Hi David

As you consider now the C&C 24, why not have a look  at the Kent Ranger 24, with the same layout as the c&c:

Built in in GRP WA with solid deck, encapsulated lead keel, 44 % balast ratio, positive flotation,bailing engine well (or closed by plug), high bridgedeck, transom hung rudder, said to be seaworthy. There happens to be one for sale presently in Spokane on craigslist for 4000.

David Dawes wrote:

Hi Further to below, is anybody familiar with the Canadian built C&C 24 or 25 Mark 1?  Several are for sale near me.

I am prepared to lower my length requirement for an interim boat just to get going.

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=412

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=611

And does anyone have an opinion on their suitability for a tough costal cruiser suitable for junk conversion?

Pluses:

Headroom, fast hull good to windward, outboard, tiller steering with simple transom rudder.

Minuses: How well are keels attached (I wanted encapsulated)?  Rudder is unprotected by keel/ keg so vulnerable.  Is the hull strong enough for coastal work?

Aim is a simple boat that can take me to Atlantic Canada and let me play with junk rig for small investment.

At the risk of offending I find the US boats like O'Days, Catalinas, etc to be poorly build compared to UK counterparts.

Thanks,

David Dawes.

Why not contact some owners?  I'm sure they'll have a group.

Plenty of the larger ones have crossed oceans.  If the keel of the ones you look at have no obvious weeping, cracks, etc, then they are probably OK.  Most of the boats in the yard where I'm building have no skegs and have crossed the Pacific, but in your case you will have nets and fish/lobster trap pots to worry about which is probably more of any issue.  At least with a transom-hung rudder you can get a bread knife lashed to a boat hook down to it.

The coast that you are intending to sail has plenty of harbours and access to continuous weather forecasts.  There's probably more of an issue with too little wind than too much.

Modern boats are probably much more seaworthy than the ones that people learnt to sail in 60 years ago - and most of those survived to buy better boats!

David,  Check CraigsList New York, Hudson Valley.  There is a Tartan 27 for sale in Stony Point NY.  Stony Point is a few miles north of Manhattan on the west bank of the Hudson River. 

Colin

David Dawes wrote:

Annie the boats you reference are so lovely I would not dare change them!  And they do hold value. 

Hmphm.  That's what people said to Shirley when she had the temerity to put a junk rig on Speedwell of Hong Kong.  Fortunately, she had the good sense to ignore them and she and the boat have been sailing happily and harmoniously together for the best part of 20 years.

One thing to recall: most elderly fibreglass boats leak.  They leak because they have been punched full of holes for highly-stressed items such as chain plates and genoa car tracks.  By removing all this hardware and plugging the holes you are helping the boat stay dry and live longer. With luck, you may find one of these well-built boats that has been strained and has these issues, then you can console yourself with how you are rescuing the boat instead of worrying about changing the rig.  And in truth, I have yet to see a boat that looks worse with a junk rig than it did with a pointy one, although I would be the first to admit that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

It sounds like you are looking for something by Pacific Seacraft or one of the Chuck Paine desgins like the Frances 26 or Victoria.  They are built in the UK now, but were built in the States for a while.  Also Flicka's big sister - Allegra.  There are good, solid US boats out there.  That's the good news: the bad news is that they tend to keep their value - because they are good, solid boats.