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Thinking of going plastic.
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Im thinking of selling my lovely gentle warm Eventide and buy a fast plastic old Westerly Tiger,the Westerly is older than my Eventide,have i had too much sun in the last week?what to do? 
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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Heathen
How dare you come on this noble site saying your thinking of buying something from the bottom of a chemist jar......... Tut tut!
Make up for it by putting lots of teak on it to varnish 
Tom
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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I think I'm right in saying that the Tiger is a Centaur with fin keel? In which case, it will probably sail better than your Eventide. On the other hand, you'll loose the shallow draft/drying out capability.
If its a maintenance issue, then you may experience a net benefit (i.e. reduction in time spent) although any elderly Westerly is likely to need a lot of cosmetic attention, with possibly some structural challenges as well (keel bolts and headlinings come immediately to mind) For what its worth, I always find one of the real joys of a wooden boat is that no matter how tired-looking it gets, a modest amount of work will bring it back to looking as good as new. On a GRP boat, however, it is very hard to rejuvenate the looks once the gelcoat wears and fades.
Again another personal view, the Eventide has a timeless elegance about it which on the East coast particularly looks absolutely 'right'. The Tiger, on the other hand, although not an unattractive boat has the firm stylistic stamp of the late '60s/early '70s.
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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Spend a warm summers day below decks in a plastic boat and see if you can put up with the smell of resin! Then row home at sunset and look at your Eventide in the evening light. Make your decision then!
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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I made the same decision 18 months ago, sold (with some difficulty) my nice old Eventide, and bought a Bilge keel Trident 24; some pluses, some minuses, but the great thing is I am afloat already and have been for a month. I never seemed to have the Eventide ready till about mid June - usually because the weather and my Boss combined to prevent me finishing the maintenance till then!
Still hanker occasionally after the Eventide - a truly 'great' boat, and for reasons under boss and SWMBO's control (she has not been well) I havent yet had a chance to try making a decent passage in the Trident, so its a bit of an unknown quantity still. But so far no real regrets.
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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Thank you all.what was i thinking?i have had my Eventide for 6 years now and each haul out she only needs minimum work and antifoul to make her look new, my head was turned by the Tiger last weekend when i went for a sail on her,i was quite impressed by her behavior and general roomyness below,her owner must have seen the twinkle in my eye,because he phoned me last night to say she was for sale at a very good price,but sanity is starting to prevail and my old MG doesnt seem so bad after all,thanks for bringing me to my senses all of you.
Chris.
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curve
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(regular)
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15/05/2008 10:27
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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Easy solution - have both. 
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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And do no sailing at all!
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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I had 3 boats at one stage,before our sailing club went all posh and serious,now the rule is one boat per member. 
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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That wouldn't suit our family at all! Dad had a whole fleet at one stage, 2 timber boats (30 and 33 feet) and a GRP folkboat.
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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The Tiger is not a Centaur with a fin keel, but an earlier design. The Tiger was designed by John Butler, the Centaur by Laurent Giles.
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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Yes your are right,allthough similar in looks to a centaur the Tiger is in fact a streched version of the cirrus.
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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Tiger's do have a good reputation and were the replacement to Denys Rayner's Westerly 25 "cruiser/racer". Believe me, 30 year-old plus GRP boats don't generally smell much of resin - whatever the weather. All the solvents are long gone by then.
I would guess the accom on an Eventide would be better than a Tiger, but the Tiger will sail MUCH better. But if your ply hull is sound I would be most concerned about losing the shoal draft & the ability to dry out. But, then I sail a 31' bilge keel ketch around the Irish Sea sandbanks.
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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Agreed Searush, there is no 'plastic' smell on my boat. Varnish and paint on the trim, engine, and all pervading Prinstead Mud. But I cant smell the plastic.
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Re: Thinking of going plastic.
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Yes she does smell fresh,and the performance is a lot better than my old Eventide,the ability to dry out, mmm i have dried out once in two years and that was to fit a new prop shaft. we tend to anchor or use marinas now,i am in two minds again.In a way i hope he sells it on,problem over for me.
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