /current are in his favor- behind him.

Thanks for listening.
How close then, does the Colvic Watson come to fitting the definition of the perfect 100/100- sail/power motor sailor?

Any suggestions, thoughts, opinions from yourself, sir, or any other owner, most welcome.
Thank you abain for forebearing my ignorance.
She appears a stout, worthy vessel.
Yours,
Henry
Henry Duvernoy
AceExploration@jhu.edu

 

[duncanpockett]

If it helps at all, the hull speed for the Colvic Sailor 29'06 is 6.1kts as I recall. I have a 4cylinder 35 HP diesel which I think is 1900cc and motoring at 5kts with no sails I use two thirds of a gallon per hour. If I increase to the hull speed, an increase of 1.1kts, the fuel consumption doubles, so I find that 5kts under motor is fine for my setup. On one occassion during a Force 9/10 when returning to Orkney from Shetland I managed to attain 9.1kts through the water as she surfed down the back of waves, which completely cured my constipation and is not a course of action I would either recommend or repeat. It was a case of having too much sail up for the weather conditions and not being able to do anything about it except run - but what a boat