On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 01:59:37 +0000, Jack Dale wrote:
"druid" wrote in message
news
OK,
First it was a Catalina 27. Then, an Ericson 27. Now, I'm considering
Islander 28 or Crown 28. Here's my Take so far:
Catalina 27: kinda cheaply made, but fast, especially upwind in light
air like we get a lot around here. AND it's kinda a Mini-me of my
Catalina 36, and although I love it, I think I'd like something
different. One advantage is that they're VERY common around here -
would be easy to find what I want locally.
Ericson 27: looked good until I looked up PHRF ratings - they sound
SLOW! Same or slower than a Columbia 26, slower than a Cal 25...
Islander 28: Fast and well-built, lots of room inside, sea-kindly...
but hard to find, especially in "fixer-upper" shape, which is all I can
afford
Crown 28: not quite as nice inside as an Islander, but still good -
don't know how fast they are, though.
C&C 27: a bit faster than a Catalina, maybe better built, but usually
thrashed. Not high on my list...
Oday 27, Mirage 27, Hunter 27.... basically carbon cutouts of a
Catalina 27.
So... any thoughts? Anybody own/sail an Ericson 27? An Islander 28?
Crown 28? How fast are they? Not looking for cutthroat racing, just
getting to my destination faster, or sailing in light air instead of
having to motor.
On the "Wet Coast" you need a light air boat - period. Since you live
on the mainland, you kight consider the issues of crossing Georgia
Strait.
The Islander 28 looks like a nice boat, although I've never sailed one. I
did see a large fleet of them racing in the Gulf Islands last year, so
there must be a bunch of them around. They looked like they sailed well.
My favorite of that size and type was always the Cal 2-27, a great
light air boat that I used to rent a lot in southern CA. It was
satisfying to sail in the lightest breezes, yet handled a big breeze
pretty well too. A friend raced one for years and did well.
The Catalina may have a nicer interior, but I think the Cal is built more
solidly, and a bit faster.
Here's a fan page:
http://pages.sssnet.com/go2erie/cal227.htm
Matt O.