I had dreams of going to Strictly Sail, but alas! Who will be the sailboatowners.com roving reporter? Can someone post some pictures from the show so the rest us can cry really large tears in our rum?
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Rip Edmundson
Just spent last three days at Strictly Sail (long)
My wife and I and another couple just returned from Chicago a couple of hours ago. We spent Friday touring the boats, Saturday in seminars and Sunday finishing up the boats and the booths. The weather was great. We stayed at the Holiday Inn City Center on Ohio at Fairbanks. One block South, we caught the Navy Pier Trolley for a free ride to the show. If you ride the Trolley all the way to the East end of the Pier, it lets you off right by the ticket booths and coat check for the Show. We purchased discount tickets at Boat/US for $8 each (they had run out of two-day tickets). Coat check is $1.50. We like to come on Friday, it started on Thursday, because the Show is very lightly attended during the week and you can get on the boats without waiting for half an hour. We hit the Hunters right away because we own a Hunter 31. Our dealer had a 356 and 410 at the show. The 356 is grand. My wife loved the layout and I loved the engine access. The galley is on the starboard which we prefer. Our friends own a Hunter 34 so they were more interested in the 386 which was so new the dealers didn't have any brochures. There were half a dozen Hunters bigger than 30 feet. I think there were 3 trailerable Hunters. Next we went to see the Gibsea 37 and Dufour 36 models displayed by Racine Riverside Marine. Both are French boats. The most outstanding feature of both were the cube shaped plastic holding tanks located in the rear lazaret. They are secure and accessible. They look like the future. Then we visited the Catalinas, which seem to be Hunter's closest rival. Our favorite inside layout was in the new 310. It has a "Pedestal bed" in the v-berth. It looks so comfortable to us. We can't wait to see the coming 350 than is rumored to have the same layout. The 310 also has the raw water thru-hull, valve and filter right in front of the engine. Very accessible and only 10 inches of hose between the filter and the pump on the Yanmar 2GM20F. Love it. On all of the French boats except the Jeanneau, the raw water valve is almost unreachable. Their salesmen say "there is no reason to turn off the raw water at the thru-hull". Or "Huh?". We have always loved the the Beneteaus since a charter with the Moorings in the BVI on a Beneteau 432. Their new models (they showed 6 or so also) are still very nice. One disturbing trend we noticed is how much room second heads take up. A 40 footer with 2 heads actually has less space than a 38 footer with one head. I would have to come lots of reasons for a second head to give up so much space. Next we hit the Moody 38 and the Hylas 46. These were side by side and were both center cockpits. Along with a Dehler (about 40 foot) these were the only center cockpit boats at the show. We explored the Moody so long that we got asked to leave so other people come visit the boat. The Moody was SO COMFORTABLE below. We just felt at home. If we sold the house, cars and our neighbors' houses and moved on a boat full time. It could definitely be that Moody. The Hylas was very nice but I would be afraid to take it out in the weather. We asked a few people in line the second day that we visited the Hylas, what they thought it cost. No one guessed under half a million. Many guessed over 600 thousand. It was $380,000 bare and the salesman said that most owners put about $60,000!!! in options on her to total a sail-away price of $440,000. The Dehler was my wife's "Price is no object" favorite boat of the show. I think it is from Holland. Very nice woodwork and cabinetry. I don't care for engine layout but if I could afford the boat I could have mechanical work done for me. We both liked the Jeanneau 40 but felt we could settle for the 37 which is almost as nice. Engine setup is the best of the entire show, bar none. Every manufacturer should look at J's engine cover and especially the thru-hull setup of the 37. All thru-hulls in one spot, under a panel in front of the companionway steps. Beautiful! A favorite of us both has always been the Island Packet. There was one at the show (I'm doing this from memory without any notes). I think it was a 44. We just like the color and sturdiness of the breed. Also very comfortable to sit around on. (Second boat in the show that we got thrown off of) You could see the obvious differences between the coastal cruising boats(CC) vs the ocean travelers(OT). The OTs have small companionways with high bridge decks to keep out the green water. The interiors seem cramped to a Hunter owners. Lots of storage but most of it hard to get to. No surfaces to lay things. A true cocoon. The CCs were easy to enter with wide companionways and big open spaces below and no claustrophobic berths. More like home, with a place for a microwave oven and tv. Different strokes, etc. There were Tartans, C
