Mg spring 25

[Iheartsailing]

I am an ex dinghy sailor looking at buying my first boat. I looked at the mg spring 25 and it seems a good boat. I also looked at the hunter horizon 232 or ranger 245 but they seem a bit slow. I will also be spending a lot of time on board.

 

[Shorts]

I would add to your list the MG 27 or hunter impala

 

[dave_gibsea]

Excellent choice. As a dinghy sailor myself I was looking for one when I was in the market, didn't find an MG Spring but ended up with a GibSea 76 which has been great. I think most of the small French boats are good lively performers. Make sure you get (or budget for) a spinnaker.

 

[Iheartsailing]

Thanks for your thoughts, I am considering the impala but I have heard that the rudders are to small and loose grip easy.

Nick

 

[GrahamD]

I had a share in a Spring for a couple of seasons. A really good design. Very quick in light to moderate winds. You'll smile downwind in a brisk breeze, (especially in waves with he kite up), but upwind in waves the Spring is a bit light and needs reefing early and / or several people on the rail. Tons of accommodation for a boat that size and you can get in to quite shallow waters with the wing keel thereby expanding your cruising area. Going astern is initially a bit heartstopping as with all boats with twin rudders, but once moving astern, very responsive. Worth looking at the hull carefully as I believe they can be prone to osmosis. If you want to race, I don't think they do well under IRC but under local racing handicap systems you could do well. Overall, a lot of boat for the money.

 

[Iheartsailing]

I am also looking at a sadler 26 I heard that these are fairly fast for a bilge keeler.

 

[yachtorion]

Some great deals to be had at the moment on older Horizons - I picked up a Horizon 26 needing cosmetic work for £9k. I haven't sailed this one yet - but part of the reason for purchase was the reputation for good performance for a cruising boat with as much space on board as she has.

Whatever you go for - if it's a first big boat - get a survey! But be prepared that they will mention lots of little niggles that shouldn't be deal breakers so don't get put off too much by it either.

 

[wiggy]

I'm biased, I han an MG Spring 25 as my first yacht, FANTASTIC. have a look at http://mgspring25.webs.com, lots of info and Highly Sprung, helmed by myself is still on the home page .
Never seen a spring with osmosis but check the deck around the chain plates, you will get cracks and the rudder blades if it's been dried out on rough ground.

 

[NealB]

I was amazed a couple of weeks ago on the Crouch.

We were out in our (new to us) almost 50 y.o. fin keel Trident 24.

Wind was around force 3 easterly.

We were enjoying a beat from Fambridge towards Burnham, and started to gain, quickly, on a boat a good way ahead of us.

As we got closer, I could see she was a fairly smart looking MG Spring 25 with reasonable looking sails, and looked to be competently sailed (both skipper and crew had very racy looking gloves on).

I must admit to being very surprised....if you'd asked me beforehand, I'd have thought the Spring would walk away from us.

And yes....I'm absolutely certain, that, if we were both heading in the opposite direction, the tables would definitely have been reversed.

 

[Iheartsailing]

I have recently changed jobs which means I can't afford to keep a boat over 25 ft so I thought maybe a sonata or j24

 

[Boathunter]

HI

I may have just the boat for you.

I moved from dinghy sailing to a larger boat which I wanted to race at my local club and also do a bit of weekend cruising in the Solent with my wife 7 years ago, like you I couldn't afford anything too big and was therefore looking up to 25ft.

I looked at various options and considered the Sonata but it was too small. I also looked at the Spring 25 and whilst I like the boat It was suggested that they are not great to windward especially in a bit of a Solent chop. A good one was also more expensive that I could afford at circa 12-15K.

In the end I purchased a Bolero called "Merlin" which comes from the same designer as the Sonata and Impala, "David Thomas" the boat rates as a quarter tonner but is no where near as extreme as the boats you see out doing the Quarter ton cup and looks like a small Impala at 25ft overall and a big Sonata.

The Bolero has a very similar lay out down below to Impala and sails equally as well easily keeping up with boats of 5-8 foot longer than her. She comes with 4 Berths, 2 in the foreword cabin and 2 in the main cabin, a small galley which includes a single burner stove and a Sea Toilet.

I am now looking to move to something larger to go further a field and cruise for Longer so "Merlin" is on the market.

Why not take a look? full details can be found at the following link on Apollo duck

http://apolloduck.net/390427

Merlin has been a fantastic boat with which we have had lots of fun with our friends. I am open to some discussion around price. so Please make contact if you would like to know more about Merlin.

 

[Boathunter]

Sorry

Forgot to say. Merlin does have cushions down below which are not shown in the photos and are currently at home in the loft.

 

[Laurie]

I am also looking at a sadler 26 I heard that these are fairly fast for a bilge keeler.

Jaguar 27 if you're going that route...Jag 25 p'raps too?

All good stuff listed before though, a Horizon 26 in good nick is (to my thinking at least?) at better option than the 232 or 27, being the precursor of the latter for the price of the former......

 

[Laurie]

I am also looking at a sadler 26 I heard that these are fairly fast for a bilge keeler.

Jag 27 if you're going that route...or even a Jag 25 although the latter didn't work quite so well with twins.....

All good boats mentioned before....out of the 3 Hunters, I reckon the 26 is the best value choice...the space and pace of the 27 at the price of a 23 (2)

J24...nice boat, but a Duette (twin keel Sonata) will out sail it to windward.......

Rare as a rare thing..... twin keel jag 23...also lift keel (more common) with different layout below.....

 

[seumask]

OP's concerns with rudders on Spring V Impala are the wrong way round. The Spring has small rudders that admittedly are twin to allow beaching, however in my limited experience they did let go when hard pressed going up wind, where as the Impala has a deeper single rudder that is harder to get it to let go. All IMHO.

 

[mrming]

J24...nice boat, but a Duette (twin keel Sonata) will out sail it to windward.

A J/24 is like sailing an iron maiden with extra pointy bits, but you would want to be towing a couple of builders buckets to get beaten to windward by a Duette. Scary, sinky and uncomfortable, yes. Slow? Not a bit. Needs weight on the rail though.

 

[Laurie]

A J/24 is like sailing an iron maiden with extra pointy bits, but you would want to be towing a couple of builders buckets to get beaten to windward by a Duette. Scary, sinky and uncomfortable, yes. Slow? Not a bit. Needs weight on the rail though.

By J24 I was referring to a JAGUAR 24, as I assumed that that was the boat alluded to in the context of the earlier postings? I would find it strange that a J/24 and a Duette would be discussed as comparable boats...............