Classic Plastic
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A Valiant Spirit: Esprit 37 Review
Related tags: Classic Plastic | Valiant | Article by Richard Smith
A true bluewater sailer, the Esprit 37 lives up to the promise implicit in its seaworthy canoe stern.
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April 26, 2011Peterson 44by Jeremy McGearyI once hitched a ride on a Peterson 44 from Grenada to St. Lucia with an Aussie skipper. On the way, we stopped in the Tobago Cays; then the Aussie took sick, and I spent most of the rest of the trip at the helm. The passage was a hard slog to windward in a leeward-setting current, but the Peterson sailed beautifully and had a very comfortable helm. That kind of sailing performance is worth something.
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April 26, 2011Passport 40by Jeremy McGearyNo list of well-endowed cruising boats would be complete without including a design from Robert H. Perry. He’s given us many from which to choose, and the Passport 40 makes a fine example. I like Perry’s generous keels and robust skeg-hung rudders, and he certainly has an eye for a sweet line and a sweet-sailing hull.
Passport Yachts has spent three decades building a reputation for solid boats, and it’s still doing just that. You can’t say that about many companies that were building boats in Taiwan in the 1970s and 1980s. -
April 26, 2011Nicholson 35by Jeremy McGearyIt seems I’ve gone full circle here, but family is family. In my years at C&N, I saw a few Nicholson 35s being built, and I even got to sail on one or two. I also admire the work of Ray Wall, who designed this boat and several other classic Nicholsons, including the Nicholson 55, which was one of the best designs of its era, if not all time. You can see the lineage in the 35’s hull and feel it in its comfortable motion.
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April 26, 2011Crealock 37by Jeremy McGearyHere’s a 37-footer that might also be in contention for a pretty-boat award. It’s the product of designer Bill Crealock’s own experience sailing across oceans, and I happily defer to his judgment. I’d consider the Tayana 37 for this slot, but I think Crealock drew a prettier canoe stern than Bob Perry did on the Tayana. (Sorry, Bob.) Maybe it’s not quite as powerful, but it might also be a little more forgiving in a big quartering sea. I’ve not spent any getting-to-know-you time on a boat with a canoe stern, but I think it might be fun to do so.
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April 26, 2011Nicholson 476by Jeremy McGearyC&N offered the boat in several configurations: aft cockpit, center cockpit, sloop, ketch, and three choices of keel. We only built a few of the possible permutations, but accommodating them all in the design was quite an exercise. The deck mold had three parts. The forward part served both models and included the forward couple of feet of the center cockpit. To that would be attached the mold for either the center cockpit or aft cockpit.
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January 25, 2011Allmand 31: Florida Born and Boundby Gregg NestorIn the Allmand 31, shoal-water cruising meets high-level comfort.
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January 18, 2011An-Tikiby Bill SpringerAnthony Smith, an 84-year-old Englishman, and a team of older gentlemen are just about to head out across the Atlantic on a raft made of water pipes.
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January 18, 2011An-Tikiby Bill SpringerAnthony Smith, an 84-year-old Englishman, and a team of older gentlemen are just about to head out across the Atlantic on a raft made of water pipes.
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January 4, 2011Slick, Sleek, and Slikkers-Builtby Gregg NestorQuality construction adds value to the easy sailing S2 8.6.
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December 14, 2010Pearson 38: Last of a Well-Loved Lineby Gregg NestorHere's an easily handled coastal cruiser that's also comfortable.
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The Vesper Marine WatchMate Vision is arguably the most advanced Class B AIS transponder ever built, and was honored with an Innovation Award in Miami.
