In article . com,
wrote:

This guy doesn't know sheet about boats. Newports are awesome boats.
I own a 68 N30. It is rock solid. Catalina is a SheetBox. the keel
is bolted on. no backing plates, under rigged, on and on . heres a
guy who took his newport to hawaii and won overall on handicap!

http://www.pacificcup.org/98/entries/Wate.html. I've owned a cal 27,
catalina 27 and a newport 30 so far and I would take the newport
anywhere I'd take the other ones.

Oh, by the way, this cork smoker recommends Ranger as a boat. Gary
Mull designed Ranger AND Newport boats

http://www.google.COM/search?hl=en&i...l+newport+sail

http://www.rocketboats.com/about/garymull.html

Talk to anyone whos owned a newport 30, and you will hear the
accolades.

It may not be an S&S, but for the price, you can NOT beat it - and
their fast as hell. Stay away from the bayliner.


I don't know the particular boat model, but our boat name was stolen
from our second choice, a Newport 27 flush deck (Mk II?). Sweet looking
boat, but what I've heard since (10-12 years) convinced me that we'd
made the right decision. Not quite bullet proof. Quite fast, but
relatively lightly built. As I recall, the hull-deck joint of that model
is a weak point.

We also have a bolt-on keel, with a schedule of bolts about 50% stronger
than naval architects' current recommendations. [A Cal or Cat 27's bolts
are anemic compared to ours.] After 30+ years worth of banging about the
Chesapeake (real obviously from our purchase survey, not to mention my
decade's miscalculations), we're still not getting a leak from the keel
bolts despite a few obvious dings in the cast iron keel. I'm afraid to
disturb them to check their health.

Every boat is a compromise. And most everyone has a loyalty to "their
boat", because she performed to their needs more than adequately.

I wouldn't personally depend on a Hunter, but a whole lot of people
swear by them because they did the expected job quite well.

Truth be told, we still love our old MacGregor 21's capabilities and I
don't know a more lightly built boat. Yeah, we had to replace too much
when a "real" sailboat sideswiped her at her mooring, but the repairs
were cheap and she still did what we wanted afterwards.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/