I'd be very interested to hear opinions from anyone who owns/owned a Southerly 32 - or any kind of Southerly. Or has sailed on one.
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Do you really run them up on the sand (as in the Practical Boat Owner Mag picture)?

I don't own one, nor have I sailed in one. I do, however, love the Distant Shores series which follows the travels of Paul and Cheryl Shard. The Canadian couple has owned the Southerly 42 and currently has the Southerly 49. In the Bahamas episodes they did indeed beach the boat. One of the episodes spent some time demonstrating the beaching capabilities. They seem to love the boat and wrote extensively about it in their blog. They usually return to North America and do the boat show circuit and you can board their boat. I went aboard when they were in Annapolis a few years ago with the 42.

Somehow, after they traded the 42 (which they owned for a year before moving up to the 49), it ended up in my marina in the Chesapeake for a week or so.

 

Never sailed one but has been inside many in boat shows and I can tell you they are very well built and have a very good quality interior. The 42 is my wife's favorite sailboat.

I have read a lot of test sails and never see one that said bad things about the boats. They are very good sailboats that under the right conditions (lots of wind) can be relatively fast boats, even in a race. They are also remarkably seaworthy boats.

They have only a disadvantage, and a big one, they are expensive and thats good because that way I can buy the boat I want, otherwise It would be very difficult to convince my wife not to have the southerly 42

Try to ask here:

http://www.soa-forum.org.uk/blog/

Regards

Paulo

 

Southerly 35RS

I've had my Southerly 35RS for a year now and am really pleased with it.

Everything Northshore claim is true...sails well, lifting keel is a dream, and the cast iron grounding plate makes drying out pretty much worry free.

A bow truster is a must.....with twin rudders there is no prop wash so manoeuvring in a marina without one would be VERY difficult.

With a self tacking jib and in mast reefing, I happy sail the boat single handed.

The only boat I'd swap for would be a bigger Southerly ;-)

John

 

I've had my Southerly 35RS for a year now and am really pleased with it.

Everything Northshore claim is true...sails well, lifting keel is a dream, and the cast iron grounding plate makes drying out pretty much worry free.

A bow truster is a must.....with twin rudders there is no prop wash so manoeuvring in a marina without one would be VERY difficult.

With a self tacking jib and in mast reefing, I happy sail the boat single handed.

The only boat I'd swap for would be a bigger Southerly ;-)

John

Dear John,

I can only find positive comments about these boats too. But I wonder about breakage on 2 key points and what happens then.

Do you think you could get away without a bow thruster on the Southerly 32? What if this breaks?

Also I understand the swing keel is hydraulic. How heavy to use is the manual backup? It's an almost 2000 lb keel isn't it?

Thanks in advance.

 

I'm a Chartered Engineer and IMHO the keel system is bomb proof. If the electric hydraulic pump fails or your batteries are flat its easy to manually lift the keel with the supplied lever which operates the pump....just like pumping up a car jack, not much effort but takes a couple of minutes. Dropping the keel just involves turning the knob on a valve...its a simple, virtually maintenance free system.

If the bow thruster fails, well that's not a show stopper, just inconvenient .....but I really would advise having one fitted....it really sought to be a standard at the prices they charge.

 

...

If the bow thruster fails, well that's not a show stopper, just inconvenient .....but I really would advise having one fitted....it really sought to be a standard at the prices they charge.

hi John,

I don't think it would be too difficult to live with a Southerly 32, or even a 35 without a bow thruster. After all many owners don't have them and almost all Pogos 10.50 don't have them and those have a much bigger problem with its 4m beam.

On my previous boat I had a burton's propeller that has very little prop wash. It give me some trouble because I was trying to maneuver the boat has If I could count with prop wash. The problem went away when I started to maneuver the boat as if I was sailing it. It takes some time to get used but it works.

Regards

Paulo

 

This was the website the previous owner posted to sell the boat

 

Are you confusing prop wash with prop throw (i.e. the tendency of a prop to turn the boat in a certain direction) ?

Believe me under power....with twin rudders the boat only steers when it's moving.

Normally when the rudder is straight behind the prop so if you put the helm hard over the thrust from the prop is diverted in the direction of the rudder.

With twin rudders with the prop in between that doesn't happen....you need to be moving before the boat responds and in a tight marina that sometimes just isn't possible.

Seriously don't buy a twin ruddered Southerly without a bow thruster !

 

I guess the thing to remember is that a Pogo 10.5 is about half the displacement of the equivalent Southerly so manoeuvring is much easier, even though it shares a twin rudder design.....

 

Hi Cruising Kitty,
Just seen your post from 2011 so you possibly made up your mind about this already. However, currently own a Southerly 32 and have sailed extensively on a Southerly 38 with friends. After several years cruising a catamaran which beaches easily, I would not consider any other lift keel monohull make.
The issue you were worrying about, beaching the boat, is a simple every day non event. Its like parking your car at the mall. Choose your spot and ensure you will not be caught out by adverse tide movements and just park it. The boat will sit happily on the solid iron grounding plate that the keel swings up into. Incidentally, if you forget to raise the keel it kicks up anyway as its on a dyneema strap not a hydraulic ram. The weight holds it down and the strap pulls it up. Twin keels ensure the boat stays upright when dried out and the prop is well protected too. Tip, check that seeweed hasn't clogged the bow thruster tunnel before you leave a weedy beach. Bowthruster essential, even on the smaller 32, as windage will make it a tough job in harbour on a brisk day. Had a stern thruster as well on the 38 but 32 is OK with just a bow thruster. These boats are tough. strongly built and well designed. I have seen many Southerlies 20 years old and looking good. They hold their value on the second hand market. If buying a used boat, find out if it was built to USA spec or if its a European boat being left behind. The electrics and wiring are different. Check out the builder's website: Northshore.co.uk for full details on the keel system and other info on USA spec. They are very easy going and will happily send you all the information you need. Good luck.

 

We have a Southerly 49 and it is fitted with a bow thruster but not a stern thruster. We have no problem maneuvering in tight quarters after a little practice. This past season we crossed France via the canals (179 locks) and did lots of tight docking practice. Then we sailed across the Atlantic with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (the ARC) finishing in 15.5 days! I think we are one of the only boats that could do those two passages!

paul shard
Distant Shores Home

 

Hi Paul,

Your boat is not unknown around here (neither your previous 42) Do you mind to give some impressions about those boats and comparing them with your previous boat in what regards speed sea motion and comfort?

If you don't mind maybe you can post that on this thread:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/62341-interesting-sailboats-371.html

that is the thread were new boats are discussed. In fact somewhere in that long thread there are references and posts about several Southerlies, including the 42 and the 49. It is also a popular thread with about 1000 hits a day.

Regards

Paulo