Luffe yachts. Anyone been on one?

[fredrussell]

This saucepot always used to catch my eye as I passed her on the Orwell:



It’s a Luffe 40-something-or-other. Lovely lines to my eye and, importantly, she’s tiller steered (not a wheel man myself). Has anyone on here been/sailed on one? Apropos of nothing really, was just trawling through last years boaty photos on phone and there she was.

 

[johnalison]

This saucepot always used to catch my eye as I passed her on the Orwell:



It’s a Luffe 40-something-or-other. Lovely lines to my eye and, importantly, she’s tiller steered (not a wheel man myself). Has anyone on here been/sailed on one? Apropos of nothing really, was just trawling through last years boaty photos on phone and there she was.

We made friends with a German couple with a Luffe that may have been the same model. We had sailed together on passage and they had overhauled us on a close reach, which was not unexpected as we are only 34ft. I went on board for drinks and to swap photos. It seemed like a nice boat inside. Like many Baltic boats it is very narrow in the beam and fairly lightly built, and so would not be an obvious choice for Channel waters, although perfectly capable I've no doubt. Our new German friends were, like most Germans, quite funny in their way. He made the comment when sitting in our cockpit that he had never been on a boat flying the red ensign before and it felt strange to him I reassured him that he needn't worry as he was under the protection of Her Majesty the Queen.

 

[doug748]

I like the moderate freeboard one of the things that always appeals to me when I see a Starlight on the water.

 

[fredrussell]

I’ve had a look online and they’re not the cheapest. Quarter of a million or so for a ten year old one. I’ll put it on the back burner for now. Just out of interest, do relatively large yachts with tiller steering use some sort of power-assistance on tiller? I thought that’s why you get wheel-steering on bigger boats, easier to handle etc.

 

[mjcoon]

I’ve had a look online and they’re not the cheapest. Quarter of a million or so for a ten year old one. I’ll put it on the back burner for now. Just out of interest, do relatively large yachts with tiller steering use some sort of power-assistance on tiller? I thought that’s why you get wheel-steering on bigger boats, easier to handle etc.

Perhaps designs of that vintage have narrow sterns and are well-balanced under more conditions...

Mike.

 

[rotrax]

I tried one once, kept turning into the wind....................................

 

[Biggles Wader]

I tried one once, kept turning into the wind....................................

There are different models. You must have been in the Luffe Up.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I was invited on board one once and offered an ice cream. When I asked for a Luffe wafer with it the owner looked a bit odd, then bombed Whitechapel.

 

[fredrussell]

Hey! Stop using my thread just to get a load of cheap luffes

 

[Laminar Flow]

Luffe Yachts, in concept, are direct descendants of the Scandinavian Skaren Kruiser (Skerry cruiser). They are long and narrow, with an emphasis on upwind performance with tall, slender rigs, nimbleness and specifically designed for the sheltered and narrow waterways of the Scandinavian archipelagoes. They were never intended for offshore work.

Narrow designs tend to be much more balanced and well-behaved when heeled, making tiller steering entirely feasible.

 

[johnalison]

Luffe Yachts, in concept, are direct descendants of the Scandinavian Skaren Kruiser (Skerry cruiser). They are long and narrow, with an emphasis on upwind performance with tall, slender rigs, nimbleness and specifically designed for the sheltered and narrow waterways of the Scandinavian archipelagoes. They were never intended for offshore work.

Narrow designs tend to be much more balanced and well-behaved when heeled, making tiller steering entirely feasible.

I don't think Luffes are as extreme as some 1970s Baltic yachts which were very narrow. They are like the Faurbys and maybe Comfortinas, and suitable for offshore work in the Baltic, which can get quite choppy but without the sort of seas you would see in the Channel or North Sea. We were moored next to a Dane with a Comfortina 36ish at one time and he said that he would not consider taking it into our seas but would be happy in our HR34, which surprised me at the time. One problem with narrow beam is that you get less accomodation per thousand pounds of marina fees. This is less of a problem over there where charges are much more moderate.

 

[doug748]

There was one of these in a local yard a few years ago asking very little money:

Fisksatra Varv S 30

I went to see it, lovely thing. 41 foot with 8 foot beam. What a cracking sailing boat, though you have to live with a bit of spray. : -)
.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Hey! Stop using my thread just to get a load of cheap luffes

Six for under three quid?

 

[Frogmogman]

Just out of interest, do relatively large yachts with tiller steering use some sort of power-assistance on tiller? I thought that’s why you get wheel-steering on bigger boats, easier to handle etc.

Depends on the rudder design. With a balanced spade there's no particular reason why even quite a large boat shouldn't be tiller steered. I remember that Moonshine, Jeremy Rogers' Contessa 43 (top scoring boat in the 1977 Admirals cup) and Eclipse, his 39' 1979 Admirals cupper were both tiller steered.

I too prefer at the feel you get from a tiller; it's also a lighter, cheaper solution, with less to go wrong.