bought a non-CD and would like to do a test

[yamiracer]

all,

i posted a load of questions a while back about a CD28 i was considering purchasing. your answers were great and helped inform my decision. my list of possible boats included a CD-28, a Sabre 28 and a Pearson 28-1. for a variety of reasons, i bought the Pearson. worst use of interior space by far, but it had sailing qualities i found appealing. and it was the only boat i had actually sailed on. well, now that i've been sailing Kemah (original owner was from Texas) for about 6 weeks, i have some observations. first, P28-1's are stiff boats, they love a good breeze. second, i can tack through less than 75 degrees. third, weatherhelm is very mild. fourth, even in 2+ foot chop she takes very little spray into the cockpit. fifth, decks, hull-to-deck joint and portlights are solid and totally dry. now the bad stuff, barely functional 'galley', very pinched v-berth, narrow main cabin settees. she is a very plain boat. but then again, i'm into her for about $5,500 including everything absolutely everything.

i believe there is a great deal of wisdom in the interior layouts of CD-28's. they are vastly more usable than the P28-1. the Sabre 28 is maybe just a bit better. maybe. the interior layout is the P28-1's weakness.

early on, i swapped a few emails with a list member who has a Sabre 28, and I'm hoping to gather together the Sabre 28, my P28-1 and someone from the list with a CD-28. I'm intererested in doing a comparison. ideally, we could all sail on each other's boats. it could take place across multiple days, i.e. i wouldn't need the sabre and the CD-28 to be present at the same time. i'd also like to take photos. i think it will be an interesting article. i think each boat is sort of ideal in its own way. my boat is moored in manhasset bay, LI. i'm near manhasset bay marina and the boat's name is 'Kemah'. she's a sort of faded blue color... i'm sailing to oyster bay on saturday.

hoping to hear from CD-28 sailers in the LIS.

i very rarely check this board anymore, so it's best to contact me at yamiracer@yahoo.com or 646-354-3179.

best,

richard

[seajunkie]

I wonder how many CD owners bought a CD or a second CD because of this group. The resources here played a big part in my purchase. I felt that I could really get to know a 30 year old boat through the experiences shared on this board. Good luck with your project.

[Oswego John]

I wonder how many CD owners bought a CD or a second CD because of this group. The resources here played a big part in my purchase. I felt that I could really get to know a 30 year old boat through the experiences shared on this board. Good luck with your project.

I've bought a second and some other CDs because of this group. I have learned an awful lot concerning the sailing as well as the repair techniques of my CDs because of the group which comprises the CD board.

Yes, I agree with you in many ways. It is true, after thirty years with the same ship, a person will learn an awful lot about that ship. This is so true as well with spending thirty or more years with a lady. In that time span a person will learn more things that aren't imaginable, unbelievable things that were never thought possible.

Maybe that is the reason that many boat owners talk in terms of endearment about their boats using the feminine gender. A good many boats are even named with lady's names.

So maybe there is something intrinsically correlated between boats and the feminine mystique. (I'm a believer.)

With the right mate, life is a cher of bowlies.

O J

[M. R. Bober]

To each their own.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster (home of several happy CD owners), VA

[yamiracer]

not sure if your comment about regret was directed at me, but there's no heavy regret here. some, for sure, but that regret is spread across many of the cool boats i was considering. all boats i considered had great strengths (and some weaknesses). the CD-28, Sabre 28, Tartan 27, Cal 29, Tartan 30, Pearson 30, C&C 27, and others were all wonderful boats in their own way. in some ways, i 'regret' not buying each of them. but that's silly. i'm a w/e sailer on the western long island sound, and i have to beat back into manhasset bay every w/e. i also sail alone and like to sail in november. i wanted a boat that's stiff, dry(i'm not into dodgers), balanced, points high, and is good in light air. the P-28 has that remit covered in spades. the rest was just window dressing for me. oh, did i mention _effortless_ engine access. i can repack the stuffing box in 10 minutes. maybe less. this past sunday i sailed back from Cold Spring Harbor to Manhasset Bay and had a number of 'duels' along the way. most notable was the C&C 38 that took a loooong time to get past me. the captain was so pissed he wouldn't even turn his head (and we were not more than 20 yards apart). i could see the agony on his face. i regularly see 'traditional' boats like the CD motoring back into manhasset bay because they don't want to have to make (what for them would be) an endless series of tacks. not me. i can sail inside almost anything this side of a J-29, and stay dry doing it. i will never do the sort of sailing the Kerry Deere has done (and neither will most of us). btw, ted brewer famously opined hat he'd rather go to sea in a P-28 than a Pearson Triton. anyway, why don't you volunteer to participate. then we'll see who has regret. joke, that was a joke......laugh.

cheers,

rw

[The Patriot]

... i will never do the sort of sailing the Kerry Deere [sic] has done ...

If you are referring to the 3027 times I've been aground, then I hope you never actually do have to do that kind of sailing. BTW "Deere" is a tractor, "Deare" is a sailing boat.

[tartansailor]

KD
I am going to have to put you on my Christmas Card list.

[mgphl52]

Hi Richard,

Congrats on a great choice, especially for you! You did some excellent research and looked at numerous boats/designs within your parameters. And then you found what you wanted.

This is why I believe there has never really been a "perfect boat"... but some people do find a "perfect compromise" after properly searching.

