Southerly 115?

[Tim Good]

Does anyone have any experience, owned, sailed a Southerly 115. From what I can see they appear to have a lot going for them and be reasonably priced at that. Someone tell me they are **** so I can get the idea out of my head.

 

[Mistroma]

Plenty of experience with a Southerly 95 but only a little with the Southerly 115.

Could you expand on ways in which they are meant to be s**t? Some of my experience might be relevant if concerns relate to the keel system, build strength, windage etc.

 

[Tim Good]

No I meant to suggest they look great but if I get confirmation they are then I'll want one and I shouldn't be thinking that as I've only had my current boat a year. They just tick a lot of boxes for me. Aft cabin, shoal draft, pilot house.

Please do expand on all those factors you mention.

 

[chasroberts]

Sorry about this but get your cheque book out! As a marque Southerly's are superb. There were three or four versions of the 115 and MkII and III were better than Mk I. They sail well, are solidly built with a proven swing keel system that allows you to draw 0.8Mt, get through all the canals, sail up onto the beach etc. etc. Great headroom and space, plenty of storage.

I have the earlier version (105) which doesn't sail as well as the 115 but is built like the proverbial brick ****house. There is a good owners association and the builders are always happy to help with any aspect of your boat.

Talk to Grehan of this parish (yes he with the knowledge of the inland waterways). He had a 115 for quite some time. Feel free to pm me with any specific questions but I'm afraid it's once bitten, forever smitten.

Chas

ps Just noticed that they have added s h 1 t to the swear filter. D a m n!

 

[charles_reed]

Sorry about this but get your cheque book out! As a marque Southerly's are superb. There were three or four versions of the 115 and MkII and III were better than Mk I. They sail well, are solidly built with a proven swing keel system that allows you to draw 0.8Mt, get through all the canals, sail up onto the beach etc. etc. Great headroom and space, plenty of storage.

I have the earlier version (105) which doesn't sail as well as the 115 but is built like the proverbial brick ****house. There is a good owners association and the builders are always happy to help with any aspect of your boat.

Talk to Grehan of this parish (yes he with the knowledge of the inland waterways). He had a 115 for quite some time. Feel free to pm me with any specific questions but I'm afraid it's once bitten, forever smitten.

Chas

ps Just noticed that they have added s h 1 t to the swear filter. D a m n!

Interesting that you consider the Southerly 115 sails well.

My boat is 9.45m and on every one of the 3 occasions I've sailed in company with a 115, it's performance has been considerably inferior - slower and pointing lower.

Wind speeds have varied from Bf 3-4 (beating and reaching) and Bf 5-7 reaching and running.

However it must be said that they sail better than a Macwester Wight.

 

[Tim Good]

Interesting that you consider the Southerly 115 sails well.

Is yours an earlier Sourherly or an entirely different boat?

 

[BoyBlue49]

Southerly 115

Sailed one back from Majorca via French canals and Paris to Northney.
The lifting plate worked well for the canals but not as good as a fixed keel when sailing, which is quite understandable.
There is a great deal of weight in the lifting plate mechanism and a strong hull which no doubt affects performance.
The boat I sailed was a little under canvased and could have done with a larger genny. I thought below decks was well laid out and worked well.

 

[Beadle]

Having seen which boat you sail I'm not in the least surprised.

 

[Tidewaiter2]

it's a very comfortable cruiser, but not a Contessa

Ours is a 115 mk2, with in mast reefing, so small main, but with 150% genoa, we can get from 6-8kts once the wind gets over 10-12kts, which can be too exciting and tippy for us these days.

We usually sail with a high cut no2 yankee as foresail, and get around 4-6kts with that combo. We have a cruising chute for down wind/light airs work(can use it as a light airs foresail in under 10-14kts, if tack and sheets tweaked a bit.

Got a pole and mast track for my birthday last year, which also helps in light airs-heaving poles around in any chop is not my forte these days.

They are heavy with plate and keel, but the aerofoil keel on mk2 & mk3, and some mk1's? works well, and a review we have in it's papers, from when it first came out called it a motorsailer!

It is a passage maker, however, tracks well, 12-14 hrs Nab to Cherbourg as a cross tide example, very very comfortable for two, very comfortable for four, getting crowded at 6-8!
The stowage with the aft ensuite heads unit option we have, is not as much as I would like, but I am a self confessed three anchors, 100m of 10mm chain, plus warp to match sailor.

