Legend 336

I knew someone who sailed a very wide variety of boats; Legend were the only ones he particularly mentioned having a low opinion of, I got the impression he was referring to both build quality and sailing ability.
 
Hunter Legends are well written up in the press, although don't know if the 336 has been reviewed specifically. Suggest you friend askes for back issues from PBO, ST and YM.

General comments are that the range is strong on accommodation, finish and ease of handling, but shorter on performance and arguably the finer points of build. Owners seem always to be enthusiastic and satified with their purchase.
 
GrahamM376 said:
I wouldn't want a boat without a backstay.
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Why not? That rig has been well proven on thousands of boats, many of which have successfully completed ocean passages. Like all rigs it has its pros and cons, but it is not known for falling down because of a lack of backstay.
 
Tranona said:
Why not? That rig has been well proven on thousands of boats, many of which have successfully completed ocean passages. Like all rigs it has its pros and cons, but it is not known for falling down because of a lack of backstay.
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But you can't let the mainsail quite so far out. If that's not important to you, you'll enjoy the Legend.
 
sighmoon said:
But you can't let the mainsail quite so far out. If that's not important to you, you'll enjoy the Legend.
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Thats the point. The rig has its pros and cons, one of which you have identified, but that is not directly a function of lack of backstay. Many fractionally rigged boats with swept back spreaders suffers from the same problem to a certain extent. Clearly people are prepared to accept this particular compromise as the range of boats has been very successful overall, even if not so popular here.
 
Tranona said:
Why not? That rig has been well proven on thousands of boats, many of which have successfully completed ocean passages. Like all rigs it has its pros and cons, but it is not known for falling down because of a lack of backstay.
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Put it this way, we had a look at one, maybe around 35/6ft at either LBS or Soton some years ago and listened to the salesman's patter. In the end I asked him how he would feel about an Atlantic crossing in one. After checking his boss was out of earshot, his reply was "no f*****g way - too lightly built and not a strong rig!" For offshore, I prefer to stick with masthead rig.
 
The earlier Legends did have backstays as I recall, but not sure when they changed? We chartered one in the early-mid 90s in the Solent. Went OK, but some aspects of the "Lake boat" design really irritated us - non-gimballed cooker, tiny cleats, and just generally a lack of sea-going layout (even for the Solent), but when they started to design for the UK market (and build here) a lot of these issues got sorted if I recall. I'm just not sure of the timing for all this. Others may remember.

PS - I think many modern rigs with swept-back spreaders don't really need the backstay. It's useful to tighten-up the forestay and tweak the mast bend, but the mast won't fall down without it. Never had one on my Enterprise dinghy, and boy did that go out in some big winds and seas! The OP's friend may not have offshore ambitions anyway.
 
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I have a 1993 vintage Legend 335, which has the original fully stayed rig, before the B and R rig was used. I believe it is the same hull design and a very similar interior. Overall, it is a good boat. I have had no concerns over her performance cross channel in a F7 and rough sea. She sails well, although she is not the fastest. Her interior is excellent, practical with lots of space. Overall, her build quality is good, although some domestic systems use US specified parts which are a bit unusual. However, nothing I have not been able to source or replace. She is a practical compromise suited to a family who need good accommodation for her size, and she gets you from A to B fairly well.

She would not be my choice for long offshore passages, but for family cruising along the coast, and occasional cross channel passages, she ticks a lot of boxes. I cannot comment on the B and R rig, but for all the strong opinions held about it, there seem to be few real examples to back up the distrust of a rig without a backstay......
 
GrahamM376 said:
Put it this way, we had a look at one, maybe around 35/6ft at either LBS or Soton some years ago and listened to the salesman's patter. In the end I asked him how he would feel about an Atlantic crossing in one. After checking his boss was out of earshot, his reply was "no f*****g way - too lightly built and not a strong rig!" For offshore, I prefer to stick with masthead rig.
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That may well be the attitude of the dealer here (now long gone) but not supported by the factory in the US, nor by many who enter the ARC. The weakness of the boats was in the composite rudder stocks, many of which failed. Well written up in the yottie press at the time and now replaced by SS stocks.

Would not be my choice of boat either, but don't knock it unless you have clear evidence (not tittle tattle) to support what you say.
 
richardsn9 said:
I have a 1993 vintage Legend 335, which has the original fully stayed rig, before the B and R rig was used. I believe it is the same hull design and a very similar interior. Overall, it is a good boat. I have had no concerns over her performance cross channel in a F7 and rough sea. She sails well, although she is not the fastest. Her interior is excellent, practical with lots of space. Overall, her build quality is good, although some domestic systems use US specified parts which are a bit unusual. However, nothing I have not been able to source or replace. She is a practical compromise suited to a family who need good accommodation for her size, and she gets you from A to B fairly well.

She would not be my choice for long offshore passages, but for family cruising along the coast, and occasional cross channel passages, she ticks a lot of boxes. I cannot comment on the B and R rig, but for all the strong opinions held about it, there seem to be few real examples to back up the distrust of a rig without a backstay......
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You know, that's a very well-balanced answer, and applies to many modern AWBs. Too often these forums churn-out the same old stuff about "wouldn't go offshore in that mate" but the vast majority of us are coastal cruisers, and put off perfectly viable boats by such nonsense. In fact the Legends, BavBenJens and the like are the perfect option for many weekend + 2 weeks in the summer cruising families, far better in fact than the "offshore" designs of years gone by.
 
I purchased a Legend 336 new in 1996. With a family crew I have since sailed it extensively in the UK, France Belgium, Holland.. apart from leaking hatches It has never put a foot wrong.Now 17 years old it still looks like new, both inside and out.\always used fully synthetic oil in the Yanmar, which still runs perfectly after 1100 hours,The original main is overcanvassed.Huge interiorand cockpit which suited our family use Always felt safe when caught ot in bad weather, but you do get rolled around a bit \Balsa sandwich construction. Quite a fast boat.Massive fittings 9look at the anchor rollers,boom, pedestal etc The manager of a well known boat workshop once oncesaid to me ' I have worked on these boats(he had rfurbished one salvaged from the bottom The Legend is a very strong boatMy Legend is is still the whitest boat on the pontoon after all these years.
 
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