Sailboat Reviews

The Sydney 36CR reflects the agony and the ecstasy of modern handicap racing. Her designers aim was a durable, sexy, race-ready boat with hassle-free operation and cruiser accommodations. In Practical Sailor testers opinions, the 36CR addresses a very small niche market. Sailed hard and well, it can win races in most places and fleets. But thats not unique. It offers limited, yet realistic cruising, which expands its use. But how close to the top can you expect to get with a 12-year-old design optimized for Antipodean breezes? And is the 36CR enough of a cruiser to make it the dual-purpose boat of your dreams?

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.

Eavesdropping at autumn boat shows, always produces some curious snippets of conversation. "I want a boat I can plow into a seawall without any worries," I heard one prospective buyer tell a friend as he surveyed the boats assembled at the Strictly Sail Miami Boat Show last winter. As far as I could see, there was only one boat that fit the bill: a steel-hulled Miami River tug that was pushing Haitian cargo boats just north of the show.

Take an International 110, stretch it out to 39 feet, give it a cambered deck, raised pilothouse, and the interior comforts of a couples cruising boat, and youll have a snapshot of what Container Yachts Far Harbour 39 looks-and in many respects-sails like. If you want a cruising boat that can be boxed and shipped, then the Far Harbour 39 box boat is worth considering. If youre not planning to use your boat this way, then save your $250,000 for a boat that has fewer compromises for the sake of shipping dimensions.

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.

Like all the Hallberg Rassys in production, the Hallberg Rassy 342 was designed by Argentine naval architect German Frers (who aficionados claim designs some of the best cruising sailboats), and 146's clear from crunching the numbers on this relatively small cruising sailboat that the Swedish boat builder wanted peppier performance than its predecessor, the Hallberg Rassy 34. Everything about this Hallberg Rassy is bigger: its waterline is longer, its sail area is greater, and, of course, its price tag is higher. In Practical Sailors new sailboat test, we find the end product to be a well-balanced modern cruising sailboat, though we still find a few things to complain about.

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-racers 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.

The Ericson 41, a classic, well-made sloop designed by Bruce King continues to draw followers with its classic lines and solid performance. With the right upgrades, the well-mannered Ericson 41 makes for an excellent cruising sailboat that stands apart from the crowd. Watch for deck core problems and hidden rudder-stock corrosion within the spade rudder.

With a taller rig and layout choices, Bob Perrys classic comes of age.

MARINE INSURANCE REDUXI have been reading with much interest your articles about marine insurance this year (April and May 2006).