Love of older boats.

[omaho5]

CalebD responded to another thread about "love of older boats." must admit to this same affection. This admssion came about by the mention and opinion of some older boats. Many of us out there in "mainsal land" share this interest.
The question is, why do you like the older FG boats?
I'm talking 'bout Tritons, CD's, older Tarts, etc.
For me, it is first the cost of acquisition.
Secondly, it would be the beauty of the boats themselves.
Lastly, for some it is the way they comfortably sail.
My favorite design has been "Alberg."
And You ?

[tommays]

I like the Cal 29 because of its good sailing ability with decent 4.5' draft and really like the cabin layout compared to its modern counterparts

Having bought 3 NEW boats over the years i don't care for the whole spending time getting the dealer to sort out quality problems and while i have the money i cant justify the cost of a current new 30' boat

[vega1860]

Originally Posted by tommays

I like the Cal 29 because of its good sailing ability with decent 4.5' draft and really like the cabin layout compared to its modern counterparts

Having bought 3 NEW boats over the years i don't care for the whole spending time getting the dealer to sort out quality problems and while i have the money i cant justify the cost of a current new 30' boat

Modern boats seem to have been designed by the marketing department and built by accounting. They look nice (Shiny) but do not seem to have been intended to really be used except for entertaining in the marina.

Because full keels have fallen out of favor, newer boats may excel at maneuvering in a tight marina but will not hold a course at sea without constant attention to the helm or mechanical self steering. Our Vega needs only a piece of surgical tubing to hold a course.

Every time I have to replace a piece of original equipment I get the same story "You just can't buy that kind of quality anymore". They don't even make steel as good as they used to, let alone individual components.

It may be fun to take delivery of a brand new boat, but we have had Lealea for over 20 years and have her just the way we want her.

Oh yeah: NO BLISTERS

[centaursailor]

My Westerly Centaur "Aurora" on her summer mooring in Skerries bay, Dublin. Not sure I,d describe her as a beauty but she takes me to beautiful places.
Shes a bit rough but always ready. Easily managed and capable of taking a beating.
Manufacturer sugests retireing to the cabin if it gets too rough and the boat will look after itself!! Can,t beat that for confidence. Never tried it yet tho.
Was sleeping on board a fairly modern cruiser recently and could see the wavlets through the hull, scary given Aurora,s hull is at least an inch solid GPR.
Happy sailing

[omaho5]

The Centaur, A fair ship indeed. Sailed some out of Dunmore East..
Drank at the "Butchers."
A lady from Dublin drove me to be madly in love. Davida's her name.
Even that was beautiful.

[Allanbc]

I like my '81 Pearson 365!

[allene222]

I think you guys are all talking about modern boats :-) My 55 year old Lapworth-36 is an old boat. (Real boats are wood) It is very simple but a very nice sailing boat. It has done well in local racing lately beating newer and in some cases larger boats up to a 41 ft one boat for boat. We do well in strong winds. But, you have to have a lot of time to keep them up. The same designer did the Cal boats and people seem to like them and you avoid the wood upkeep.

[PeterSailer]

I really like older desing like the alberg30, contessa26,douglas32...and i could keep on going... I like their nice lines, low beam, V-hull shape, low freeboard and tracking abilities.

I can't imagine my self with a big Laser going on a long passage...I like to know that my keel will not randomly fall off the boat and that with my low freebord and low beam I will be able to crawl my way off a lee shore in gale force winds.

[omaho5]

Yuh, you gotta love low freeboard. I've been in a situation, or ten, when gettnig of a lee shore was a little hairy. It was my stupidity that got me there.

[mstern]

Originally Posted by omaho5

CalebD responded to another thread about "love of older boats." must admit to this same affection. This admssion came about by the mention and opinion of some older boats. Many of us out there in "mainsal land" share this interest.
The question is, why do you like the older FG boats?
I'm talking 'bout Tritons, CD's, older Tarts, etc.
For me, it is first the cost of acquisition.
Secondly, it would be the beauty of the boats themselves.
Lastly, for some it is the way they comfortably sail.
My favorite design has been "Alberg."
And You ?

I love those boats first and foremost because of how they look. To me, an Alberg (or other CCA-inspired design) is what a sailboat is supposed to look like. Makes my heart go pitter-pat. I agree with you that the cost of acquisition is a point in their favor, but I would love the Triton, Vanguard, Seabreeze, Ariel, etc. no matter how much they cost. As to how they sail, well, I must admit that I find their performance to be a debit. I sail in an area with generally lighter winds, and you must admit, that boats with full keels and attached rudders do not sparkle under those types of conditions. I have sailed my stub keel/centerboard Oday for long enough to be spoiled by her manuverability and light air performance. Please don't get me wrong: if I were to buy a bigger boat, my first look would be at a plastic classic, but I have to admit, I would need to be convinced that a full-keel design would work with the kind of sailing I would be doing. And unless I am retired, I don't think I would have the time to do justice to the brightwork on a Triton-like boat. Until then, I will stop, stare and be envious whenever I see one.