No coverage

[P8dawg]

Why is it that it is so hard to find info and general input about S2 sailboats? In my area, there seems to be as many S2s as there are anything else, save Catalinas and Mcgregors. The boats seem to perform well and stay in good shape. I have had subscriptions to SAIL and GOOD OLD BOAT for more than a year now and have yet to see hardly anything written in either periodical. Is there something I don't know?

[maboyer]

It is hard to find info. But, the S2 was not made after 1987. I have a 1984 S2 8.6 which I really enjoy. It handles rough water well, and seems to be fairly fast. Most folks I talk to say that the S2 was a well built boat. Of course, that makes me really happy. Also, there is the S2owners.com web site.... might try there for information.

[sailingfool]

I think S2s are hot boats, they set the standard in particular for trailerable boats, its hard to understand why some folks consider paying big $$ for some of the new junk being sold when these gems are available at great prices...I used to race on a S2 6.9 in PHRF and it was a blast.

You can find more S2 info at http://members.aol.com/s2owners/s2home.htm
and
http://www.sail-s2.org/Home2.php

[dorourke]

P8dawg,

I doubt you'll find anything in any periodical on S2's. I think you know Bret's website, he's collected as much info for the S2's (8.0's and many other models) you'll find anywhere and he is always updating it. The fellowship I've found is a sort of mutual apreation arround our marina, always proud owners.
Just in case, here is the website I spoke of.

http://web.mac.com/overholtzer/impli...t/Welcome.html

Dennis

[vita]

Good Old Boat reports sometime this year to be featuring an article on S2's, looking forward to seeing what they print. Bret's website is great! I love my 7.3 and look forward to owning another larger S2 in the near future.
Mike F

[rperret]

Yes, for some reason S2 has never had the cult following like other manufacturers. Probably because other than the 7.9 or 9.1, they never really had a "classic" boat so to speak which attracted a lot of attention.

I don't think the fact that they stopped making boats after 1987 matters - Tanzer had a very active following and their class association provides lots of info about the boat.

Bret's site is a good start - I have sent him a brochure on the S2 - I own -the S2 27 - you'll find next to NOTHING on that model - they only made 85 of them from 1985-1987.

If you have a 7.9 - they have an active web site so to speak, the 9.1 forum is fairly inactive. At the end of the day, the larger the sales volume, the greater the odds you'll find information and an active web presence.

I do look forward to see what GOB has to say about S2 - I am sure they'll provide some history about Slikkers, etc. I also hope they can interview Scott Graham and/or Eric Schlegeter who designed the racing S2 boats (and the 27 performance cruiser).

Rick
S2 27
US 40521

[rperret]

Actually S2 made some of the 7.9 models in the early 1990's - but for all intents and purposes, they stopped in the late 80's along with most of the other sailboat manufacturers.. a sad ending indeed...

Originally Posted by maboyer

It is hard to find info. But, the S2 was not made after 1987. I have a 1984 S2 8.6 which I really enjoy. It handles rough water well, and seems to be fairly fast. Most folks I talk to say that the S2 was a well built boat. Of course, that makes me really happy. Also, there is the S2owners.com web site.... might try there for information.

[dakuehn]

From a business strategy perspective, I take my hat off to Leon Slikkers and Sons for nurturing a successful manufacturing business in a state (Michigan) where similar enterprises are quite out of the norm. Occasionally, I will pick up a power boating magazine and look at what they have to say about Tiara Yachts or Pursuit Boats and the familiar discussion of quality design and construction (especially fiberglassing techniques) is always mentioned. I have been working hard on a minor refit of my 7.3 for the last year and contacted the Holland, MI factory for some rudder bushings, which I received within 3 weeks of my fax. They are great guys and my sense from talking with some of the staff is that they would love to get back in the sailboat business, but only if it makes economic sense.

[P8dawg]

I have an 8.0b model. Although I have extensive experience on multihulls, this has really served to show me how much more I have to learn. The boat has been very forgiving and I really enjoy sailing on her. I know she certainly isn't the fastest boat on the lake, but I love her just the same. She needs new sails, new rigging, new ropes, and a few new pieces of hardware. Other than that,she is ready for the upcoming season. I may even attempt to race her this year,if everyone will wait for me to finish. Thanks for the info guys.

[rperret]

Another source of information and some parts - is Offshore Spars in Michigan - just north of Detroit. I needed to replace one of my spreaders tips - and I ended up having them refurbish them - they did a fantastic job and their price was very good.

Originally Posted by dakuehn

From a business strategy perspective, I take my hat off to Leon Slikkers and Sons for nurturing a successful manufacturing business in a state (Michigan) where similar enterprises are quite out of the norm. Occasionally, I will pick up a power boating magazine and look at what they have to say about Tiara Yachts or Pursuit Boats and the familiar discussion of quality design and construction (especially fiberglassing techniques) is always mentioned. I have been working hard on a minor refit of my 7.3 for the last year and contacted the Holland, MI factory for some rudder bushings, which I received within 3 weeks of my fax. They are great guys and my sense from talking with some of the staff is that they would love to get back in the sailboat business, but only if it makes economic sense.