Boats

Catalina 250 Centerboard

by Sail Staff, Posted September 23, 2004

The Catalina 250 Centerboard has some unusual features for a pocket cruiser—a built-in swim ladder and stern-pulpit seats. And it has the essentials: an easy-to-fill water-ballast system, a spacious cockpit and accommodation plan, a big kick-up rudder and a durable centerboard, and a stove, sink, and a bit of counter space in the galley. There is also a private head compartment. You'll be amazed

Precision_23

by Sail Staff, Posted September 23, 2004

Not all pocket cruisers are water-ballasted. The Jim Taylor-designed Precision 23 achieves stability with fixed ballast and a shallow keel/centerboard configuration. With the board up the minimum draft is just under 2 feet; draft increases to 5 feet, 4 inches with the board down. The Precision also bucks pocket-cruiser convention in that it has a conventional cabin-top and legitimate side decks.

Southerly 135

by Sail Staff, Posted September 23, 2004

It may not be the first boat that comes to mind when you're considering a shoal-draft cruiser, but the Southerly 135 should grab your attention simply because of its size and what it can do below the waterline. It's a 45-foot offshore cruiser that displaces close to 30,000 pounds and boasts a well-appointed interior. What's remarkable about it is that it's equipped with a 3,610-pound cast-iron

Grand Soleil 40

by Sail Staff, Posted September 22, 2004

The Grand Soleil 40, built by Cantiere del Pardo, is one of a gaggle of new 40-foot performance cruisers that purportedly strike a balance between elegant accommodations and grin-inducing performance. Many boats make this claim, so I tested one off Annapolis, Maryland, to find out for myself.On deckThe deck and cockpit are set up primarily for racing, but the layout is also

True Wind 32

by Bill Springer, Posted September 22, 2004

The True Wind 32 presents an interesting amalgamation of features. It's a 32-foot cat with a rigid open bridgedeck and is built to sail faster than wind speed in the right conditions, to provide the amenities of a pocket cruiser, and to be capable of easily folding up onto a street-legal trailer.During my test on Florida's Biscayne Bay in 10 knots of breeze and flat water, we hit 8 knots on

Cabo Rico 42PH

by Sail Staff, Posted September 22, 2004

The Chuck Paine-designed Cabo Rico 42 has an excellent reputation as a bluewater cruising boat. Its full underwater profile, sturdy good looks, and quality craftsmanship have helped instill confidence in offshore sailors for years, but only if they were willing to brave the elements in the aft cockpit. With the introduction of the Cabo Rico 42PH, offshore sailors can now order a 42 with a

Dufour 34

by Sail Staff, Posted August 25, 2004

All my days on the water should be as perfect as the day we took a Dufour 34 out for a spin after the Miami Boat Show. We caught the back end of a February cold front that produced steady 12-to-15-knot northerly winds, sunny skies, and comfortable temperatures. As we motored out of the marina, it was obvious that I couldn’t have scheduled this test any better. The smallest boat in the revamped,

Raider 30

by Charles J. Doane, Posted August 25, 2004

The recent proliferation of large cruising catamarans has been well documented, but there is also an increasing number of smaller performance catamarans that offer modest living accommodations for go-fast racer/cruiser types. One of the most interesting of these is the Raider 30, a very sleek craft that was born four years ago in Australia and debuted in the U.S. early last year. There

Seaquest 36

by Sail Staff, Posted August 25, 2004

The British are coming! The British are coming! Actually, it's the British-built, Reichel/Pugh—designed Seaquest 36. After a successful launch and wins notched in races all over Europe, the Seaquest 36—replete with narrow-chord bulb keel, high-octane sailplan, weight-saving interior, and impressive polar numbers—has arrived. It's a flat-out racing design concerned more with

X-40

by Sail Staff, Posted August 25, 2004

The new X-40 is a chip off the old block. Flush with the success of the X-43 and X-46, X-Yachts designer Niels Jeppesen has drawn this new 40-footer to be as sexy, sturdy, comfortable, and responsive as its larger siblings. And it seems to have all the necessary ingredients. The cored hull is light and stiff, the sailplan has power to burn, and the hand-polished teak joinery is sure to turn some