previous boats?????????????

[Frank]

Thought this would be a fun topic. Tell us about your previous boats...why ya loved it...why ya hated it...why ya bought it and why ya sold it?? And...like an old girlfriend(boyfriend)...do ya still think about it??

[Frank]

What !! No ones biting???     I'll go then. 22yrs ago I had a rare Jenneau Eolia...I know..not 'classic plastic' stuff, but it was a great boat.Only 23ft6in on deck,it had a really usable aft cabin,a seperate chart table,seperate head with sink,nice lil galley and could sit 6 around it's table...that dropped to make a king size berth.The cockpit had a proper bridge deck with dingy stoge space built in at the aft end.Clean decks,lines aft and an anchor locker too.All on a boat less than 24ft!! And it actually looked good.They called it a 25,but that was bowpulpit to rudder.It had a shoal keel/centerboard arrangement and the rudder also slid up on a shaft so it drew 2ft all up...great gunkholing boat.and IT SAILED !! It was designed by Philip Briand(sp) who drew many ocean racers.We were consistantly top 3 club racing locally.Finances/business dictated its sale back then after 3yrs ownership :-(  The same fellow still owns it and it is sailed 30miles up river from my home. I still go down to look while in the erea.I have never before or since seen as small a boat with as many features,as well laid out,as good looking,as fast and as shallow a draft. Miss her. I have as recently as last summer asked to buy her back...he is still 'enjoyoing her'

[Captain Smollett]

I still have the boats I have owned.  So, I don't really have "previous" boats.   :)

They say the second happiest day in a man's life is the day he buys a boat.  The happiest is the day he sells it.  I think that only applies to non-"boat-guys."  Selling a boat to me is similar to the idea of getting rid of a pet - part of the family!  :)

[David_Old_Jersey]

Unfortunately the actual photos of "Liza" (21 foot Corribee) are pre-digital, and lord knows where my scanner went!

But this is close enuf!




Wish I still had her.

[Frank]

'Lisa' looks like a fine lil ship. Full keel??

[David_Old_Jersey]

Yeah, Full Keel (kinda like a Contessa 26) with legs - not a fin. Although I think over half of them were built with Bilge Keels - which did not (apparently) impact much on their performance.

The main downside is the price of being so pretty, max a couple despite the 4 berths! and only sitting headroom and no seperate head............



The Factory also built a Junk Rigged version (the Coromandel), which back in the late 1970's seemed to be surprisingly popular - possibly cos' they had a slightly bigger cabin - same hull though.



(To me this one looks aground!...but???)


Someone even converted one into a Ketch!, with a Bowsprit!



I think they made over 1000 of them, not bad for a small boat!

Maybe a cheapish way for someone here to "do" Europe in a real "Go anywhere small boat??!.......can pick a good one for £3,500 to £4,500 and of course all states and prices below this!

The Owners Association:-

http://www.corribee.org.uk/

I am not on Commission...........just somebody started this thread  ;D ;D

[Captain Smollett]

David,

That's a pretty boat.  I really like the ketch rigged one with the sprit.  Amazing how that changes the whole character.

[Frank]

pretty 'funkie' lil boat for sure!!

[Iceman]

Jet 14 (wood)
Lightning (wood)
Coronado 25 (bought with weddiing money kitty)..LOts of New England cruising
J 22 (very fast some weekend camping)
Tartan 30 (1974, Intercoastal from VT to Charleston, Live aboard for 5 years)
Windy 30 (Norwegian Power boat, did intercoastal again, twice as fast as the Tartan
                 10x the gas bill, lived aboard 3 years)
Voyager 26, (still getting our act together) still own it
Laser (backyard ornament)
Folding Kayak
15 foot John Dory motorboat all restored, real sweet lines
8 foot pram built in wifes dining room

What next? Hard tellin not knowin

I have been window shopping during my tenure down here on the ice ::)

[Iceman]

How could I forget the 1966 Pearson Commander!!  This was real sweet
                                                                                   I couldnt afford marina bill for
                                                                                   keeping her and the V26 :'(

[Frank]

'bought a boat with the wedding kitty'......sweet lady...does she have a sister?? ;-)

[CharlieJ]

I REALLY like the junk rigged model. We seriously considered rerigging Tehani to Junk rig while we were restoring her, but changed our minds mainly due to the changes required in mast postion.

I have sailed aboard a junk rigged boat ( a Mason designed  30 footer) and really believe they would be really great as a cruising rig.

[David_Old_Jersey]

I REALLY like the junk rigged model. We seriously considered rerigging Tehani to Junk rig while we were restoring her, but changed our minds mainly due to the changes required in mast postion.

I have sailed aboard a junk rigged boat ( a Mason designed  30 footer) and really believe they would be really great as a cruising rig.

I wouldn't say that Junk exactly ever became mainstream in the UK back in the late 1970's, but had a lot more interest than nowadays! I think it's attraction was ease of handling - but that Roller Reefing effectively killed this advantage, and later in mast reefing buried it.

