SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Introduction.

840 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  vazdecaminha 
#1 ·
Hello everyone, I am brand new to this site. Have sailed for quite afew years.
Now, I am looking for my own sail-boat.
Can someone give me their hoonest opinion of a 11 metre S2 sail-boat. I found one with a damaged engine and was thinking of either repairing or replacing it. The present engine is a VW Pathfinder (diesel) The asking is $18K. My thoughts are that for twice the price I could buy one that already runs.
Thanks:)
 
#2 ·
Hello everybody, I am new in this forum and this is my first contact.
After many years of dreaming on sailing I have decided to go ahead and either build or buy a boat. Not yet sure about the size and shape but it will be for not so young people...and I look forward to it.
I am very fond of the 'Seraffyn' lines and the size suits me
Retired now and stationed 37º 07' 44'' N / 08 32' 00'' W .
I will keep everybody posted. Good health and best luck to all of you
 
#4 · (Edited)
Hello everybody, I am new in this forum and this is my first contact.
Welcome.

After many years of dreaming on sailing I have decided to go ahead and either build or buy a boat. Not yet sure about the size and shape but it will be for not so young people...and I look forward to it.
I am very fond of the 'Seraffyn' lines and the size suits me
I assume you are talking about Lynn and Larry Pardey's Hess designed boat. If you have never built a boat you might look at John Welsford Designs

This is the only classically styled bluewater boat I know of designed for a homebuilder. It appears to have good sailing qualities and a sturdy design.

In this case the client and myself the designer were designing for a singlehanded voyage that included a non-stop leg of over 6000 miles so some serious stores needed to be carried.

Designed for the amateur builder, everything in the boat is designed to be built at home with normal hand tools using materials from the local lumberyard There is nothing here that is difficult, or beyond an average handyman.

[...] she can be shortened right down almost to storm canvas without having to change sails which makes shorthanded sailing much easier.

Note that the skipper reports that during the prototypes maiden voyage he was able to have the boat self steer in a wide variety of conditions, and on most courses without the use of the windvane, and that at one point he'd been sailing for 36 hours without touching the tiller.

The coast off Tauranga is shallow for many miles out, and there is nothing out there to break the waves that set up on the sandy bottom not far under the surface. It had been blowing gale force onshore for days, kicking up a monster swell from the south east, then the wind swung west south west 20 /25 knots plus making a 2 metre high chop running at right angles to the established 3 m high storm surge. The combination made for an irregular and uncomfortable mix which had some waves combine to be a good 5 m high.

We found that we could cook down below when the conditions outside were a lot like the inside of a washing machine and that the cockpit was a very secure and comfortable place for us to weather the storm.


The best design that Welsford had before was the Swaggie. I was impressed by how sturdy the boat was in its design and it was quite roomy inside for a boat of its size. However, with Sundowner, I feel like he finally has a grown up design. This seems similar to a Flicka in terms of size but it might be more comfortable and it seems rigged more like a Bristol Channel Cutter. The only disadvantage I can see is that it is only 21' long. However, I see that the bow and transom are nearly vertical so it is probably equivalent to a 25' boat with more sweep. I guess if I wanted a wooden boat for a transatlantic trip I would be looking at this one really hard.

You might compare it with some of these: Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List
 
#3 ·
Sorry, missed this one last week.

The S2 11.0 is a pretty good boat. Aft cockpit or center? I think I'd prefer the aft cockpit in that size.

Now about the engine. What, specifically is the 'damage'? Unlike many I'm rather partial to these powerplants, having owned a couple over the last 20 years. Inexpensive parts, LOTS of power, reliable track record - few cars have the record of the Rabbit diesel.

Support is still available from Pathfinder in Montreal.. and you could rebuild the entire engine for the price of an injector pump from someone like Volvo...

However buying a 'fixer upper' as a first boat may not be the best move - you're quite right that you could be sailing tomorrow with a different boat that doesn't need major work, and a serious engine problem qualifies unless you're very comfortable doing that kind of work.

Buyers market these days so maybe keep looking but even so......
 
#5 ·
Hello Brehm62,
Thanks
Yes. When I mentioned Seraffyn I was referring to Lin&Larry Pardey's first Hess designed hull. I read all their books written while cruising on this boat and became aware of most of these small vessel capabilities.
I am also aware that she will not be easy to build with limited knowledge and tooling. I have however local support of professional buiders
Thank you for your words, guidance and suggestions on the most applicable boat designs. I am still assessing a number of conditions and plans. No decision has yet been made.http://www.sailnet.com/forums/images/smilies/confused.gif
All the best and happy sailing
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top