need some advice

[girvin]

I found a boat I am interested in. I want to use it to cruise and do a bit of surf exploration. I am worried about the shoal draft it was design with flopper stopers so I would add those and maybe a small junk rig for get home power. could anybody tell me if this boat can handle bad weather and passagemaking. I am a captain on the west coast of vancouver island and am in some shitty weather most days, the draft worried me.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1997.../United-States

[narwhal]

What do you mean by surf exploration?

This is a beautiful ship, in my opinion adding flopper stoppers and a junk sail would ruin it. There are plenty of trollers out there in your area, and flopper stoppers would look right at home on one of those. Some of those trollers were William Garden designs like the one in the ad, and may have his beautiful sense of proportion.

As to the junk rig, is that your best alternative for get home? Get home from where, specifically? If you're to be cruising among the islands, would a small get home engine serve you better?

[Landlubber]

naewhal......yep to all of that.......

[girvin]

I am a surfboard shaper by trade and I run boat for a company up here. surf exploration is going to out of the way places and checkign reefs and points for good surf. the design called for flopstoppers in the original plans. what I am trying to figure out if the hull will be good in bad weather with such a shoal draft.as for the junk rig it may not suit everyone but I like them and they are alot cheaper than adding a lugger and shaft and prop to the boat.

[Tad]

gervin.......

Yes, with the shallow draft in the listing (if true) stability would be a concern. But nothing can be said about the stability from looking at pictures. At the very least you can do a rolling period test when you go to look at her and see if she falls into Transport Canada's guideline requirements. See this for procedure. http://www.tc.gc.ca/publications/EN/...HR/TP7301E.pdf

Before you buy the boat hire a NA to look at it and advise.

[girvin]

Thanks Tad, I wish I had the money for your passagemaker lite. Then I could just have the baot I want instead of trying to find something used.