[trcal]

I am looking at a 1984 kirie elite 32''. It has a shoal draft c/b, I sail the great south bay in long island and a c/b is a must because of my docking area. I will be using the boat mostly as a day cruser and some weekends. The price is very good. I know its a french boat but not much more. Any info would be a great help.

ps boat is in very good condition.

thanks
al b

 

[Jeff_H]

I have sailed on a fin keel version of the Krie Elite 32. I found it to be a pretty mediocre sailor that was at its best in winds around 10 knots. It was not very good in lighter air and was a real handful in a breeze. The guy who owned it had it here is Annapolis and did cruise the boat a lot but found that he was motoring so much that he eventually bought a power boat. (No kidding) Now some of this was his own issues and not a problem with the boat. I don''t recall him complaining about the boat''s build quality.

Jeff

 

[paulk]

Kirie boats have always seemed to me to be a little more solidly put together than their other French cousins, Beneteau or Jeanneau, though I believe Beneteau now owns Kirie. Sailing performance may suffer a little because the French do try to sneak quite an interior into most of their boats. I also wonder if a good suit of sails might improve results in that regard. Overall though, if the price is right, the boat''s in good shape,
and you like it, make an offer and go sailing next season!