Cape Dorys Trashed in Newsgroup

[Yanek Martinson]

Hello Everybody,

In rec.boats.cruising, there's a thread titled 'Used Sailboats',
discussing various boats, and several comments have been made
about Cape Dory's as being "very well built" but "incredibly slow"
and "terrible sailing".

Maybe someone from here that can set them straight?

If you don't have access to newsgroups thru your ISP, go look
at www.dejanews.com a web based service for accessing Newsgroups.

Yanek.



yanek@martinson.com

[Harris]

If you have ever sailed anything hi-tech you would agree to the statemnt that low aspect keel boats are slow and sail terrible. This statement refers only to an observation of aerodynamics, pointing ability and speed. But the fact is that people are plunking down the big bucks for a new light displacement boat and turning green on their first passage. For daysailing with crew....in protected waters....the last 20 years have developed boats that may be more "fun' than our "obsolete" keelboats. But for offshore......and shorthanded....I wouldn't trade the ride quality, safety and ease of handeling that keel boats give. Also nobody is criticising CDs. The debate is between modern.high aspect....fin keel boats that excell upwind to fulfill the needs of around the bouy racing.......and low aspect full keel boats that are better off the wind and are the racing and cruising designs of yesteryear. Personally I prefer to be able to walk when I hit dry land and it really disturbs be when a boat spins out of control in a gust......to each their own.



hg@myhost.com

[Roger Efird]

Previous comments quite true...I sail and travel in a CD-36 which is sluggish compared to the J-boats that I crew on for racing week-ends.
I'm in NC and do round trips to New England and occassionally Bermuda. Would I trade the CD for that?...NO WAY!!
...When you do long trips, the sea-kindliness and relative ease of sailing of the CD's becomes a BIG component...in fact, I once raced a Tartan 37 from Charleston to Wrightsville Be, NC in the early spring...the Tartan led for a day...wind got up, went NE, I passed her in the middle of the night approaching Frying Pan shoals on auto pilot sippin a Brandy while her crew was struggling with head sail changes.....
....pick your own syle.....have fun....RWE.



Refird@ix.netcom.com