PBO roundup of bilge keel yachts - was it any good - worth getting back issues?

N

niccapotamus

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 Aug 2013
Messages
559
Visit site
Hiya

following on from the recent thread of mine about moorings I was wondering whether the PBO roundup of bilge keelers is worth getting. We will be looking for a 26-29 footer for circa 10 - 15K. I've got a reasonable handle on the boats from trawling the forum and google and from being a keen sailor (but 10 years ago +). Typical that we start thinking about sailing again and I miss the relevant articles in PBO (doh!).

I just recall from reading the mags in the distant past that the roundup reviews were often a bit cursory. I'm trying (aren't we all) to balance sailing performance against accommodation.

not that I'm fussy (???) - just want reasonable sailing performance, cockpit to stretch out in, comfortable helming position and not too heavy on the helm - so good balance, inside a traditional layout I guess so that we can both slump on the saloon berths and read, and probably full time double bed in the fore-peak.

In a bilge keeler.

I know - a Sadler 29 is the answer but I doubt the budget will stretch that far - we aren' t going to look/buy till next year anyway we've got a while.

cheers

Nick
 
IMO ( if it's the article I have in mind) the roundup was not worth the paper it was printed on, seldom more than a paragraph about anything, many brands omitted altogether and a disproportionate interest in Macwesters.

You'd be better off listing the brands from www.Apolloduck.co.uk then googling the ones that interest you and maybe checking your outlook on here before you go shopping.

Good hunting
 
The review articles are not really going to help you make your final choice. Intended more to provide a list of what is generally available and a brief commentary on each, often just memories of how the boats were positioned when they were new. inevitably not every boat is there - in the times these boats were built there were all sorts of boats marketed often in very small numbers.

Your basic requirements will be met by just about any of the main contenders as they are really no different from what most buyers are looking for. What you choose will depend as much on availability and condition rather than a specific design. So look at as many boats as you can, using Yachtworld and other search engines to find what is available. A visit to the Yachtsnet archives website is also useful.
 
chewi said:
IMO ( if it's the article I have in mind) the roundup was not worth the paper it was printed on, seldom more than a paragraph about anything, many brands omitted altogether and a disproportionate interest in Macwesters.
Click to expand...

When was this?The PBO report I saw recently completely ignored my boat though originally it came out top of a group test & many boats I know of wer'nt mentioned.It seemed very cursory.
 
thanks - you have pretty much confirmed that a trawl through the forum to create a reasonable list of possibles plus late night google research accompanied by three bottles of vino bought with the money saved by not buying the back issues is a better approach.:cool:

ta
 
I have bought a few articles in the past when they were around £6. Even at that, each and every one (well all three) have been a disappointment.

At £9 now, there is not a chance in hell I would buy one.

If they were priced sensibly at a pound a pop or so, then quite possibly worth a punt but not at £9.
 
scruff said:
I have bought a few articles in the past when they were around £6. Even at that, each and every one (well all three) have been a disappointment.

At £9 now, there is not a chance in hell I would buy one.

If they were priced sensibly at a pound a pop or so, then quite possibly worth a punt but not at £9.
Click to expand...

Have to disagree with this. I bought a copy of the article on changing sail drive seals and it was invaluable - much better insights than the manual in many respects
 
Nicholas123 said:
When was this?The PBO report I saw recently completely ignored my boat though originally it came out top of a group test & many boats I know of wer'nt mentioned.It seemed very cursory.
Click to expand...

Within the last 3 months I think, in PBO, but I was reading it in the club lounge, where there are lots of older copies, but I tend to pick the ones I don't remember reading!.
There was a spacewasting massive pic supposedly of a macwester (but not a model I recognised) high and dry on sand, next page a pic of a vivacity 650 described as a Vivacity21. Mirages got a mention under David Feltham, but no mention of his Cobras, so of three brands I know it didn't show them with any recognisable authenticity, at least from my limited perspective.
 
Halo said:
Have to disagree with this. I bought a copy of the article on changing sail drive seals and it was invaluable - much better insights than the manual in many respects
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to say that there are no good articles out there. If that was the case the Magazines would not exist.

