Cutlass 27

[CHARLIECARAKUS]

Hi

I have just bought a Cutlass 27 - my first Yacht so I have no real experience of the trials and tribulations of ownership.

Does anyone have experience of the Cutlass, and any advice of what to look out for????

Thanks

Ian

 

[Spuddy]

No Knowledge of the Cutlass but congratulations on taking the plunge. Hope the boat brings you lots of pleasure.

 

[Avocet]

A fine choice of boat if I might say so!

(but then I would, wouldn't I?!)

I've about 10 years experience of the breed but would probably bore the pants off every other forum user if I waffled on here about it all! Send me a PM if you have any questions and I'll try to help. Whereabouts in the country are you and what sort of sailing do you intend to do? Your profile is a bit sparse to say the least! If you're looking for recommendations for suppliers of goods or services it often helps to know whereabouts someone is!

Our experience is that they're a wonderful reassuring sea boat that's a joy to sail and surprisingly quick for its type. They also look really pretty and, like most early GRP boats, they're built like tanks. On the negative side, they don't take the ground well, they draw quite a lot and there's no space down below. Like most long-keelers, getting them to go backwards (in the direction of your choice) whilst under power is a bit of an art! ...that I have never mastered!


Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MikeSH]

Hi Charlie
I bought a cutlass as my first boat 41/2 years ago. Not enough headroom and narrow but brilliant boat and I wouldn't change it. I'm about to start a rewire /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Regards
Mike cutlass27@tiscali.co.uk

 

[MikeSH]

Hi
Just thought I would mail you to say hello from another cutlass owner.

Regards
Mike cutlass27@tiscali.co.uk

 

[Avocet]

Wow! Another one! I thought I was the only one on here! We'd best start an owners' association!

 

[graham]

Happy New Year /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gifI was interested in your advice that the Cutlass"doesnt take the ground well" .What problems do you have?

Will she dry out on legs safely or only against a wall or posts?

 

[Avocet]

I don't know if they're all the same but Avocet tends to fall on her nose as the tide goes out. I have dried against posts, walls and jetties in the past but never on legs (although the hull does contain reinforced recesses to accept legs). We used to sail the Wyre estuary and Morecambe bay and its so muddy there that I was never brave enough to try legs! Because of the cut-away forefoot, as the boat settles, there is a tendency to go nose-down. It's not a huge problem and it can be lessened by kicking the anchor and chain off the roller and emptying the water tank (which is in the bow on Avocet). I've also got a pretty massively reinforced samson post on the foredeck now which I'm fairly confident I could pick the boat up with and shake it round like a dog with a rat. The last few times I've dried out, I've tended to partially "hang" the front of the boat from a convenient bollard on the quayside. All in all, it's not a big problem but it did give me a bit of a fright the first time I tried it! I think the designers could have usefully built in a little more buoyancy in the after section of the hull. As it is, only the front half of the keel is full of ballast. The rear half is one huge great sump. To get the boat to float level (especially with my stout self in the cockpit), I guess the ballast needs to be forward and that, of course, makes things a bit nose-heavy whe nthe water goes away.

 

[Avocet]

Sorry, forgot to say that the other point, of course, is that because the keel is encapsulated within the GRP hull, unless you're pretty sure what's underneath when drying out, there's always the niggling worry about gelcoat damage too!

 

[wavelet]

The Folkdancer 27 has an extremely similar keel to the Cutlass 27 and I hit a sunken trawler doing five knots (me not the trawler) the boat lifted six inches out of the water, shouldered herself off and continued. A year later when I hauled out I saw a gouge in the turn of the bilge, where the garbard plank would be on a wooden boat, 30cm by four cm by one cm deep. Don't worry about your gel coat just enjoy a fantastic boat built strong and thick enough to withstand real cruising because most other types of build and design would have had the bottom ripped out, particularly the new boats.
I have never had a problem with tipping forward when drying out and the hull does look very similar to the Cutlass 27, see the Folkdancer 27:

 

[Avocet]

Yes, very similar indeed! I'll look up one of the guides to posting photos and I'll try to post a Cutlass photo out of the water. The leading edge of the keel is a bit further aft (pretty much round where the centre of gravity is, in fact)!

I take your point about encapsulated keels. I have never worried about actually getting holed when hitting a submerged object (good effort on the trawler by the way - bet that gave you a bit of a turn!). As you say, they're laid up like tanks (about 3/4" thick at the point I drilled the hole for the log!) so actually puncturing the laminate isn't a big worry. I'm more concerned with gouging through the gelcoat on a rock or (Ahem!) trawler or something and then either having to lift out immediately to repair it or suffering the potential problems associated with water entering the laminate fibres until it is next lifted out. I've always worried that it could lead to osmosis if not treated promptly. I might be worrying unjustifiably but it's always been at the back of my mind...

 

[Avocet]

OK Here goes. Here's a photo of a Cutlass out of the water. You can see the bottom front corner of the keel is a fair bit further forward - behind the mast, in fact. Only the front 2/3 of the keel are full of ballast. The back 1/3 is a huge sump - full of air, so they're a bit nose-heavy out of the water!

 

[Avocet]

Hmmm. I'll maybe make the file a bit bigger next time!

 

[MikeSH]

Had thought about an owners club but was told there was someone who was already organising one??

Regards
Mike

 

[MikeSH]

Only major problem I've had was the exhaust clogging up from salt crystals/carbon in the siphon break (yanmar 2qm15). Clear them out every few years and apparently no probs.

cheers
Mike

 

[Avocet]

There was a guy called Philip Ager (I think) round Ipswich way who was collecting boat and owner names a few years ago but I haven't heard from him for a few years now.

 

[Avocet]

Yes, found out about that the hard way some years ago! Had to take the head off 'cause there was water on top of the piston and it had rusted into the bore. I've now replaced the valve with a Vetus one with a tell-tale at the top and I've been very pleased with it!

 

[rogerhudson]

cockpit drains

Hopefully i will get my boat out this winter, though Croatian marinas are useless places, no supplies and nobody seems to work on their boats, but can't seem to work out how the cockpit drains work, i suppose i will have to raise the cockpit sole to stop the wet feet when heeled, any information on the cockpit drain design?

 

[sarabande]

cockpit drains are usually at the for'd end of the well, and cross over to the seacock on the opposite side through a 2 inch (?) pipe.

 

[NPMR]

Super sea boat, very kind but slow down wind - you'll find a big sail useful, such as a cruising chute or spinnaker.

Cockpit drains are not great and you can expect wet feet when fully heeled or going fast. Just use your wellies - it'll save a lot of work.

Deck drains pipework needs to be very secure, because if they work loose, you can get neat seawater into the saloon in very large quantities (been there, got sore from pumping!).

We used to start thinking about reefing when we had the deck well under water and when it started sloshing into the cockpit over the coamings. The cutlass leans early but then just seems to go faster and faster until eventually, you'll know it's time to reef.

Not a lot of room below, but you'll know that already!

Drying out; we used to 'hang' the front of the boat - through the bow roller to the samson post with a whacking big rope onto something solid ashore. Seemed fine but not obviously a good looking fix. Don't stress it by bouncing on it!

Otherwise, all round super boat. Did many thousands of miles in ours.