used_sailboats

At last winter’s Paris Boat Show, Beneteau Groupe debuted a four-boat line intended to capitalize on its “design advantage.” Light and space were emphasized. “Ease of handling” and “intimacy with the elements” were buzzwords. The Beneteau 46 is a performance cruiser—long, low, and streamlined. Although it may look too racy to be a cruising boat, it is unique, attractive, and easy to handle. Its lowered center of gravity and elevated freeboard give it more initial stability than previous designs, and its mega-beam and firm bilges give it the power to carry sail well up the wind range. The 46 couples the naval architecture of Jean Berret and Olivier Racoupeau with an interior designed by Massimo Gino and Mario Pedol of Milan’s Nauto Yachts. Pros on deck include wide sidedecks, twin wheels that provide good visibility from the helm, adequate ventilation for warm climates, and a divided anchor locker. At sea with 10 knots of breeze, testers found that the Beneteau 46 helm remained light and the boat tacked through 90 degrees with minimal fuss. They noted a balanced helm and easy steering under both sail and power.

This well-built cruising boat, Caliber 40 LRC with an attractive wood interior has loads of room but sails marginally to windward and has a few problems with its tanks.

One of the most successful large boats ever built, the Catalina 42 offers good looks, comfortable accommodations, and decent sailing ability at a low price.

The Pearson 303 is a big 30-footer, intended for safe coastal cruising. She admirably succeeds in doing what she was designed to do. The only risk accrues to those who mistake her for something she is not -- an offshore, passage-making boat. While it’s easy to overlook the Pearson 303 as another member of a fleet that looks depressingly similar and lacking in pizzazz, the 303 is a wholesome family cruiser with a workable, traditional interior, acceptable performance and above average construction. Hey, what’s not to like?

The first fiberglass auxiliary sailboats were built in the late 1950s. The burgeoning industry reached full bloom in the early 1970s, but the 1960s saw a rapid increase in the number of builders hoping to cash in on the new miracle material of fiberglass. No seams, no rot, no water absorption...or so we thought. Still, the claims were largely accurate, and even though the ad agencies were quick with hyperbole, the public bought it. By 1961, a handful of European builders were also working with woven glass fibers and polyester resin, laying up hulls in female molds. In Canada, one of the first was Grampian Marine Limited of Oakville, Ontario.

The Tartan 37 is a moderately high performance, shoal-draft cruiser built between 1967 and 1988 by Tartan Marine, a company that helped usher in the fiberglass era under Charlie Britton in the 1960s. At the time of the Tartan 37s introduction, the company had its headquarters in Grand River, Ohio, and a factory in Hamlet, N.C.

When the C&C company shut down operations in 1986, it was big news in the North American boating community. Since the companys formation in 1969, it had been a stalwart of the industry-the leading Canadian builder, by far, and one of the major brands wherever fiberglass sailboats raced or cruised.

Bob Johnson's 1997 design is roomy and well-made. Though slow to gather speed upwind, she carries her way gracefully.

PDQ Yachts in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, launched the Alan Slater-designed PDQ 32 catamaran in 1994 and built 53 of the boats in the following eight years. Practical Sailor first reviewed the PDQ 32 catamaran in April 1997, which happened to be when the test boat for this review update rolled off the production line. Heres a look at what testers have learned from coastal cruising this boat for 18 years and from other owners who live aboard.

Fast passages and Franco-Italian flair