BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Boat shopping

On Tue, 04 May 2004 16:55:06 GMT, (Norm) wrote:

Yesterday I was looking at a 36' Cape Dory on Yachtworld, but the
thing has a PHRF of 180. The Passport has a PHRF of 140 and most
people said that it was a slug. Now I'm confused.

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The difference between PHRF 140 and 180 is less than half a knot.
That's a huge difference to a racing sailor but I wouldn't worry too
much about it for cruising. Most cruisers spend more than half their
time motorsailing anyway unless they have a boat that performs very
well in light wind (and that rules out the vast majority of cruising
boats). The difference between a 36 and a 40 can mean a lot more room
below however depending on the boat. A 40 is a lot more boat for two
people to handle which is another consideration, but a 40 can be a lot
more comfortable in moderately rough conditions. Everythings a
tradeoff. Have you looked at a Pearson 365? It's very roomy for the
length and I know several people who have cruised and lived aboard on
them.