The very worst boats

[Alfie168]

The Swift 18 in our harbour was either a hopeless boat, or badly sailed over a number of years.

Now that genuinely surprises me as the Swift 18 has a very good reputation as a small yacht. It suggests either inexperience or it was badly rigged or the sails were blown. You have to sail them quite flat like a big dinghy to get the best from them, and the ability to depower the sails is quite important to keep it all going.

I really like em.

Tim

 

[rudolph_hart]

If it's ugly you want ...

Try a Listang.

Based on a late 60's Quarter Ton Cup Winner. I had one from early 70's until late 80's.

24 feet, tumblehome overdose, no coachroof - the topsides just carried on upwards to a flush deck which gave her a reverse-sheer look. Then they bolted a sort of white box on deck to give standing headroom (just). Not pretty!

BUT: Loadsa room - 6 berths, separate heads, and boy did she sail well, especially upwind in a blow. We collected loadsa silverware in the Blackwater, and a Burnham Week 3rd in class (KAROUISE was 1st, Ace of Hearts 1 was 2nd).

But ugly, so ugly.

 

[Alfie168]

Not, surely, the exceedingly beautiful Buckler 24 Ketch.

The epitome of yacht design:

An escapee from Pirates weekend at Peaseholme Park Boating Lake in Scarborough..surely

Tim

 

[johnalison]

I wonder if any other forum members familiar with the Ocean 33 can comment?

Though not familiar with the Ocean 33, it was on our short-list of boats to look at when we were looking to replace our Sadler 29 in 1999. Like all Westerlys it didn't appear bad in any one respect and the cockpit had been based on the Fulmar's. One thing that put me off from looking any further was the uncomfortable saloon. Living on board for 3 months as we do, I like to be able to go below and flop into a seat but I've been in more comfortable churches than the Ocean.

I only know one person who has sailed one and he thought it was the best sailer of those he'd tried, though I don't know in what conditions. The final straw for us was that it cost more than the HR 34 we ordered at the same Southampton show, and a teak deck would have been extra to that.

 

[Romeo]

May I introduce you to the Hardy motor sailer? For some reason it is very tricky to find a picture of one under sail.

I wonder if one was sitting outside the window of Mr McGregor when he had his drawing board out.

 

[Woodlouse]

I believe you ,of course,but I only read good things of this model before.Didn't somebody even make a very fast carbon fiber version?

I'm wondering whether we're talking about the same boat. Who on earth would make a carbon fibre 33' Westerly bilge keeler?

I've never been on a Westerly Ocean 33 but I have read this review which, whilst obviously not impartial, is a marked contrast with your experience. Presumably there must have been someting seriously wrong with the boat you were on.

I wonder if any other forum members familiar with the Ocean 33 can comment?

That review is interesting to read, though I find five knots in a F2 hard to believe. Would be interesting to see a review after a sail in a F4/5 and then see what was written.

I can only also say that I've only ever seen two or three of them in the last 4 years, so I don't know many others with experience sailing them.

 

[Searush]

May I introduce you to the Hardy motor sailer? For some reason it is very tricky to find a picture of one under sail.

(snip)

Now that's interesting. I have always had a similar view to you - and still pretty well do, but:

Last year, a fellow club member bought one & is absolutely delighted with it. It does EXACTLY what he wants. he isn't into fancy sailing, he likes the accomodation & protection when motoring & can sail if he wants & when it suits.

Like I said, horses for courses. It is only sad when a boat is no longer loved & lies unused in a yard or on a mooring.

 

[Tranona]

I'm wondering whether we're talking about the same boat. Who on earth would make a carbon fibre 33' Westerly bilge keeler?


That review is interesting to read, though I find five knots in a F2 hard to believe. Would be interesting to see a review after a sail in a F4/5 and then see what was written.

I can only also say that I've only ever seen two or three of them in the last 4 years, so I don't know many others with experience sailing them.

Think you are confusing this boat with the older Laurent Giles 33 ft range. The Ocean 33 is a Dubois design and had a good reputation but did not sell well because it was priced in HR territory ie about 40% more than say a Beneteau or Bavaria but without the Scandinavian appeal.

The design ended up in Slovenia and was built with advanced composites. However seems to have disappeared - not surprisingly given the price tag and the vibrant yellow interior of the demo/test boat!

