Dave Hadfield
05-02-2008, 11:57 AM
I got to help a friend rig and first-sail his new Stuart Knockabout last week. We were off Conception Island in the Bahamas. What a lovely setting for such a lovely boat! There were flying fish and a flying sailboat!
I don't have photos yet (in a couple of weeks, from a friend, I hope) but I certainly enjoyed the 2 sails we had. Here's a photo of the type, which I can't seem to post here (for reasons of ineptitude).
www.usedboats.com/enlarged_photo.php?p=media/images/1379218_1.jpeg&name=ZEPHYR (http://www.usedboats.com/enlarged_photo.php?p=media/images/1379218_1.jpeg&name=ZEPHYR)
She had lovely manners. Well-balanced, responsive, and an effortless 6-7 knots. I loved the way she reacted to the gusts by just putting her shoulder in and driving harder. We put in a reef on day 2 during 15-20 kts, and she was the same.
Some spray, but not much. Easy tacking with the jib on a boom; just put the helm over, and lot's of "way" with over a ton of ballast in the keel. Centerboard, too. Drew 2.5 ft.
Very little freeboard, yet plenty of protection. I love the way the sea seems to FLASH by when you're so low and close to it.
All the teak was lovely and new, and the coamings were just right for your back. Huge cockpit, big enough to stand up and move around in.
And she sailed fine on the just the main, too, which is how we docked since there's no motor. Lovely sweet control.
We had one failure -- the main outhaul is a tackle within the boom, and the swaged fitting on the end let go under it's first heavy loads. I rigged a temporary fix using a scrap of rope and a trucker's cinch, and hauled the clew back out.
All this under a glorious Bahamas out-island sun! Fine day to remember....
Dave
I don't have photos yet (in a couple of weeks, from a friend, I hope) but I certainly enjoyed the 2 sails we had. Here's a photo of the type, which I can't seem to post here (for reasons of ineptitude).
www.usedboats.com/enlarged_photo.php?p=media/images/1379218_1.jpeg&name=ZEPHYR (http://www.usedboats.com/enlarged_photo.php?p=media/images/1379218_1.jpeg&name=ZEPHYR)
She had lovely manners. Well-balanced, responsive, and an effortless 6-7 knots. I loved the way she reacted to the gusts by just putting her shoulder in and driving harder. We put in a reef on day 2 during 15-20 kts, and she was the same.
Some spray, but not much. Easy tacking with the jib on a boom; just put the helm over, and lot's of "way" with over a ton of ballast in the keel. Centerboard, too. Drew 2.5 ft.
Very little freeboard, yet plenty of protection. I love the way the sea seems to FLASH by when you're so low and close to it.
All the teak was lovely and new, and the coamings were just right for your back. Huge cockpit, big enough to stand up and move around in.
And she sailed fine on the just the main, too, which is how we docked since there's no motor. Lovely sweet control.
We had one failure -- the main outhaul is a tackle within the boom, and the swaged fitting on the end let go under it's first heavy loads. I rigged a temporary fix using a scrap of rope and a trucker's cinch, and hauled the clew back out.
All this under a glorious Bahamas out-island sun! Fine day to remember....
Dave