[mikehoyt]

Leo,

Hey my turn to backpedal a bit! I am no expert on boat design, racing or crusing. Just a guy that spends too much time wishing I were sailing.

I often say to a friend that there are no bad boats ... just boats designed for a different purpose than what you intend. A trailerable sailboat is great if you need to trailer one to a lake, but compromised for sailing on the ocean for example.

In Halifax there are many many C&C sailboats. We had a very active dealer here in 70''s & 80s. My family had a 36 from 1981 - 1990, our neighbour had a 27 mk IV or V in the mid 80''s (never sailed on that 27). This was back in the good old days when Dad paid for sailing and I just went along for the ride! Also raced on an aft cabin 40 for one or two seasons as a foredeck guy (ie. just a set of arms & hands).

I had always thought that when my boat grew enough to be a C&C than I would finally know I had a real boat rather than just a dingy. I love the looks of the C&Cs and usually compare all boats against them.

I like the C&C 30 Mk I. I think it sails well but do not imagine it to be much better or worse than a host of other 30 footers made in the same era. My father had a 36 in 81 and I remember hearing at the time how many people preferred the 35 that preceded it for its sailing ability. This has been confirmed by articles on cncphothoalbum.com and other sources.

When I sail on a boat I look at the inside as much as the outside. I have found that the 30Mk I, the 27 and to some degree the 25 of the same era all look similar with just more or less room. From the outside they also look very similar. I think that was done on purpose so that a C&C could be easily recognized. Of all those boats I personally like the 27 Mk III the best. It has a decent interior and it sails very well in light airs. I race against a 25 mk I, a 27 Mk III and a 30 mk I. For coastal sailing where shore is always near I think the 27 mk III is a great boat. If I were spending more time offshore I would tend toward the 30. In our races the 30 sails well below its handicap in any wind less than 15knots. I have a Niagara 26 which is supposed to be slower than the 30 by rating but crosses the line ahead of the 30 unless there is some wind. When it is 20knots the 30 starts to sail well and finishes far ahead of me.

My thoughts on the 27 III, 30 I and my Niagara 26?

I think that the Niagara sails well in light air and could be much better in more wind. This is the weakness with that boat ... cannot sail competitively in any wind over 20 knots.

The C&C 30 Mk I sails well in winds over 15 knots but should sail a lot better in lighter winds. I imagine this was done on purpose but I think that a really good design should sail well in both ... especially when the boat is 30 feet in length!

The 27Mk III sails well in light air and sails better in 20 knots than my niagara. If I had more money when I bought my boat I could have bought a Mk III and would have loved it! Of course people who love the 30 call the 27 "tender". I hate that word! The 27 is a fabulous boat because it sails well and has a usable interior!

So back to what the boats are designed for...
To have a boat sail well in lighter and heavier air would probably require a lot of sail change and a lot of attention to sail trim, etc... Since these are CRUISING BOATS I believe that maybe ... just maybe the 30 was designed so for people that do not wish to be changing sails all the time. Thus the main is too small so that reefing is not a continuous activity and 2 people can relax and enjoy sailing!

Heck they are all great boats! I would even love a MacGregor with a 50hp engine if I had to motor 20 miles every day to go sailing!

Regards

Mike