Small Motorsailer

Eyore said:
Nothing of that size to equal a Fisher 25 either in terms of looks or seaworthiness and its easily handled by one person.
Click to expand...

I agree.... they are the best looking and probably the toughest

hence the price

my only concerns are the freeboard for getting back aboard and the handling in a marina

also - how many had the bilge keels?



mud sitting is an important factor
 
No bilge keel Fishers, surely? The fact that such a handy, tough, versatile little boat can't dry out upright, is the reason for my enthusiasm migrating to centreboarders & cats.

Pity, so few other designs have the Fisher's rugged appeal. There aren't many which sit bolt-upright without looking damned awkward, even though the Fishers look great that way.

I've read masses about the Catfisher 28 and 32, but the nice inspiration behind that design seems somehow to have excluded all the advantage of catamaran pace, while discovering an uncomfortable motion all their own.

I know this is a drift, as Dylan's mate seems more interested in fishing than sailing...but I've never admired the F25's ketch rig. The company boasted that it allows full sail to be held in 35 knots of wind...but is that really a boast? Hadn't they heard of reefing? I like the idea of taking the ketch's mainmast and using it to replace the mizzen...and meanwhile acquiring an F25 sloop's mast & sail in place of the ketch's mainmast & sail...and using the redundant mizzen as a bowsprit, for headsails to correct the weather-helm which would result.

I'd also gut the interior and make it into a luxury floating bedsit for a couple. The F25's loo is like a vertical coffin. :(
 
Fisher 25 is spot on. Spend £1k with a decent SS fabricator to make a custom folding boarding ladder - but as he's on a pontoon, he may not use it much. They sail well and look good.
 
There was one Fisher 25 built with steel bilge plates at the factory in the early 1990's - think it went to North Wales.

Yacht legs work well also.

IIRC the sloop rigged boat has a taller mast which is stepped further aft on the coachroof and the boom comes over the end of the wheelhouse - therefore a mizzen cannot be stepped.

Also seem to remember one boat built with a large heads at the sacrifice of some of the fwd cabin.
 
Last edited:
E39mad said:
There was one Fisher 25 built with steel bilge plates at the factory in the early 1990's - think it went to North Wales.

Yacht legs work well also.

IIRC the sloop rigged boat has a taller mast which is stepped further aft on the coachroof and the boom comes over the end of the wheelhouse - therefore a mizzen cannot be stepped.

Also seem to remember one boat built with a large heads at the sacrifice of some of the fwd cabin.
Click to expand...

I have yet to meet a regular leg user

they hog space when not ashore and are useless in the mud of the east coast

I understood that bilge keels were copmmon on fishers - perhaps I am wrong

D
 
If the high freeboard on a F25 causes access problems for your friend maybe he could make a gate in the guardwires and then cut and hinge a section of the gunwhale as the actual deck level is quite low (from memory and looking at pics on the 'net). Have seen this done on large mobos and it looks reasonably easy to do.

As regards handling in marinas I think most boats can be mastered with practice. Some other boats maybe a bit easier but not dramatically easier. Not wishing to teach anyone how to suck eggs but the environmental conditions (wind/tide) have a far larger impact than the boat design - so the learning curve would just be steeper/longer imo.
 
If you put pelican books on the life lines, the freeboard aft is actually very low: getting in from the dinghy should be no problem at all
 
For better sailing than most of the mini motorsailers look at a Seadog: a very good layout for 1/2, tough as old boots and similar money to a Fisher 25, which has bags of "character" but really needs the engine to get anywhere to windward. I know it's 30 ft, but an easy steady boat to sail and handle.
 
i bought a Fisher 25 this year.

Boat lives on a swinging mooring and boarding from the dinghy is easily done as there are 'gates' in the guardwires formed by pelican hooks, and thus the feeboard is pretty low (even easier when stepping on from a marina pontoon)
Boarding from the dinghy via the stern ladder is awkward as the rudder prevents the dinghy from lying securely against the stern

Manouvering in a marina singlehanded is actually pretty easy if everything is done slowly as the boat tends to sit fairly still and is not pushed around too much by the elements

The high bow does tend to obscure the edge of the pontoon so a bit of practice is required to establish a reference point
My boat came with a bow thruster fitted, which is great to reposition the bow if youv'e lost sight of the pontoon - but I've only needed to use it twice. Very nice to have as a backup and it adds to your confidence when singlehanded

So far the boat has exceeded all my expectations and has transformed my West of Scotland boating - sails surprisingly well, confidence inspiring in rougher weather, and the wheelhouse is fantastic

There are some Potter 25's on the FOA website for quite reasonable money- Fisher 25 with the wheelhouse but an open deck layout
 
E39mad said:
IIRC the sloop rigged boat has a taller mast which is stepped further aft on the coachroof and the boom comes over the end of the wheelhouse - therefore a mizzen cannot be stepped. Also seem to remember one boat built with a large heads at the sacrifice of some of the fwd cabin.
Click to expand...

My Fisher 25 'Turbo' was a fairly radical daydream...I'd looked at the relative mast positions on ketch & sloop; my super-ketch was going to push the mainmast even further forward than the sloop's, to leave room for the longer main-boom & mizzen. It occurred to me that the mainmast might end up keel-stepped, sticking through the forward hatch...:rolleyes:

...but I was going to alter the interior anyway, so there might well have been a forward bathroom leaving ample space for an unorthodox mast position. Must dig out my drawings.

gavin400 said:
There are some Potter 25's on the FOA website for quite reasonable money- Fisher 25 with the wheelhouse but an open deck layout
Click to expand...

Good thought. For a long time, I believed the Potter was only available with a mizzen mast, until I saw pictures of the full ketch version. Masses of room for fishy business there...

5.jpg
 
We have two LM27's in the club, one of which was sailed home after purchase in Germany or Denmark and both of our owners are pleased with them. We also have an LM24 which was a real snip for it is very nicely appointed and the new club member owner reports that it sails and points well and faster than he expected.

The LM24 was well under the budget maximum but I have no idea about the cost of the 27's
 
The great thing about the Fisher 25 is that they are most easily re-sold if you ever want to change. I was never a fan of the relatively tiny ketch rig but the one I sailed was a nice place to sleep/live in even it it were a wee bit pedestrian under sail alone. If the sloops sail better, I'd be tempted to wait for one to turn up, were I in the market for such a vessel.
 
Is it worth mentioning that the Fisher 30 is significantly older than the 25, and as such may be better value, kilo per pound sterling? Nice one here at £28K: http://bit.ly/1wdqc9G

75774d1351768574-why-dont-sailboats-have-wheelhouses-cabins-fisher30techdata.jpg


Although, the chunky little F25 probably makes better use of the space. I'd like one, just to row round her.

4199411_20130208031339761_1_XLARGE.jpg
 
Another vote for the steadfast 24 , having owned one for many years it's a lot of boat for 24ft
And the sailing is ok , not going to win any races but who wants to!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top