North American yachts - opinions/ advice?

armchairsailor

armchairsailor

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To cut a long story short, I'm fed up of this country and will be quitting it next year for the west coast of Canada, complete with 2 kids, the wife, an ageing dog and as many horses as she can persuade me into taking with us.

I have been assured that once there, we can look for a boat, and consequently I'm starting to consider which makes I should be looking at.

Does anyone have any opinions on any of the boats that I woudl be likely to find out there? I'd be realistically looking at ones 27-32' long, I suppose, and in the region of up to about £10-15k. I've noticed that Pearson 28s are thought of as being generally nice, but I have no idea about the different makes that are prevalent over there. Still holding out for a Liz 30 that's gone halfway around the world...

Thanks!
 
You lucky , lucky, Bstard.

Born in Vancouver, stuck in Nottingham!

Lots of the standard European boats available... though the prices can be a bit eyewatering...

Boats over there tend to be kept longer, and IMHO, seem to be kept in better shape... so lots of good 20-30 year old boats seem to be available at reasonable prices... one reason could be the fairly short season, and the fact Canadians have more money for leisure...

Look for the standard Catalina's and Hunters.. (I would have though a good early 80's Catalina 30 would have been easy to find in your price...) plus lots of C and C's, Cals, and even some more obscure but nice Canadian boats like the Canadian Sailcraft....

Have fun! Let us know how it goes!
 
You've gone the wrong way mate!! I think you should suitably admonish your parents, or otherwise yourself for making such a silly move. :D

One thing I've noticed with a lot of the sub-30' boats over there is that they tend to have outboards as opposed to inboards. Personally I'd feel safer with an inboard, but given the sheltered nature (relatively speaking) in between Van Island and the mainland, is it that much of an issue?

Here's to Salt Spring Island, Desolation Sound, the San Juan Islands, Victoria to Maui races etc etc...
 
Dunno about prices, but I've always fancied a Nonsuch. Cat-rigged, no nonsense cruisers. Made in Canadia.

Nonsuch-283.jpg
 
As a born and bred Canuckian, I can suggest some worth considering. As you will be Best Coast based, you could consider some "traditional" (synonym with "sail like barges") such as Contessa, Hans Christian and their ilk.

There is also Island Packet which are less barge like but require mucho dineros.

Then there are Nonsuch (amazing concept) C&C, Tartan etc as good value.

Morris is also nice... bring a mountain of $$$$.

The BEBJENBAV's are also everywhere.

http://www.morrisyachts.com/
:D
 
Firstly.. I have to agree with 'photodog' ...... You lucky , lucky, Bstard.

Secondly.. Ooo yes 'Monique' Island Packets MMMM, also personally I like/love the Endeavour 38 and not as expensive.... But there are so many good types to choose from.

This site is great for photos and price info www.traderonline.com then you see can which yacht and what the price difs are all over North America.
 
What do you want her for?

If cruising, then a lot of the suggestions above would be great boats. You will NOT find an Island Packet in good condition in that price range though ;-)

C&Cs have a mixed reputation - some where good, others not so much.

The Pearsons are well regarded, but on the West coast I think you have to take a very long hard look at the Catalinas - there are likely to be an abundant supply, they are good boats, and they do a lot of things well.

I might also add J-boats onto the list - IF what you really want is a fast cruiser, and you don't mind their interiors, then perhaps a used J-30 or J-32 or their successors. Brilliant boats to sail, very fast, and handle on a dime. Some were set up more for racing, but their are several models with a more cruise interior.

The other ones to look for would be Freedom, makers of unstayed carbon masts and self-tacking jibs. It's a good concept, and finding one at that price in good condition may be possible.
 
In my experience, particularly with Island Packets, the American style of cruising is very different to the European style. Their boats are set up for short, mostly day sailing and frequent overnight stops. Consequently they place nothing like the empasis we do on sea berths. Expect things like athwartships berths, settees the wrong size or shape for sleeping, island beds with no leecloths. OTOH you will probably get much more fridge/freezer space and spacious showers.
 
Thansk for all the replies - keep them coming!

I think that Island Packets are somewhat out of my price range. Snowleopard puts forward a point that I'm slightly concerned about - they don't look like boats you'd want to go any distance in. Not that I'm after that necessarily. I just want a reasonably priced starter boat for a young family to feel safe in and enjoy the experience: in fact, I'm really looking for sub $10k examples, so 70's and early 80's models here we come.
 
snowleopard said:
In my experience, particularly with Island Packets, the American style of cruising is very different to the European style. Their boats are set up for short, mostly day sailing and frequent overnight stops. Consequently they place nothing like the empasis we do on sea berths. Expect things like athwartships berths, settees the wrong size or shape for sleeping, island beds with no leecloths. OTOH you will probably get much more fridge/freezer space and spacious showers.
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That's generally correct, although sea berths are usually not the biggest problem -- they can usually be improvised with lee cloths.

American production boats (Hunter, Catalina) are inferior to French ones, in my humble opinion. They are less well made, less attractive, and do not have as good sailing qualities.

