Wauquiez Arch

[danielgoldberg]

Anyone see this? On the back cover of this month's Blue Water Sailing is a picture of one. The arch is fiberglass, and to me is no different than the old Hunter glass arches (the new stainless ones look fundamentally different in my view). Hunter got ripped for these things, and I'm curious if Wauquiez gets the same reaction. I bet not, as there is no anti-Wauquiez sentiment the way there is with Hunters. Curious what others think. No offense to Wauquiez sailors at all.

[sailingdog]

Wauquiez and Hunter aren't the only companies using the traveller arches... Swan and a few others do too. A lot of it depends on how well engineered the arch is.

[danielgoldberg]

I appreciate that arches are now becoming more and more common, even on higher-end boats. I actually find that quite interesting, as Hunter certainly was one of the first if not the first to do so, and they got ripped for it. My suspicion is that it was because it was Hunter who did it.

Anyway, the Wauquiez picture I saw looked an awful lot like the early Hunters, fiberglass and all. Frankly that arch looked less stout than the Hunter ones. I'm not a fan of the fiberglass arches at all (the stainless ones don't bother me so much). I think they're very unattractive, but that's just a very personal opinion on an aesthetic.

[SailorMitch]

In checking out this question of arches, either in person looking at some Hunters on land at my marina or by perusing ads, one reason I can see for using them is that there's no good (or acceptable) place to put the traveler for modern sailors. Placing them on the cabin top is a problem anymore -- not that that location has ever been great -- in that modern designs have so much going on with the cabin tops with line organizers, large wrap-around ports/windows, winches, hatches for ventilation (obviously a good thing), etc. Placing a traveler in that mix becomes awkward.

Few criusers want the traveler in the cockpit these days despite the advantages for sail control and single-handing, so the arch seems to be the way to go. Those first ones from Hunter were those awful fiberglass jobs that immediately grabbed the eye and created the term ROLL BAR for many (me included). The stainless versions do not stand out as much so are a little more acceptable aesthetically. So was there some Hunter bashing going on? Yes, but I tend to look at their designs with a broader eye to include the B&R rig and the clumsy hull/deck joint Hunter so often uses.

I know some high-end boats are going that way, and Bob Perry has used them, too. But my eye is too traditional for that look. In fact, I don't like the looks of many current cruisers -- just call me old. As for me, if I could easily put the mainsheet in the cockpit right in front of the wheel on my Pearson I'd do it since I single-hand so much.

[T34C]

They're great for wake boarding!!

[Robby Barlow]

A traveler arch to me is about as pretty as a Rolls Royce with a trunk spoiler, but it sure makes space and easy passage in aft cockpit yachts. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if properly done it could be an asset to the boat.

[ericfremont]

Not a big fan of arches, but it aesthically seems to work on the Wauquiez. With respect to stoutness of the arch vs Hunter, these are boats are of a radically different build quality( vacuum infused cored construction, etc.). The Hunter is mass produced and although they claim to be bluewater capable, I'd have significant reservations about doing so with a Hunter (BTW I'm a former Hunter 376 owner ). The Wauquiez is a higher end builder that produces a handful of boats annually. They have a strong reputation on build and their boats regularly found in bluewater conditions.

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by danielgoldberg

Anyone see this? On the back cover of this month's Blue Water Sailing is a picture of one. The arch is fiberglass, and to me is no different than the old Hunter glass arches (the new stainless ones look fundamentally different in my view). Hunter got ripped for these things, and I'm curious if Wauquiez gets the same reaction. I bet not, as there is no anti-Wauquiez sentiment the way there is with Hunters. Curious what others think. No offense to Wauquiez sailors at all.

Dan,
FWIW as you know its use of the arch is only one of many reasons that Hunters might be and have been "ripped". Probably pretty low on a long list of reasons at that. Wauquiez is a offshore builder of high-end boats with a good reputation, and probably most Sailneters like myself have seen very few of them, if any, while Hunter is is a US builder of low-end boats, with a poor reputation, and we've all seen plenty of them. Few can comment knowingly on Wauquiez, whereas Hunter is a very well know brand, who has throughly earned it reputation.

[Zanshin]

Would any Hunter production models be considered offshore boats? Is is somewhat like the Jeanneau/Beneteau/Dufour and even Bavaria where the larger models and some special "ocean" ones are better suited than the others?

p.s. I've been looking at one used Wauquiez and liked the design, if not the price.

[camaraderie]

Zan...opinions vary on that score but apparently there have been changes at Hunter in the last few years and their 3 newest models (including the 49 which member sequiter just took delivery of) are apparently suitable for ocean cruising. Of course the old Cherubini Hunters from the 70's have also been well regarded. As for me...time will tell on the new ones.
This is not to dis' Hunters in general which have been marketed and sold as inexpensive boats for coastal cruising with style. They suit that purpose...as do several other production brands.