 

[ianat182]

The ugliest and most useless boat I ever saw was the Mailboat,designed(!!!!) by the late Peter Milne of Fireball and Stag 28 fame. Made of solid polystyrene it was a bathtub and rag job and no way was it a sailing boat.
I too had a Puffin Pioneer around 1969 and that hull seemed to be a copy of the Fairey Duckling dinghy, but made in 2" thick polystyrene and with large 'apertures' for keeping sandwiches dry. (The Fairey one was of moulded veneers of mahogany.) I sailed the Puffin regularly, two nylon sails- red jib, and white mainsail,and daggerboard .cost 75 quid, weighed about 50 lbs.so easy to cartop to the beach and launch.

Later I sailed a Lysander(homebuilt) belonging to a friend, but it couldn't tack round at all and would only gybe, never worked out why then, but reckon the mast was leaning forward rather than raked, with hindsight. Not a pretty boat either.

ianat182

 

[Twister_Ken]

May I humbly bring to your attention the Fjord 28 motorsailer.

Fortunately a unique concept that was 9/10ths conservatory, 1/10th boat. The rig, possibly also unique, featured a massive genoa and a tiny mainsail, so tiny that the mast was at the forward end of the aft cockpit. I used to sail in a boat that moored next to one. It always fascinated me, in the same way that many people are fascinated by road traffic accidents.

 

[BrianH]

It seems that no matter how ugly and absurd you make a boat there will always be someone who likes it.

The Buccaneer of a few years back was ugly as sin; those sailing/speedboat hybrids - what's that all about? And those power boats that look like a cross between the inside of a fridge and a running shoe; Yuch!
But someone buys them or they wouldn't be out there.

Darned right "someone buys them" - you're slagging off my old Chinook here; the Van de Stadt designed YW Buccaneer of 1960s vintage.

She was a boat that I raced very successfully on the NE coast and in which I lay ahull for 17 hours in a full gale in the middle of the North Sea en route from Den Helder to Whitby back in 1972. She took some breaking waves that completely engulfed us but nothing broke and she remained completely watertight. A great little boat.

See, the owners always luv 'em.

 

[Salty John]

Actually, that's not the boat I'm slagging off. That looks perfectly acceptable. The Buccaneer I'm referring to was an American design and very,very unlovely.

 

[RobinBirch]

I'm sure someone likes this one..........http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/classic-woode...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item3a584ab2fd

 

[Salty John]

Here's the buccaneer of which I spoke:

 

[Romeo]

Here's the buccaneer of which I spoke:

Are you sure that is not a train from the Glasgow Underground on its way for a service, upon which someone has discarded a mast?

If not, that is one truly ugly boat that not even its mother could love.

 

[BrianH]

Actually, that's not the boat I'm slagging off. That looks perfectly acceptable. The Buccaneer I'm referring to was an American design and very,very unlovely.

Okay John, all is forgiven.

I had wondered why you had picked on her - she did have a rather short and high coachroof to get some cabin space in a small boat, but was not really bad looking to my eye - but such things are subjective.

Yes, from your photo that one is bad looking ... pity about the name similarity.

Best, B.

 

[haydude]

Beneteau First 36.7

Beneteau First 36.7 is the worst I sailed so far.

Average to manouver under engine thanks to the saildrive, very tender and disappointingly slow under sail.

Stupid design of the cockpit floor behind the helm where one could get a foot easily stuck in the drains.

Interior accomodation is also rubbish. The one I sailed was also getting water in from everywhere underlining a really poor build quality.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Here's the buccaneer of which I spoke:

Arghhh. Pass the sick bag, Alice.

 

[doug748]

May I humbly bring to your attention the Fjord 28 motorsailer.

Fortunately a unique concept that was 9/10ths conservatory, 1/10th boat. The rig, possibly also unique, featured a massive genoa and a tiny mainsail, so tiny that the mast was at the forward end of the aft cockpit. I used to sail in a boat that moored next to one. It always fascinated me, in the same way that many people are fascinated by road traffic accidents.

Great for the French canals though - if you could get one at the right price..

 

[BobPrell]

Last year, a fellow club member bought one & is absolutely delighted with it. . . . he likes the accomodation & protection when motoring & can sail if he wants & when it suits.

Like I said, horses for courses./QUOTE]

Well said! Twice. The great thing about boating is that guy can be on his course, in the same time and place that others are on a different horse and course.

I am somewhat annoyed by the tyranny that performance sail boats exert, their design ideas permeate the rest. My particular bugbear is swinging rudder blades on trailer sailers, that dont work when in shallow water, near the launch ramp, when needed most.