"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
oups.com...

At this very moment in our club....Island Packet 35,

Relatively common here.



Really? Only 173 were built up until 1993.

That's a lot of boats. How many have been built to date is a more important
number. Most around here are newer. They all have the transom with
the--drum roll, please--swim platform.

Tartan 37,
We have lots of them around here. Not much interest in them at all,
and
they are difficult to sell unless in pristine condition with lots of
equipment. Most aren't.

Kinda like the Seasprite.

There were only 46 Sea Sprite 34 hulls built. We have two in our port, and
both are pristine. The other one is owner-finished, but very nicely done.
That said, he paid about $5K less for his than I did for mine. His is a
cutter with a big bowsprit, which looks really odd on a CCA-type boat. But
it's a very clean boat. I have no idea how most of the Sea Sprites are.
They were built in 23' (Alberg designed), 28', 30', and 34', the last three
designed by Bill Luders. And the vast majority of them are in New England.


Beautiful and probably well-built. We have several Albergs here,
including
a 37.


Probably?

I really don't know. I looked the 37' over carefully when it was for sale,
but found some issues with the construction that turned me off. I suspect
that overall the boats were probably built well, but it probably depends
more on who built them than on the designer. Alberg designs have been built
by several different companies and individuals over the decades.

Bristol 27,
Nice smaller boat, but most are showing their age rather badly
nowadays.


Like any old unrestored boat?

I've seen no restored Bristols here, except one that was "claimed" to have
been restored, but really just had some cosmetic spucing-up. It was like
the others--pretty rough and well-used.


Sweden 39,
A very nice, well-built boat.


But nowhere to sleep if you're over 5'11.

Maybe Swedes don't grow as big as you, Bubbles.

Southern Cross,
Same builder as my Sea Sprite 34: Clark E. Ryder.

Okay.


Pacific Seacraft Dana 24 and 33


The PS Dana is a great 24 footer, solid, and seaworthy. Probably too
expensive for most buyers of 24' boats.

You aint kidding.

To my knowledge, PS never built a
33' boat.


Correct...I meant the 31.

That's a nice, if small, design. I prefer the Crealock 34s and 37s, but the
31 is a great singlehander or couple's boat.

We have a few oldsters here, but most switch to trawlers or get out
of
boating altogether before they hit 70.


The owner of the Bristol 27 is 68. The owner of the Ericson 34 is 74!

We have a couple in our marina with a Tartan 34, both of whom are in their
seventies. We also have a couple who own a newish Hunter 410, and he just
turned 70 (they sail almost daily). We also had a dentist and his wife who
recently sold their Sabre 34, both of whom are in their upper 70s. You can
always find older sailors, but you'll find far more oldtimers in powerboats,
trawlers, or sitting at home watching the boob tube.


The interior of that boat is what draws most comments. Either
people like
Phillipe Starcke's interiors, or they don't. I like 'em.


We get approached because the boat doesn't look like most others. Her
unusual aft section, squared off ports and sleek hull certainly nothing
like a Catalina or Hunter. You're right about the interior. People tend
to love it. I still prefer the main cabin layout of the C&C 32. I like
dinettes.

I forgot to mention C&Cs, of which we have a lot around here. Most are
older and run-down, but we have a few newer ones on Lake Michigan now that
there is a dealership here again. The new ones look cheaply built compared
with the older ones.


People simply love her
decks and interior. A boat like the Seasprite will always be admired
and I'm always happy to see the old boats, though I'm beyond the desire
to maintain or sail one now.


The most prominent boats are Hunters and Catalinas, with
Beneteaus coming in a near third.

How many are like mine? Most folks go for the Oceanus.

There is a 38s5 in Chicago that I've seen from time to time. And there used
to be a 35s5 in our port until about three years ago. It was a wreck--the
owners raced it hard and never did any maintenance. It sold for less than
$30K, but it was junk and the sails--all 14 of 'em--were junk as well. We
do have quite a few First series boats on the Lake--most are in the 40' and
up range, but I've seen a couple of 36.7s in Chicago, and those boats are
really fast for their lengths. Lots of the Firsts are older, say from the
late 80s through the mid-90s.

I'm looking at a '93 Sabre 38 in pristine condition, but the owner
will have to budge on his price a bit if we're to connect.

Nice boat, but I don't like the way they put the mast so far forward,
though it helps with the interior. It's an odd rig that is somewhat
underpowered. We had one here in brokerage that did not sell due to a
crazy price. Then it was repo'd!

I've sailed this one and it certainly seems like a good sailor to me. It's
relatively fast, weatherly, sails off the wind very well, and PHRFs about
the same as your boat, but is heavy enough to have a gentle motion in a
seaway. This one won't be repo'd--the owner paid cash for it in '93. It's
pristine, but overpriced.

Max