However, a 115 mk3 won the Southerly Regatta overall this year, and a mk2 the Plymouth to Fowey passage race in that Regatta. On PY times, of course, as they were in lightweight cruising mode, up against new 40+ footers crewed by new owners and Northshore staff.

 

[Flossdog]

We have a Mk1 115 and love it to bits. It is in excellent nick which shows how well made it was. OK, hard on the wind in blustery conditions it may not sail as well as some other wet and hairy boats but it is dry! Only gets wet in the cockpit from F7! Even off the wind the single rudder is not really a problem although plenty of people who have never owned one will tell you! So, in a nutshell, go for it!

 

[matelot]

We have a Mk1 115 and love it to bits. It is in excellent nick which shows how well made it was. OK, hard on the wind in blustery conditions it may not sail as well as some other wet and hairy boats but it is dry! Only gets wet in the cockpit from F7! Even off the wind the single rudder is not really a problem although plenty of people who have never owned one will tell you! So, in a nutshell, go for it!

If you believe that a single rudder which is no deeper in the water than the canoe body of your boat can work as well as one that goes down to just less than keel depth, you know nothing of hydrodynamics.

 

[charles_reed]

Is yours an earlier Sourherly or an entirely different boat?

No Southerly, mine is a lift keel boat designed by Tony Castro and built in the UK by the now defunct Parker boat yard.

 

[chasroberts]

It's been my experience that below a certain size/pricetag every boat is a compromise of sorts and the Southerly range is no exception. However, the point I was trying to make is that the Southerly's have more pluses than minuses. True, they are not the fastest sailing boats but then if speed was your only criteria, we'd all be living under boom tents on laser dinghies or something similar but getting to new places very quickly....

The Southerly's as a cruising yacht are excellent, spacious and as I said earlier build quality is generally very good indeed. (As an aside, we were literally smashed off our swinging mooring by a runaway 16,000 ton timbership. The mooring rope parted, but all the deck fittings held firm.) Bright and airy down below, comfortable for living on etc. The swing keel is a real beauty and is unobtrusive inside the boat forming one side of the galley area. The ability to vary your draught by the best part 2mts at the flick of a switch has several obvious benefits. What more do you want?

Anyway, as always it's your boat, your money, your choice. If it doesn't suit anyone else then that ain't a problem for me....

Happy sailing to you all.

Chas

 

[chasroberts]

If you believe that a single rudder which is no deeper in the water than the canoe body of your boat can work as well as one that goes down to just less than keel depth, you know nothing of hydrodynamics.

That was a later 'innovation' on the earlier 115s. My rudder hangs well below the body of the boat under normal circumstances but can be raised when necessary. See my earlier post re compromise....

Chas

 

[Tidewaiter2]

That was a later 'innovation' on the earlier 115s. My rudder hangs well below the body of the boat under normal circumstances but can be raised when necessary. See my earlier post re compromise....

Chas

Our Mk2 has the rudder 'wings' fitted, yes, it is level with the grounding plate, but must confess we've never stalled out upwind, but then we try to sail it flattish-say 15 degrees or so of heel, to maintain speed, so reef the main/genoa as needed- the in mast reefing is a boon for that, once you establish a drill to keep tension on when winding the inhaul/outhaul in or out, and whether the topping lift needs to be on or off on your system.

I tend to treat it like a botter or Thames barge in terms of sailing technique, but then all our boats have been centre or dagger boards, so we expect it to go sideways with zero keel down, even under power.

You can experience everything in handling from barge/mobo, thru bilge, then long keeler, then fin keeler according to how much keel is down, but that also means you can sail a Southerly like a big, expensive dinghy according to keel/and angle on the wind- even right up on a downwind run.

We are pleased with ours, and the headroom and mod cons have helped us keep cruising, visiting and anchoring in places where other yotties fear to steer.

 

[TimBennet]

One of the things to consider with the Southerly 115 is whether the galley up / saloon down works for you.

Many couples say that they would appreciate a second seat in the upper deck house area. It works well for them at sea, but less well for breakfast at anchor.

 

[Cardo]

One of the things to consider with the Southerly 115 is whether the galley up / saloon down works for you.

Many couples say that they would appreciate a second seat in the upper deck house area. It works well for them at sea, but less well for breakfast at anchor.

We have a Southerly 105, which has the same saloon layout as the 115. My other half loves the design of the galley as she finds she can be cooking and still be part of the conversation with people sitting down at the table. She can also watch the TV mounted on the forward portside bulkhead in the saloon.