s/v Nordic Song

We have had a sunfish in our family since 1971.  It is a great boat to sail and virtually indestructible.  The picture here is of my sunfish, which was the first boat I ever bought.  We have two of these at my parents cabin and sail and race them when ever we are at the lake.  They are a perfect lake cabin boat.

Specifications:

• LOA:....................................... .13'9”
• Beam: ......................................4'1”
• Draft: ....................................... 2'11”
• Sail Area: .............................. ..75 Square Feet
• Hull Weight: .......................... ..120 Pounds

The Alpha is a Chrysler 26 and was purchased in 1977. The boat is a large trailerable sailboat that can sleep seven and store the large amount of supplies needed to take a family out for a week long cruise. This boat has spent most of its sailing life on Lake of the Woods but is now kept on Lake Mille Lacs in central Minnesota.  The boat is durable, safe, and able to sail in a wide range of conditions. The Chrysler 26 had three unique features that made the boat especially adaptable to Lake of the Woods sailing conditions. First, it had a swing keel, which allowed the boat to negotiate the shallow waters and channels occasionally found on the lake.  Second, the boats had a swing rudder which gave the boat even more flexibility in shallow waters. Third, the boats had an outboard motor well which allowed for a very large rear berth (sleeps three!). This also allowed the skipper to develop a unique stern-to-shore anchoring system that made boat to land transfers very simple.  I have have spent nearly 500 nights at anchor in this boat!

The boat is fun to sail. It is slow in light air compared to other 26 footers and it is quick to heal when the wind initially picks up. But, once the wind blows the boat is at its best. In strong winds the boat is stiff and responsive and if one reefs early it is a lot of fun to sail. The swing rudder and motor mount were under built but if braced worked quite well. 

Specifications

• LOA ............................................ ...26'0"
• LWL.................................................22'0"
• Beam...............................................8'0"
• Draft......................2'3"(Board Up)......6'3"
• Disp................................................4900
• Bal..................................................2000
• Sail Area..........................................262
• Aux Power.......................................10hp
• Designer:.........................................Halsey Herreshoff

This is the second boat I seriously raced.  It is a very fast catamaran and able to knife through the waves.  Moving up to this boat was the end of the dreaded "pitch poles" we took in our early non-symmetrical hull racing days (sailing a Prindle 16).

• Designer:..............................Richard Loufek (1985)
• LOA:....................................18' 0"
• Beam:..................................(Cat) 8'6"
• Displacement:.......................375 lbs.
• Draft:....................................DB board up/dn....5"/2'1"
• SA(sq.ft.):.............................Main & Jib..233

The Catalina 30 was my first favorite "big boat'. When I was in college way back in the early 1980's a fellow young sailor and I spent the afternoon tearing apart a Catalina 30 that was for sale.  After our examination we decided this was a great boat.  Later in life my brother and I chartered a Catalina 30 to experience the boat first hand.  After our cruise we liked everything about the boat but its size.  It seems we wanted something bigger.  I still like this boat and it is one of the biggest selling sailboats of all time and is in the sailboat hall of fame.

Specifications:

• LOA........................................29' 11"
• LWL.......................................25' 0"
• Beam.....................................10' 10"
• Draft (fin keel)...........................5' 3"
• Draft (wing keel)........................3' 10"
• Ballast (fin keel).......................4200 pounds
• Ballast (wing keel)....................4300 pounds
• Displacement Fin....................10,200 pounds
• Displacement Wing.................10,300 pounds
• Engine.....................................Inboard diesel
• Sail area.................................446 Sq. Ft. Standard Rig
• I=41'0", J=11'6", P=35'0", E=11'6"
• Sail area.................................446 Sq. Ft. Tall Rig
• I=43'0", J=13'2", P=37'0", E=12'0"
• Designer.................................Frank Butler

This is the boat we bought! The Pearson 33 is a great boat for Great Lakes sailing and coastal cruising.  The boat is a very nice sailing boat that does well in light air and heavy air.  It is fast through the water and is quite responsive.  It has good storage space for cruising and has two nice size cabins for sleeping.  One boat review referred to the Pearson 33-2 as one of the best sailing Pearson sailboats. More importantly, my family loves this boat. Go here to view our web page.

