I saw a Columbia 34 MK2 for sale on CraigsList for $500 OBO. Obviously a boat that needs a lot of work. Still, a tempting project for someone who wants head room and doesn’t mind some sweat equity to get it. More about the Bill Tripp’s Columbia 34 MK2’s in the not too distant future.
Here’s an interesting rig on Reuel Parker’s Terrapin 30. What really appeals to me is not so much what it has but what it doesn’t have. For starters, it’s a three stay rig made possible by a low center of effort. A low powerful rig requires less ballast which is no bad thing as it …
Hunter has something of a bad reputation that, for the most part, is undeserved. Which is not to say that there were not some boats with issues but from where I sit all boats have issues. Hunters were all made to a price point as all boats are. Building and selling boats has always been …
I came across an ad on Craigslist for a Newport 30 that made me wonder why Newport boats have fallen out of favor. As I recall, the Gary Mull designed Newport 30 was a pretty nice boat. A bit more beam than most at the time with a simple but very comfortable interior. Fact of …
The big issue with a lot of possible VolksCruisers is that there a bit challenged where displacement is concerned. Here’s an example… One of my favorite small cruising boats is the Balboa 26 designed by Lyle Hess. It’s small, shoal draft, seaworthy and has a considerable amount of room/livability for its size. The problem is …
Talking about performance where cruising boats are concerned is somewhat problematic at best. Most folks’ first thought when the subject of performance is breached, immediately think in terms of speed and going fast. However, speed is not the only way to think of performance. Obviously, a cruising boat needs to be able to get from …
So, working through the checklist we come to shoal draft… The first Loose Moose drew all of a foot when the dagger board was up and Loose Moose 2 drew just 18 inches. Both boats taught me an awful lot about why real shoal draft makes sense where a VolksCruiser is concerned. For starters, it …
How big is it? It’s a question I hear all the time regarding boats. When I answer giving it’s displacement people tend to look at me as if I’m speaking a foreign language. Most people, when confronted with the task of choosing a boat think in terms of length, Which, considering that a lot of …
When I lived in Paris the Super Arlequin was a sailboat that caught my interest so this web series looks like it might be interesting. For those wanting to know more about the Super Arlequin in the meantime…
There’s a Beneteau 235 for sale here that caught my attention and got me thinking about what a great little cruising boat it would make. Now as far as French production boats go, I’ve never been a huge fan of the Beneteau boats preferring the Jeanneau designs back in the pre-conglomerate days. I expect …
