Help with "Leben ist gut"

[Yuxian]

I recently got back onto the Great Lakes with the 1980 hull 143, 37 Cherubini. Fortunately, over the years, this boat has had many upgrades/changes. And while I'm not a novice to sailing, I have far too many questions to go this alone without the help of some former and current owners of 37Cs. I'm hoping that even some of you might have owned and sailed "Leben".

She is presently rigged as a sloop, but I have much of the gear to revert back to a cutter. I have never sailed a cutter. My first question is: How many of you would consider such a change and why?
She has an arch/davits frame (nothing attached yet). But, I know nothing of the windage and problems large solar panels might cause when sailing? I've trailed a dinghy, but wonder if anyone would ever carry one on davits during a passage?

Any help or comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Dan

 

[Stu Jackson]

Dan, how you plan to use your boat should be the basis of whether you go cutter or not. If day sailing, most likely not worth the effort, both to do it or to sail it. If, OTOH, you plan long distance Great Lake sails, then it may be worthwhile.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Solar panels WILL create windage issues. How they are installed and what size they are will determine the impact. Cruiser Forum has many discussions about this issue. There is one very trustworthy skipper who notes that he uses his generator in lieu of solar because he races (56 foot boat, too). Others have removed generators after installing solar. You mention "passages." I don't know your plans, but if you're staying on the Great Lakes, you really aren't dealing with the kind of passages the skippers on CF regularly make. The 56 foot boat owner has been sailing from UK to the Baltic and back every year for decades. A two day or two overnight trip is not really a passage - compared to the Baltic trips or UK to the Med, or even from Maine to Florida, Seattle to Mexico. Good luck with your new boat.

 

[sandpiper10471]

I've had three Cherubinis, my 37 for about 13 years, all in Lake Huron. I am a big fan of the cutter. The staysail often improves the boat's balance and the rig is extremely versatile for adapting to changing wind and sea conditions. I had a very poor set of davits on the 37 but never used them for the dinghy or solar. However, they made a great handhold and stabiliser when using the dinghy or kayak. I am not a big fan of adding extra weight way aft to these skinny arsed boats that already squat pretty low when under power.

 

[Yuxian]

Thank you, both, for your input on this subject. At our age it's difficult to answer how long we might spend underway, though, I think most of time we would only be looking at a day or two with actual distances under 100nm. I'll do some searching on the solar panel discussions cause I'm thinking on Lake Erie they might really create some serious problems in wind and waves. And yes, this boat's Atlantic arch is located far aft, and the more I think of it, the less I like the idea of sailing with things attached to it. Still, I'm sure for living aboard in quiet waters it probably would be fine. Again, I am wide open to any discussion on this and I thank you guys for commenting.