Get ready for spring best boat list

[davidpm]

Since spring is coming soon to the east coast we may get some new forum visitors and I thought another "Rank the boats" thread might be fun.

My thread my rules.

• This thread is not about sailing comfort, speed, design etc. It is only about build quality.
• Since it is unfare to compair a 100g catalina to 300k caliper lets create some categories. Coastal Entry, MidRange, Premium
• For each category list a few boat brands and your number 1 to 100 where you think they rate for that category and most importantly why.
• Mention if you are an owner or past owner of a boat you rank

If you have to qualify with specific models, years, designers, builder please do.

My list to start you off:

Entry
Catalina -80
Hunter - 70
Bene - 75
Jeanneu - 70
Newport - 40
O'Day - 70
I rated the Catalina highest in this build to a price market as they seemed to me to pick slightly better materials.


MidRange
Tarten
Sabre - I really like the Sabre and have not been on enough Tartens to compare

Premium
Caliper
Shannon
Hinkley
I'm just not a premium guy. Have not had enough experience with the high end.

[PCP]

Originally Posted by davidpm

Since spring is coming soon to the east coast we may get some new forum visitors and I thought another "Rank the boats" thread might be fun.

My thread my rules. [LIST][*]This thread is not about sailing comfort, speed, design etc. It is only about build quality.

David,
Build quality is a relative concept. For example, the cruising "Pogo" is a high quality cruising boat. Premium materials, carbon mast, high quality running rig, safety features and so on. But if we have as a measure the comfort as an absolute parameter (interior of the boat) the boat would not rate well, even if the interior is the right interior for that kind of boat and for the kind of sailors that are interested in that boat type.

I believe that you have to create categories of boat types, if you want to have a meaningful list. It is what sailing mags do when they elect the boat of the Year.

Regards

Paulo

[mitiempo]

Premium should certainly include Morris, Able, Valiant, Cape George, and Pacific Seacraft.

[olson34]

Add to "premium" list the Valiants (two votes...) and the Cascades, also the big offshore Santa Cruz stuff like the 52 and 53.

Close to it, or maybe top o' the middle list would be the Ericsons, Olsons, Nonsuches, Niagaras, Expesss (California). Solidly in the middle group might be Cals and Ranger Yachts; also the Ranger Boats.

L

[mitiempo]

Some of the Cascades were home built so quality past hull/deck can be questionable.

[BarryL]

Hello,

Why did you rate Newport so low? I owned a Newport 28 and I have looked at the 30 and 33. IMHO, there is very little difference between Newport and Catalina (and O'day). In fact, the interior of my Newpot 28 was nicer than the Catalina 30's I was looking at. The newport came with a teak and holley sole, padded headliner, leaded windows covering the lockers and a number of nice features. Similar Catalina 30's had bare fiberglass sole, fiberglass headliner and basic lockers. Outside, the Newport came with self tailing winches, wheel steering with a T shaped cockpit and lines led aft. Engine access was excellent with a large hatch in the cockpit sole, access behind the companionway stairs, and side access when the 1/4 berth hatch was removed.

The Newport 33 was one of the first boats to come with a swim platform / sugar scoop, available back in 1985.

The O'days I have seen also also very comparable to Catalinas of similar era.

Barry

[davidpm]

Let me though out a bunch of names of boats I've seen a few of but would like a ranking of:
Remember quality only.

Cal
C&C
Cape dory
Columbia
Coronado
Grampian
Islander
Irwin
Morgan
Paceship
Pearson
Tanzer
West Wight Potter

[davidpm]

Originally Posted by BarryL

Hello,

Why did you rate Newport so low? I owned a Newport 28

Good question Barry and I don't have a good answer. That is the reason I started the thread. I know for myself and maybe others we hear random comments and sometimes a impression is formed without any real personal data.

I suspect that what happed here.

[davidpm]

Maybe it would be easier to identify some boats that are near the bottom of the pack in build quality.
Again not to pick on anybody's boat and any boat that floats and gets you out on the water is a great boat. That being said some were built better than others and it might be good to identify the ones that were built the cheapest.

Boats at the low end of the build quality curve
Bavaria
Grampion
McGreggor

[davidpm]

Originally Posted by BarryL

Hello,

Why did you rate Newport so low? I owned a Newport 28

I just found where I got my prejudice against the Newport 28.

Practical Boat Buying Volume 1 page 239

"Make no mistake about it the Newport 28 is a boat built to a price. A common complaint by owners is mediocre fitting of woodwork, leaking hull-to-deck joint, cockpit drains that are too small, plastic valves on through hulls, inadequate backing plates in short the entire litany of problems associated with boats built to be low in price."

They sold well about 1,000 because it was a good design however.

Do you think that was unfair to say that about the Newport.

Actually you bring up another variable.
A manufacturer can spend (1970 dollars) another $300 to put in a teak and holly sole but save the same money on labor by rushing or using less skilled people.

Since this thread is about quality not features or design if that is what happed to the Newport they would get a lower rating in my system.

Since you owned the boat you should be in a good position to judge if my rating is fair according to my system.

My thinking about redefining best as based quality only is on the idea that anyone can go on a boat and see if they like the dinette layout, the shiny sole or extra wide cabin. What they may not know is that a particular boat has a reputation of being cheaply build and hastily assembled.
Which may not be a problem on an old boat as the problem may have been fixed.