sailor d
Active Member
Does anyone have any information about these boats?
Twister 28
- Thread starter sailor d
- Start date
Poignard
Well-Known Member
Yes - I have owned one for 12 years and I am entirely happy with her. What would you like to know?
Excellent seaboats, attractive looks, strongly built. People tend to keep them a long time.
There is a very good owners' association [the association is very good, I mean - I don't know about the owners]
www.twister.org.uk
sailor d
Active Member
Thanks. I agree very pretty boats. I saw one in Mylor last week and then found one on the hard to have a look at the keel. Are they manageable short handed or even single handed. They look as though they might be a bit tricky astern and in tight marinas but probably good in a sea. what is the sailing like? Are they easy to handle? And downsides? Had a look on the org website, thanks for the link.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Well, you've come to the right place.
Twister - undoubtedly the best yacht ever built, in my unbiased opinion.
Picture coming of keel - proper job, encapsulated, 2 tons of lead, nothing to fall off. Close to a 50% ballast ratio, not worth calculating the STIX, it'll be higher than almost anything else built in the last 30 years.
(taken just after xx years of antifoul had been blasted off, which explains the strange looking boot topping.)
Eminently manageable shorthanded - usually just me and Madame, and good for singlehanders. Myles Smeaton sailed one singlehanded to NZ, then did a pacific circuit on his own. My s/h voyages have been somewhat less ambitious. The rig is small and loads are low, so not too much muscle is required. I often refer to them as one-handed boats, coz you only need one hand to do most things.
Astern? A certain amount of sangfroid is required, but they are so manoueverable in other ways that there are elegant workarounds for most problems.
Yes, easy to handle.
Downsides? Space below - comfortable for two good friends, but you won't want to take a rugby team sailing. Cockpit OK for three, marginal for four. They come in three varieties; all wood, GRP hull and deck with wooden coachroof (composite) and all GRP. Composite boats sometimes develop leaks between deck and coachroof, though most will have been sorted with epoxy by now. Designed before gas was commonplace on boats, so some strange and possibly unsafe gas lockers around, but this is soluble. Ask me how. Don't expect mod cons like holding tanks, showers or hot water. Some boats have been updated to include these things, others haven't.
Another good point - a very well stayed rig. They don't fall over.
Twister - undoubtedly the best yacht ever built, in my unbiased opinion.
Picture coming of keel - proper job, encapsulated, 2 tons of lead, nothing to fall off. Close to a 50% ballast ratio, not worth calculating the STIX, it'll be higher than almost anything else built in the last 30 years.
(taken just after xx years of antifoul had been blasted off, which explains the strange looking boot topping.)
Eminently manageable shorthanded - usually just me and Madame, and good for singlehanders. Myles Smeaton sailed one singlehanded to NZ, then did a pacific circuit on his own. My s/h voyages have been somewhat less ambitious. The rig is small and loads are low, so not too much muscle is required. I often refer to them as one-handed boats, coz you only need one hand to do most things.
Astern? A certain amount of sangfroid is required, but they are so manoueverable in other ways that there are elegant workarounds for most problems.
Yes, easy to handle.
Downsides? Space below - comfortable for two good friends, but you won't want to take a rugby team sailing. Cockpit OK for three, marginal for four. They come in three varieties; all wood, GRP hull and deck with wooden coachroof (composite) and all GRP. Composite boats sometimes develop leaks between deck and coachroof, though most will have been sorted with epoxy by now. Designed before gas was commonplace on boats, so some strange and possibly unsafe gas lockers around, but this is soluble. Ask me how. Don't expect mod cons like holding tanks, showers or hot water. Some boats have been updated to include these things, others haven't.
Another good point - a very well stayed rig. They don't fall over.
Last edited:
Poignard
Well-Known Member
There were 3 versions;-
- All wood
- Grp hull/deck with timber coachroof and cockpit [known as composite construction or wooden-tops]
- All grp.
The grp hulls were moulded by Tylers and have encapsulated keels. Most Twisters were built by Uphams of Brixham.
Many owners sail single-handed and some very long voyages have been made. There's no problem handling them under sail but astern manouvering is 'interesting'. However the low insurance premiums suggest people manage to get round the problem without creating too much havoc.
Downside with the wooden-tops is rot in the coachroof/ cockpit due to rainwater. Not too difficult to repair yourself but expensive to get done professionally. Also water getting into the hollow rudder [grp types], but many owners don't seem to worry too much about that. Can't think of anything else that has caused me major problems.
Poignard
Well-Known Member
Well, you've come to the right place.
As one owner is fond of saying: "Not a bad line in them". Which is a compliment to the designer - Kim Holman
andymcp
Well-Known Member
I have nothing useful to add to the OP, but just thought I'd add that they are one of the most attractive boats around, IMHO.
A
A
fantasia7628
Well-Known Member
Many years ago I saw for sale a 30ft version called Shaker. Would this have been a one-off or were many of these made? It strikes me that a couple of extra feet would not go amiss for interior accommodation. Twisters are boats that I have always admired.
sailorman
Well-Known Member
& one or 2 nice IOR designs as well 
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
fantasia7628
Well-Known Member
Thank you for that link Twister Ken. This is all forming part of my research into my eventual return to yachtin
sailor d
Active Member
Thank you! Sounds like I should investigate further
Scotty_Tradewind
Well-Known Member
Pretty, easily short handed, bombproof, hold their value, excellent sea going characteristics,
flexible..... as a day boat or for crossing oceans.
