Practical Sailor's gear and boat reviews take the guesswork out of your buying decisions.

Volume 31
Number 5
March 2005

Headings: Designers' Conference—Part II

Glenn Henderson (Hunter Marine), Tim Jackett (Fairport Marine; C&C and Tartan Yachts), Tony Smith (Performance Cruising), Jim Taylor (Sabre Yachts), and Robert Perry, share insights regarding the deck layouts, accommodations, and construction methods they favor.

The interior of the Saga 35, above, reflects designer Robert Perry's emphasis on ample galley areas with substantial storage spaces.

Take a cursory glance at a new 35-footer and you might easily conclude that, except for cosmetic changes, the boat is essentially unchanged from those that made their debut in 1995. But that is not the case.

In contemporary designs, modifications to deck layouts, the design of creature comforts, and boathandling systems, all reflect the market's desire for easy use, as evinced by below-deck sheeting systems (X Yachts), electrically controlled stern platforms (C&C), and removable traveler systems (Etap), for instance. Despite this general trend, the five designers we interviewed here agree on many issues, and strongly disagree on others when it comes to new sailboats. …

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