Twisters

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david42

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I'm looking for a new boat, around 30 foot, grp, preferably long fin and skeg or long keel, between £13,000 and £20,000. I've seen a few Twisters advertised around £20,000, is there anything to look out for? I've heard about some problems on early ones with wooden decks and superstuctures, have these all been sorted now or are they ongoing problems?

Am I likely to get a reasonable one for less the £20,000?

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I'm sure Ken will be only too happy to tell you everything you want to know about Twisters, but in case you are still considering other designs, there are the Elizabethans. They don't have quite the same "classic" cachet as the Contessas and Twisters but may be a little cheaper, and are just as pretty and as fast.

The David Thomas Elizabethan 30 is quite different from the Kim Holman Elizabethan 29 and 35. The 30 is a more modern design, long fin & skeg, reasonable beam. The 29 is long keel with long overhangs, low freeboard and narrow beam - smaller accomodation than the 30, comparable to the Twister. The 35 is a scaled up 29, lovely boats, very few around. Both are good sea boats. Good 29s can be had for £9,000-£15,000, depending on age, grotty ones half that. Not so familiar with the 30 prices, but there are a few around.



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Lots of good boat designs in your range and many if not most in your price range. Don't necessarily restrict your search to a few well known classes, unless of course you have a really soft spot for one. Just be clear ahead of time what you want out of the boat and you'll not disappointed. Remember that there's no right answer, just a range of compromises (but the Twister is pretty).

Jeff.
 
Have to say I'm on much the same quest - I've been looking at Vancouver 27's, but advice on anything else with a fixed, decent size chart table, separate heads and standing headroom @ £20,000 - £30,000 would be exceedingly welcome.

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If you've got access to the last couple of years worth of YM's there is an A-S (Sigma was last months, so series not complete yet) of boats. I would not suggest this is comprehensive, but it is an eye opener on just how many different boats there are out there. Provides good food for thought.

Jeff.

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A Rustler 31 is a scaled up Twister and very good if you can find one. They do not come on the market often as once bought owners seem to hang on to them

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Hustler 30 also fits that 'scaled-up Twister description, as does the Northney 34.

Van de Stadt also designed some useful boats of the same ilk. Sergeant Pepper aka SNAFU should be able to advise.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
Is there anything to look out for?
They seem to be sailed with by a rather strange bunch - are you sure you are ready to become classified?

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Claymore
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>They seem to be sailed with by a rather strange bunch <

Fine upstanding members, everyone in the Owners Association.

Actually, we're more usually called a 'wunch', which is odd, because none of us work in the financial industry.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
I'm still looking at options. I quite fancy a Twister but my last boat was a Vertue (#21) and I ended up selling her because I couldn't keep up with the maintenance, most of the problems were to do with deck leaks. I loaned her to some friends for a winter sail and they told me that it had rained more inside than out. Hence my concerns about composite construction.

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I know they've been mentioned elsewhere but what about Rival 31/32/34's? I fancy one myself but most of them seem to go for over £20,000 and are out of my price range.

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Twister trivia

The hull form of the glass Twister is slightly different to that of the all wood one. The woodentop glass ones of course have the glass hull shape. There is just one cold moulded one, currently in the isle of Man and not for sale, which has 3" higher topsides and a lower coach roof...

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Well I've been thinking hard about the finances for the new boat and I'm going to need to drop my maximum a bit. This puts most Twisters out of my price range especially as I might need to buy a fair amount of gear as well. It looks as though most secondhand boats don't come with a lot of 'personal' stuff like lifejackets, I suppose owners transfer all of this stuff over to their new boats. Unfortunately all I have to bring are a hand-bearing compass, some old binoculars and an ensign - all of which have been in the loft since I sold the Vertue. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to keep a couple of thousand aside for stuff as well as for the inevitable surprises that'll crop up in a 30 year old boat.

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the perfect seller

is someone who is reluctantly parting with their much loved Twister due to old age compelling them to give up sailing! Promise to keep her in the style to which she is accustomed and heaps of kit will be loaded upon you!

I am afraid that my yotbroker acquaintances tell me that the habit of holding back inventory on a sale is getting worse, otherwise.

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One boat you might find worth looking at - not totally dissimilar, also Tyler mouldings of the same era, but usually several thousand pounds cheaper, is the Trintella 29.

They seem to be more in the 13-16K range, as opposed to 16-24 for twisters.



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