Cal vs. C&C

[Stryker72]

I am looking at a couple different boats for day/weekend sailing in Lake Michigan. I have found a couple of boats that fit my meager budget, but I am curious as to options of a Cal 25 (with inboard diesel) Mk II vs. a C&C 27 with the Atomic four.

I have sailed a different C&C 27 last saturday and enjoyed it but it was a light air day with a confused chop on the lake. (I guess further out there was some wind)

I have heard good things about the Cal 25 and I like the idea of a diesel.

I am 5'7" so head space shouldn't be a concern. (I had no problems in the C&C)

I would be single handing it most of the time, or with my wife and yound son.

[Valiente]

The C&C 27 is the better boat for performance with a couple of caveats: the cored deck and....the cored deck. I've raced on them and against them, and they are pretty well the ideal Great Lakes starter boat, primarily because while they have enough heft at 7,500 lbs. to punch through square waves, they also carry enough foresail to point pretty high, especially if you aren't racing PHRF and can have a 180 percent genoa cut for it. Yes, I said a 180. Light air, my arse. That boat will move in four knots with a slightly loose halyard on a 180 No. 1.

You'll appreciate the extra two feet when you have company. It's a squeeze, but four REAL adults can cruise a C&C 27, and five can race it balls out. A Cal 25 is strictly a couples boat, and I hope they are a couple of Munchkins. It's a good boat, but not enough for Lake Michigan, where, as I understand, the weather can turn bad quickly enough that you want something that will keep going under reduced sail.

The Atomic 4 is fine, and is the ideal small daysailer engine. It has enough beef to get you out of trouble, and being a gas engine, it won't suffer from short bursts of activity once or twice a week. Avail yourself of the vast number of manuals, resources, spares and after-market bits and pieces, or do what I did...rebuild a spare for a grand and drop it in a barrel of oil when the original dies of old age.

Which isn't going to be any time soon, it appears.

[Stryker72]

Thanks, that is the info I am looking for.