North Star 1000 30' Sparkman & Stephens

[thompsonmark]

Hi everybody, we've recently found a 30' North Star 1000 for sale that seems to fit much of our criteria for a sturdy coastal cruiser that will treat us well in the Sea of Cortez and San Juans, but I'm having trouble finding information about the boat on internet searches. This is a Sparkman & Stephens design built by Hughes boatworks in Ontario. At this point we'd love to know a little more about general build quality, construction techniques, and reviews from folks who have first hand experience with this boat. Thanks for the help--Mark & Katie

[Faster]

As an S&S design she's got a decent pedigree, though of that IOR era of pinched ends, large "J" measurements and the pronounced tumblehome. Still, they can be good value for a cruising boat if you're careful about sail selection. The narrow stern reduces cockpit space, esp by today's standards.

I think generally Hughes built a solid boat, solid glass hulls with cored decks, of course. To my eye the deck on the 1000 is a bit odd looking, but that's just subjective stuff. They modified the house considerably and then called it a Hughes 31. A google search brought up lots of hits on examples for sale, so you might compare some of those to the one you're looking at.

I'm sure a properly fitted one (with prepared crew) could make it from the San Juans to the Sea of Cortez....

btw, welcome to Sailnet!

[puddinlegs]

This one? 30' Sailboat 1973 Northstar 1000

Looks like a nice possibility! The original sails, while perhaps serviceable, most likely aren't going to be in very good condition. If you're in the Seattle area, Ballard Sails a call to see how much a new dacron main, AP spinnaker, and 135 genoa might run. I'm sure there will be other work to do, but who knows? Like Faster said, properly prepped and sailed, it should be no trouble sailing down the coast.

[thompsonmark]

Yep - that's the boat! We're taking a look at her tomorrow in fact. We figured we'd be replacing the sails and were going to do some research on cost for a new lineup as you suggested. We'll try the business you mentioned.
Has anyone actually sailed this boat and can report on stability, speed, responsiveness, layout functionality, etc? Any other thoughts on design and build quality? Also, we plan to trailer her down to the Sea of Cortez and sail for 4 months. We're not quite ready to tackle the WA, OR, CA coast yet! Thanks again for all your thoughts!

[Faster]

Looks like lotsa boat for the bucks..... not the easiest size/type to "trailer" south, though....

[tommays]

I am a A4 happy owner and i would still be warry of its condition especialy if it is raw water cooled as the boat seems to had very littel care

I would think at PHRF rated 218 its a SLOW design

[puddinlegs]

Originally Posted by thompsonmark

Yep - that's the boat! We're taking a look at her tomorrow in fact. We figured we'd be replacing the sails and were going to do some research on cost for a new lineup as you suggested. We'll try the business you mentioned.
Has anyone actually sailed this boat and can report on stability, speed, responsiveness, layout functionality, etc? Any other thoughts on design and build quality? Also, we plan to trailer her down to the Sea of Cortez and sail for 4 months. We're not quite ready to tackle the WA, OR, CA coast yet! Thanks again for all your thoughts!

S&S state of IOR mk I, design #2098-C6. PHRF is anywhere from 189 to 204. Should sail very well upwind in a breeze, be rolly downwind if you're pushing it, will have a small cockpit by today's standards, but if you're double handing and doing single handed watches, big isn't such an issue. I think this was also version built at Palmer Johnson a la this:

Strictly Sailing- Palmer Johnson 30, Sparkman and Stephens Designs, used sailboats, sailboats for sale, boats for sale, free classifieds

. Another boat to look for of that vintage and outstanding build quality is the Yankee 30 (phrf 174-191), another S&S design.

Here's link to more builder info for the North Star:

HISTORY OF HUGHES BOATWORKS