What I am saying is that not one of the 3 articles I paid for were worth the £6 each I paid.

One was to be, according to the one line blurb you see before you buy an article on refitting an interior. What actually came was a half page or irreverent writing which made reference in passing the fact the owner painted the cabin.

If the articles cost a sensible amount of money they could be worth a pop. However at £9 each it's too much of a gamble what you will get.

I'm not sure why we even have to pay tbh. I subscribe to several magazines on a rolling basis and with each one, when you subscribe you get free access to the whole back catalog.
 
I've been looking at bilge keelers and decided it's a Sadler 29 if I can afford it or a Mirage 28 (which I've owned before) if I can't. As said previously, yatchsnet archive is a good resource but you need to see them in the flesh before deciding. This involves a lot of travelling around if you don't live in a yachting hotspot. The multiple photos on boatshed are good too. Magazine reviews are of limited value IMO but may help narrow down the field.
 
chewi said:
Within the last 3 months I think, in PBO, but I was reading it in the club lounge, where there are lots of older copies, but I tend to pick the ones I don't remember reading!.
There was a spacewasting massive pic supposedly of a macwester (but not a model I recognised) high and dry on sand, next page a pic of a vivacity 650 described as a Vivacity21. Mirages got a mention under David Feltham, but no mention of his Cobras, so of three brands I know it didn't show them with any recognisable authenticity, at least from my limited perspective.
Click to expand...

As luck would have it a copy of that issue appeared in the local library yesterday.It was actually for July & the leading picture you describe was actually a Westerly Centaur & there were two other Westerly models mentioned but not one Macwester.It (The one I am describing) was by David Pollard & I thought the overall selection was a bit odd but then I am very much a traditionalist & David Pollard seems much more inclined towards fashion.I guess we all have our own individual opinions which is why this relying on other peoples opinions rather than making your own mind up based on your own experience seems a bit fraught to me.
 
Sadly the best part of the feature was the advert on the front cover mentioning the feature . Very lightweight and didn't tell me a whole lot to be honest.
 
Nicholas123 said:
As luck would have it a copy of that issue appeared in the local library yesterday.It was actually for July & the leading picture you describe was actually a Westerly Centaur & there were two other Westerly models mentioned but not one Macwester.It (The one I am describing) was by David Pollard & I thought the overall selection was a bit odd but then I am very much a traditionalist & David Pollard seems much more inclined towards fashion.I guess we all have our own individual opinions which is why this relying on other peoples opinions rather than making your own mind up based on your own experience seems a bit fraught to me.
Click to expand...



That's not the article I had in mind.
 
chewi said:
That's not the article I had in mind.
Click to expand...

Can you tell me the exact date then please because it seems unlikely to me the PBO would run similar boat comparisons within a few months of each other & the article I mentioned did have the boat on the sands as you mentioned which does seem a bit of a coincidence :confused:

PS:It also had the vivacity you mentioned I think & behind the Centaur in the photo was a Mirage?There was also a Hurley 22 & I think an Eventide & a YM something or other.....a 31 footer?All a bit odd.The article was certainly a good plug for Westerlies.
 
Nicholas123 said:
Can you tell me the exact date then please because it seems unlikely to me the PBO would run similar boat comparisons within a few months of each other & the article I mentioned did have the boat on the sands as you mentioned which does seem a bit of a coincidence :confused:

PS:It also had the vivacity you mentioned I think & behind the Centaur in the photo was a Mirage?There was also a Hurley 22 & I think an Eventide & a YM something or other.....a 31 footer?All a bit odd.The article was certainly a good plug for Westerlies.
Click to expand...

I'll look through the mags at the SC and see if I can find it.
 
chewi said:
I'll look through the mags at the SC and see if I can find it.
Click to expand...

which I just did.
"PBO563 Summer 2013" p36

Bilge Keel appeal : B/K classics from the 70's part2 by Peter Poland.

The part 2 might explain why there would be two in such a short period.
 
I'd just like to say thanks to everyone for your helpful replies.

I don't think getting the back issues is worthwhile - some judicious googling has left a list of "the usual" suspects.

cheers

Nick
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top