yacht categories.. and gib sea 33, comments please

[Norman_E]

I have a much better system, just scrap the RCD. Even better scrap all the Eurocrats, and the EU with them.

[LadyInBed]

[ QUOTE ]
i want a safe boat that will look after my family should i get caught out

[/ QUOTE ] Nearly all boats will do that, if you know how to handle the boat. The people on board will normally bottle out before the boat does.
You can only get 'caught out' if you are intending longish say >4 day nonstop passages or you can't understand a weather forecast.
[ QUOTE ]
have a decent size engine

[/ QUOTE ] Doesn't matter what size the engine is if you don't maintain it or can't fix basic problems while at sea.
[ QUOTE ]
also have good performance that is easy short handed

[/ QUOTE ] Ah! Do you mean - will lean over a bit when the wife isn't on board [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[kengill]

The two best boats made by Gibsea IMHO were the 96 Master and the 352 Master. I have the 96 'cos the rear quarter berth is longer.

I've been caught out in a force 11 in my old 84 and she popped around quite happily dodging breaking wave crests and sailing comfortably under fully reefed mainsil only. I've been out in gales in my 96 and raced a charter 96 in a gale in the baltic where she coped perfectly with the short choppy seas.

Lots of people comment on how dry the cockpit is in a blow
the only problem with the 96 is they are difficult to get hold of. We took three years of being pipped to the post before we finally got Vitality - and then we only beat the competition by five minutes!!

The great advantage is that a good one will only set you back about £40k and leave lots over for an update.

The 96 is cat 1 i.e. up to 150 miles offshore - not ocean crossing which is cat O as I remember.

Have fun looking and don't settle for something almost good enough if it'll take too much to adapt to you.

Fair winds
ken

[bobgoode]

Forget about the RCD..it is a blunt tool with too many caveats, as the above posts indicate. Blag a sail on some and see how YOU feel about their handling. I chose mine SO32 when I realised my daughter, nine, could make a decent fist of steering in 12 kts of wind whilst I dark a cuppa.
The Bav has lots of room but is uninspiring to sail. The Gib will sail a bit better but the helm is set way too far aft for my tastes, however you may find that a plus point. I totally agree about offshore capability, these sort

[webcraft]

[ QUOTE ]
Both might be capably of it with the right equipment, weather and crew but it is not what they are for.


[/ QUOTE ] but . . . many ocean crossings have been made by boats which were not designed for that purpose.

In fact, if we look at the total market versus the number of boats that cross oceans then in truth NONE of them are strictly made solely for that purpose. Too small a market.

- Nick

[fastjedi]

Don't know about the Bav 34 ... but we had a Sunsail Gib33 for a week in 2002. I didn't find it as rewarding to sail as the S.O 34.2 we had in the previous year. It also had some annouying features, can't remember them all. Some may have been down to the actual yacht (stretchy main sheet made it difficult to keep the head of the main at the top of the mast + lots of vibes from the sail drive) others were poor design (boom fell away to leeward because of the silly mainsheet arrangement on the coachroof + couldn't empty the shower tray w/o sitting a heavy crew member on the gunwhale + helm seat was a pain) Having said that it coped with a day of force 6 better than the crew and we won the Flotilla race, crossing the line ahead of a 411 with a very serious crew. At the time that was based almost exclusively on Laser racing techniques.

Would I buy one as a family cruiser? .... eeeerrrr, yes I think so.

[KREW2]

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I've been caught out in a force 11 in my old 84 and she popped around quite happily

[/ QUOTE ]
Are you refering to a Gib'sea 84 I have one, and been out in winds of no more than 7/8, however I read that they can become skittish if it gets any stronger. Your account is reassuring