Looking for suggestions for our next boat
- Thread starter Ross S
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Ross....Just a thought.
You may be fine with a lake for now but what about in a few years. The best idea is to get a boat that can grow with you.
I couldn't imagine being stuck with a lake. I love the fact that I can reach the Chesapeake Bay and then the ocean. It opens up more possibilities. Maybe it is just day dreaming, but it is still a good thing.
You may be fine with a lake for now but what about in a few years. The best idea is to get a boat that can grow with you.
I couldn't imagine being stuck with a lake. I love the fact that I can reach the Chesapeake Bay and then the ocean. It opens up more possibilities. Maybe it is just day dreaming, but it is still a good thing.
Ross, if you really like the Precision 28 or the older Precision 27, then you would find a Starwind 27 to be what you are looking for. Jim Taylor designed these models that were built by Wellcraft in the mid-1980's. The Precisions which are also designed by Jim Taylor and built later are basically the same mold, except that I believe the Precision features a fractional rig vs the masthead rig of the Starwind.
Ours is a shoal draft at 3'-7" draft which appears to be the most common variation. They typically come with a Yanmar 1GM diesel inboard and wheel steering. The hull form, displacement and keel for the Precisions are identical.
I think so highly of our boat that I completed a re-power this spring with a Yanmar 2YM15. However, the cockpit is not comfortable for 4 adults in my opinion. It is smallish, which tends to provide more room in the cabin. Headroom is just 6' ... when standing under the sliding roof. Otherwise, it basically provides decent headroom for my wife, but not me.
If you are familiar with the Precision 28, you know that this boat is designed more for performance than cabin comfort, and many boats are equipped for performance as well, with high quality rigging and hardware. She sails well in light air and is equipped to handle rougher weather as well ... at least as well as other boats in that size with a fin keel and spade rudder.
I see that there may be one in Tennessee for sale. There was one in Rochester a few years back. They may be harder to find in your area than a Precision. Most were found in Florida and Texas. In fact, mine came from Texas originally. I'd like to hear the story about how it landed in NJ, but I may never find out.
I'm curious about the sailing on your lake. Does it have access to the Hudson River? Being as large and wide as it is, I imagine the sailing can be quite good, with great scenery as well. I'm surprised that you mention that the depth is an issue. Are there areas of the lake that are particularly shallow? Perhaps it is the depth at the access points that have you concerned. Our lake basically has deep water everywhere we sail and our dock is in 6' to 10' of water, but there is only one marina on our lake that is equipped to lift our boat out and the spot they have to work with has a limited depth to the point that a deep keel on my boat could be a problem.
http://www.salecreekmarina.com/starwind_27.htm
Ours is a shoal draft at 3'-7" draft which appears to be the most common variation. They typically come with a Yanmar 1GM diesel inboard and wheel steering. The hull form, displacement and keel for the Precisions are identical.
I think so highly of our boat that I completed a re-power this spring with a Yanmar 2YM15. However, the cockpit is not comfortable for 4 adults in my opinion. It is smallish, which tends to provide more room in the cabin. Headroom is just 6' ... when standing under the sliding roof. Otherwise, it basically provides decent headroom for my wife, but not me.
If you are familiar with the Precision 28, you know that this boat is designed more for performance than cabin comfort, and many boats are equipped for performance as well, with high quality rigging and hardware. She sails well in light air and is equipped to handle rougher weather as well ... at least as well as other boats in that size with a fin keel and spade rudder.
I see that there may be one in Tennessee for sale. There was one in Rochester a few years back. They may be harder to find in your area than a Precision. Most were found in Florida and Texas. In fact, mine came from Texas originally. I'd like to hear the story about how it landed in NJ, but I may never find out.
I'm curious about the sailing on your lake. Does it have access to the Hudson River? Being as large and wide as it is, I imagine the sailing can be quite good, with great scenery as well. I'm surprised that you mention that the depth is an issue. Are there areas of the lake that are particularly shallow? Perhaps it is the depth at the access points that have you concerned. Our lake basically has deep water everywhere we sail and our dock is in 6' to 10' of water, but there is only one marina on our lake that is equipped to lift our boat out and the spot they have to work with has a limited depth to the point that a deep keel on my boat could be a problem.
http://www.salecreekmarina.com/starwind_27.htm
Scott,
Thanks for the information. We gravitated towards Precision because we currently own a Precision 21. It's been a great boat and we've been impressed with the factory support. So, naturally when we started thinking about other boats, Precision sprang to mind.
I've never had an opportunity to closely inspect, let alone sail, a Precision 27 or 28. I've made arrangments to go sailing on one in a few weeks in order to check it out and make sure we like it. I had known that Jim Taylor designed the Starwinds but forgot about that until you mentioned it here. I'll have to research that some more, but we'll add Starwinds to the list of boats to consider. Glad you've had such a postive experience with yours.
Although the lake is connected to the Hudson we can not access it via boat. It was created by damming the Sacanadaga River in 1930. I believe the average depth is about 30 feet and the maximum depth is something like 60 or 70 feet. The deep parts of the lake are where the original river was and that is marked with channel markers. The dam is used for flood control, hydroelectric power generation and also to help control the salt front of the Hudson River near NYC to prevent drinking water contamination. Consequently keeping the water levels suitable for boating/recreation is often only a secondary concern to the operators of the dam. This year the lake is quite full, in fact we were over the spillway about 2 weeks ago. Last year the lake was very shallow due to lack of rain and snow melt. Fortunately the lake is well marked with buoys indicating areas of shallow water. This year, with the high water level, you can pretty much ignore those buoys. Last year we gave them a wide berth and I still touched bottom twice! IMHO, it's a much better lake for sailing than the more popular Lake George or Saratoga Lakes. Better wind, less overall boat traffic.
Thanks for the information. We gravitated towards Precision because we currently own a Precision 21. It's been a great boat and we've been impressed with the factory support. So, naturally when we started thinking about other boats, Precision sprang to mind.
I've never had an opportunity to closely inspect, let alone sail, a Precision 27 or 28. I've made arrangments to go sailing on one in a few weeks in order to check it out and make sure we like it. I had known that Jim Taylor designed the Starwinds but forgot about that until you mentioned it here. I'll have to research that some more, but we'll add Starwinds to the list of boats to consider. Glad you've had such a postive experience with yours.
Although the lake is connected to the Hudson we can not access it via boat. It was created by damming the Sacanadaga River in 1930. I believe the average depth is about 30 feet and the maximum depth is something like 60 or 70 feet. The deep parts of the lake are where the original river was and that is marked with channel markers. The dam is used for flood control, hydroelectric power generation and also to help control the salt front of the Hudson River near NYC to prevent drinking water contamination. Consequently keeping the water levels suitable for boating/recreation is often only a secondary concern to the operators of the dam. This year the lake is quite full, in fact we were over the spillway about 2 weeks ago. Last year the lake was very shallow due to lack of rain and snow melt. Fortunately the lake is well marked with buoys indicating areas of shallow water. This year, with the high water level, you can pretty much ignore those buoys. Last year we gave them a wide berth and I still touched bottom twice! IMHO, it's a much better lake for sailing than the more popular Lake George or Saratoga Lakes. Better wind, less overall boat traffic.
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