Are mariner sailboats any good?
As one of the first affordable, trailerable fiberglass sailboats, the Mariner has been popular on lakes and protected bays every since. With its roomy cockpit, wide-beamed stability, and easy sailing characteristics, the Mariner deserves its reputation and is still among the best general-purpose sailboats of its size.
Is a ketch better than a sloop?
In basic terms, a ketch can carry more sail area than a sloop, but with smaller sails and a greater range of combinations that are easily managed shorthanded. As Glanville noted, a ketch can “turn up and down” (upwind and downwind), “go to and fro” (tacking, presumably) “almost with any wind” (in all conditions).
What is a staysail ketch?
With the total sail area split between 3 sails (or 4 in the staysail ketch version shown below), sail handling is easier for a shorthanded crew than it would be on a sloop of similar size. Some ketches, particularly larger ones like this one sport a cutter rig and are then known as a ‘staysail ketch’.
What is the benefit of a ketch?
Advantages of a Ketch Ketches have smaller sails. These sails are more easily managed and hoisted on a larger boat, which is why ketches are preferred by many older sailors. Using only two sails at a time provides multiple options for managing different sailing conditions, such as strong winds.
Can you sail a ketch solo?
Overall, a ketch is widely recognized as one of the best types of sailboats for long-distance solo cruising. There are many reasons why that is so and we will go through them one by one below. However, some of its biggest reasons are that it is incredibly comfortable to handle, operate, maneuver, and ride in.
What is the slowest point of sail?
Run/Downwind You’re on a run when you sail directly downwind. The wind comes over from the back of the board. This is the slowest point of sail for windsurfers.
What is a Mariner 31?
The MARINER 31 was the first fiberglass hull built by Far East Yachts. The decks and cabintrunk were of plywood covered with fiberglass. Similar to MARINER 32 and FUJI 32.
How many H-31 boats were made?
About 100 H-31s were built, Herreshoff recalled. The company also produced an H-27, H-38 and an H-45, but the H-31 outsold them all. We had plans for even bigger boats, said Herreshoff, but they never got built. Originally, the boats (including almost half of the H-31s) were cold-molded of mahogany plies with wooden spars.
What is a cat ketch rig?
The garvies of Barnegat Bay typically had twin sprit sails fore and aft. The majority of New Haven sharpies from as early as the 1830s were cat ketches. The rig tended to keep cost, complexity and the center of effort low, and that made it a natural for small working boats.