How good a sea boat is a Stella?

[Guest]

After years of crewing for other people in everything from dinghies to Thames Barges and from racing in various yachts from a GK24 to a 43ft classic, I have decided to hunt for my own small but handy sea-going yacht which I can race from Burnham and do some decent cruises across the North Sea.

My budget is tight (up to around £8-9,000) and I don't want to have to do too much work (I have owned old wooden Broads yachts for nearly 15 years and they have been a huge drain on time and funds).

A friend who races out of Burnham has recommended a Stella as a good all rounder. Are there any Stella owners out there who can give me a spot of advice on what these lovely looking yachts can do?

Also, what other yachts of the same size may fit the bill? The boat must have an inboard diesel, handle like a dream, be fastish and comfortablish with 6ft-ish headroom.

If I had the money I would hunt high and low for an S&S 34 or something of that pedigree, but I haven't, so a pocket classic it has to be.

Any thoughts?

cheers

B

 

[Guest]

Try a Cutlass 27. Great sea boat and a surprisingly good performance from a very slippery hull. Long keel and easy motion for its size. On the downside the cabin is best described as compact but well thought out and the headroom is limited. Stowage is quite good. Overall though you won't find a better sea boat for the money under 10k.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Alan

I will do a search on ybw.com for an article on the Cutlass.

 

[DanTribe]

I owned aStella for more than 20 years and never had any doubts about her ability as a seaboat.Provided properly reefed she could always be worked to windward in any conditions that I had the bottle to cope with [force 7 in my case].She always felt that she could cope with more than the crew could take,which was a comfort in the days when we had young kids.Stellas are widely admired and we often had people in Holland coming to reminisce on their days of sailing them.Maintenance is necessary with any boat, but it can be a pleasure on wood,whilst on my plastic boat it's a chore.6ft standing headroom?Well,bend your knees,Stellas are beautiful looking and full headroom and sleek lines need compromise.Go for one if you like them not as a cheap all rounder.
Good sailing

 

[Guest]

A search of the net has taken me to this Cutlass owner's site

http://www.lamlash.demon.co.uk/cutlass.htm

which is full of information about the Cutlass 27. There is also a page of excellent photographs of other owners' Cutlasses.

Looks a very nice boat.

Alan, can you tell me more about the handling for both cruising and racing? Have there been any very long distance voyages by the C27?

 

[DanTribe]

Sorry I forgot. Have a look at WWW.stellasail.org.uk

 

[Jeremy_W]

Try the review @ www.ybw.com/cb/stella.html. The Stella's a Robert Clark design so will go to windward like there's no tomorrow, certainly as well as an S&S. Downwind may be a bit of a different story.
My dream boat would be a Robert Clark design to windward and transmogrify into an Alan Gurney design at the windward mark. Unfortunately I can't find the spell for this in any of the Harry Potter books!

 

[Guest]

Dan and Jeremy

thanks very much indeed. a great website ( and several boats for sale too) and an excellent review in Classic Boat. Will contact the class secretary asap.
Perhaps I'd better not get rid of all my hull scrapers and caulking kit. I had hoped to escape from wooden boats once and for all after 15 years but I reckon the Stella may lure me back to them.

 

[bedouin]

Well it's a Holman design so it MUST be good.

A word of warning on the budget front - if you are buying a boat of that age/price you should budget to spend about 33% on top of the purchase price to do essential jobs and upgrades.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Oh no it\'s not!

Robert Clarke? S'got Kim Holman written all over it.

There's also Holman's Sterling which preceded it, bit smaller, but also a great l'il sea boat.

 

[Twister_Ken]

By all means get a Stella, but don't forget (in the same ilk) the Folkboat and the Contessa 26. You won't get standing headroom, but you'll get great sea boats, and active owners assocs with plenty of advice, support and events.

Unfortunately a Twister is out of your price bracket, but that would be (of course) the perfect solution!

 

[Jeremy_W]

mea culpa (NT)

*

 

[Guest]

bedouin

Yep... I know about the cost of looking after classics...I have owned two wooden Broads yachts over the past 15 years and know all about replacing planks, caulking, putting in new ground floors, fitting new transoms, shaping new wooden spars, having specialist sails made etc etc etc. Buckets of money needed. Now I am fed up with it all and would like a good plastic classic or a wooden boat which has had all the hard work carried out.

 

[Guest]

After a jolly lunchtime session with a GK 24 skipper at the Ferry Boat Inn, North Fambridge, Essex we went for a stroll through the nearby boatyard and lo, we chanced upon a Stella with the mast up and all running rigging still aboard. She looked a cracking boat. I am starting to feel very tempted.

 

[bedouin]

I'm afraid the same formula seems to hold for 'classic plastic' as well; particularly if you are looking for a seaworthy vessel.

The hull itself may be low-maintenance but there are hosts of fixtures, fittings and ancillary safety equipment just waiting to soak up your hard-earned cash.

 

[DanTribe]

Warning-It sounds like you'r almost hooked,if you go for a sail in a Stella there will be no escape.

 

[Guest]

Having spent several hours browsing over the Stella website, admiring the photographs and being impressed by the racing and cruising yarns, I must admit that I am HOOKED on the class.

I know they sail well around the cans having had tussles with them at Burnham whilst crewing on a chum's GK 24. But how will they perform on a longer passage to Holland, through the Kiel Canal and around the Baltic? And will I be able to join a club on the Crouch that races them? And which yards in the area specialise in Stella maintenance and repairs?

 

[bryantee]

Twister ken said it all.dont forget the contessa 26.Especially if you sail short handed. The twister is a wad of money more,but the 26 are about the 9to12k range.Just check the mast foot and the cross beam to make sure shes not been squeezed.good luck

 

[DanTribe]

You will get good racing at Crouch Yacht club,Stellas often "mop up"trophies.
I have taken our Stella to Holland several times Burnham/Ostend/Vlissengen,without worries but not been further than Gouda.Always felt safe in her.The long keel makes drying out on quays easier than with my current pointy fin keel, and moderate draught gave access to places we cant go now.Admitted the accomodation is basic by modern standards but I have aboat to sail,not for interior design appreciation
Dan

 

[graham]

Reifferent rigs for Stellars?

Something in the back of my mind is telling me there are 2 rigs for a stellar presumably a tall rig and a shorter cruising rig. Take advise from an owner incase you saddle yourself with the right boat but with the wrong rig.