December 27, 2009

Bayfield 36 Review: Classic Marathon Runner

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , — Richard Jordan @ 11:37 am

Bayfield 36 PDF Brochure (Click to Download)

Certain styles never go away. There is always the lure of the pirate ships of old with their trailboards, bowsprits, and clipper bows. And at every sailor’s essence are certain pirate ideas, the romance of adventures on the high seas. The look speaks of journeys to far off lands for exciting adventures. That is what the Bayfield and now Gozzard Yachts stand for. In 1970, Ted and Hayden Gozzard started Bayfield Yachts in a yard in Bayfield, Ontario, Canada. Their first offering was a Bayfield 25. The company became synonymous with the classic, clipper bow look in Canada. They followed the Canadian innovations of C&C using balsa cored fiberglass. In 1981, Ted left the company to found his own builder, Gozzard Yachts. Hayden stayed on and in 1985 designed his first and only Bayfield, the 36. Ted continues to run Gozzard Yachts with his sons while the Bayfield factory burned down in 1988 halting production. These 36-footers have an excellent reputation in Canada, more well known than here in the USA. Her interior is arguably the largest you will find on a 36-foot sailboat. The roomy accommodations combined with her offshore sailing pedigree make her one of the best choices around in this range for a serious offshore yacht. Continue reading “Bayfield 36 Review: Classic Marathon Runner” »

December 26, 2009

Allied XL-2 42 Review: Overbuilt Dainty CCA Design

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , — Richard Jordan @ 11:44 am

Allied 42 PDF Brochure (Click to Download)

She’ll cross an ocean if you will. – Allied Boat Moto

In 1960, Thomas Gillmer (later of Southern Cross fame) designed a 30′ sailboat in this new fiberglass material. The design caught the builder’s eye, Lunn Laminates. After building the design for the purchaser Rex Kaiser, Lunn Laminates shopped around for funding to do a production run of these boats. On February 2, 1962, they partnered with Northrop & Johnson, a brokerage, and Thor Ramsing, a wealthy racer to form Allied Boat Company. Headquarters and yard were in Catskill, NY on a nice property on the water. Allied’s reputation grew with the famous circumnavigations of Alan Eddy and Robin Lee Graham. In 1964, Apogee, an Allied Seawind, became the first fiberglass sailboat around the world. In 1970, an Allied Luders carried the first solo fiberglass circumnavigator home. Sparkman & Stephens designed the Allied XL-2 42. Four different ownership groups built her from her launch in 1969 until Allied went out of business in 1982. One owner explaining her attraction says, “You know what the attraction is? She’s the equivalent of a 1960 Corvette.” Continue reading “Allied XL-2 42 Review: Overbuilt Dainty CCA Design” »

December 25, 2009

Van de Stadt Review

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: — Richard Jordan @ 11:49 am
Ricus Van de Stadt

Ricus Van de Stadt

In the 1930′s, Ricus Van de Stadt bought a yard and opened a design studio in the Netherlands. A door manufacturer Bruynzeel fabricated a superior form of plywood called hechthout. The plywood was particularly suited for making sailboats. In 1939, Ricus designed the Valk and using the hechthout plywood built her in his yard. She was an instant and enduring success. In the Netherlands today, the Valk is still the most popular open sailboat design. Some of the original production 70 years later are still sailing. Van de Stadt ever an innovator continued seeking the next big improvements in design and contruction. He modified the Valk into the Zeevalk with a spade rudder and fin keel.

In 1955, Van de Stadt started experimenting with fiberglass. He designed and built a 30′ fiberglass sailboat called the Pionier. He embraced fiberglass contruction. In 1960, he introduced the first Maxi ocean racer, the 70′ Storm Vogel.

In 1973, Van de Stadt sold the yard but kept the design studio. In 1978, Ricus retired leaving the design studio to associates. In 1999, Ricus passed away at 89 years old. Today, Van de Stadt is a famous custom design studio. They have an excellent reputation for fast, modern designs of luxury sailboats, Maxi ocean racers of aluminum or fiberglass contruction.

December 24, 2009

Bruce Roberts Review

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: — Richard Jordan @ 2:07 pm

The worst boats are home-built, and the best boats are home-built. – Common Saying

Bruce Roberts boats are either extraordinary or awful. Bruce Roberts is an Australian designer who sells his designs directly to the public. Also, he’s sold many to professional builders since 1966 when he and Andrew Slorach opened the first office in Australia. Bruce says, “Over the past 41 years many boats have been built to our plans and branded with the professional builders names … as you know builders come and go … even some of the biggies lately.” Bruce Roberts keeps going strong booked with production and commercial design work until mid 2010. Continue reading “Bruce Roberts Review” »

December 22, 2009

Nautor Swan 57 Review: Sparkman & Stephens and Nautor Swan

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , — Richard Jordan @ 8:06 pm

Nautor Swan 57 PDF Brochure (Click to Download)

