Deeper is better
Cliff, I think the 25.5 is destined to be a classic among production 25 footers. I've looked at everthing in its class and sailed on many and can find no better all-purpose 25. My '85 is the deep fin keel outboard model. There is one other deep fin in our fleet and there was a shoal draft for a few years that has now moved away. The only difference between the two versions was upwind, where the deep keel could point just a bit higher with a bit less leeway in a breeze. The 25.5 has a relatively high PHRF in big fleets on big waters which I don't really understand. It could be that few H-25.5 owners are willing to spend the kind of money on top notch sails and other racing equipment needed to outsail the handicap in the big fleets. I would like to see what could be done with one that was fully race preparedand equipped with a good crew. A couple of years ago, Dennis Conner took a CS 27 and prepared it to the nth degree and cleaned house in the San Diego area. I suppose most any production boat could be made into a PHRF terror with enough $$$! I can't justify that with my boat where our club racing is best described as deadly serious casual fun racing! I've noticed that my boat performs with the best in winds under 15 but begins to lag behind the 28+ footers and real race boats when it really starts blowing. I go head to head in light to moderate air with a slick J-28 and a Santana 525, both with excellent captains and sails but when it's time to reef, I have a hard time with them upwind. The J has a longer waterline, of course, and the Santana has a 2000#+ weight advantage. Downwind it's still a horse race with those two. We can outpoint and outspeed the Cat 25's in all conditions. Regards, Dick Vance H-25.5 "Honey Bear"
