cheaper alternative to Pogo 10.50?

[brixvold]

Hi,

I've been quietly lurking in the shadows of these fora for some time and have had quite good time doing so.

My main reason for ending up in this place is that I'm looking for a seaworthy boat that is not to slow, for sailing solo, eventually long distance. Ideally I might consider a not to aging racer design that again, can be trusted with say the Atlantic.
I'm not to keen on long keeled boats, sure they are trustworthy and stable but generally way to slow for my liking. Not to mention slow to react to the rudder.

Are there any particular designs I should consider, seeing that Pogo's are hard to come buy without shelling out quite a lot.
I even contemplated buying a mini transat but I believe they maybe a bit to small for any comfort and maybe just a bit too over rigged? but then again I haven't sailed one.

[brixvold]

are all planing sailboats in this size frowned upon?

[fastwave]

have a look at the figaros. The MkI should be going cheap now. Rigged for solo racing and if in good condition they should be good enough

[RHP]

There are lots of fast and reasonably priced production boats such as the X Yacht range (made in Denmark!) which will be more stable and forgiving than a more extreme Pogo style yacht when sailing long distance singlehanded.

Better interior as well.

[brixvold]

aahhh kindness
thanks for giving me some options.

Regarding the figaro as I read it the same hull has been used in subsequent first offerings, so what's the advantage in the figaro? the water ballast?
The x-yachts aren't that cheap actually, unless you know something I don't
I don't really mind a very spartan interior as long as the necessities are covered.

[Omeron]

I think a self tacking jib is a big plus if you intend to single hand the boat most of the time.
Suggest, look at HANSE yachts. I sailed a chartered 342 for a week last month. Very easy to handle, reasonably fast, ok quality, and priced reasonably as well.
Mind you the jib on this boat was a lot smaller than the published drawings suggest. And a bit small to my liking. Under 12 Knots true, it lost a lot of power. But anything above, it was like driving a car. It makes you go into small coves, tack your way up into areas where you would not otherwise bother going into, as you would be exhausted in releasing the jib and taking it in on the other side.

[RHP]

X Yachts arent cheap I agree but are cheapoer than a Pogo!

There are a number of sporty production boats to look at which will be kinder on your wallter.

[Crag Cay]

In Europe, you will find that for these sorts of boats around the 9 to 10 metre size, prices vary as to whether the particular design meets CAT A in the RCD. Many of the traditional short handed races are insisting on a minimum STIX of 32.

This generally means a minimum length around 9.50m and a displacement of 3T+. Boats like the Figaro 1, Open/Whitbread 30s and the J92 fall below this. The Figaro 2, Class 9,50 and new Sunfast 320 have been introduced with this cut off in mind.

If you have no interest in entering organised events, then some of these 'excluded' designs can offer good value (the usual caveat emptor applies to buying any old race boat). I even think that the Figaro 1 that won the last Jester Trans Atlantic Challenge has just come on the market. ( http://www.stw.fr/forumSTW/quest_ans...d=166&st_row=1 ) (or email him in English for details: sterenn.andlauer@yahoo.fr)

Your shortlist should also include this Phil Morrison One -off.

http://brixham.boatshed.com/cruiser_...oat-43276.html

I believe it's sale is related to a divorce settlement and now belongs to the party that doesn't like boats! However I understand that although it is a one-off, the owner has paid for it to be RCD categorised and it has passed CAT A. (This is from a broker and they are . . . at best inclined to an optimistic view of the boating world).

I believe the asking price has recently been reduced again to 25k GBPs.

[grevill]

The Pogo 10.50 does look just perfect... I wonder how much success it will have being so pricey. Maybe in a few years there will be more boats like this on the market. I know I'm not the only one who'd like to see that!

My friend has a mini, its a very nice bit of kit.. but by the time you fill it with kit... you really now how small it is! (not too mention the horror stories... Falling off it etc)

[u4ea32]

You did not mention how much you want to spend, how fit you are, if you are going to take anyone along with you.

If the answers are "as little as possible, quite fit, and no, I'll get all the action I can handle along the way" then there are a lot of possibilities that can get you going for almost no money whatsoever.

Consider how Captain Bligh got to Singapore after being dumped into a dinghy near Tahiti. Consider the many ocean voyages in Drascomb Luggers, such as across the Atlantic by Geoff Stewart, across the Pacific by Webb Chiles, and David Pyle sailing from England to Australia.

A friend of mine bought an old wooden 26 foot lapstrake folkboat. He pulled the frozen diesel engine out and dropped it over the side into the cold waters of Wales. He loaded up with canned stew. He sailed to France. Pulled the boat through the canals to the Med. Sailed around the Med. Pulled it back through France. Sailed to the Caribbean. Sailed back to the Med. Back to the Caribbean. Through the Panama Canal. To the Galapagos. To all the islands in the South Pacific he had never heard of. Then down around Cape Horn. Falklands. Up the Amazon. Back to the Caribbean. Finally to the Azores.

I think he spent $6000 total over three years -- including buying the boat, all food, all maintenance.

I met an old fellow in Grenada, he was about 80 or 90. The man had been sailing his similar 26 foot folkboat. He started out just day sailing when he left New York, expecting to just go for a weekend, then a week, then a month, ... and was still sailing SEVERAL DECADES later! His tiny boat was light blue with dark blue trim, just a perfect little boat.

Originally Posted by u4ea32

I think he spent $6000 total over three years -- including buying the boat, all food, all maintenance..

Nice tale, but a tale. Never you can live on 6000 US$ for three years passagemaking, no matter how spartanic you live. Let alone purchase and maintenance of the boat!

A tale..........

btw. this thread was dead for over two years!