Specifications:

• aft cockpit sloop
• wing keel with spade rudder; .....draft: 4'2"
• 1989
• LOA: .......................................32’6" 
• Beam: .....................................11’0" 
• LWL: .......................................26’3"
• displacement: ..........................11,200 lbs
• ballast: .....................................4,200 lbs
• bridge clearance .......................47'6"
• sail area: ..................................515 sq. ft.
• 18HP Yanmar
• Designed by............................. Bill Shaw

In early October of 2004, John (my brother) and I traveled to Bayfield, Wisconsin on our first boat buying trip.  We already had our sites on an older C&C, but we also had been told to keep our eyes open for a Pearson: a sailboat we knew nothing about.

We arrived in Bayfield and met with a broker to talk about used boats.  We then hit the docks to look at boats and to see if anything jumped out at us.  And then it happened... we saw a beautiful boat... what is it?   A Pearson! 

We had never seen a Pearson before and we both loved the look of the boat.  We took several pictures of the boat (the one on this page) and continued on our dock walking adventure.  We didn't find any Pearson for sale on the trip but we looked forward to getting home and checking the Internet for listings.

Once home we began to research Pearson Sailboats and we were hooked.  By January we found our future boat on Lake Michigan.  We bought it... shipped it... and the rest, as they say, is history.

Specifications:

• Designer ..............................Bill Shaw 
• Main Area ............................297 
• Hull Speed ...........................7.29 
• LOA ....................................36.5  
• LWL ...................................29.6  
• Beam .................................12.3 
• Disp ...................................15,000/15,850 
• Draft ...................................6.5
• Sail Area ............................660 
• Ballast............................... 5,800/6,550 
• PHRF .................................129

I have always loved the look of Tartan sailboats.  They have a great reputation for their sailing characteristics and quality.  This is probably the boat I have sat on the most over the years at the Minneapolis Boat Show.  it seems they almost always have a 37' at the show.  I once boarded a strangers Tartan 37 and fixed an awning that had come loose and was blowing in the wind.  How is that for first hand experience with the boat.

Specifications:

• LOA: ...............................37’3" (11.35 m.)
• LWL: ...............................29’5" (8.97 m.)
• Beam: .............................11’9" (3.58 m.)
• Draft (deep fin) ..................6’7" (2.0 m.)
• Draft (shoal Scheel) ..........4’7" (1.4 m.)
• Draft (c’bd up/dn) ..............4’2"/7’9" (1.3/2.4 m.)
• Ballast: 7,500 lbs. ............(3,402 kgs.)
• Disp: 15,500 lbs. ..............(7,031 kgs.)
• Sail area: (100%) ..............625 sq.ft. (58.1 sq.m.)
• Mast above water: ............52’0" (15.9 m.)
• Ballast/Disp: ....................48
• Disp/Length: ....................272
• SA/Disp: .........................16.1
• Fuel: 47 gal......................(178 ltr.)
• Water: 90 gal. .................(340 ltr.)
• Holding: 16 gal. ...............(60 ltr.)
• Auxiliary: ........................32-hp Universal 40 diesel
• Designer: ........................Sparkman & Stephens

The Catalina 38 was designed by Sparkman and Stephens and is a great sailing boat.  This boat is reported to be fast to sail and very good to cruise.  It lacks a private aft stateroom which in this day and age reduces its value on the used boat market.  These boats are a great deal and will sail past most cruising boat on the water.

Specifications:

L.O.A.................................................38'  2"
L.W.L.................................................30'  3" Beam.................................................11'  10"
Draft               STD                               6'  9"              
                      SHOAL                          4'  11"
Ballast            STD                              6,850 LBS       
                      SHOAL                         7,650 LBS
Displacement  STD                              15,900 LBS     
                      SHOAL                         16,700 LBS
Theoretical Hull Speed......................... 7.4 knots
Sail Area, Rated (SQ. FT.)    
Mainsail...............................................253                                   
Foretriangle..........................................386
Total (100% fore)        639 
Designer: ........................................... Sparkman & Stephens

Review Quote, "This Sparkman Stephens design started life as the Yankee 38. Frank Butler bought the mold for the Yankee 38 and with the design team at Catalina produced a limited number of the Catalina 38. A fast racer the 38 was elected as the Congressional Cup boat for 1979. Frank Buttler of Catalina fame took the 38 to the finish line midway through the eighties when production ended with only around 250 boats being built. Today the Catalina 38 is still a fast contender and is well respected for its good sea ability and fast sailing. Completive in all areas this classic beauty is a true IOR blue water class boat and should be a great value as a racer or fast cruiser with its enclosed head and roomy interior."

