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upwind characteristics

5K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  Dave_E 
#1 ·
Newbie here, considering an Allmand 31 for a long term cruiser, coastal mainly with some conservative passages.
My home port is the San Francisco Bay. It's pretty heavy weather at times, considerable tides and currents. So comments I've seen that the upwind performance isn't so great "Won't point high, makes a lot of leeway." kind of concern me where I sail.
Does anyone have some comparative data or specifics like "points X degrees of wind...sails upwind with a beneteau but not a J" or something like that?
 
#2 ·
The Almand 31s are notably poor beating and running. They are not up to par with the worst pointing Beneteaus and are closer to something like an Island Packet upwind. I think that they would be a poor choice for San Fran. Bay given SF Bay chop. These are really poor boats in a chop. Beyond that cruising the California coast includes comparatively long jumps and the Almands poor performance would be a real liability.
 
#4 · (Edited)
If you're in the market for an Allmand 31, that suggests to me that your budget would suit a Catalina 30, which is a much better boat for SF Bay. Get the deep keel.

Beyond that, generally speaking, I would want a boat that is stiff, sea-kindly, and one where the sail plan is easy to adapt to the large changes in wind strength (Sunday we had 8 kts south of the Bay Bridge, 22 kts gusting to 30 in the slot, zero to 8 in the Oakland estuary).

My next boat will be a cutter.
 
#5 ·
Sorry I'm late jumping in here. As an Allmand 31 owner, I was scepticle about the performance also as I read reviews. Problem is the reviews haven't come to pass OTHER than not being the fastest in the fleet. I point 30 deg. How much do you need? She is about the most trackable boat this size I have ever sailed. Heels easy to 20 and then stiffens up good. 4-5 knots through the water anytime there is 10k of wind. Light air sailer she is not UNLESS you put out the chute. This past weekend I saw 3.5k with an 8k breeze... spinnaker alone. Very solid boat. Mine is an early hull (#15). The interior is solid teak. I noticed they went to laminated stuff later on. Very heavy boat - 5.5 tons.

Now... would I go offshore here on the west coat with this shoal keel? Nope. Would I go blue water? Nope. HOWEVER, she is the perfect boat for cruising... lots of interior room and cozy and big enough to put a 9' dinghy on the deck.

SF Bay? That's where I cut my teeth. I would also be looking for a Catalina with a deep keel. We here in the PNW have so much more water than you do, I can cruise with the Allamnd forever and not see the same destination twice (unless I want to). Key word here... CRUISER. Perfect boat for the wife and to cruise inland waters with.

Hope this helps. - Dave
 
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