Design Ideas For My Next Boat Sought

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jhenson
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Design Ideas For My Next Boat Sought

Post by jhenson »

I’m beginning to think about designs to replace our CAL 27 in the next year or so. I bought this boat with idea of having something to sail while completing my Triton. Having recently made the difficult and painful decision to end the project, I now would like to consider a different alternative. While we have enjoyed the CAL 27 for what it is, I still would love have a boat that pleases my “eye” and would be the boat I’d own over the long haul. The idea is to acquire a “classic” boat in solid condition that doesn’t require large areas of core replacement, repower, or other jobs that would have the boat out of commission for the long periods. I don’t mind doing work on a boat, especially during the winter months, but I can’t take on a project that requires hundreds of man-hours to launch like the Triton project.

One primary consideration for me is draft. I’m fortunate to be able to store a boat on my brother’s dock for virtually free. However, the creek there is only 4 feet deep at low tide, and like most tributaries of the Chesapeake, rises only about a foot or so during high tide. With strong winds down river, the water level drops even lower. Therefore, I’m looking for something with a draft somewhere around 4 feet.

Having cruised a bit on our CAL 27, my wife has advised me that we need either a bigger boat or a smaller dog before she can go on trips longer than a few days. Everyone loves the dog, so a bigger boat is the obvious choice. Having the privacy of a “private” head is also somewhat important to her. My boys grow larger by the minute.

I’m thinking of the following basic requirements:

Length: 30-35 feet
Draft: 4 feet or less
Cost: around $30,000
Performance: Something that has reasonable light air sailing performance consistent with the summer breezes on the Chesapeake Bay.

There is a lovely 1970 Pearson P-35 across the creek from us, and that started me thinking about keel/centerboard boats, but I don’t want to limit my search to only this hull configuration.

I have the following boats under consideration:

Tartan 34C
Pearson 35
Cape Dory 30 Ketch
Cape Dory 30 Cutter

I’d love to get some other ideas that fit my basic requirements. I bought my Triton project on “whim” without regard for what I needed or the work required. This time, I want to assess very carefully all the options, and find the boat that best meets my goals, while still appealing to me aesthetically. I want to look at as many boats over the next year or so before making this decision. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated. Also, comments on the merits of the designs listed would be great!

Joe
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Tim
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Post by Tim »

At the larger end of your size range, the Allied Seabreeze may have merit as well: draft with board up is 3'-10". Many of these require some work, though, but good examples come around for reasonable prices now and then.

The 4' draft restriction will definitely limit your choices to some extent, particularly at the 35' end, but there are still good options, several of which you've listed.

The Tartan 34C is a good boat, and you're likely to find many to choose from in a wide variety of conditions.

Pearson 35s are nice as well, with large cockpits and nice shallow draft. Like many Pearsons, though, they can be a bit plain--nothing that can't be improved with some custom interior work and the like.
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Summersdawn
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Post by Summersdawn »

Another boat you might want to add to your list would be a 32' C&C Corvette.

http://www.corvettesailboatassociation. ... imer.shtml
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jhenson
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Post by jhenson »

Tim,

How would these keel/centerboard boats fare during grounding in the mud? I talked recently with an owner of a Tartan 34c who told me they seldom, if ever use the board in our shallow waters for fear of grounding. He said the boat has a fairly delicate fiberglass board that has positive control up and down, so the board will not retract during grounding. Are any of these boats any better as far as their abilities to take grounding in shoal waters like the Chesapeake?

Also, what kind of quality does the Morgan 34 have that you recently identified in the photo I posted? I understand it also has a keel/centerboard boat with around 4 feet of draft?

Rick,

The C&C Corvette is a pretty boat. I’ll definitely add it to my list of boats to look at.

Thanks,

Joe
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Tim
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Post by Tim »

I'd say in general, you want a keel/CB boat that has a free-pivoting board, which can retract easily into the trunk should you run the boat aground with the board down. Obviously, a board that was somehow fixed in place when in the down position wouldn't be able to do this, and could be damaged in any grounding, which is less than ideal.

I wasn't aware that the Tartan 34C had some sort of fixed mechanism, but you ought to look into that and find out more. The thought of that doesn't excite me.