From your list of desired features, design, etc. I was intrigued and did a quick search for Pearson 28 specs. Yes, it will definitely out point KAYLA and surely outrun her over distance. The CD28's extra 1,500 or so pounds does have its disadvantages. However, I believe most Cape Dory owners share an appreciation for certain features like a bit shallower draft, a well molded-in ballast and a well protected rudder. I'm also a large fan of the slightly lower freeboard, but combined with the coaming to help keep the cockpit a tad bit dryer. But, as Mitchell said (which I seriously doubt had any "regret" intended), "to each his own" and that's the way it should be!

To s/v Kerry Deare,

Thank you for honesty! I don't think we've gotten to 3,000 groundings yet since I've only had KAYLA six years so far, but give us time, just give us time...

Enjoy & Have FUN folks!!!

-michael

[yamiracer]

... i will never do the sort of sailing the Kerry Deere [sic] has done ...

If you are referring to the 3027 times I've been aground, then I hope you never actually do have to do that kind of sailing. BTW "Deere" is a tractor, "Deare" is a sailing boat.

sorry for the oversight. i'm one of those type-and-send types. it gets me in trouble at work, too.

btw, your sailing accomplishments are mind-boggling to me, and your website has given me a great deal of enjoyment and insight. thank you very much.

you definitely have me beat in the grounding total, but i bet some of my more 'memorable' groundings will give yours a run for their money. i'll share one memorable grounding: the FIRST time i was ever in a sailboat. ever. we headed out of Oyster Bay on the LIS. coming back (after dark, of course) we became disoriented and confused the points. i still do that. long story short, our forward progress came to a loud and abrupt halt as we slammed into a reef. we were trully hard aground. water started seeping in from the trim tab stuffing box, and the elec bilge pump failed. did i mention, the manual bilge pump was a little portable thing more suited to a kayak? we consulted the chart and were fairly certain were now on top of 'Rocky Point'. Yup, of that we were fairly sure. It gets better.... on board, my friend had an apptly titled book called 'sailing for dummies'. good thing, too. from this book we learned that it might be a good idea to set a kedge anchor. i hopped into the dinghy...did i mention it was november... where was i, right, ok, so i start motoring out an anchor in the dinghy and all of a suddenn the engine stops. you guessed it, the anchor line fouled the dinghy prop and broke off the shear pin. did i mention the wind was freshening? well, in a rare moment of clarity, i dropped the anchor and pulled myself back to the boat with the wet and very cold anchor line. when i got back to the boat, i was also very wet and very cold. at this point the tide is just about bottoming, the boat is positively slamming into the rocks, and we're taking on water. it gets better. somehow, the miricle of a rising tide floated us off and the kedge anchor held strong so we didn't get smashed to pieces. all was well in the world. just then the fresh breeze died, and all went calm. here we are, freezing, wet, taking on water, and we can't sail. no problem, just start the engine. did i mention the engine had an overheating problem? well, many hours later we get back to the mooring. we somehow manage to jam some epoxy onto the stuffing box to slow the leak, did i mention i didn't know what a stuffing box was? and somehow we managed to clean the gook out of the little electric bilge pump, and somehow we managed to find a spare shear pin for the dinghy, and amazingly we motored back to the dock and drove home all the while hoping the batteries would keep the bilge pump working (by now it was really more of a slow drip than a leak).

needless to say, i was hooked! sailing rocks. no pun intended.

[yamiracer]

Hi Richard,

Congrats on a great choice, especially for you! You did some excellent research and looked at numerous boats/designs within your parameters. And then you found what you wanted.

This is why I believe there has never really been a "perfect boat"... but some people do find a "perfect compromise" after properly searching.

From your list of desired features, design, etc. I was intrigued and did a quick search for Pearson 28 specs. Yes, it will definitely out point KAYLA and surely outrun her over distance. The CD28's extra 1,500 or so pounds does have its disadvantages. However, I believe most Cape Dory owners share an appreciation for certain features like a bit shallower draft, a well molded-in ballast and a well protected rudder. I'm also a large fan of the slightly lower freeboard, but combined with the coaming to help keep the cockpit a tad bit dryer. But, as Mitchell said (which I seriously doubt had any "regret" intended), "to each his own" and that's the way it should be!

To s/v Kerry Deare, Thank you for honesty! I don't think we've gotten to 3,000 groundings yet since I've only had KAYLA six years so far, but give us time, just give us time...

Enjoy & Have FUN folks!!!

-michael

actually, the weight difference is probably much less than 1000 #'s. the 7850 # figure is for the earlier boat with 500 #'s less ballast. P28's are not lightweight boats. these are IOR influenced: keel-stepped mast, fairly deep (5') lead fin keel, high aspect rudder, decent waterline length (24'), and a fairly, although not excessively, fine entry. these are windward machines with nearly indestructable rigs. the keel-stepped design allows strength w/o excessive weight aloft. below the waterline, she's no flat bottomed dinghy, either. her hull is surprisingly v-shaped. she's no pounder in the chop. and the LIS has plenty of chop to test this. she's no fair-weather flyer. this dog can hunt. on the down-side, the interior layout leaves much to be desired. i really wonder what bill shaw (designer of the tartan 27) was tinking when he drew this interior.

having said all that, there's a rightness to the CD28 design that resonates with me mightily. a sail aboard a pearson triton a few years ago blew me away. the P28 actually reminds me a bit of the Triton. stiff, close winded, and balanced (although it has about 500% less weather-helm) my triton experience lead me to the CD 28. but alas, i have never sailed on on. won't someone come sailing with me? come on, it'll be fun.

cheers,

rw