The best 20-22 foot boat

[pheonix]

22;' boat

i can recomend the pandora i owned a mk1 for some time very seaworthy and a good performer mine was a twin bilge keel version and could out point and pace many a contemporary fin keel boat of that size range a testement to the pen of E.G.VAN DE STADT. however very much a sailors boat rather than a water caravaners boat. sleeps four but should be realy good freinds if you know what i mean

 

[BAtoo]

Son's Pandora, full sail, F4-5, racing, he beat me (on handicap) that day.....

Yes, there are creases in his main - its past its best.

Say no more.....

 

[Jim@sea]

A friend had an Achilles 24. It was a real boat and was a "Go anywhere Boat" rather than a Coastal Cruiser. It was easy to tow.

 

[Seajet]

It depends what you mean by 'easy to tow' !

I run the Anderson 22 owners association, and quite often get contacted by people who fancy trailer sailing, homing in on the fact the boat has a lift keel.

My reply is that the boat is trailable, ideally behind something like a Range Rover, ( I've tried it ) but is far too heavy and complex for weekend trailing, only really feasible for trailing home for the winter or maybe re-locating for a very far off summer holiday out of sailing range.

The huge snag with taking the boat home for the winter on a trailer is that one won't be able to access the keel plate for maintenance, which is absolutely essential for all lift keel boats, not just Andersons.

A couple of A22 owners have trailers adapted to allow this.

They wouldn't dream of immersing expensive trailers in salt water - once one does that the corrosion clock is ticking no matter what steps one takes - so have the boat hoisted on & off at the communal club launch / layup days.

I keep my boat ashore at the sailing club ( I get a half tide soft mud mooring in Chichester harbour, locked tender pen, hoist in & out & winter ashore for under £400 ) - and have high trestles to allow keel access.

Another advantage of the high trestles is it puts the boat out of reach of casual thieves.

I like the Achiles 24 as a sailing boat, ( obviously I prefer the Anderson but we needn't go into why ) but with fixed fin or triple keels she's going to be a fair bit of hassle at the launch or recovery stage for trailing.

 

[aquaplane]

The huge snag with taking the boat home for the winter on a trailer is that one won't be able to access the keel plate for maintenance, which is absolutely essential for all lift keel boats, not just Andersons.

A couple of A22 owners have trailers adapted to allow this.

They wouldn't dream of immersing expensive trailers in salt water - once one does that the corrosion clock is ticking no matter what steps one takes - so have the boat hoisted on & off at the communal club launch / layup days.

I agree that it's an advantage to be able to the keel plate occasionally to maintain it, but I wouldn't put it in the ESSENTIAL category, which is probably why only a couple of your A22 owners have trailers adapted to do it instead of all of them.

It's a good idea to keep trailers out of salt water too, breakback trailers and seperate launching dollies wouldn't be used otherwise.

When I looked at having a First 18 launched for me it was £150 each way vs. £20 for me to dunk the trailer, I did it myself. I managed a couple of holidays a year with the First, that would be £600 a year to have her lifted in. I could buy a new trailer every 4 years for that price if dunking was the kiss of death you imply, I don't think it is with a little care and regular wheel bearing greasing.

 

[Seajet]

Access to the keel plate is ****** essential, I can assure you !

The Andersons which winter ashore usually have high trestles, they're easy and relatively very cheap to make, I supply plans & diagrams to members of the owners association.

Quite a few A22's have new keels now - the-ex-M.D. of Anderson Rigden & Perkins is as passionate about the boat as I am, and organised the original foundry ( which amazingly is still going ) to make new keels, with ballast bulbs; it generally makes a replacement easier fitting the plate first, then attaching the bulb.

I had to have a new keel myself, despite having the boat on high trestles and giving it every treatment money could buy ( I used to work in a chandlery ! ).

For info', I have found Dulux Metalshield - primer and topcoats - best.

It seems my mooring area is suffering something nasty which causes electrolysis; my boat has nothing electrical anywhere near the keel, and I've found anodes do help, ie they erode.

This is a well known problem throughout the Chichester - Portsmouth area, and a subject of study by Portsmouth University Metallurgical Unit.

They were keen to study my boat when I contacted them, though I was less than impressed when a supposedly experienced 'expert' profoundly stated the bits chewed out of my keel was due to the speed of the boat through the water !!!

The Anderson 22's keel is an originally galvanised ( but this scrapes off in time - a fairly close fit in the keelcase ) 3/4" mild steel plate, tapered at the trailing edge & rounded at the front, while the 900lb ballast bulb is a cast iron, streamlined teardrop shape and veed on top so as to fair in with the hull when raised on the mooring - a lot of lift keel boats fail on this and get stones etc jamming the keel as a result.

Maintenance of keel plates is indeed essential on lift keelers, I once met a chap with a Sailfish 18 on holiday with a young family setting off from Lymington for Poole, he casually mentioned the keel had fallen off a few days before !

 

[RupertW]

GK24

As others have mentioned the Achilles 24, I'd put in a word for the Westerly GK24. It's a fast and cheap boat - with just that little bit more (low headroom) accommodation than a 20-22 footer.

There's enough room for a double forepeak berth, a proper cooker, heads compartment, table, sink etc., with two very good seagoing pilot berths. It's pretty bulletproof in all weathers - we've owned two and been down to Les Sables D'Ollonne in Biscay. It's not a dry boat in heavy weather but will point and make good progress when other boats of that size would be stopped dead. I've always found the large flat working deck a bonus too.

(And yes, I am trying to sell it at the moment, after 6 great years with this one)

 

[Seajet]

"There's enough room for a double forepeak berth, a proper cooker, heads compartment, table, sink etc., with two very good seagoing pilot berths. It's pretty bulletproof in all weathers - we've owned two and been down to Les Sables D'Ollonne in Biscay. It's not a dry boat in heavy weather but will point and make good progress when other boats of that size would be stopped dead."

So, like an Anderson 22 but with the added hassle & costs of an inboard then !

( couldn't resist it ).

 

[scubadog]

Sunray 21

 

[Romeo]

Well if I did not have a lovely boat already I would have to save up for a Romilly. Kind of falls outwith the general 1970s/80's feel of the thread. I guess it depends whether you intend to spend most of your time inside or outside when you are away for a sail. I stay at home if I want to do inside.

 

[Seajet]

Do what inside ?

I agree the Romilly looks fun, but aren't the Romulans the baddies according to Star Trek ?!

Like a lot of 'character' boats ranging up to Falmouth Working Boats and Bristol Cutters the world would be a poorer place without them; it's just that they're better when owned & paid for by someone else !

 

[dave100]

anyone know what my boat is 22ft long

What are people's thoughts on boats of this size?

ive just bought this ,carnt find nothing on her