Chartered one in Turkey. Fantastic boat for a couple, great cockpit, down below just what you need. Not piled high with berths. Loved the galley, with a proper Force 4 cooker, real compressor fridge. Heads with separate shower, airy and generous forecabin. Behind the scenes systems are exemplary. It had everything you'd get in some 45 footers.
Sailing was good, light airs up to good blows. Very stable but went well. It's not as close winded as a 2 sail boat, but you'd expect that.
Three things which make it different to other boats:-
1 Mast being oop at t' front means that manouevering in a strong wind - very definitely wants to put stern to wind, and you need to keep a bit of speed on to turn cross wind or downwind in reverse. Fine once you're used to it.
2 The US style separate throttle and gear levers, again, once you're used to it, no problem. Coupled with the above, going into downwind berths in reverse takes confidence. When the engine sometimes dies as you chop the throttle to change into forward, it made it truly exciting! Again, great engine, but this one needed a twiddle on the fuel system.
3. Length of the boom with transom mainsheet means that you simply cannot pull the sheet in fast enough during a gybe. So get used to ducking, and get used to going back to get the danbouy! I did.
Loved it, great boat. Buy it, you'll love it.
pm if you want more info.
<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.
Bear in mind this was a year when Turkey got to 100F+. Wife-to-be drove head almost to wind (why do people go head to wind and have the boom shaking over their heads?). I hauled it to the top by hand at the mast, finished tensioning on the winch, as I would on any boat where I can get to the halyard at the mast.
Then went back to the cockpit a downed a whole litre of water from the fridge!
Why the sweat? Well, it is quite heavy, but all the halyards were full of dried salt, making friction a problem. Used to wet what I could before using it, but you can't do a halyard.
Reefs were OK in/out, I think I might investigate leading the lines through small blocks rather than the ss bullseyes round the wishbone. Salt was a problem again, so with washed lines it would probably work a bit more easily.
Basically, it is the equivalent of a main from a considerably bigger boat so loads will be higher than an ordinary 30. I was, and still am, reasonably fit and wouldn't think twice about it.
Have you tried the boat out yet?
ps. Should add: don't forget that gybes are much kinder than on wire rigged boats. By steering properly you can allow the main to go well past 90 degrees and have the boom slow down before the sheet's tight.
<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.
Well no I haven't tried the boat yet and wouldn't know where to find one - until you tell me where you hired yours in Turkey! Or if you knew of one nearer to hand
Regards and thanks Max
This was 14 years ago! Aquarius Cruising had it based at Bitez, not sure if they are still around, hope so, good people.
Nonsuch set up an office in Hamble in the late 80's, run by an entirely underwhelming chap who didn't seem to do much except look busy. No idea how many were sold here, only know of "Hip Hip Hooray", a 26 which used to regularly race in Soton evening races.
Think you may well be headed off to Canada to find one. As far as I can see (Google) Hinterhoeller are no longer around?
