North American yachts - opinions/ advice?

[SailBobSquarePants]

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.

I don't know how you can say that - are you going to call the ubiquitous J/24, J/30 or J/105 slow boats? And the whole ULDB sled concept STARTED in America...fancy racing a Santa Cruz 70 downwind in an EU boat? Good luck with that...

If ANYTHING, American boats are not as blue-water biased as European boats. That's not because we don't care, but the conditions are very different. The winds are generally lighter, and those big seas that you get here started as ripples in Boston. (hyperbole alert, but you get the idea!) The US also lacks the tidal variations that exists in the Eastern Atlantic...so our wind versus tide sea states are a heck of a lot more tame.

Masts in the US are generally taller, and most boats are designed with more canvass - again, biased towards lighter winds.

So, I don't know what is causing you to say that, but as an American sailor for 15 years I just don't see it that way...

 

[SailBobSquarePants]

No analysis of American boats would be complete without....

that's not fair...

Americans HATE used stuff - we see it as being for losers. So being able to buy a cheap, but usable trailer sailor like the Mac 26 has put a whole lot of Americans on the water, especially in Florida coastal cruising. In new boats.

For the same money, the British would simply buy a 20-year old Westerly instead, and convince themselves that it can all be fixed with a bit of elbow grease...and is a much better boat to start with. Perhaps, but it's still _used_ to the average American...and therefore undesirable.

NB - I write this as the American with the 44 year old Nicholson...go figure.

 

[Blueboatman]

Cheap and cheerful

One more for the list
Pearson 30 c 1970-1980. Tiller, diesel, encapsulated lead, sail very well, inexpensive but best regarded as a glorified daysailer down below without rear staterooms etc although many have been used offshore. The factory used to deliver em to Bermuda under sail etc!

''Practical Sailor'' magazine likes em too

Plenty on the NW coast, quick, solid, seaworthy and vastly unnoticed!

 

[Dockhead]

I don't know how you can say that - are you going to call the ubiquitous J/24, J/30 or J/105 slow boats? And the whole ULDB sled concept STARTED in America...fancy racing a Santa Cruz 70 downwind in an EU boat? Good luck with that...

We were talking about cruising boats. J-boats are racer-cruisers and the Santa Cruz 70 is a pure racing boat.

 

[Sybarite]

I lived there for three years as a kid and have been back twice in recent years.

Personally I would want a steel boat when you see the number of logs/deadheads in the water....


John