Quite a brave move for a small company to innovate like this. Of course the Company has long since gone belly up............

[CharlieJ]

The roller reefing I can buy even if  I don't use it myself - but in my opinion, in mast reefing on a small cruising boat would be a horror.


There is NO WAY I'd go away on a longer cruise, particularly sailing offshore, with something like that.

I know a delivery skipper who has had several very hairy experiences with in mast furling that failed and they could not get rid of sail area. PERIOD.

But the junk rig IS very simple to handle. It may not be as great to weather as a regular sloop type rig, but it's plenty good enough for cruising- wouldn't go "round the bouys" with any hope of staying in front I'm sure, but then I don't worry about staying in front  ;D

[David_Old_Jersey]

The roller reefing I can buy even if  I don't use it myself - but in my opinion, in mast reefing on a small cruising boat would be a horror.

Agree it is not something I would want on a small boat (actually for me not on anything) - but I think both with average size of first boat growing so much and the introduction of RR and later in mast reefing effectively killed off commercial interest in rigs that had handling advantages on all sizes.....

For a while I did quite fancy a 40 foot Freedom, but for various reasons, (including money!), I accepted that I did not need and did not want something this size. But I still think she looks good!






I think the large version begat the Freedom 21 footer - no idea how these work in practice.........

[Iceman]

'bought a boat with the wedding kitty'......sweet lady...does she have a sister?? ;-)

No sister, but i did name the boat after her aka Princess Diane ::)

[BobW]

My first boat was a 1972 Ensenada 20, purchased new at the Mid America Boat Show in Cleveland.  It was a good value - solid little boat with more interior room than similar sized boats (the flush deck design gave it more useable cabin space).  I trailersailed it the first year with a 1971 Dodge Challenger.  The second year I had a slip at the Edgewater Marina and sailed Lake Erie.  I sold it when I went back to school. 

My next boat was a 1977 Cape Dory Typhoon purchased new at the Oakland (California) Boat Show (I moved to the Bay Area in 1976).  The Cape Dory rep/dealer offered me a free slip in Alameda if he could use my boat as a demo.  That wasn't a tough choice to make, and for the two years I owned the boat I never missed a sail because he needed to demo the boat.  I sailed it on San Francisco Bay, and, since I didn't have a motor for it, I learned to pay close attention to the tides and currents, choosing each outing's direction on the direction of the current.  The Typhoon was a better boat than I was a sailor and took very good care of me.  The major drawback was the small cabin - but I did spend many enjoyable nights on board.  I sold it when Life caught up with me and I wasn't sailing it very much.

Marriage, law school, several moves, 3 kids, and a divorce found me in Sacramento in 1999 crewing for a guy on his Thistle and Capri 22.  We raced those boats quite a bit, and Wade knew what he was doing so we won a lot of races and I learned a lot more about boat handling and sail trim.  But, I didn't have my own boat...

In the spring of 2002, I bought a half-share in a Ranger 20 with a dock neighbor of Wade's.  I introduced my kids to sailing  on that boat, and we enjoyed anchoring out in some of the coves tucked in the upper reaches of Folsom Lake.  I also introduced my girlfriend to sailing on the Ranger 20. 

Before long, she was suggesting "we" buy a different, larger boat and we found my current boat, a Columbia Challenger 24.  The Ranger 20 guy bought back my half of the Ranger.  We enjoyed sailing Prelude in the Delta.  When we parted ways a year later I bought her half of the boat, and never looked back.  Since then I met Karen and introduced her to sailing.  She enjoys light air days but isn't too keen on 20+ conditions - yet.  We're working on that.  :)

I do want a larger boat, but it will wait a few years... Of course, about once each year a "bargain" boat (2 years ago it was a $3,000 Ericson 30, last year it was a $2,800 Newport 27)  comes up in the marina, and I get antsy about a bigger boat.  But the urge passes and I continue sailing Prelude.  :) 

There must be something subliminal about flush deck boats that draws me to them: The Ensenada and the Challenger are both flush deck designs, as is the Newport 27 (and I really like that boat). 

[Zen]

My first and only other boat was a Ariel. I just lucked upon her. I did not know swamp water about boat. Even the guy I purchased her from did not know that uch about Ariels. He said, someone told me it was a good yacht makers name.  I purchased her because there was a webiste, with a bunchof people to help with questions, she had standing head room, a small galley, was reportedly staple and I got her cheap. The guy was a contractor who purchased her from the harbormaster. Someone had abandoned her. He did not have much time to work on her so after a couple of years, he figured to let her go. He ran an ad in the local paper. Not many responed and the couple that did were mostly no shows of course. Anyway I catch him at the right time and he knocked off a couple of hundred off his price and agreed to my offer.
He told me later the same day he was coming to give me the keys he got a bunch of calls on the boat.

