[domromer]

My wife and I are looking to get our first keel boat. We want something small, that's easy to trailer, and has enough room to overnight on. Originally I looked at a cat 22, but the ww has got my attention. I did a forum search and didn't come up with much info. I'm hoping some potter owners could chime in. What they like/don't like. Is it a good boat for camping? Most of my sailing will be in the gulf of Mexico and sheltered waters around the West Coast of Florida.

 

[IStream]

I had a West Wight Potter 19 for several years. They're no speed demons but they'll move along reasonably well in a breeze. Downwind in light air, a whisker pole helps immensely. They have lots of form stability due to the hull chines so they don't heel much past 15 degrees and there's plenty of positive flotation so they won't sink, both of which were comforting to my wife.

The Potter 19 will sleep 4 in a pinch but are best with a couple up in the V berth and their stuff in the aft quarters. If you're over 5'10", you'll be restricted to the aft quarters under the cockpit seats without any possibility of intimacy. You can comfortably fit 4 in the cockpit and we squeezed a family of 5 plus a small dog onboard without undue trouble. Note that there's a model called the Sanibel 18 which has the same hull but a longer cockpit for more space above at the expense of volume below. The one foot difference between the WWP19 and the Sanibel 18 is illusory, they just included the length of the motor mount in the model name of the Potter. You can find a tight knit group of Potter owners just about anywhere and there are a number of active sites on the net, including:

West Wight Potter

International Marine's West Wight Potter Owner's Home Port, Potter Sailboats, Sailboats

West Wight Potter :: Links & Clubs

 

[Puddin'_Tain]

... Note that there's a model called the Sanibel 18 which has the same hull but a longer cockpit for more space above at the expense of volume below. ...]

The Sanibel has a rounded cross-section, the WWP is hard chined. NOT the same hull.

 

[Sal Paradise]

My buddy has had one - the smallest one - for about ten years ( guess its a 15 footer) and up until this month he was one slip over from me. The boat is cute ( he hates to hear that) and simple to rig and seems practically indestructible and very tough. It still looks great. But my Cat 22 is in a whole different universe in terms of performance. If the Potter is poking along at 2 knots we are doing 5. Many times in light wind and current the Potter will just stop sailing while my Cat will be going like a champ. He motors most of the time.

 

[IStream]

My buddy has had one - the smallest one - for about ten years ( guess its a 15 footer) and up until this month he was one slip over from me. The boat is cute ( he hates to hear that) and simple to rig and seems practically indestructible and very tough. It still looks great. But my Cat 22 is in a whole different universe in terms of performance. If the Potter is poking along at 2 knots we are doing 5. Many times in light wind and current the Potter will just stop sailing while my Cat will be going like a champ. He motors most of the time.

I stand corrected, sorry for the misinformation. I'd always understood that the hulls came out of the same mold.

As for the speed difference between a P15 and a C22, the waterline lengths are 12' and 19.3', respectively so on that basis alone you'd expect a huge difference even without hull efficiency considerations. The P19 LWL is 16.5', still not as fast as a C22, but my guess is the P19 is considerably dryer and more comfortable.