During the summers of the early 1980's I worked at youth sailing camp on Lake of the Woods.  In the evenings us skippers would sit around and talk about our dream boats.  Brent wanted a Tartan, Mark a C&C, Dan a big powerboat, and I wanted a Cal 39.  I even sent away and recieved a brochure for the 1981 Cal 39.  I still have the brochure but that is as close as I have ever come to sailing the Cal 39.

Specifications:

• LOA..................................39' 0"
• LWL..................................32' 1"
• Beam................................12' 0"
• Draft..................................6' 8" or 5' 6"
• Displacement.....................19,000 pounds
• SA standard rig:
• Main = 303sg.ft., 100% foretriangle = 417sq.ft.
• SA Tall rig:
• Main = 326.6sg.ft., 100% foretriangle = 450sq.ft.
• Spars...............................Painted aluminum
• Berths..............................6
• Engine.............................Universal 44HP
• Fuel.................................Diesel 45 gallons
• Heads..............................2
• Water..............................152 gallons
• Ratings............................D-PN 75.4 standard, PHRF 114
• (Tall rig with deep keel PHRF about 106)
• Designer ..........................Bill Lapworth

Complete boat review.

I chartered this boat in 1984 and immediately fell in love with it.  Generally all C&C's are good sailing boats and this one is no different from the rest.  We sailed it in a variety of conditions and it sailed like a charm.  It also has the fancier interior of the Landfall series with an unique interior design.  The step lead down into an aft stateroom with the navigation table.  You then enter the main part of the boat through a door.  This created a very large aft stateroom that was very well vented.  I have always wanted to sail this boat again.

Specifications:

Boat Specifications

• LOA....................................37.55'
• LWL....................................31'
• Beam...................................12.8'
• Draft....................................7.6'
• Displacement.......................14275 lbs
• Ballast.................................6246 lbs.
• Sail Area.............................729 sq. ft.

Click here for a Robert Perry review.

This is one unique boat.  I saw it for the first time at the Minneapolis Boat Show in 1980 and thought it was the coolest boat I had ever seen.  It has a flat deck, swing keel, and the coolest mushroom shaped bulkhead in sailboat design history.  The boat was designed to race and to cruise.  It has the strangest shaped hull I have seen on a fiberglass boat and an unique interior.  It has prisms built into the deck to ensure natural lighting makes its way to the interior of the boat.  The boats continue to race and cruise to this day.  However, there seems to be very few in the Midwest so I have yet to see one in person since the boat show long ago.  I would love to sail on one of these boats.

Specifications:

Designed by Bill Shaw

Length Overall:	40.0 ft	12.19 m	Dsgn Waterln:	31.3 ft	9.53 m
Maxi Beam:	12.5 ft	3.81 m	Draft:	4.3 ft	1.30 m
Displacem:	22875 lbs	10376 kg	I Dimen:	53.0 ft	16.16 m
J Dimen:	17.0 ft	5.18 m	P Dimen:	47.0 ft	14.33 m
E Dimen:	15.0 ft	4.58 m
I2 Dimen:	0.0 ft	0.00 m	J2 Dimen:	0.0 ft	0.00 m

..........

The Hinckley is how a sailboat is supposed to look in my mind.  I have always loved the looks of this boat and hope someday to sail aboard one.  They are fine sailing boats and many are rigged as a ketch.  I was aboard a Hinckley 40 at the Seattle in the Water Boat Show back in the early 1980s. That is my brush with this boat, at least it was floating.

Specifications:

• LOA...................................40' 9"
• LWL...................................27' 10"
• Beam.................................11' 9"
• Displacement.....................19,000 lbs.
• Draft:.................................4' 3"/8' 9"
• Ballast...............................5,500 lbs
• Engine Westerbeke
• Designer ..........................William H. Tripp
  

Valiant 40

In 1984 I climbed aboard Dan Byrne's Valiant 40, Fantasy, and had a chance to visit with him.  Dan had just completed the BOC Challenge around the world race and was in Seattle hosting an open house aboard his boat.  I was fascinated that this boat had just sailed around the world and enjoyed hearing some of his stories.  Later that year I was aboard another Valiant 40 at at the Seattle Boat Show and was able to crawl around the boat and really inspect it.  The Valiant is a great boat and would be suitable to sail anywhere in the world.

Specifications:

• LOA...................................39' 11"
• LWL...................................34'
• Beam.................................12' 4"
• Displacement......................22,500 lbs.
• Draft:................................. 6' 0"
• Ballast................................7,700 lbs
• Sail Area............................772 sq. ft.
• Designer............................Robert Perry

Click here for a review.

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