First Impressions 22D

[FarrellTed]

A few years ago I had a Typhoon, which is a wonderful boat for Buzzards Bay--very solid in the often lively conditions there. The most common conditions in summer are SW winds at 10-20 knots. The outgoing tide sets to the southwest as well, leading to short, steep waves. The full keel and heavy displacement of the Typhoon meant I was very comfortable in all sots of conditions. I sailed the Typhoon to Cuttyhunk and overnighted to find her limits. Overnighting was a little less than comfortable!

This winter I bought a 22D, which is the largest CD I can fit on my very shallow mooring in West Falmouth. I launched her in late July and had a nice week of sailing. I expected her to be less nimble and responsive than the Typhoon (or for that matter the Widgeon that I sailed most recently), but I was pleasantly surprised. The first time I sailed up to the town dock, I ran downwind, put the helm hard a lee; she came up into the wind and stopped right at the dock so I could just step off and secure her. I have to pick my way through a mooring field to get out to the bay, and under just the mainsail she is easy to maneuver. The extra 5 inches of draft, unfortunately, do make a difference in our shallow harbor, making it difficult to get out to the bay at low tide.

Out on the bay, she was great fun. I have a 110 jib, which is great for the 10-12 knot breeze. Steep 2-3 foot waves were no issue, and she is much drier than the Typhoon. Despite several extra layers of bottom paint that will need to be blasted off this winter, she is also faster. I made it from Chapoquoit Point to Angelica Point in a little over an hour in light conditions. My sister discovered the best seat in the house is on the rear pulpit, out of the way of the boom and with a great view. I made her take the helm for a while so I could check it out. I was surprised to find she has a bit more weather helm than I expected. I look forward to fiddling around with her in different conditions, and going on longer voyages in the future.

Unfortunately she's been put to bed for the winter already; I won't be full-time in Massachusetts until next year. But it's a good start!

[Frenchy]

Nice looking boat and a beautiful post. I'm also a recent convert to the 110 jib. Thanks for sharing - Jean

[kenlury001]

For my Typhoon, I have at least for now, switched to my 100% jib which makes boat handling much easier and pointing much better. Downwind in light air, the boat suffers, but I have an aymm on order. That should be a game changer.

I was very interested in your observations on the drier and faster aspects of the 22 compared with the Typhoon. The Typhoon is definitely wet in any kind of sea, but it does not pound in 3 foot waves which is a huge plus.

[Joe Myerson]

Nice post, with charming pictures.

As a fellow Buzzards Bay sailor (Squeteague Harbor/Megansett), I think Cape Dorys are well designed for our "square waves" and sudden wind shifts. With my sails reefed, my 25D can handle almost anything the bay can hand out (more than I can).

If you're not interested in cruising, I'd say you made a great choice. The channel into Squeteague Harbor is silting up, so I need to allow at least two hours before or after low tide to leave or enter the harbor. My boat draws 3 1/2 feet.

Enjoy your boat! Maybe we'll cross paths on the bay.

--Joe

[wikakaru]

A few years ago I had a Typhoon, which is a wonderful boat for Buzzards Bay--very solid in the often lively conditions there. The most common conditions in summer are SW winds at 10-20 knots. The outgoing tide sets to the southwest as well, leading to short, steep waves. The full keel and heavy displacement of the Typhoon meant I was very comfortable in all sots of conditions. I sailed the Typhoon to Cuttyhunk and overnighted to find her limits. Overnighting was a little less than comfortable!

This winter I bought a 22D, which is the largest CD I can fit on my very shallow mooring in West Falmouth. I launched her in late July and had a nice week of sailing. I expected her to be less nimble and responsive than the Typhoon (or for that matter the Widgeon that I sailed most recently), but I was pleasantly surprised. The first time I sailed up to the town dock, I ran downwind, put the helm hard a lee; she came up into the wind and stopped right at the dock so I could just step off and secure her. I have to pick my way through a mooring field to get out to the bay, and under just the mainsail she is easy to maneuver. The extra 5 inches of draft, unfortunately, do make a difference in our shallow harbor, making it difficult to get out to the bay at low tide.

Out on the bay, she was great fun. I have a 110 jib, which is great for the 10-12 knot breeze. Steep 2-3 foot waves were no issue, and she is much drier than the Typhoon. Despite several extra layers of bottom paint that will need to be blasted off this winter, she is also faster. I made it from Chapoquoit Point to Angelica Point in a little over an hour in light conditions. My sister discovered the best seat in the house is on the rear pulpit, out of the way of the boom and with a great view. I made her take the helm for a while so I could check it out. I was surprised to find she has a bit more weather helm than I expected. I look forward to fiddling around with her in different conditions, and going on longer voyages in the future.

Unfortunately she's been put to bed for the winter already; I won't be full-time in Massachusetts until next year. But it's a good start!

Your observations that the CD22 is both dryer and faster than the Typhoon are spot on. I own both boats, and I find that in over 12 knots of breeze sailing the Typhoon is a very wet ride, while the CD22 keeps us nice and dry in much stronger conditions. Those extra 2+ feet of LWL the CD22 has over the Typhoon do, indeed, make a little difference speed-wise: the Typhoon's theoretical hull speed is 5.0 knots, while the CD22s is 5.4 knots. In practice I find that the Typhoon starts dragging a big stern wave at about 5.5 knots, and the CD22 does so at about 6.0 knots; it takes an awful lot of wind to get above those speeds.

Curiously, the average speed I logged over 5,500 miles of sailing my Typhoon so far come to 3.71 knots, while the average speed I logged on the CD22 over 2,200 miles is only 3.65 knots. I chalk that up to the fact that I sail the Typhoon with an engine and have to motor about 20 minutes in and out of the marina on each daysail, while the CD22 is sailed engineless from a mooring so doesn't have all that motoring to artificially boost the speed numbers.

Enjoy your boat, sorry you had to haul so soon--we just got our CD22 launched and will sail until October.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[Rollergirl]

Had a Ty and an Ensign. Both came with a feature your mainsail also exhibits - it's blown out. Please note the crease along the line connecting the front of the battens, and the very deep draft. It's time for new sails. When I replaced my sails the difference was incredible. Usually best time to buy is in the fall.
The boat will stand up, go faster, be much more controllable and a great pleasure to sail. And even dryer.
You can also control the weather helm by shortening the fore stay while lengthening the back stay by adjusting the turnbuckles (mostly closed up front, mostly open aft). This tilts the mast more forward,reducing the weather helm.
Good luck
Bill