"jds" wrote in message
news:fGXxf.27$MJ.13@fed1read07...
thank you capt. i will absolutely get the boat surveyed, i would want
expert advise on the condition. to my untrained eye, she looks good.

absolutely agree on the skipper and crew doing their part. excellent
point.

weather conditions are part of my concern about the boat. i have no
intentions of going out in snotty weather. im retiring at the end of the
year and will have nowhere in particular to go, and all the time i have
left to do it. but, poop does occur. will the boat survive nasty weather
if i do my part??

Well, they're tough boats, but it's hard to know. I would think a qualified
yes, all things being equal. There are so many factors at work, that it's
hard to be unequivical. Put it this way, you can cross an ocean in much less
of a boat, but I wouldn't recommend it. :-)

do you think the unprotected rudder would be a problem??

Not in the ocean unless you hit something. :-) Of course, if the weather is
extreme enough, all bets are off. Anything can break. The good news is that
the weather off the Pacific Coast is pretty predictable.

i know its not a large boat, but i will be singlehanding with occasional
quests for short term trips. from what im used to ( a 23 foot swing keel
sloop), its a palace lol. the cockpit is nice, not too big. no 1/4 berth,
so lots of stowage. would like a good 1/4 berth, but that isnt a deal
breaker. tankage is a bit small, but not going around the world.

i guess build quality would be my main concern. thanks for you reply
captain. hope the above will clarify my situation some. thanks again, best
regards, jeff

Have you been off the coast? I'd suggest doing that a couple of times before
making a commitment to do it on your own. As an example of the conditions, I
took a 48' full keel CT ketch down the coast from SF to Cabo. The first two
days we saw 30+ kts wind on the nose and 10-15 foot seas. Beat the crap out
of everyone including me. After we turned south, things settled down and we
made a steady 5 kts the whole way, not tacks, no jibes, nice weather.