Sailboat Reviews

Looking back at the Paceship PY 23, American 26, Yankee Dolphin24, and Aquarius 23-we can examine several other approaches to the same problem. That is for stability, a sailboat must have an underwater appendage such as a keel or centerboard, and ballast. Both are at odds with the concept of an easily trailerable boat that can be launched at most ramps. A deep fixed keel is untenable.

Beneteau First 36.7 - She's quite nimble. She goes faster and points higher in light air than standard production cruising boats her size. As a racer she'll be competitive in a onedesign or handicap environment.

Compared to conventional productions boats of the mid-1980s, the Express 34 and Olson 34 were lighter and faster, but still suitable for distance cruising. The Hobie 33, though most suitable for camper-crusing, was designed to be fast yet trailerable and capable of blue-water sailing.

We were somewhat surpised, and impressed by the number of people living aboard the Allmand 31. For her size, she certainly does offer much space below and in the cockpit (one owner said shell easily sit six or seven in the T-shaped cockpit).The wide beam gives her a good deal of initial stability, though this is not the kind of hull form that you want to capsize as inverse stability will be greater than on a narrower boat (and one with a deeper keel).

The hull of the Tayana 37 is a fairly heavy, solid-glass layup. Some roving print-through is evident in the topsides. In the past, the hull-to-deck joint has occasionally been a problem. There is no doubt it is strong, but there have been numerous reports of leaking.

The Baba line of boats was conceived in the mid-1970's by Bob Berg, a Seattle yacht broker who with two business associates formed Flying Dutchman International Ltd. to import traditionally styled cruising boats from Taiwan. Bob Perry was commissioned to design the boats, which Berg envisioned as a smaller version of the Tayana 37, one of Perry's most popular designs. Though it is a full-keeled boat, the Tayana 37 has a greater turn of speed than…

Comparing the J/80 with the Melges 24 may provide a frame of reference because of their similarities and differences. The Melges is clearly a faster boat, rating in the 90s, despite being nearly 2 shorter.Both have cavernous cockpits designed and rigged to maximize performance. Though waterline length, draft, and beam measurements are close, there are major differences. The Melges has a retractable keel and performs like an overgrown dinghy; the J/80 has a fixed keel. It is less buoyant and more comfortable going to weather in a chop.

For people under 6 feet, the Oceanis 36CC offers more living space than any boat weve seen of compara- ble size. The accommodations are not only roomy but attractive, practical, and functional-either for cruising or for living aboard. She goes to weather better than most similar boats, but she falls short of being a good upwind performer. She reaches and runs with good quickness. In some ways, Beneteau can offer more product for less money than many of its competitors, especially in the area of finish and outfitting.

During the late 1970s, when Taiwan-built boats began to appear on the U.S. market in in creasing numbers, few boats better illustrated the Far East yacht than the Island Trader 37 or 38. (Same boat, different name depending on which brochure, in which year, you read.) Imported to the U.S. by Marine International of Bay Head, New Jersey, between about 1977 and 1988, the Island Trader line apparently embodied the general misconception of what a real…

The PDQ 32 is laminated using a modified epoxy resin (AME 5000). Tri-axial knitted fiberglass fabrics are used in the hull and deck. The mast is supported by a carbon-fiber reinforced deck beam. The hulls are solid fiberglass below the waterline and cored with Klegecell foam above the waterline, an arrangement that has proven very durable. Owners have not reported problems with blisters or structural cracking, only limited gelcoat crazing in highly stressed corners. Another PDQ 32 we inspected showed numerous construction shortfalls, including delamination and poor resin wet out, so a thorough survey of any used boat is important.