My wife and I and another couple just returned from Chicago a couple of hours ago. We spent Friday touring the boats, Saturday in seminars and Sunday finishing up the boats and the booths. The weather was great. We stayed at the Holiday Inn City Center on Ohio at Fairbanks. One block South, we caught the Navy Pier Trolley for a free ride to the show. If you ride the Trolley all the way to the East end of the Pier, it lets you off right by the ticket booths and coat check for the Show. We purchased discount tickets at Boat/US for $8 each (they had run out of two-day tickets). Coat check is $1.50. We like to come on Friday, it started on Thursday, because the Show is very lightly attended during the week and you can get on the boats without waiting for half an hour. We hit the Hunters right away because we own a Hunter 31. Our dealer had a 356 and 410 at the show. The 356 is grand. My wife loved the layout and I loved the engine access. The galley is on the starboard which we prefer. Our friends own a Hunter 34 so they were more interested in the 386 which was so new the dealers didn't have any brochures. There were half a dozen Hunters bigger than 30 feet. I think there were 3 trailerable Hunters. Next we went to see the Gibsea 37 and Dufour 36 models displayed by Racine Riverside Marine. Both are French boats. The most outstanding feature of both were the cube shaped plastic holding tanks located in the rear lazaret. They are secure and accessible. They look like the future. Then we visited the Catalinas, which seem to be Hunter's closest rival. Our favorite inside layout was in the new 310. It has a "Pedestal bed" in the v-berth. It looks so comfortable to us. We can't wait to see the coming 350 than is rumored to have the same layout. The 310 also has the raw water thru-hull, valve and filter right in front of the engine. Very accessible and only 10 inches of hose between the filter and the pump on the Yanmar 2GM20F. Love it. On all of the French boats except the Jeanneau, the raw water valve is almost unreachable. Their salesmen say "there is no reason to turn off the raw water at the thru-hull". Or "Huh?". We have always loved the the Beneteaus since a charter with the Moorings in the BVI on a Beneteau 432. Their new models (they showed 6 or so also) are still very nice. One disturbing trend we noticed is how much room second heads take up. A 40 footer with 2 heads actually has less space than a 38 footer with one head. I would have to come lots of reasons for a second head to give up so much space. Next we hit the Moody 38 and the Hylas 46. These were side by side and were both center cockpits. Along with a Dehler (about 40 foot) these were the only center cockpit boats at the show. We explored the Moody so long that we got asked to leave so other people come visit the boat. The Moody was SO COMFORTABLE below. We just felt at home. If we sold the house, cars and our neighbors' houses and moved on a boat full time. It could definitely be that Moody. The Hylas was very nice but I would be afraid to take it out in the weather. We asked a few people in line the second day that we visited the Hylas, what they thought it cost. No one guessed under half a million. Many guessed over 600 thousand. It was $380,000 bare and the salesman said that most owners put about $60,000!!! in options on her to total a sail-away price of $440,000. The Dehler was my wife's "Price is no object" favorite boat of the show. I think it is from Holland. Very nice woodwork and cabinetry. I don't care for engine layout but if I could afford the boat I could have mechanical work done for me. We both liked the Jeanneau 40 but felt we could settle for the 37 which is almost as nice. Engine setup is the best of the entire show, bar none. Every manufacturer should look at J's engine cover and especially the thru-hull setup of the 37. All thru-hulls in one spot, under a panel in front of the companionway steps. Beautiful! A favorite of us both has always been the Island Packet. There was one at the show (I'm doing this from memory without any notes). I think it was a 44. We just like the color and sturdiness of the breed. Also very comfortable to sit around on. (Second boat in the show that we got thrown off of) You could see the obvious differences between the coastal cruising boats(CC) vs the ocean travelers(OT). The OTs have small companionways with high bridge decks to keep out the green water. The interiors seem cramped to a Hunter owners. Lots of storage but most of it hard to get to. No surfaces to lay things. A true cocoon. The CCs were easy to enter with wide companionways and big open spaces below and no claustrophobic berths. More like home, with a place for a microwave oven and tv. Different strokes, etc. There were Tartans, C
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Michael O'
Reporter's notes/Strictly Sail Chicago
One of the best Midwest mid-winter escapes continues to be the Strictly Sail-Chicago Show. This year was no exception. As usual, Hunter was very well represented. So were Beneteau, Catalina, and Jeaneau with several models from each builder on hand for inspection. There was one Dufour, Gib'Sea, Tartan, Island Packet on the floor. A few highlights: -Hunter's new 356 was a big hit, especially the impressive interior volume of the boat. I was not as impressed with the sail plan, molded toe rail instead of aluminum, and tiny track for jib cars. -Beneteau's new 393 was getting lots of traffic. Big boat with lovely interior for about $159k. I found it odd that the companionway access to the engine could only be raised about 2 1/2 feet off the floor. -Fantasy boats -Dehler 41 DS. Made in Germany, this is a beautiful machine with few flaws and many clever touches. Price about $259K, add another $5K for air conditioning. This deck salon version has 2nd set of engine controls at nav station below for those really cold days on the Great