if you were downsizing what boat would you chose?

If you want to race how about a Ben 21 or 217 - lots who race on the Lake up here and they perform well. Basic but comfortable accommodation. I know a family of 4 with one and they trailer it up to Scotland for their holidays.
 
SigmaJon, the Romilly ( now I've thought about it, seen her before ) seems lovely, not a great commercial idea but still the sort of boat the world would be a poorer place without; have fun and please keep us posted when you get yours on the water.
 
I hope you are wrong about the commercial bit as she will be for sale before she hits the water. I intend to continue to build them to try and top up the pension.
 
SigmaJon said:
I hope you are wrong about the commercial bit as she will be for sale before she hits the water. I intend to continue to build them to try and top up the pension.
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Well with the right advertising, maybe including mooring and trailer options, she must be a better bet than the average 30' fin keeler.

It's a dodgy time to try selling new small boats, but maybe the frugality / downsize market is where to aim at, I'm damn sure an owner of a Romilly, correctly handled, will have a huge amount more fun than someone with a Sunbland 35.

However there's the SWMBO factor, can one stand up inside and host dinner parties ? I know someone whose SWMBO insisted on fitting a dishwasher ' for entertaining ' on the 30' boat, he was markedly irritated about it when I asked if it was on a shaft drive to the radar !

These things don't matter at all to intelligent blokes who are happy with a heated up tinned curry ( or even Vesta ' meals ' remember them ?! ) but most women seem to think differently.

I was once asked to set up a motor-sailer for going across Biscay, when I proposed lifelines the wife ( who I have come to admire greatly since, a gifted artist ) stopped me in my tracks, " What colour lifelines ? "...

I wish you every success with the Romilly, as I said the world would be a poorer place without them.

Andy
 
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Romeo said:
I have always fancied a Romilly should something happen to my current boat. The do make shrimpers look cheap. There is one advertised on Classic Boat at the moment.

http://www.classicboat.co.uk/buying-and-chartering/nigel-irens/
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Having always sailed traditionally rigged boats fairly slowly it would be nice to have one that is capable of giving some of my bermudan bretherin a bit of a fright when on points of sail other than the broad reach.
 
Seajet,

Quite agree, the reason that Romilly is not finished is because I have spent two years trying to make the family cruiser 'acceptable' to SWMBO and the 3 trainee SWMBOs. Including new upholstery, stackpack, jackstays, shore power and scatter cushions.

Jon
 
You could consider a Evolution 25.
They are quick boats and can happily dry out with the keel up.
I have been out in the North Sea in ours in a NE 7 and she handled it well, better than the crew did.

Bitman of this parish has an outboard version he needs to sell as he is leaving the country.
I understand that there is quite a bit of work needed but he is open to silly offers.
 
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SigmaJon said:
Seajet,

Quite agree, the reason that Romilly is not finished is because I have spent two years trying to make the family cruiser 'acceptable' to SWMBO and the 3 trainee SWMBOs. Including new upholstery, stackpack, jackstays, shore power and scatter cushions.

Jon
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SigmaJon,

from sad experience I'd say if they don't take on sailing on your boat as a fun adventure from day one, no improvements you can make will change minds - I hope I'm wrong in your case.

When I first went sailing as a boy I'd read all the Swallows and Amazons books and it was all a great adventure, Dad and I were in the hands of a colleague - the late Charlie Solley who was a veteran of the Murmansk Convoys looking after Swordfish biplanes, after freezing tempeatures, bomb and torpedo attacks, he knew his priorities.

No loo on the boat at all but Charlies' chat kept our mind off it, ( for a while anyway ) that may be an old fashioned approach but I think the gist is still there.

A friend at my club had a similar boat, I gave him ' We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea and Swallows & Amazons ' to read to his young boys at night.

Then one time their outboard went bust ( my Dad enjoyed fixing it, there's a recording of him as a Leading Air Mechanic at the Imperial War Museum ) so I leant them mine.

Simon rowed up unexpectedly with his boys, " The Swallows would like to thank you for saving our holiday " - I had to turn away, this had me in tears.

So I guess you either get sailing or you're doomed to a life of shallows, as in shallow people...

So it shall prove with Romilly I suspect.
 
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I love my cape cutter 19 to bits.
Trailer sailor.
Takes the ground.
Enjoyable to sail (solo or crewed) very flexible sail plan from f1 to f7
Turns heads- I am always complimented wherever I go.
Room for 4.
Much more realistic price than a shrimper.
 
Having downsized myself, originally from 44ft to 29ft and now to 20ft, the highest priority I would look for is performance. If you sail in any kind of tidal area, not having the performance can end up a little frustrating as you need your engine more than you might think.

I think the compromises also become even bigger as you get smaller. I went for a Jeanneau Sun2000 as my best compromise - just enough performance, spacious cockpit(you don't spend nearly so much time inside on a smaller boat), can park anywhere and low maintenance. Really like the look of the Élan 210 myself or indeed the very new Seascape 27 that is trailerable, very fast and has lifting keel.
 
I am coming from the other direction , having never up sized.
I have a Hunter Ranger 245 which I reckon is at the bottom sizewise of what can be called a cruiser.
Everything human life requires is there but compromises have to be made.
Where it really scores is on interior space , headroom , relative speed and ability to be sailed easily singlehanded.

I have my eye on a Bavaria 30 at the moment which I know is far more luxurious than mine but have to consider the incremental costs.

The only thing that gets me at sea with the Hunter is that most boats are larger , therefore faster and always slowly overhaul me. I need to learn patience.

Also with a larger boat I would set out in worse weather , feeling more secure , however I realise this on an absolute scale does not quite make sense.

Sometimes I calculate how much I have saved over my 6 years ownership in marina costs compared to a 30 footer.
But it's a facile comparison really.
 
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