Sail Magazine

by Bill Springer

Flying Tiger 10 M

by Bill Springer, Posted November 4, 2005

Internet forums are great for swapping tips on everything from where to anchor in Anchorage, Alaska, to finding an obscure part for a boat that’s no longer in production. Judging from the Flying Tiger 10-Meter forum on sailinganarchy.com, they also appear to be a great way to design and market a sportboat. And, of course, this boat is designed to a “box” rule—but the “box” is actually the size of

Corsair Sprint 750

by Bill Springer, Posted September 23, 2005

The new Corsair Sprint 750 represents a high-octane evolution of the successful Corsair 24. Its length and overall profile are similar to the 24’s, but over 100 pounds have been trimmed from the hull and the cockpit has been lengthened at the expense of some interior volume in the cuddy cabin. The cabin has a small double bunk and a place to put an optional porta-potty, but accommodations space

Com-Pac Eclipse 20

by Bill Springer, Posted August 10, 2005

The 20-foot Eclipse by Com-Pac Yachts makes a strong case for the idea that you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg to be able to sail to your favorite anchorage, eat a hot meal, and sleep in a comfortable bunk. This trailerable coastal cruiser has all the right features—an easy-to-rig mast, simple sailing systems, a centerboard that reduces draft to 1 foot, 6 inches, and a

Hunter 41DS

by Bill Springer, Posted July 11, 2005

Since Hunter Marine is constantly devising new ways of increasing and maximizing interior volume, it seems only natural that the Hunter 41DS takes advantage of a deck-saloon layout to achieve a more open and airy accommodations plan. The DS has large elevated windows for panoramic views and a whopping 6-foot, 10-inch headroom in the saloon. The standard two-cabin version has a master stateroom

Catalina 22 Sport

by Bill Springer, Posted July 11, 2005

Gerry Douglas, principle designer at Catalina Yachts, has brought a classic back to life with the launch of the new Catalina 22 Sport. The original Catalina 22 helped launch Frank Butler’s fledgling boatbuilding company in 1969 and was in continuous production until a MkII version was launched in the early ’90s. The MkII’s beam was wider by 8 inches so the cockpit could be more spacious, but you

J/124

by Bill Springer, Posted July 11, 2005

Bolstered by the success of the elegant and sporty J/100 daysailer, the folks at J Boats have extrapolated the idea out to 40 feet LOA with their new J/124 weekender. The goal is comfort, simplicity, and superior sailing performance, not long-term offshore cruising. The cockpit has 14-inch backrests, seats that are long enough for sleeping under the stars, and a dodger for

Impression 434

by Bill Springer, Posted February 28, 2005

Slovenia-based Elan Marine has established a presence with its line of Rob Humphreys–designed performance cruisers over the past several years, but the new Impression 434 by Elan is an entirely different animal. Unlike Elan's low-slung racer/cruisers, the 434 is aimed directly at the cruiser looking to reel off quick passage times while enjoying spacious

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

Telstar 28

by Bill Springer, Posted July 14, 2004

When a fire destroyed the molds for the Telstar trimarans in 1981, Performance Cruising founder and designer Tony Smith rebuilt his factory and started production of the Gemini catamarans. Gemini's success pushed the Telstars to the back of, but not completely off, the drawing board. After years spent redesigning, re-engineering, and rigorously testing five full-size prototypes, Smith has

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 32

by Bill Springer, Posted June 3, 2004

Remember the days when anchorages were filled with cruising boats in the 20-to-30-foot range and 40-footers were considered big? The Philippe Briand–designed Sun Odyssey 32 may be considered entry-level compared to the multitude of new 40-foot cruising boats—it’s the smallest cruising boat Jeanneau sells here in the States—but I found during a test sail on