Anyone read the new PS article on new boat design?

[tweitz]

I always felt that Practical Sailor was an oxymoron.

[seabreeze_97]

Got no problem with a new boat.........long as it's designed and built like an old one.

[danielgoldberg]

I just went ahead and purchased for $20 PS's review of the Beneteau 46, done in April 2008. The boat is a very close cousin of the B49, which we own. Indeed, the differences are quite slight, and they are limited to all but the engine size, the forward end of the main saloon has a bit more room, a little more room in the forward cabin, and the addition of a large sail locker forward on the deck. This is all to say I know the boat. In fact, in the PS article one of the boats it compares to the good old days in order to make its point is the B49. It's the prototypical post-modern, hard chine, shallow bilge, extreme beam carried all the way aft, and a sort of miniturized version of the wedge-shaped Open 60 (which is not surprising considering Barret-Racoupeau are the designers). Based on the article I've been whining about, PS should really hate the way the B46 performs, and it should not like how it compares to older models. Au contraire, here are a few quotes from the review:

"Although it may look too racy to be a cruising boat, it is unique, attractive, and easy to handle. Its lowered center of gravity and elevated freeboard give it more initial stability than previous designs, and its mega-beam and firm bilges give it the power to carry sail well up the wind range."

"With more favorable performance ratios than the Beneteau 473, the 46 also goes beyond previous generations in terms of sailing potential. Furthering 'comfort at sea' begins with stability. Its lowered center of gravity and elevated freeboard give it more initial stability than previous designs and its mega-beam and firm bilges give it the power to carry sail well up the wind range."

"With this new generation, Berret and Racoupeau refine an archetype introduced earlier with boats like the 473. Reflecting a trend illustrated best in Open 60 development, the boats have fine entries, muscular midsections, and a beam taken wider and further aft than boats before. This 'wedge' provides an abundance of form stability (allowing for a reduction in the dead weight of ballast, plus a purported roll-damping that smooths out downwind sailing) as well permits roomier cabins and cockpits."

"It took a while for the Open 60’s upwind performance to catch up with its downwind prowess; the same is true with Beneteaus. By keeping the 46’s waterplane relatively balanced when it heels, however, designers have made it easy to drive. Swept-up buttocks lines help minimize drag from its hefty hindquarters in light air. In a breeze, its long waterline and above-average prismatic coefficient help to minimize wave-making and add to its potential top end. Given the designers’ history in Open 60s dating back to Isabelle Autissier’s New York-San Francisco record run in 1994, it’s not surprising that they have rendered these beamy boats surprisingly nimble."

"Efficient foils are a part of that. Beneteau keels are cast iron. Most builders use lead, which is much denser, to reduce the size of what hangs below the hull. The 46 uses only a third of its displacement in ballast, however. With an 'anvil end' plan (iron bulbs don’t get enough of the weight low enough), its standard keel (5 feet, 7 inches) provides good righting moment, its generous lateral plane aids tracking, and its medium-aspect, moderately swept-back fin contributes potent lift. Large, deep, and elliptical, the rudder is up to its task."

"Though it is relatively light for its size and carries a good-sized rig, we wouldn’t call it 'sensitive.' Creating its own breeze, the 46 we tested powered through puffs and lulls without great variation on the knotmeter. Its helm remained light, and it tacked through 90 degrees with minimal fuss. She has a balanced rudder set well aft, and you could tell. Steering was precise and easy under both sail and power. Tracking was excellent."

"Its overall volume makes the 46 'big' by just about any standards, but its designers have succeeded, we believe, in making it a capable and rewarding cruising boat to sail."

Now folks, I simply do not know how, within months of each other, these two articles could appear in the same magazine. Indeed, in the above review it talks about how the excess beam carried all the way aft makes the boat stiff and keeps the helm light, whereas in the most recent article, the excess beam carried far aft supposedly creates excess weather helm that slows the boat and makes it uncomfortable to steer. My absolute favorite is the following statement from the above review: "By keeping the 46’s waterplane relatively balanced when it heels, however, designers have made it easy to drive." Didn't they just dress up their opinion in supposed science-speak to advocate the exact opposite (that beamy boats shift the waterplane when heeled)? Again, I really do like PS, but this was not their finest hour.

[sailingdog]

IMHO, a lot of the testing done by PS isn't done on all that scientific a basis...and leaves a lot to be desired. I stopped buying the magazine because I found their reviews on many things less and less credible.

[geraldartman]

I think a lot of this is funny. Of course, when thinking about spending a million on a boat, I guess you would have to be into specs. I wouldn't consider spending that kind of $$ without a lot of test driving. At that point, I would come to the same conclusion I like or don't like it.

In the end, some people will always be pretty happy with what they have and others will lust for more. Doesn't really matter what it is when you come to think of it. At that point, its that lust versus how much you really can/are willing to spend.

I bought my old US25 last year and haven't got her even in the water yet. It has lots of things I didn't have on my Cat 22, a head, roller furler, spinnaker, even a galley. But in the end, I bought it because it was on a road trailer, its glass was in pretty good shape and US forgot to make a molded in liner for the interior. My working dream is to gut and refit the interior to MY liking, finish the rest to working and take her out on the Great Lakes that surround me, some day/week end sails and some 7 to 10 day explorations. When it is all said and done, I most likely have another $3k into refit on a $2.5K purchase. Not bad for a lot of entertainment. In the refitting for me to a large degree and for the MRS and grandkids on the water.

All of this for a boat that when I googled it the biggest hit said it was unsafe and dangerous. Yet, when you read the posts of owners, most were fairly happy at the performance overall.