san juan 30 vs kirby 30

[killarneyonthelake]

Has anyone out there sailed on both of these boats and able to give comparable opinions on them? - thanks -

[Faster]

While both Kirby designs these are very different boats. The SJ 30 is an IOR based design whereas the K30 is not. Masthead (SJ) and Fractional, (K30); very different hull forms and the Kirby 30 would be the better boat, I think. The Kirby will have more interior volume too, and a larger cockpit.

You're really comparing apples and oranges here.

[COOL]

I have sailed on both, with much more
recent experience with the Kirby.
Since I have no fondness for designs
distorted to the IOR rule, such as the
San Juan, I am in favor of the Kirby 30.
As Faster has pointed out, they are completely
different animals. The Kirby will sail much better,
but will take more skill to eek out top performance.
The San Juan will sail well if you have predominantly
light conditions. With its cramped cockpit and pinched
stern, the San Juan will not be much fun in big breeze.

[killarneyonthelake]

thanks for the info - I take it that the back stays complicate sailing of the Kirby but is it still able to be handled safely alone? (I can't seem to get crew very often between Nov and May on Kootenay Lake) I have a San Juan 28 that I'm comfortable with as far as singlehand experience goes.

[COOL]

The Kirby would be a little challenging
to singlehand, relative to say an Olson 30,
but not an impossibility. The mainsail trimmer is
a very busy person as it is during a tack,
sorting out the runners, mainsheet, and traveler.
The cockpit design would make it a little awkward to slide
forward, release and trim the headsail, and deal with runners
while steering through a tack. But having a small headsail to
deal with would be a plus, and the running backs are not crucial
for keeping the rig up so they could be dealt with after the fact.