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From: scylla34208 (no email)
Date: Mon Dec 15 2003 - 11:59:28 EST
On the Columbia Web site <www.columbia-yachts.com/> I
found the following commentary on the 8.3's page:
ALAN PAYNE TALKS ABOUT THE 8.3
"There has always been the thing that cruising yachts were a
kind of watered-down version of current racing yachts. The
amount of design thought that has gone into cruising yachts was
nowhere near what it should have been. The Super-Cruiser
design is intended to be a balance of good handling qualities,
safety and ability in rough weather and speed. The interesting
and special thing about this design is the very good performance
which has been achieved over the whole range of cruising
requirements.
"The final satisfactory result was achieved by combining a wide
beam, a flat-bottomed shape amidships with firm bilges, and
bow and stern shapes which are different to the shapes adopted
nowadays in rather thoughtless imitation of shapes which have
been developed to fit the geometry of racing rule.
"The bow shape has been chosen principally for its effect on
steering. The U-shape reduces weather helm when the Yacht is
heeled and makes the boat much easier to steer in a following
sea. On top of the veed stern there is a fairly wide spreading out
transom in the style of the early American yachts like the
schooner 'America'. This stern confers useable deck space and
acts as a very good pitch dampening device when the yacht is
heeled over.
"The net result of the bow, midships, and stern shapes is a boat
which imparts tremendous confidence in rough weather. It
keeps going fast, it has an easy motion, it is dry, and it is easy to
steer. It is also stiff and stable and carries it's sail well. It's a
boat
with which the owner can go on board and find that she is
particularly easy to manage in all sailing conditions."
I haven't heard of the term "Super-Cruiser design," but it would
be useful if other sailboat designs that meet its parameters have
been put on a list. Otherwise you would have to study individual
plans or compare data to the 8.3's data. If I remember correctly, I
think John Vigor's book "The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat" would
help. He also wrote "Twenty Small Sailboats That Will Take You
Anywhere," one of which is the Contessa 26.
I sailed from San Diego to Hawaii and the S. Pacific in a Cheoy
Lee built 25ft Vertue, one of the classic cruisers, along with the
Folkboat (the Contessa and others build on the Folkboat
design), during the '50s and '60s. "The Contessa/Taylor 26 is a
much admired institution in Ontario, and its long production run
make this boat a common sight. Its loyal owners are
traditionalists and keen sailors who appreciate the Contessa's
easy-to-handle and dependable performance." See
www.cybercomm.nl/~luca/contessa/Contessa26.htm. My guess
is that these boats' designs are rather different from the
"Super-Cruiser" design, however.
Still I think the suggestion of the Westerly Centaur is a good one.
Regards, Fred
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