Centerboards come in all kinds of materials--fiberglass, aluminum, bronze, iron. In the end, I don't think it matters that much what the board is made of, as long as it's engineered and built properly. A lot of cruisers rarely bother with their centerboards (in a keel-centerboard combo), but you do gain a fair bit of pointing ability with the increased lift a board provides when down. Offwind, the board will be up anyway. But these boats will all sail to windward generally fine without putting the board down, at the expense of a few degrees of pointing ability. In a keel-centerboard boat, the board isn't intended to contribute much to stability.

Morgans tend to be all over the place in quality. Judge the individual boat you're looking at rather than forming any predetermined conclusions as to the quality. Every boat, regardless of manufacturer, should stand on its own merits.
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Figment
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Post by Figment »

I think there is a centerboard version of the Bristol 34.

There might be a few 33' somethingorothers by Cheoy Lee out there.

In a different vein (and price bracket) altogether, I think the nonsuch 30 was sometimes made with a shoal-draft version of the keel.

I really like the T34 though.
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Post by Al »

There are indeed Nonsuch 30s with a shoal keel (4') and they probably have the same interior space as the larger boats that have been mentioned. There's an older one for sale in Annapolis for $29K, the least expensive N30 listed on YachtWorld.
Al Lorman
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Post by jhenson »

Judge the individual boat you're looking at rather than forming any predetermined conclusions as to the quality. Every boat, regardless of manufacturer, should stand on its own merits.
Thanks for your insights. Well said. I will steer away from questions that require broad generalizations. If I move towards the purchase of a certain boat, I’ll have many very specific questions.
I think there is a centerboard version of the Bristol 34.
An internet search of Bristol models has revealed several with centerboard options including the Bristol 32 and Bristol 34.
There might be a few 33' somethingorothers by Cheoy Lee out there.
I found the Cheoy Lee Offshore 33 has a draft of only 3’8”.
I really like the T34 though.
Me too! It seems to stay near the top of the list.

Thanks!

Joe
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Post by Shark »

If you are seriously considering a boat with a keel-centreboard arrangement, please bear in mind that they do present some maintenance concerns.

Here in Lake Ontario, we are plagued by zebra mussels and a number of boats at my club with keel-centreboards, actually two were Corvettes, have had their boards jammed in the up position by zebra mussels which had grown in the slot between the board and ballast keel. The centreboard on the Corvette is very heavy and difficult to service as the boat must be raised a long way above the ground in order to clear the board.

I don't know what sort of creatures grow in the waters you sail in, but it's something to consider, especially if the board will be in the up position a great deal of the time.
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Post by Hirilondë »

How about a Rhodes Swiftsure?

http://ww2.swiftsureowners.org:8000/index.html

I've never seen or sailed one, but she sure is pretty. I like all of the Phillip Rhodes designs I've seen, one of my all time favorites is the Rhodes Reliant 41.
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Post by monkeymikey2000 »

I have a 1957 chinook 34. It's a good looking boat with a centerboard and I like it. I recently re-powered it with an outboard in a custom well (I couldn't afford a new diesel) I think that the centerboard is more of a maintenance problem more than anything but boat haulers love it and if you ever have to trailer it it will come in very handy. Mine draws 4' but I find it sails on it's ear when the wind picks up, but it does have lots of sail area. I'll try to attatch a pic of it out of the water but I'm not sure how.
Mike[/img][][/img]
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Post by monkeymikey2000 »

If anyone can explain how to post a picture I will post a pic of my boat I will show you a pic of what it looks like out of the water. I just read the photo posting directions and It sounds a little too complex for me (I'm not good with computers) so if it is O.K. with Tim I'll email a pic to him. I used to have tons of pics of my boat but my computer crashed and I lost them all, I have a backup disc with all my pics I made but for some reason I can only veiw them on my T.V. with a DVD player and I can't put them back on my computer. I find computers very frustrating!
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Post by jhenson »

Dave,

I don’t think I knew that the Swiftsure was also a keel/centerboard boat. I’d love to see one. This hull configuration was more popular back in the 60’s and 70’s than I realized. My list is growing of boats that meet the specifications.

Mike,

Here are some Chinook photos I found online:

Image

Image

Image

Image

It’s a lovely boat, and wood be a good candidate, but I’d be very surprised if one where available for sale on the east coast.

Thanks!

Joe
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