Buying a Wayfarer

[jtro]

I am considering the purchase of a 1968 Wayfarer.If anyone has any feedback / comments about Wayfarers, I would appreciate your thoughts. Specifically, I would like to know what I should be looking for when I inspect the boat and is this a good boat for lakes with varying wind conditions?

[maxcontax]

www.wayfarer.org.uk is the best website, if this indeed is the wayfarer you are referring to.
I had an ''83 for 10 years. It was equipped with a 45'' genoa and the 95'' main with a reef point. I added a 32'' storm jib. I used it to boatcamp on big lakes, it holds 3 adults no problem, forgiving, stable and fast enough but more seaworthy than fast.

the ''68''s were plywood I think. Check out the centreboard pivot pin for wear, the rubber gaskets for watertightness. The double hulls were prone to humping with freeze-thaw cycles when water was trapped in between.

[RichardElliott]

I assume that it is the 16ft. British Wayfarer designed by Ian Proctor. I cruised and raced several over about 10 years, including a two week cruise through the San Juan Islands in Washington. One has been singlehanded across the North Sea and now resides in a British Maritime Museum. So, to directly answer your question, it should be a superb boat for lake sailing in variable winds.

[hrmacdonald2000]

There is a guy from England, Frank Dye, who sails a Wayfarer by the name of, Wanderer. He has sailed her extensively and most recently up the coast from Florida to Nova Scotia and up the St Lawrence. My wife and I met him when he anchored his Wayfarer off our cottage on the Bras d''or Lakes, Cape Breton. He had lots of interesting sea stories!
If you do a google search " Frank Dye" you will find lots of stuff on his sails and the Wayfarer.
Good luck on your Wayfarer.

[jtro]

Thank you for your responses

[Johnrb]

When I used to race a dinghy at our club there were often a few Wayfarers present at the start line. Although we didn’t race against them, they appeared to sail quite well - but not a speedster. They have an excellent reputation as a daysailor though as attested to in the above posts.