Lakes. Engine access takes time and a good screw driver. -Hylas 46 cc This is another "wow" boat. Built for blue water, it's solid, brawny, and made in Taiwan. Priced around $379K and designed by German Frers, interior by owner Dick Jachney. And if you've got the money, Dick will listen to your special requests! -Moody 38 This is a very pretty 38 footer that costs a pretty penny ($239K). Fit and finish below is lovely. Made in England. Companionway steps are too steep for my taste. I'd also recommend looking for a used Moody 36 before buying the new 38 model. --Gear-- You can spend an entire day checking out the booths and displays for just sailing gear at this show. -Harken makes sure they represent their product line well at this show. You have questions, they have guys from the factory that know everything. -Garhauer is the best value for sailing hardware around. Great quality at half the price. Very nice family that owns the company. -Edson continues to battle Whitlock for control of the pedestal market. They have competitive prices on all their gear. But I had to smile at the deluxe carbon fiber wheels for $3-6K! -Electronics Furuno really wants to take on Raymarine in the radar battle. It was great hearing the sales pitch from each side. Bottom line, quality is going up and prices are going down. I love high tech becoming more affordable for sailors with average budgets. -Clothing Henri-Lloyd had huge booth, and Musto had major display. Best value seemed to be the Jeantex gear. German company making breathable, waterproof coats and pants that cost less than other brands. -Wish list Someday I'd like to see Swan, Morris, Hinckley, Alden, Najad, Tayana, and Taswell send one boat to this show.
One of the best Midwest mid-winter escapes continues to be the Strictly Sail-Chicago Show. This year was no exception. As usual, Hunter was very well represented. So were Beneteau, Catalina, and Jeaneau with several models from each builder on hand for inspection. There was one Dufour, Gib'Sea, Tartan, Island Packet on the floor. A few highlights: -Hunter's new 356 was a big hit, especially the impressive interior volume of the boat. I was not as impressed with the sail plan, molded toe rail instead of aluminum, and tiny track for jib cars. -Beneteau's new 393 was getting lots of traffic. Big boat with lovely interior for about $159k. I found it odd that the companionway access to the engine could only be raised about 2 1/2 feet off the floor. -Fantasy boats -Dehler 41 DS. Made in Germany, this is a beautiful machine with few flaws and many clever touches. Price about $259K, add another $5K for air conditioning. This deck salon version has 2nd set of engine controls at nav station below for those really cold days on the Great Lakes. Engine access takes time and a good screw driver. -Hylas 46 cc This is another "wow" boat. Built for blue water, it's solid, brawny, and made in Taiwan. Priced around $379K and designed by German Frers, interior by owner Dick Jachney. And if you've got the money, Dick will listen to your special requests! -Moody 38 This is a very pretty 38 footer that costs a pretty penny ($239K). Fit and finish below is lovely. Made in England. Companionway steps are too steep for my taste. I'd also recommend looking for a used Moody 36 before buying the new 38 model. --Gear-- You can spend an entire day checking out the booths and displays for just sailing gear at this show. -Harken makes sure they represent their product line well at this show. You have questions, they have guys from the factory that know everything. -Garhauer is the best value for sailing hardware around. Great quality at half the price. Very nice family that owns the company. -Edson continues to battle Whitlock for control of the pedestal market. They have competitive prices on all their gear. But I had to smile at the deluxe carbon fiber wheels for $3-6K! -Electronics Furuno really wants to take on Raymarine in the radar battle. It was great hearing the sales pitch from each side. Bottom line, quality is going up and prices are going down. I love high tech becoming more affordable for sailors with average budgets. -Clothing Henri-Lloyd had huge booth, and Musto had major display. Best value seemed to be the Jeantex gear. German company making breathable, waterproof coats and pants that cost less than other brands. -Wish list Someday I'd like to see Swan, Morris, Hinckley, Alden, Najad, Tayana, and Taswell send one boat to this show.
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Steve Growcock
Chicago - Strictly Sail Show
As I waited in line to catch a peak at the Jeaneaus, I noticed a 43 footer had SOLD written on the side of it. I asked the dealer how sales were for the show. He mentioned they expect to sell 2 or 3 boats during the show, they had already sold four, two of them the 43 footers and had several more coming back for a second look to decide on the model they wanted. The 43s were on sale for $300K and change. If I only brought my checkbook... Steve!
As I waited in line to catch a peak at the Jeaneaus, I noticed a 43 footer had SOLD written on the side of it. I asked the dealer how sales were for the show. He mentioned they expect to sell 2 or 3 boats during the show, they had already sold four, two of them the 43 footers and had several more coming back for a second look to decide on the model they wanted. The 43s were on sale for $300K and change. If I only brought my checkbook... Steve!
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