What Boat to resurrect

S

Sailfree

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Having seen many debates on AWB's and how good older boats are the post on PBO regarding the Westerly Typhoon got me thinking.

Westerlys are no longer made, nor are sigma, starlights etc. Assuming a reasonable budget if you had you choice to buy any boat and could wave a magic wand and all the older boats were back into production how would you spend your money. A westerly, a Sigma 38 or are the current production boats better as things have moved on.

I really have trouble with this as without any knowledge of boats the Sigma38 always looked right to me. They are no longer made but would they sell today if they were or would they be so much dearer (even if made by say by a manufacturer the size of Jeanneau, Elan etc) or have the designs moved on so much a Sigma38 would not sell and whether they are better is so very subjective.
 
I think the truth is that if you've got the money then the choice of boats available today is better than it ever has been.

What has happened is that the "middle market" manufacturers have disappeared, undercut by the mass-produced BenJenBavs of this world - and the smaller end of the market has disappeared too.

But if you are prepared to go to the more expensive makes then there are some great boats out there.

The Sigma 38 is not a bad boat - but would you buy one in preference to the modern designs like the X boats, J, Prima and so on?
 
I'd bring back the older Prout designs like the Quest and Snowgoose. Modern cats are simply too big and barn like with way too much windage. Plus they are mostly French with all that implies about quality.
 
I agree, I really like the look of the Sigmas (362, 38 etc.).

Trouble is they developed much of their performance (or maners) from the hull shapes of the day. These days they would not offer enough cabins, berths or heads compartments on a length for length comparison.

These days mega-wide aft sections mean that the rudder comes out all too easily. I think most modern yachts would be far better with twin rudders - until you get them in a marina of course.
 
I'm struggling with this one. There are some one-off designs (Clarion of Wight, for example) which I'd love to see revived, but even boats that were successful sellers and sailers in their day - Contessa 32, Swan 38, Westerley Storm, Wauqiez Centurion – probably wouldn't sell today in numbers without considerable caravanisation below decks because the great boating public now seem to value accomodation above sea-comfort.

So although I'd like, for nostalgia's sake, to see some boats revived, I don't think they'd be a commercial success. My personal, money-no-object project would be a detuned version of the German Frers Swan 46.

mariposa.jpg
 
[ QUOTE ]
Claimed unsinkable, as a surveyor carefully pointed out to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

...if he said "its unsinkable" and then IF it did sink, you'd sue him wouldnt you, so he will only ever say "claimed to be ...".

Its what surveyors do!
 
I'm not sure I'd agree about the performance of new versus old cruising cats. The performance of some of the French ones aren't at all bad despite their huge accommodation areas. My worries about windward performance diminished a lot when I found myself steering on at 50 degrees to the wind at 7-8 knots, slicing through a short chop. The VMG was good enough to me and the comfortable ride seemed amazing compared to monohulls with apparently much better upwind performance.

In general the older cats seem to have a very cautious amount of sail area and lower bridgedecks which seem made for slapping and slamming - but I haven't yet been invited on one so couldn't really make a fair comparison /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Let me explain.

IF I were to ask them to build me ANYTHING old or new it would be a Rusty 36. The Rustler 36 surely address all there is in the type of boat the thread is aimed at?

[ QUOTE ]
biblical terms

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that a point no one has mentioned the 'Ark' yet! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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