West Wight Potter 15

steve2010 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-11-2010

hi
what are everyones thought on the wwp 15 as a first boat. i have been sailing in a club so i know what i'm doing. would this be a fun boat to sail in the right conditions. i have read that it is not very fast. how true is that? i would like to be able to spend the night on it to how comfortable is it? i am 17. and how would it handle the chesapeake bay? i would really appreciate anything you have to say good or bad about this boat.
thanks,
steve

sailingdog · #2 (**permalink**) 07-12-2010

It's a fine boat, but I'd go with the Montgomery 17 instead, which is a better boat IMHO. No pocket cruiser like that is going to be fast.

I'd recommend you get and look at Henkel's The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, since it covers a lot of boats that might be suitable for you. The book covers 360 boats under 27' LOA and is a reasonably good reference, but isn't quite the reference that it could have been IMHO.

gunner81 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-13-2010

i bought a p15 myself as my first sailboat. she is a great little boat. plenty of room to sleep aboard for a night or two and carry your camping gear. she is very lightweight and easily trailerable but very stable. i sail her in the barnegat bay. also, no batteries or electronics to worry about.

sailingdog · #4 (**permalink**) 07-13-2010

Might want a battery and some navigation lights, especially an anchor light... If you get hit while anchored out without an anchor light up, and you're NOT IN A DESIGNATED ANCHORAGE... you're screwed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunner81

i bought a p15 myself as my first sailboat. she is a great little boat. plenty of room to sleep aboard for a night or two and carry your camping gear. she is very lightweight and easily trailerable but very stable. i sail her in the barnegat bay. also, no batteries or electronics to worry about.

capttb · #5 (**permalink**) 07-13-2010

Quote:

would this be a fun boat to sail in the right conditions.

When I was 17 I sailed Capris, Lidos, Thistles, Hobie Cats, sailing anything is better then not sailing, but sailing something slow takes patience that is beyond my abilities even at an advanced age.

sailingdog · #6 (**permalink**) 07-13-2010

Of course, cruising on these for a weekend or more really isn't possible for the most part, with the exception of the Capris.

Quote:

Originally Posted by capttb

When I was 17 I sailed Capris, Lidos, Thistles, Hobie Cats, sailing anything is better then not sailing, but sailing something slow takes patience that is beyond my abilities even at an advanced age.

eMKay · #7 (**permalink**) 07-13-2010

Good boat, very light, easy to handle, not fast, can sleep on it. BUT they are desirable boats, meaning they are more expensive than similar boats. So if you're willing to spend a little more it's more likely you will get it back when it's time to sell it.

gunner81 · #8 (**permalink**) 07-16-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Might want a battery and some navigation lights, especially an anchor light... If you get hit while anchored out without an anchor light up, and you're NOT IN A DESIGNATED ANCHORAGE... you're screwed.

I have a nice solar/battery lantern that i raise with the main halyard. works really well as an anchor light. I use a bungee to pull the halyard toward the shroud and it keeps the lantern from hitting the mast.
There are a lot of good battery powered nav lights on the market. Remember: it's a small potter, i'm not going out for weeks at a time so the battery nav lights work great for overnight trips.

ArcherBowman · #9 (**permalink**) 07-16-2010

I sail a Potter - 19, your boat's cousin. She's stable, responsive to the helm, light, and tows well. Plenty of room inside (for a tiny boat). But fast she ain't. Sailing's poor here in east Tennessee, and I'm looking at springing for some light air sails.

svTrekka · #10 (**permalink**) 11-03-2010

Don’t rule out a Montgomery 15 either. Not too long ago when I was looking for a small pocket cruiser I looked at just about everything that floats. My criteria for the boat was to be able to SLEEP, USE THE TOILET & MAKE COFFEE (not necessarily in that order) below and I wanted to be able to sail the boat anytime I wanted by myself. I finally narrowed my search down to Montgomery sailboats due to the quality of these boats. I decided I wanted either a Montgomery 17 or a Montgomery 15. Then one night I saw a YouTube video of two guys lifting away on a Montgomery 17 mast and that made my decision for me. I purchase a Montgomery 15 and I’m pleased. I can launch, rig, sail and retrieve the boat without help from anybody and that’s the way I like it. Single Handed Pocket Cruising.

I would think that the Potter 15 would be in this same category.

Good luck in your search…
-Dave-