Doug

Thnaks for the reply. I do agree that the older boats offer less
space for equal length than more recent designs (but they look so much
nicer GRIN). I'll porbably end up compromising somewhere along the
line.

In the meantime, thanks for the fodder for my search, I do appreciate
it.

Matt

DSK wrote in message . ..
Matt Koch wrote:
I am semi seriouslu looking at bigger boats adn am especially
interested in centerboarders due to our shallow cruising area.

My taste runs to the classic designs like the C&C Frigate, C&C
Corvette, Allied Seabreeze etc.

I am sure there are other well built CB designs out there that are
worthy of consideration and would love your input. The one limitation
is that 36' is about the upper limit of what I want to consider due to
limitations at our club.

Heck yeah. Back in more practical times, most production racer-cruisers
came with at least a shoal draft option, they were not outright
keel-centerboarders already. Columbia, Pearson, & Morgan all made
worthy centerboard boats up through the early 1970s.

The problem is that all those boats, being of low freeboard and narrow
quarters, have about the same interior accomadation as a modern 26
footer, only with less headroom.

The Sabre line has a keel-centerboard option on all their boats (or did,
up through the mid-1980s at least) although they are less traditional.

The Freedom 33 is something out of the ordinary, a cat-ketch with nice
lines & a practical rig (personally, I'd get rid of the wishbooms in
favor of lazyjacks & solid vangs, but that's just a matter of personal
taste).

If you want a boat that is both faster & roomier, take a gander at some
of the Jeanneau or Kirie centerboarders. The Nightwnd 35 is a boat Bruce
Kirby designed for his own use, a racer with decent accomodation &
board-up draft less than 3' They were also quite well built by Ryder,
but they're hard to find. If you like that idea but have a good bit more
money, try a Clearwater 36... this is a great boat with handsome lines,
very good sailing performance, outstandingly well built, got at least
one circumnavigation to it's credit... yes you *can* have almost
everything, as long as you are willing to pay for it.

You have to look a little bit harder to find the shallow-draft capable
boats, but there are many out there.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King