The Perfect Sailboat...

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

The perfect sailboat DOES NOT EXIST - and thank god or I would be stuck with a boat that looks and sails like every other schmuck who is stupid enough to piss his or her money away on such a poor investment...

The perfect marriage DOES NOT EXIST - or we would not have the pleasure of going to the pub and bitching about our respective spouses bad habits and annoying bits - while assured they are doing the same at the same time with same friends in a different locale...

The perfect house DOES NOT EXIST - or we would not have the pleasure of reading the daily 'to do' list laid out (I am a married male) by our wives - nor the pleasure of walk abouts looking at bits of timber that the bank boy would scoff at...

The perfect anything DOES NOT EXIST - life in total is a series of compromises and educated guesses - and ultimately a grand leap of faith buttered with personal lies of - 'I know I am right' - and - 'it is the best I can do for now' - however those lies hold some truth...

THE BEST WE CAN DO FOR NOW - is ultimately a statement of faith and a holding to any ideal we believe ourselves worthy of applying the hours when our eyes are open and our minds are conscious - conscious of the budget - the time - the idiots we have to deal with - and the ones who are more important than same...

So there - until Nirvanah grants me my eight legged horse - my broad sword - and a Raven to fly ahead of me to pluck the eyeballs out of my enemies skulls - I have my wits - my whiskey - my wife and my friends - my tired old plastic boat - a few scattered dreams - and one lifetime in which to learn - and more importantly one lifetime in which to learn when to make amends...

BUT THEN - there is this little 'Blue Jacket' Motor Sailer - anyone know anything about it - designer or builder - would be much appreciated....

YUP...

SH.

[Wynand N]

Hi Sean,

You're the man. Who is that Confucius fella?

Wynand N

[B. Hamm]

Oh I don't know, the perfect boat for every use most certainly doesn't exist, but there are perfect boats for certain people for their particular uses. Otherwise we'd have a whole bunch of unemployed NA's around.

Bill H.

[B. Hamm]

Btw, with that motorsailor, are you sure it's not a one off? Looks from the pictures an awful lot like a standard catboat hull with a big house built on it.

Bill H.

[Tad]

Sean,

The Bluejacket 23 MS was built by Collingwood Yachts in, amazingly, Collingwood, Ontario in the mid 80's.

The hull is Bill Garden's design, originaly called "James W. Hart" and I believe that the hull mold was built in BC, perhaps at Philbrook's. It went to Ontario along with the Saturna 33 tools.

The Hart/Bluejacket hull is 23' LOA, 20' LWL, 10' beam, draft is 2'3" and I don't know if they included the centerboard. Don't think so. Designed displacement was 6000 pounds, original ballast was to be 1400 pounds for 420 sq. ft. of sail. The Bluejacket was butchered to 1000 pounds of ballast with 228 sq. ft. of sail.

The Hart was a real sailing catboat, but that monster sail had 3 sets of reef points that needed use. Many years ago I was aboard one of these in Buccaneer Bay that a young family was living aboard. They had plenty of space, despite the fact that you could not stand up. Thus the addition of the pilothouse for the Bluejacket.

All the best, Tad

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

Just what I needed to know...

This boat looks very like what is in my head just now...

Sh.

[Noel Fernandez]

Hello Sean,
I read about the Bluejacket 23 ten years ago in Small Boat Journal. Right after reading the article one came up for sale here in Florida. I almost went to look at it but it was some distance away and I didn't go. I remember it was on a trailer and had a diesel and was reasonably priced--I think $8,000.

Recently, I have been looking into the William Garden design "Family Cat" (same as the James W. Hart) which was built by Bill Boyd Boats in Victoria, British Columbia in the late 1970's.
As I was researching, I discovered that the Bluejacket hull was the same as the James W. Hart.

At any rate, the "Family Cat" is a striking boat with all its curves and reverse transom---what a looker!

I think 13 of the Family Cats were manufactured and then the tooling was sent to Collingwood Yachts where they converted it to a pilothouse motorsailer.

I tried to find Collingwood Yachts on the net to find out how many Bluejackets were made but I had no luck---maybe they are out of business.

Thanks for those pictures!--Noel

[OrionsSword]

Perfect is the ultimate insult it means you can do no better.
Any who I believe Colingwood yachts is still in business but they may have been bought out or moved.
Orion

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by OrionsSword

Perfect is the ultimate insult it means you can do no better.

That's why we call ourselves "practicing" yacht designers...

[FAST FRED]

"That's why we call ourselves "practicing" yacht designers... "

The folks "practicing " medicine worry me a lot more!!!

FAST FRED

[B. Hamm]

Medicine like boat design is an inexact science, so we both are practicing

Bill H.

[Ridaley]

Hi Gents,
I thought the NorSea 26 the perfect pocket MS until I saw Sean's images of the Bluewater 23 MS. I'd like to get a close up look at one. Any suggestions?
There were ony 12 NorSeas built. Any ideas on how many Bluejackets were built?
Know of any available?
Ridaley

[Vega]

Originally Posted by Ridaley

Hi Gents,
I thought the NorSea 26 the perfect pocket MS until I saw Sean's images of the Bluewater 23 MS. Ridaley

If you like pocket MS, take a look at this one:


http://www.degeroe.com/segelyacht/31ds-home.htm

It is not so small, but considering that it is designed as an oceangoing boat and that it is a reasonable fast boat, I find it quite amazing.

[Ridaley]

Vega,

You are right, it is an exceptional Pocket MS. My last boat was a US Yachts 35 Pilot House Sloop. A bit more than Pocket but a great sailer. We always managed to lead a fleet of Catalina 36's on the highest point.

Now, smaller is better. 26 is good but 23 is better at my age. I reluctantly would settle for a 20, but Pocket MS's aren't plentiful at that size. And since Sean opened my eyes to the Bluejacket, I'm like the deer in the headlights.
My heart is set on a Bluejacket...but then, I was always fickle.

Ridaley

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

I will do my best to find the sight I got those photos from - yup...

Also http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/sh...cat/500/page/1 ...

Or http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/sh...cat/500/page/5 ...

Or http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/sh...sort/1/cat/500 ...

Just some drunken doodles...

Cheers....

SH.