Boats/Kids moving on
The happiest a boat owner will be is the day they buy a boat, and the day they sell a boat. Sorry but I have to disagree with that statement. All the love and care I put into boats and the special times I spend sailing/racing them singlehanded, they are more like my kids. Well, what I think having kids would be like, we do not have kids, Carol has me instead. Of course I am very happy with a boat when I buy it. Absolutely love the owning/sailing experiences, even the tough workweeks when doing a major repairs or upgrade in the middle of the winter. But selling, well there is always a feeling of loss and, what did I just do, I lost another kid and am boat less again. Oh well it is a fun addiction/passion.
A lot of boat owners buy a boat and keep it for years or a lifetime. I have never found, or been able to afford a boat that fits all my requirements, or changing requirements.
For me it has to be great boat for shorthanded first and foremost. Has to be within my budget, and must be a blast to sail. Hopefully it is built well, and that brings me to the French built boats. In 2013 I went to France with my windsurfing friend Rick to test shorthanded boats since I had just sold my third Quest 30. “What third?” yes I owned three and one was great, Samba. Samba was the second one I owed and the prototype. She is different then all the others, lighter by a lot, L-shape bulb not Tee. Outboard not inboard, and a few other factors that I will keep secret that make her a lot faster. And still to my huge surprise she rates the same, she should be 10-15 sec a mile faster on rating then the other Quest 30-33’s. But that is PHRF not IRC.
In France we sailed the Pogo 30, JPK 1010, SunFast 3200, Akilaria 950, Pogo 10.50. We were lined up to sail the Archambault 31 which is now out of production but never hooked up. So I sailed an Archambault 31 last week in Toronto thanks to a very generous owner.
The Pogo 30 was a blast to sail with Charley from Pogo. Very well built, higher standard then any production facility I have been to in the US and I have been to a lot of them. Most of the French get it when it comes to boat building. Pogo 30 is not something you want to buy and race in PHRF or IRC; she was not designed for racing. She is a fast easy to sail cruiser. In 20-25 kts true wind she was a dream and I would not hesitate with kite up to go make a snack or take a nap by myself. But at $225,000 new sailing in the US it is way outside my budget. And no used boats on the market with swing keels, one with fix keel is too expensive. Why would you buy a Pogo 30 without a swing keel? So the Pogo is a dream but not my dream.
Next was the JPK 1010 and I am very sorry I do not have pictures of that day. So here is a link to a few. Wow, another great build quality, very fast, extremely nice interior, shorthanded all the way and still cruise with the wife and a second couple. I sailed the factory shorthanded boat with fin and twin rudders. The JPK 1010 wins under IRC crewed and shorthanded. A father son team won the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race double handed and overall, now that says something about the boat and of course about the team. This boat is back on my list and she fits in my 12’ wide shop door. There are used boats but they still push my budget beyond what I can spend, but time will tell.
SunFast 3200 we sailed was with the designer Daniel Andrieu who was very nice and accommodating as were all the French teams and designers. I really like the West coast of France and their boats.
We sailed in 6-10 kts of wind, which with the Pogo and JPK we sailed in 20-25 kts. The 3200 felt very underpowered. The JPK while going out the harbor for a short distance we were in 6-10kt winds and it felt and went great. The JPK is 800 lbs heavier then the 3200 and both are within 3” of each other in length, and same sail area. JPK has something special going on here. So this is why the new 3200 (2016) has had a small weight reduction, cleaner cockpit, 40cm (15”) bigger rig now in Carbon, and a straight fin not the higher drag bulb. I think the new version will be much better in light wind. Is this boat on my list, yes, I am talking with a seller but it is the older version. Now a concern again is PHRF in it all wisdom has it rated 3200 at 72-78, which is silly that is where Samba should be. The basic formula for IRC to PHRF is 650/IRC-557=PHRF. This is a pretty accurate conversion and IRC is a proper rule not a committee rule which you cannot even get the same rating in different US areas. The IRC for the older 3200 ratings range from .980 to 1.000. This formula gives 93-99 PHRF, now that is more accurate to how she sails. A modified Quest 30 to 32’, which is slower, then Samba rates 1.034 IRC. That is 72 PHRF with out water ballast. PHRF is a problem if you own a 3200 or other IRC designs.
NOTE: I HAVE NOTICED THAT PHRF NB HAS CHANGED THE SUNFAST 3200 RATING TO 93. PHRF SAN DIEGO HAS CHANGED IT TO 96. AND PHRF NC HAS CHANGED IT TO 81. THANK YOU PHRF RATING COMMITTEES YOU HAVE MADE THE RIGHT MOVE. AND THANK YOU FOR SOLVING THIS RATING.
Another Sunfast is the SunFast 3600 if I could afford her it would be right there with the JPK 1010 on choice, and sailing both again would be the deciding factor in France.
Akilaria 950 is a great boat really a mini Class 40 and is expensive like the Class 40. I have looked at building my own. In the end it would cost me more then any of the above boats and still I would be putting in my year plus of labor. Used there are a few and very expensive. On top of that PHRF and IRC would hammer the boat, it is designed to race against Class 950 boats, unless it is a fast reach/run race where she could win. So the Class 950 is not at this time on my list, but they are a blast to sail. We sailed with Marc Lombard on his personal boat and I missed a good deal on that one in 2013.
Pogo 10.50 is now out of production and there are some used on the market. Again pushing the size I want for a boat. Too wide to fit in my shop, this is important. And too expensive, a JPK 1010 is $40-60K less used. The one we sailed was a lot of fun and like the 30 a fast cruising boat not a PHRF or IRC race boat for shorthanded.
The Archambault 31 is on my list after sailing one last week in 12-16 kts of wind with only white sails, and seeing how well they are built. Boats in the EU are expensive and getting her to US is a big added expense. But when you look at the US used boat market for what I like there really is not much. I do not want a US balsa built boat, they do not last and quality is not what the French offer. That keeps the A31 on the list.
On top of all of this my buddy John with his Olson 30 would like to get the same boat as me for the head and headroom factors, plus a livable interior for long summer treks. Be great to have two of the same boats trekking against each other. It would help us dial in for racing and just be a blast trekking.
So the hunt for my next boat/kid is on in earnest. Well I have to say it never ends. I am always watching the market in the US, UK, France (best shorthanded boats period), NZ, or Canada. I will keep the blog posted as I progress.
As always any comments or questions are welcome.