[jkumin]

We sailed a San Juan 28 for years, a cut-down version of 1970''s Bruce Kirby designed IOR half-tonner, the SJ30. I remember Dennis Clark telling me how they modified the SJ30 mold with a 55 gallon drum of polyester filler to make the 28. It was a classic IOR boat, dinky main, big foretriangle, pinched ends, squirrely as hell with the chute up in a breeze but fast up and down in light air. Per the brochure it had a 50% ballast ratio and despite the very rounded sections stiffened up and was powerful upwind in a big wind and sea. I remember getting caught in the Gulf of Alaska 20 years ago in a 40 knot northerly while traveling in company with a J-30. We had no problem going upwind into this to beat into a sheltered bay, after trying for a while he gave up and cracked off. When we met up the next day he had seaweed hanging from his lifelines, we never took more than spray.

The interesting thing about this boat was how well it sailed under just main. Clearly the power was in the foretriangle but you could sail it around like a dinghy with just the main up. It held up OK in some tough use although we blew the rig off it in Typhoon Holly, but that was asking a lot of a boat that is really a coastal cruiser.

Bottom line is I think at least some IOR boats are under-rated; they can sail very well, especially in lighter air where the pinched ends reduce wetted surface and the big foretriangles provide power. Given that, we now sail a boat based on the typical IMS type-form (before the latest slab-sided weirdo''s) and love it. We had the chute up in 20-25 this summer in good sized seas 100 miles off-shore and it was effortless. In the IOR boats I''ve sailed it would have been a white knuckle deal. Time does move on.