Snapdragon 25

[Wansworth]

We managed both though, fortunately, on the rare occasions we did the former, it wasn't much of a crash, just a gentle slowing to a stop in mud. In places like Newtown Creek, we'd park away in a corner where the hoi polloi couldn't get near us.

About ten years ago I went to view one in Sada,near Corunaand was impressed with the size of the toilet cubicle…….and the price 10,000 euros……I wonder if it’s the same boat?

 

[LittleSister]

Yes they do. If you read up on hull design you will see that modern twin keel designs are asymetric and attached at various angles to the hull. The French RM's give performance nearly as good as a fin keeler and the British Hunters were also quite good for their day. Even the westerlys of the same era had splayed keels that gave far better performance than a snapdragon.

I know. Didn't you notice the winking smiley?

Vertical bilge keelers suffer the usual bilge keel disadvantage of the extra drag of a couple of keels (wetted area, reduced moment, etc.), without the potential advantages over single keels of having of having them canted outward and even toed-in etc. which can go some way to mitigating those disadvantages.

I've had a boat with vertical keels. The vertical bilge keels wouldn't have been my first choice, but the right boat in all other regards came along. I didn't buy it to win races, but we sailed it often and extensively. Its performance never limited where and how far we sailed. We had so much fun and so many adventures in that little (17' 3") boat, and were always the smallest boat in every anchorage we stayed in. The bilge keels and shallow draft were an advantage for trailering, hardstanding, and shoal waters, including 'cutting corners' unavailable to deeper draught boats.

I'm certainly not arguing they're the best type of keel, just that for some cruising sailers they are not the terrible disadvantage that some see them as.

Wansy's location and budget limits his choices. I don't think he should rule out a Snappy just because of its keels, but he should consider how much of a disadvantage they would be for his tastes and the type of sailing he envisages, and balance that with the other merits and demerits of the boat.

 

[LittleSister]

About ten years ago I went to view one in Sada,near Corunaand was impressed with the size of the toilet cubicle…….and the price 10,000 euros……I wonder if it’s the same boat?

What put you off buying it at that time?

 

[Wansworth]

I know. Didn't you notice the winking smiley?

Vertical bilge keelers suffer the usual bilge keel disadvantage of the extra drag of a couple of keels (wetted area, reduced moment, etc.), without the potential advantages over single keels of having of having them canted outward and even toed-in etc. which can go some way to mitigating those disadvantages.

I've had a boat with vertical keels. The vertical bilge keels wouldn't have been my first choice, but the right boat in all other regards came along. I didn't buy it to win races, but we sailed it often and extensively. Its performance never limited where and how far we sailed. We had so much fun and so many adventures in that little (17' 3") boat, and were always the smallest boat in every anchorage we stayed in. The bilge keels and shallow draft were an advantage for trailering, hardstanding, and shoal waters, including 'cutting corners' unavailable to deeper draught boats.

I'm certainly not arguing they're the best type of keel, just that for some cruising sailers they are not the terrible disadvantage that some see them as.

Wansy's location and budget limits his choices. I don't think he should rule out a Snappy just because of its keels, but he should consider how much of a disadvantage they would be for his tastes and the type of sailing he envisages, and balance that with the other merits and demerits of the boat.

The front runner at the momment is a Spanish fin keeler called a Puma 24,it’s almost all deep water sailing in the rias and up and down the Galician coast you can find drying out places but there is a big shellfish industry who are very protective of their mud!Selecting or finding a boat is very reliant on what comes on the market,some hang around for moths others are sold within days.

 

[Wansworth]

What put you off buying it at that time?

The price….and the condition was not great …..I went on to buying a Albin Vega in the Uk but it’s all different now with the big B

 

[mjcoon]

"I'm not crashing into the land - I'm taking the ground"?

So long as the ground does not end up winning!

 

[PeterV]

Although the bilge keel Snapdragons were poor sailors upwind, the centreboard ones were not. When I started cruiser racing most of the club races were won by centreboard Snapdragon 23s. My Dad’s 2nd boat was a centreboard Snapdragon 26 ( I think only 3 were made) and with 6’ draft it was very good upwind.

 

[LittleSister]

Although the bilge keel Snapdragons were poor sailors upwind, the centreboard ones were not. When I started cruiser racing most of the club races were won by centreboard Snapdragon 23s. My Dad’s 2nd boat was a centreboard Snapdragon 26 ( I think only 3 were made) and with 6’ draft it was very good upwind.

There's an idea. Wansy could buy a bilge-keel Snappy to stop people ribbing him about not buying a boat, but then embark on an extended project to convert it to a centre-boarder in order to avoid having to actually go sailing!

 

[Wansworth]

There's an idea. Wansy could buy a bilge-keel Snappy to stop people ribbing him about not buying a boat, but then embark on an extended project to convert it to a centre-boarder in order to avoid having to actually go sailing!

Id rather go with the Camper and Nicholson in Vigo with the teak deck at least I could lounge in splendor as rain filtered through the margin board!