Sail Boat Reviews

Sea Sprite Sailboat Review
The Sea Sprite 23 is a trim but rugged daysailer-overnighter from naval architect Carl A. Alberg that enjoyed a 25-year production run under several different Rhode Island builders, most notably Clarke Ryder. It's a typical Alberg design--narrow beam, full keel and conservative ballast-to-displacement ratio and graceful lines. This is a boat that still turns heads when it sails into a harbor. The origins of the Sea Sprite 23 go back to 1958 when the small American Boat Building company of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, wanted to expand its product line, consisting at the time of the Block Island 40. Carl Alberg, then in the U.S. Coast Guard, came up with a 22 1/2-foot, full-keel design. (We're not sure what Alberg's duties were in the Coast Guard, but they apparently left plenty of free time; besides the Sea Sprite, Alberg also drew the Pearson Triton and Bristol 27 while in the service.) The Sprite, incidentally, was first marketed as a 22; a later builder accentuated the positive and it became the 23.

Hunter 216 Sailboat Review
Henderson, who is known for fashioning high-performance hulls and foils, began sailing as a youth, building his first boats from scraps of plywood scavenged from job sites. "The first 'real' boats I owned were a 420 and Sunfish, and they are still afloat,” he said. Following graduation from the University of Northern Florida, and while postponing entrance into the work force, he "studied abroad" while cruising for six years, in the process completing degree requirements from the Westland School of Yacht Design. Eventually returning to the homefront, he started a woodworking and fiberglass repair business and became a certified IMS and IOR measurer. Henderson reentered the boatbuilding business with the introduction of a 17-foot dinghy that was followed by a 21–foot MORC racer that "did real well," and the SR Max, a 21-footer that put his fledgling company on the map. He joined Hunter in 1999 with a charge to re-invent the company's product line by increasing the emphasis on performance without compromising on styling and appearance. .

Morgan 41 Boat Review
The Morgan 41 sloop is arguably one of the best looking of many lovely dual-purpose sailboats that the Cruising Club of America handicap rating system engendered. One owner described his boat as “a Bermuda 40 for a regular Joe, only prettier.” Designer Charley Morgan traces the cruiser-racer’s heritage, particularly below the waterline, back to Olin Stephens’ famous Finisterre, and Comanche, a 40-foot centerboarder built by Wirth Munroe, son of famed sharpie designer and South Florida pioneer “Commodore” Ralph Munroe.

Pearson 32 Boat Review
With a clear understanding of coastal weather conditions, inshore estuaries, and the cruiser-club racer mindset of potential buyers, Bill Shaw designed boats that met the needs of local sailors. The Pearson 32 was no exception: The 32-footer’s shoal draft stats also come with an efficient foil shape and external lead ballast, providing enough lift and lateral plane to enhance sailing ability both on and off the wind. Add to the mix a respectable sail area-displacement ratio, and it’s clear that this Pearson is more than an oversized pocket cruiser. Envisioned originally as both a club racer and a family cruiser, the boat lives up to expectations.

Balboa 26 Boat Review
As with all of Lyle Hess’ designs, the Balboa 26 statistics reveal the underpinnings of a seaworthy coastal cruiser. The Balboa’s 3,600-pound displacement includes 1,200 pounds of ballast, by no means a lead mine, but the B26’s 8-foot beam was carried well aft, and its reasonably full sections contributed form stability and helped make the little sloop a seakindly performer. With 293 square feet of working sail area, the B26 is close in potential performance to the Excalibur 26, Cal 25, and Columbia 26, all vaunted designs of the same era.

Tartan 3400 Boat Review
Honoring tradition while maximizing technology might seem like a contradiction, but the Tartan 3400 makes it seem elegant, intelligent, and a good way to go. Tartan Yachts started in 1960 with Sparkman & Stephens’ first design in fiberglass (the Tartan 27). By virtue of her up-to-the-instant innovations in design, production, and outfitting, Tim Jackett’s latest creation puts much more emphasis on the future than the past. A modern “dual-purpose” boat, she is geared to be cruised comfortably yet still be at home on the race course. She has an oven-cured epoxy hull, tapered carbon spar, innovative carbon boom, a self-tacking jib, and a good bit more. She is thus set well apart from most of the others in her size and price range. There are certainly 34-footers that you might sail away for less, but we found that her capabilities, quality, and character made the T3400 a value worth exploring.

Catalina 22 Boat Review
Before we get to deep into our discussion of the Catalina 22, we should make it clear that the review that follows pertains to what could now be regarded as the original version, the line of Catalina 22s built from approximately 1969 to 1985, (approximate hull numbers 1-13,342). It focuses primarily on the swing keel version, but the boat was also available as a fin keel.

It is important to note that the Catalina 22 design has gone through several significant modifications since 1985 and many of these changes address or eliminate the problems described in the review which follows. Similarly, several owners have made these improvements to older boats themselves. In 1986, a newly redesigned Catalina 22 was introduced with a wing keel option, and in 1995, the current version, the Mark II was introduced. Among several improvements to the Mark II is that the swing keel is encapsulated in fiberglass, greatly reducing maintenance requirements for the keel. Finally, in 2004, a Sport version of the 22 was introduced.

Another point worth emphasizing is that the Catalina 22 is supported by various and extremely active local and national organizations, foremost among them the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association, www.catalina22.org. Anyone interested in learning more about Catalina 22s of any vintage can to turn to this group for more information on these boats. Finally, it should also be pointed out that one of Practical Sailor’s own test boats is a well-used 1972 Catalina 22 that we are restoring, a job that is made easier due to the availability of parts and well-documented upgrades.

The Pearson 37 Boat Review
In the decade prior to its demise in 1991, Pearson Yachts was noted for building mainstream cruiser/racers of above average construction with decent sailing and cruising characteristics. During its long history, Pearson’s boats can be divided into three fairly distinct categories. Though the company was formed in 1956, its first large successful sailboat was the Triton, in 1959. Into the mid-1960s, Pearson built solid, single skin boats, like the Vanguard, Rhodes 41, Invicta 38 and Countess 44, that were capable of offshore sailing. This was due in part to their moderately heavy displacement, full keels and all-wood interiors, which allowed bulkheads to be tabbed to the deck, as well as all furniture to the hull.

The MacGregor 26 Boat Review
MacGregor Yachts, one of the largest builders in the US, has a well-established reputation as the producer of inexpensive boats. Located in Orange County, California, its plant sits across the street from the former headquarters of Westsail and Islander in a neighborhood that in 1973 built more than 24,000 boats with a retail value of $88 million. A year later, the number of boatbuilders shrank from 46 to 22. MacGregor endured by sticking to a business plan that is strong on financial and management principles and devoid of romance.

C&C 33 Boat Review
C&C Sailboats have been known for good-looking moderate designs, a tradition started by the original part-ners and the company’s chief designer Rob Ball.Some models—like the early Corvettes and C&C35s—have become classics of production sailboats,and (except for the Mega, a one-design 30-footer ofthe late 70s) it’s hard to think of any C&C which has been extreme or unattractive to the eye.