So now I'm the owner of this boat and do not know how to sail! After a week of cleaning and such with the then gf, I called my ex-employer who was a sailor. I asked him to come out and give me a few lesson and go over the boat. He did at no charge just to get out on the water. He went over the boat and said it was a great starter boat for me and I made a short list of the things her said need to be fixed. We then took her out for short sail and a few instructions on how things worked. From there I never looked back.

We had some good adventures both on the water and at the dock... ;)
She proved to be a great boat!

I sold the Ariel about 1.5 yrs ago to a lady I worked with. She lived on her for 6 months and saved up to buy a condo. The Ariel is still in my marina, but the lady has not been around much ( work ) but stills come down to check on her as do I. She plans on moving her closer to her home at some point.

[CapnK]

My first 'sail' boat was an aluminum Jon Boat that a friend owned. We talked his mom into dropping us off with it at a local lake where we fished. I'd rigged up, well, a 'thing', sort of like a square sail. We made it across the lake, in a more-or-less fashion...

My first real sailboat was a Hobie 16. It was given to me, on the condition I would go and get her off the property. She was neglected to the point that I spent an hour freeing her from vines. Once back home (on a borrowed trailer), I replaced a corner casting on the tramp, re-riveted the traveler track, and she was good to go. Have some stories from her to tell yet... :)

Then a couple years later one of my windsurfing students asked me to take a look at his H16, and tell me what she was worth - he was moving out of town, and needed to sell her. She was in great shape, sails in really good shape, had all the accessories (double traps w/buckets, tiller extensions, quick rig kit, etc), a set of CatTrax (with the rubber wheels), and a trailer. I wound up getting her for half of what I'd told him I thought she was worth - he *really* wanted to sell her right away, and wouldn't let me say "No, I already have one." :)

I sold the first boat after a few months, and used the second one for the next few years for my summer job (ride captain) and fun. I eventually sold her to buy a plane ticket to Hawaii when I moved out there. I love the H16's - they may not be as fast as some other cats, but I think for general purpose, all-around fun under sail, they can't be beat.

A few years went by, including almost 3 of them when I didn't live by the water (lesson learned, I won't - *can't* - do that again!). As soon as I moved back next to the sea, I was boat hunting again, and that resulted in my Com-Pac 23D, "Epiphany". I had her for 3 years or so, and she was a really good boat for gunkholing this area, and for learning about what I *really* wanted in a monohull. Built well, rigged well, she handled fine, the 3 biggest drawbacks for me were 1) lack of standing headroom belowdecks (important when living aboard IMO), 2) mediocre windward performance (shoal keel - a tradeoff with good and bad points), and 3) the diesel auxiliary.

I loved the engine, a Universal M2-12, and it ran great and faithfully for me for as long as I owned her. Yet I always worried about 'what if the engine broke down'. It would be difficult to work on, and expensive - prohibitively so, for me. That, combined with the other 2 factors, led to my Ariel.

Ancillary boatage: While I had Epiphany, I acquired my Walker Bay 8, which I have put a sailing rig on. I also have a windsurfer, and have had 3 different touring kayaks, though I only own one of those now.

I owned another Ariel very briefly - and for a while, 3-4 months IIRC, I owned 2 even. ;D I'd bought one that was located further away form where Katie was, shortly before Katie came up for sale. I eventually sold the first Ariel for what I paid for her to a fellow who lived where she was.

It'll be a long while before I can add to this list, unless someone practically *gives* me a Cape Dory 30 cutter. ;D

[CharlieJ]

Previous boats??? How can someone expect an old fart like me to remember 'em all? ;D

Let's see- there was a 13 foot catboat of undertermined origin. Then a sailing dinghy,  a San Juan 21 Mk I, and a Hobie 14, then the 35 foot Cross trimaran.


Since Laura and I have been a couple, Another Hobie 14, a Chrysler Dagger, bought for 30 bucks cause the bow was broken off, so I fixed it. Then a Dolphin Sr, and an original windsurfer- one of the BIG ones.

Laura herself owned several boats that weren't on the above list- A sunfish, Dolphin Sr, Cedar strip canoe, another Hobie 14 she dragged home one time.

A Prindle 18, a CLC John's Sharpie ( still own that), a Lindsey 21 that Laura and I restored from a gutted hull. And of course Tehani, a Rhodes Meridian 25 that Laura and I also restored from a gutted hulk.

This doesn't even mention all the small ( and larger) power boats, non sailing dinghies, canoes, kayaks, etc though the years.

Let's see- as of this moment Laura and I together own 9 boats (if I counted correctly ;D) and have the use of two others, ranging from a 6'6" dinghy to two 13 foot kayaks, to a Searay 25 with a 225 HP outdrive, to our Meridian 25.

And I'm sure I've forgotten a couple somewhere in there.

By the way- we DO NOT keep any records of our boat related expenses. Laura considers the boats to be necessities of life, as do I, so we just toss the receipts.  ;D ;D