Potential purchase of an Irwin 52 CC

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Dennis

Dear Irwin Owners, My wife and I just lost a new 40 ft cat to a fire…tragic story. Once the dust settles, we will be looking for another boat. We are now thinking to go back to monohulls for a while. So we began looking at boats in the 50 ft range. There are several very nice boats we are considering. One is a 1982 Irwin 52 CC Ketch. From the digital pics – she looks great (but don’t all boats look good in digital pics???). She is well appointed and a favorable deal can be struck. However, I know very little about the sailing attributes of this size Irwin. Is it possible for this forum to give me insight into how 52 ft Irwins perform versus say a Pearson 53 ketch or a Gulfstar 50 or Tayana 48. Are we in the same ball park or is there some vast difference? How well do Irwin’s point? How well do they handle extreme conditions? What are her strengths – and what are her weaknesses? We have never owned a monohull of this size before (the biggest before the cats was a Santana 20). So we are truly babes in the woods when it comes to monohulls of this size. So I am asking for a critique of Irwin 52 footers vies a vie the competition and just sailing enjoyment by itself. I hope you can help us – this is a very difficult decision and knowledgeable advice is always helpful. Thanks in advance for your help. Dennis
 
Jun 13, 2005
559
Irwin Barefoot 37 CC Sloop Port Orchard WA
I'm going to try to give you an answer

though I truly don't know it, but this forum appears to be getting very little in the way of contributers, so someone should talk to you. I do hope however that someone with specific knowledge responds to you. I have owned two Irwins, a Competition 30 which was an outstanding sailor, and a 37 CC Sloop which is not. All boats are a trade off and some of the others are going to be better going to weather. They may also be lighter, narrower, and of course deeper. In that size they probably not Intercoastal Waterway friendly either (although maybe the 52 you are looking at isn't either). My experience is that the Irwin is a lot more boat for the money and they are relatively hugh inside. With the shallower draft characteristic you will give up some windward performance for access to many more gunkhole bays and harbors. Additionally a 52 of any brand, isn't a boat that you and your wife want to short tack to weather even if it had a staysail boom and electric winches, and off the wind or on a reach your waterline should give you all the speed you need. In going from WA down the coast and 6 years in Mexico on my 37, my sailing was almost always off the wind. so in a boat of that size, unless you want to race, I would guess the other qualities would compensate. I know that I use the engine a lot going upwind and would even if I had a better performing boat, and in the 14 years I have owned the 37, I have been happy with it. My only hope now is to be able to get a bigger boat, and a big Irwin would be just fine with me. I do hope someone else responds to you though. Perhaps Gene Gammon at http://www.irwinyachts.com/ could respond better to some of your concerns. Good Luck Joe
 
Jun 13, 2005
559
Irwin Barefoot 37 CC Sloop Port Orchard WA
Dennis, I didn't forget you, Compare the boats you want

through this link. It was listed in a sail trim forum and may answer a lot of your questions. http://www.image-ination.com/sailcalc.html Good luck--Joe
 
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