Sailboat Reviews

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.

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.

Readers familiar with the work of William Crealock-the renowned designer of the Crealock 37, the Cabo Rico 34, the Dana 24, and at least 30 other production-built vessels-understand that his designs are steeped in practicality. Crealock famously wrote: Seaworthiness in a cruising boat has to be the No. 1 consideration. It doesn't matter how cute the boat is if it doesn't get [to the destination] in one piece. And those familiar with his life are aware that his knowledge of sailing wasnt just grounded in the study of design, but also in extensive hands-on experience at sea-an imperative for any designer of boats intended for offshore.

Workers at Pacific Seacraft laminate these hulls by hand, using vinylester resin and layers of biaxial fiberglass laid at 45- and 90-degree axes for enhanced multidirectional strength. The decks are cored with balsa wood except for those areas where fasteners pierce through or fixtures are mounted; those spots are cored with either marine plywood, high-density foam, or solid fiberglass. The two-tone deck is accomplished by masking off the nonskid areas in the mold prior to gelcoat application. This yields a very durable surface.

Practical Sailor 2014 Index

At the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis last fall, I paused at the newly launched $2.5-million Gunboat 55, Rainmaker, felt the hole in my pocket and moved on. I have always had a weakness for hedonistic follies, but to launch a go-fast carbon-fiber condo into a North Atlantic gale isn't one of them.

The ISO 12215 standard gives designers and builders a detailed baseline for scan'tlings and specific guidance regarding material selection, workshop practices and structural details pertaining to hulls, decks, rudders and rigging for mono and multihulls. These scan'tling guidelines relate to specific skin pressures on the hull and stresses and strains that if not appropriately addressed can affect delamination and lead to structural failures. The codes are a complex amalgamation of data, but the University of Southamptons Wolfson Unit has recently developed a software program called HullScan't that makes ISO compliance for builders and designers easier to work with.

Designed by Peter Schmitt, the CSY 37 is the mid-sized boat in the CSY line. Eighty-seven of these raised-deck cutters were built, primarily for the Caribbean bareboat charter trade. Schmitt has combined some features most often found in traditional boats-the oval stem, raised deck, and semi-clipper bow-with a relatively modern underbody featuring a fairly long fin keel and a skeg-mounted rudder. On paper, the boat looks pretty good. In person, she is rather tubby and high-sided, but that tubbiness means added buoyancy-not such a bad thing to have in a blow.

With more than three decades of hard use behind it-first in the charter trade and later in private ownership-the CSY 37 has very few secrets. All its warts are well exposed; as are its strengths. About two-dozen current and former owners responded to our survey, and we saw many consistencies in their comments. Most owners praised the boats rugged construction and stability and lamented its upwind performance. On the whole, the boat delivered what they expected of a cruising boat: namely a boat that would get them (and a fair amount of gear and provisions) safely and comfortably to their destination. Nearly all of the respondents had the owners version or B layout, and praised its livability. The following summaries and comments are representative of the majority of responses we collected.