In 1966, Pekka Koskenkyla started Nautor in Pietarsaari, Finland. His focus was to build a quality fiberglass 10m sailboat. That dream became the Swan 36 by Sparkman & Stephens. With the success of the 36, Nautor and Sparkman & Stephens partnered on 37, 38, 40, 41, 411, 43, 431, 44, 47, 48, 55, 67, and 76 Swan models. In 1977, they introduced finally the Swan 57. A former Nautor Swan broker told me about the history of this design. He explained that “many people do not realize that the Swan 57 was at the centerpiece when Nautor and Sparkman & Stephens fell out.” Arguments about the design and build of the Swan 57 culminated in the separation of these two mighty companies. From Nautor’s inception in 1966 until the introduction of the Swan 57 in 1977, only Sparkman & Stephens designed Swans. Since the 1977 introduction, Sparkman & Stephens has never again designed a Swan sailboat. Continue reading “Nautor Swan 57 Review: Sparkman & Stephens and Nautor Swan” »

December 21, 2009

Keel Types – Full, Deep Fin, Bulb, Wing, Centerboard, Canting

Filed under: Yachting — Tags: , , , , , , , — Richard Jordan @ 5:47 pm

A keel balances a monohull in the water. The keel is a large flat shape with a aerodynamic leading edge. They come in six general variations: full, fin, bulb, wing, centerboard, and canting. Continue reading “Keel Types – Full, Deep Fin, Bulb, Wing, Centerboard, Canting” »

December 15, 2009

Keel Construction – External Bolt-on, Internal Encapsulated Ballast, Fiberglass Stub

Filed under: Yachting — Tags: , , — Richard Jordan @ 2:41 pm

Builders choose whether to use a bolt-on (external) or encapsulated (internal) keel on a sailboat. Neither choice is necessarily right. The five main trade-offs are cost, maintanance, tankage, repair, and performance. Continue reading “Keel Construction – External Bolt-on, Internal Encapsulated Ballast, Fiberglass Stub” »

December 8, 2009

Cabo Rico 38 Review: The Golden Goose

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , — Richard Jordan @ 4:18 pm
Cabo Rico 38 PDF Color Brochure (Click To Download)

Cabo Rico 38 PDFColor Brochure (Click To Download)

One of the first passages I made was a delivery of a 38 Cabo Rico from Fort Pierce to Fort Lauderdale. Like all family adventures, it was an epic journey. My father, mother, brother, and I started out down the Intracoastal. Soon with a hankering to test sail her and get some peace and quiet from the interminable bustle of boats and bridges, we headed out the cut. It turned out to be blustery day and even with her legendary soft motion soon I, a green legged sailor, was soon sea sick. But my father forged on like Captain Bligh roaring commands to his incompetent crew. By the time, we arrived at midnight in Fort Lauderdale my furious father swore never to take us along again. This was just another day as we all thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

Introduced in 1977, the 38 is Cabo Rico’s most successful and longest running design. Though usually credited to W.I.B. Crealock, her real lineage is slightly more complicated. Dennis Garrett, the production manager at the Costa Rican factory, reworked Crealock’s 36 Tiburon by adding a counter stern and new cutter rigged, deck mold. The result has been what Kevin Bray, Cabo Rico’s latest project manager, calls their “Golden Goose,” a design with tempid demand that never goes out of style. Down below is a symphony of honey-colored teak and stunning joiner-work. There is not an inch of fiberglass in sight. Over the 30+ years of production, she has come in XL, Custom Offshore, Classic Convertible aft cabin, and a Pilot version. On a limited basis, Cabo Rico still makes 38′s. Please see our Cabo Rico Models Pagefor information about other Cabo Ricos. Continue reading “Cabo Rico 38 Review: The Golden Goose” »

December 4, 2009

Pearson 422 Review: What Everyone is Looking For

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , — Richard Jordan @ 9:44 am

Pearson 422 PDF Brochure (Click to Download)

The Pearson 422 is the last of a series of four variations (390, 419, 424, 422) on a same basic Bill Shaw hull design. With her center cockpit and centerline queen aft, she is the most prized. Pearson produced 39 hulls from 1982 to 1986. Years ago we sold a 422 which attracted unforgettable interest. A broker in-house says, “If only we could clone that boat. The number of showings, the calls were unbelievably. I’ve never seen anything like it.” The 422 is one sought after design. In 1959, the Pearson cousins, Everett and Clinton, introduced the first mass produced fiberglass sailboat, the Triton 28. It was a hit, and Pearson Yachts quickly expanded. In 1961, Grumman bought the company and funded ever increasing production. They introduced a flurry of classic designs like the 35 Alberg and 44 Countess. By 1966, corporate politics forced out both the cousins. Bill Shaw took over. In the late 1960’s, he finished up the cousins’ designs and planned for his own. Then, Shaw started reshaping Pearson in his vision. Continue reading “Pearson 422 Review: What Everyone is Looking For” »

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