From: dmb@IEDV4.acd.com ( Dave Barker )
Subject: Re: Cruising Boats (was Re: Book "Maiden Voyage")
Organization: Applied Computing Devices, Inc., Terre Haute IN
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 14:24:27 GMT


Francis Muir writes:
>
>There is a Contessa 26 for sale here in the bay area for $6,500. If I
>was interested in circumnavigating on a shoestring I'd snap it up. They
>are very british designs -- narrow, very deep keels -- and their
>interiors are not the floating condominiums you seem to want. For more
>money you should look at the Contessa 32. This boat has been very
>carefully analysed by C. A. Marchaj in his book *Seaworthiness, the
>Forgotten factor*, where it is the Good Boat, as opposed to a half-tonner,
>Grimalkin, which is the Bad Boat. Since seaworthiness and seakindliness
>are precisely the two qualities that anyone should want in a would-be
>circumnavigator, it behoves you to read this book.
>
>                                                        Fido
>
>
        I don't think my requirement mentioned anything about a condominium,
        although a "comfortable" interior layout would certainly seem a
        necessity for such a trip. After all, we're talking about living
        for an extended period of time in a space about the size of your
        average bathroom. Just about any 26 foot boat would seem luxurious
        to my present boat - an S2 6.7 (22 ft. LOA).
        One thing I am confused about regarding the Contessa line is
        where the company is located. I remember reading something about
        the Contessa 32, and the article mentioned that it was a popular
        British boat so I assumed it was a British company. But in the
        book Tania talks about going to the J.J. Taylor company in Canada,
        the manufacturer of the Contessa, and talking to the president
        (whom she mentions had done a circumnavigation in a Contessa 32.) 
        Is the company based in Britain or Canada? A moot point, I 
        suppose, I'm just curious.
 
        At the risk of offending some people, I will admit to never 
        having been impressed by the Catalina line of boats. The designs,
        at least from an asthetic standpoint, always seemed to be too
        homogenous-nothing to really distinguish them from being anything
        more than just a very average boat. Sort of like a committee-designed
        line of boats. Of course, they do have a reputation as being
        sturdy and fairly rugged, and the prices, especially of used
        models, almost demands that they be considered (if operating
        on a shoestring budget, he said as he hopelessly tries to 
        balance his outstanding debts with his total net worth...) 
        
        I usually get the feeling that I'm trying to compare apples
        and oranges whenever I start comparing two different boats. For
        example, is a used Pacific Seacraft Dana 24 really worth $40K more
        than a used Contessa 26? I know Pacific Seacraft has an excellent
        reputation, but this really blows me away. To me, they both
        appear to be designed for similar purposes, but the market
        for the two must be completely different. I guess boats are
        no different than cars or motorcycles or houses when it comes 
        to perceived value. 
 
        Thanks for the suggestion regarding *Seaworthiness, the Forgotten 
        Factor*. I'll try and find a copy. (Indiana isn't exactly the most 
	convenient place to live when looking for nautical literature...)
 
                                                Dave
 
 
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