American boats which are not production boats are often quite nicely made, but the design is usually conservative. Thus you see long keel boats made by many U.S. makers up through the 90's, and Island Packet makes them to this day. (Did someone say something about "sailing like a barge"? Apropros.) If you don't mind "sailing like a barge" there are quite a lot of well-made older boats on the market there for little money -- Pearsons, C&C, Pacific Seacraft (Crealock), etc., etc., etc.

Then you have the higher end boats like Morris, Hinckley, some others. They're all different except for two qualities they all have in common: (a) they are absolutely gorgeously constructed; (b) they are not worth the money charged. Perhaps also: they tend to be eccentrically reactionary in some way or another.


I learned to sail in the U.S. and grew up around Yank boats. English and Scandanavian boats are better in my opinion. Even Oysters are a better value for the money than Hinckleys, more modern, better designed, more functional, if not quite so exquisitely detailed.

Did you think about buying a boat here and taking it over with you?
 
If you're going to the west coast of Canada you probably mean Vancouver, Victoria or somewhere between Vancouver Island and the mainland (on either shore). If that is the case, you don't really need a boat that can travel long distances, because you don't need to. Almost all cruising in that area is day sailing, and it is (by UK standards) very very protected.

Of course if you're planning to live near the Queen Charlottes or on the west coast of Vancouver Island, you will need something that can stand up to difficult weather a bit better.

The suggestions of C&Cs and Catalinas will get you on the right track. Think also of CS.

If you want to meet some yachties I might recommend Tiddly Cove Yacht Club. Pleasant yachties without any pretension. In fact, without any premises.
 
bbg said:
If you're going to the west coast of Canada you probably mean Vancouver, Victoria or somewhere between Vancouver Island and the mainland (on either shore). If that is the case, you don't really need a boat that can travel long distances, because you don't need to. Almost all cruising in that area is day sailing, and it is (by UK standards) very very protected.
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I wouldn't necessarily jump to that conclusion. Vancouver is a great jumping off spot for some pretty adventurous sailing in very challenging conditions. Not everyone day sails there. The BC and Alaska coasts are wild, incredibly beautiful, and without much infrastructure. Can be hundreds of miles between ports. So you see a quite large proportion of steel boats in Vancouver and I would say a higher proportion of the yachtie world there does hard-core adventure sailing, than over here.
 
I had a Carter 30.

Basically a good fast boat - but check the berth sizes, deceptively narrow.

She would broach in big quartering seas too ( IOR influence aft sections ) despite my trying all the usual tricks.

The thing I really didn't like was the totally glassed in ( Polish fitted out ) interior; it meant surgery to get at every backing pad.

The Volvo gave a fair bit of trouble, not least the core plugs disintegrating at only 8 years old.

Also I met someone with a Carter 34, think he said it was completed in Greece; that had one of those early non-linked 2 blade folding prop's, where you only get 2 full blades out on leap years.

If you can afford to maintain her really properly, I'd still say you could do a lot worse than the 30.
 
Lots of choices

In the Puget Sound area, look for a well-kept Ericson 29, 30, 31, or 32.
There are a number of Eastern Canada boats here, like the Hinterhoeller (Nonsuch or Niagara), C&C, CS, Aloha.
Matter of fact -- a couple in our YC just bought a clean Aloha 30 and trucked it down from BC to Oregon. Fast Holland design with a cruising interior.

While not bad designs per se.... much of the current stuff from "HuntaCataBenalina" is intended for Gracious Dockside Living and being sailed within a narrow wind and sea range... on sunny days...

:)

L
 
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armchairsailor said:
Nah, that one's not on the list... :)

What do people mean about the boats handling like barges? Don't the Yanks know how to build decent seaworthy vessels?
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Very seaworthy, but slow. American boat builders adopted fin keels later than European builders did, so if you're looking at 20 and 25 year old boats, you will see a lot of full keels or long fin keels. Why Island Packet still make long keel boats, living fossils.
 
Some good suggestions on here.

We use to live in Ottawa and had a number of yachts, and still have the last one a 1982 CS27 (Canadian Sailcraft) designed by Camper & Nicholson. Absolutely bullet proof, loves a good strong breeze and V quick with her rating :) Similar in style etc to a Hunter.

We seriously considered sailing her across, but just couldn't get the time. She would cope no problems.

CS did a nice range 27, 33, 36 and 40. Probably did others.
http://closereach.com/csoa/index.html
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1979/Canadian-Sailcraft-Cs-27-2099089/Victoria,-Oak-Bay/Canada
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1979/Canadian-Sailcraft-36-1703352/Jamestown/RI/United-States

Not metioned are Tanzers. Not as nice in my opinion but similar vintage. Laser 28 was popular where I was, more on the race side of life. Also Kirby 25, use to race one; well drink one around the cans in an evening :) Nonsuch have bags of volume, but never sure about the rig, but then never heard of any problems.

Then off course there are all the usual European stuff.

Good luck, and let me know if anybody is hiring out there. I'll get the CV polished (would love to go back!)
 
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