Owners have a real love affair with their boats.
Two young women recently took their Twister and went to the Arctic, down to the Azores and across the pond and back.
flexible..... as a day boat or for crossing oceans.
Owners have a real love affair with their boats.
Two young women recently took their Twister and went to the Arctic, down to the Azores and across the pond and back.
Last edited:
Wandering Star
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure if Twister Owners are born eccentric or become eccentric but all the Twister Owners I know are completely loopy. Have you looked at buying a Beneteau or something more sensible?
Cheers, Brian.
Cheers, Brian.
purplerobbie
Well-Known Member
Isnt the rustler 31 just a bigger twister? Same designer??
Rob
Rob
Scotty_Tradewind
Well-Known Member
Loopy some of us maybe, but does being sensible mean buying Beneteau????
The last time I had a scrap against one in a F5, he had to stop so often to reef, that after 10 miles we were nearly half an hour ahead!
They make good floating caravans though for anything up to a F4 if that's what your needs are and twice as much space in a Bav'32 than we have.
There are many boats sporned from boats like the folkboat and probably most of them except perhaps the Rustler 36 suffer from less space down below compared to modern AWBs but this is a sacrifice we accept as we gain brilliant seakeeping quailities.
I've chartered a Bav' 32 from 'Love Sailing' out of Brighton some years back, for a weekends staff party. For that it was great, although the rolling and slamming and tendency to round up in any small gust was fairly concerning. Oh, and don't buy a new one unless like cars, you want to have a massive depreciation in just a few years.
Last edited:
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
All boats are a compromise and the Twister is no exception. The real question is finding out where the compromises have been made with this or that particular design.
From the outside (in other words from some one who has sailed one but is not a Twister owner.)
Twisters are great boats with a good reputation. They sail well, but with their weight and waterline length they are not as fast as some boats. This doesn't mean that they are slow - but a modern racing yacht of the same length is going to be faster. I know that some Twister owners will immediately jump in and say how they have beaten lots of boats in force 5's etc etc, but that's not the point...
They don't tack on a sixpence - the steering is predictable but rather slower in response than a fin keeled boat. I quite like the feel - but it takes some getting used to. The do steer backwards (just) - but nowhere near as easily as many fin keeled designs. They track through the water nicely and they are considered very pleasant to sail by most who have tried them.
The full shape and weight means that their motion through the water is reassuringly steady. You can get the occasional wave slap against the bow, but usually they are much quieter than more modern lightweight and fat stern wide bottomed boats.
The major compromise on boats of this design is the internal volume. You won't get an aft cabin with separate heads etc etc. The interior is cozy rather than spacious. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - but it doesn't make them appealing to some families.
Twisters are of the older generation of boats that will need some maintenance and gear replacing as you own them (but what boat doesn't!)
From the outside (in other words from some one who has sailed one but is not a Twister owner.)
Twisters are great boats with a good reputation. They sail well, but with their weight and waterline length they are not as fast as some boats. This doesn't mean that they are slow - but a modern racing yacht of the same length is going to be faster. I know that some Twister owners will immediately jump in and say how they have beaten lots of boats in force 5's etc etc, but that's not the point...
They don't tack on a sixpence - the steering is predictable but rather slower in response than a fin keeled boat. I quite like the feel - but it takes some getting used to. The do steer backwards (just) - but nowhere near as easily as many fin keeled designs. They track through the water nicely and they are considered very pleasant to sail by most who have tried them.
The full shape and weight means that their motion through the water is reassuringly steady. You can get the occasional wave slap against the bow, but usually they are much quieter than more modern lightweight and fat stern wide bottomed boats.
The major compromise on boats of this design is the internal volume. You won't get an aft cabin with separate heads etc etc. The interior is cozy rather than spacious. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - but it doesn't make them appealing to some families.
Twisters are of the older generation of boats that will need some maintenance and gear replacing as you own them (but what boat doesn't!)
Poignard
Well-Known Member
Replying to John Morris
I think that's a very fair summing up.
I think that's a very fair summing up.
ridgy
Well-Known Member
They are also unfeasibly expensive with most being up at 16-20k which is alot of money for that sort of boat, when other folkboat derivatives are around 10-12k. I have an elizabethan 29 which apart from a counter stern and a fraction less beam seems to be the same boat but nearly half the price.
jason -and the arguenauts
Well-Known Member
It was called a Twister because thats what it did to the racing regs at the time and consequently did well until other boats caught up.In it's day it was a fast boat but would be hopeless speedwise nowadays in comparison with a modern 28.
Depends what you want the boat for. Singlehanding - yes , go for it. Family cruising - unless your wife was a girl guide and still likes camping then the answer is no.
The price of second hand boats confirms the boats reputation
Depends what you want the boat for. Singlehanding - yes , go for it. Family cruising - unless your wife was a girl guide and still likes camping then the answer is no.
The price of second hand boats confirms the boats reputation
