On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 16:45:35 -0500, DSK wrote:



Graduates of the JAXAshby Advanced School of Scientific Sounding Sailboat Gibberish.

felton wrote:
Is there a correspondence course? Do they offer any electives in
diesel mechanics?

LOL
and a Ph.D in sissy footwells.


I doubt I could get in...I struggle with math.

Too bad. Jax doesn't struggle with math, he ignores it completely except for a few
impressive sounding words he tosses in at random. For Jax, "science" is roughly akin to
"free word association."




.... Some people seem to think that the Valiant is
similar in more than superficial aesthetics to some kind of historic pilot cutter or
rescue vessel from the days of sail, but it is really a modern (1970s era) design.
In it's day it was not a crab-crusher, rather it was on the light end of the
displacement/length scale.



Well, I agree it is an "old" design. I have asked the Valiant folks if
they have considered that a newer design might be about due, but they
seem to feel that "if it aint broke, why fix it." Hard to argue with,
I suppose.

Sure. As Edey & Duff once said, the sea hasn't changed much.

OTOH it would be silly to ignore what has been learned about materials and design since
the 1970s, especially when applicable to whatever your particular goal might be. From
what I've read, Valiant has changed a few things including not using fire-retardant resin
any more.

In fairness, that was back in the days when Valiants were built in
Washinton by Uniflite. That unfortunate episode resulted in the
demise of "old Valiant" and the birth of "Texas Valiant". No more
blister boats. Beyond that, they added bowsprits to the 40 and 47 and
now call them the 42 and the 50. They discontinued the 32 and the 37.
I thought the 37 was a good looking boat, but such is the way of the
boat business. It seems it costs almost as much to build a 37 as a
40, so why build the smaller boats.


While I have never been aboard a Passport, I suspect that
it might be a design that would have more appeal to me, particularly
the stern, as you mention. A large part of why I admire the Valiants,
though, is knowing the people who build them and seeing the way they
are put together. They are very well made, and that is something that
is every bit as important as the design.

I haven't been more than a casual guest on any Passports or Valiants either one, and so
can't comment on thier relative build quality. But one thing I like about the Valiants is
that they sail pretty well for their looks and their capacity, good design priorities.
IMHO their record offshore speaks to the judgement & skills of some of the people who
have chosen them.

At times past I've criticised this general type as "faux Colin Archers" (which they are),
but some of them are still good boats in their own right. There's a Valiant 40 at our
marina which has been getting an ambitious program of upgrades this past fall, it will be
interesting to meet the owner and see what he's got in mind.

FB
DSK