Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, *I* have a Porta-Bote, and LIKE it. {grin}

No, The Tayana is not the ideal boat for everybody (shhhhh, don't let
the those on the Tayana listserver know I said that).

And your points are accurate. It is a bit more tender than the
"perfect" boat, but under sail, I'd have to disagree with you about it
being rolly (though under power, you're right). Under sail, it finds an
angle of heel and just locks into it. We still get the for and aft
rocking and vertical heave, but almost no roll component of motion.

Also, with it's full (cutaway forefoot) keel, it tracks like it's on
rails. So well that I can read while hand steering - just glance up
every couple of sentences and perhaps adjust the wheel an inch, and
remember to check the horizon every page or so. Since our previous boat
was a Catalina 30 which required constant vigilance on the helm, I
really love the way it handles. I can even let go of the helm and go up
on the foredeck to fiddle with something and when I get back to the
helm, we're no more than 10 degrees or so off course. The down side to
this is maneuvering around the docks. In the Catalina, when we got to
the slip we just turned into it. To say you have plan the same turn in
the Tayana is an understatement. We've had the boat two years now, and
while I've never crashed it into the dock or my dock neighbors boat (our
marina only has fingers every other boat), entering the slip is
something that raises my blood pressure a tad.

We were also pleasantly surprised with its' performance - though you've
gotta remember what our last boat was. When we've got some wind, we now
comfortably cruise for hours without stressing anything at the same
speeds that were "balls to the wall and pray nothing breaks" on the
Catalina (7.5 - 8.5 kt).

For those that enjoy this style of cruising boat, the Tayana is an
excellent example of it. I could go on and on, but I'm beginning to
sound like an evangelist. Almost as bad as when the subject of
Porta-Botes comes up ;-)

Take care - Dan

JAXAshby wrote:

The Tayana 37 gets some minus points for its high center of gravity, which
makes it more tender, more rolly, and gives it a lower limit of positive
stability. It is also not considered to be a fast as it might be.

That said, it is still one beautiful boat, it is said to be the most common
boat out there among cruising couples, and it is "big enough" to liveaboard
for
a couple without being a bear to handle under sail. It also has a shallow
enough draft to "do the islands" in some of the shallower harbors, even if
this
reduces a bit its pointing ability.

Hmmmm,


Not to say that the boats on his list aren't good boats, but I dunno if
I can really respect any supposedly comprehensive list of cruising boats
that doesn't include the Tayana. I've never had it confirmed, but I've
been told that more SSCA (Seve Seas Cruising Assoc.) member have the
Tayana 37 than any other single make/model.
Looking at it, I note that neither the Baba not the Union 36 are on it
either. I haven't studied it in depth, but it would seem to be heavily
weighted against the boats in the overbuilt/heavy end of the spectrum.

Nothing wrong with this, as the list just represents his personal
opinions, and he clearly states that "passage-making speed ... is now
high on my personal list of priorities". This is a very valid opinion,
but not the only valid one. Some of us lean more toward the rugged and
comfortable with reasonable to good performance boats (like my Tayana)
http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG


http://www.mahina.com/cruise.html#boats4cruising

John Neal's site (expedition sailing adventures) has a very good list of
boats that he considers suitable for offshore trips. I tend to agree with
most of his choices and comments.



--

Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean"
http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG