A famous designer makes the case for fractional rigs Issue 41 : Mar/Apr 2005 In the November 2004 issue I touched on the history of the sloops and cutters of two centuries ago and discussed the change...
A designer’s view of Trina and her offspring Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005 BILL SHAW’S SWEET LITTLE TRINA HAS LONG BEEN ONE OF MY favorite small yacht designs. From her yawl rig to her keel/centerboard hull...
Comparing a classic bluewater cruiser with three rivals Issue 41 : Mar/Apr 2005 The Bob Perry-designed Tayana 37 has long been considered one of the classic bluewater cruisers in her size range, as ha...
How a naval architect shapes the boat’s bathroom Issue 42 : May/Jun 2005 As any sailor knows, the term of sailing ships when men were men and the crew’s rude toilet was a hole open to the seas, right ...
Here’s what makes a boat turn turtle — and recover Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 A few weeks ago, a relatively inexperienced sailor told me he and his wife were planning to retire. They plan to do some exte...
A designer compares four classic coastal cruisers Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 The Bristol 29.9 and three similar yachts examined here were designed during the 1970s as coastal cruisers and club racers. I ...
It’s a classic beauty, but plenty tough Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 I didn’t feel it fair to compare the Cape Dory 25 to today’s fin-keel/spade-rudder offerings, so I included the venerable Fo...
How changes can affect the strength of a rig Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 In recent weeks I’ve had several inquiries from boatowners asking for advice on mast rigging. Their questions prompted me to write ...
A shoal-draft schooner for family cruising Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 Finding three similar boats for comparison purposes is never simple, but finding three to compare with a keel/centerboard schooner wa...
Four very similar 30-footers Issue 47 : Mar/Apr 2006 I try to select similar boats for my comparisons, but this time I seem to have selected four peas from the same pod. There certainly are more simil...
Ted Brewer compares three well-known circumnavigators Issue 49 : Jul/Aug 2006 It will be the rare reader of Good Old Boat who has not heard of Captain Joshua Slocum and his famous yacht, Spray. Howeve...
Ferrari or Maserati of the water Issue 50 : Sept/Oct 2006 Because the Ranger 28 followed closely on the heels of Gary Mull’s very successful Ranger 29 design, it seems obvious that Ranger Yachts told ...
Four basic elements of yacht design Issue 52: Jan/Feb 2007 WE ALL HAVE TO FACE THE FACT that there is no such thing as the perfect sailing yacht, with the possible exception of the one you just bought...
Three of the most brilliant stars of 20th-century yachting Issue 52: Jan/Feb 2007 WHAT CAN ANYONE SAY ABOUT A LEGEND? FINISTERRE: length overall: 38 feet 6 inches; length waterline: 27 feet 6 inches; ...
A comparison of Allegra and three rivals Issue 51 : Nov/Dec 2006 These four small yachts have all proved to be very capable bluewater cruisers with many long ocean passages to their credit. Several of...
Comparing 30-footers: Ted’s “Brewernalysis” Issue 53 : Mar/Apr 2007 Initially, I was thoroughly confused about the Islander 30 Mk II and the Islander Bahama 30, but I finally determined that the Mk II...
It’s versatile, efficient, and above all, handsome Issue 54 : May/Jun 2007 The schooner rig is considered to be distinctively North American. There is even a stale old story of how the name came to be...
Examining the pros and cons of four different boats Issue 55 : Jul/Aug 2007 This is a very unusual comparison, as these four boats have all been owned by Warren Milberg at different times. It would be...
Four family-sailers Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 In the September 2006 issue of Good Old Boat, I reviewed four other boats in the 28-foot/29-foot size range: the Ranger 28, Ranger 29, Islander 28, and Sabr...
A famous designer tells how yachts have changed Issue 61: July/Aug 2008 In honor of Good Old Boat’s 10th anniversary, I thought it would be interesting to look back over the changes in small-boat desi...
Comparisons with the competition Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 For this comparison I’ve selected four examples of fast light- and ultra-light-displacement yachts from some of North America’s top designers. ...
Comparing three popular centerboard cruiser/racers Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 These three yachts were designed as cruiser/racers under the influence of the Cruising Club of America rule. The Olin Stephen...
A comparative review of a Cuthbertson classic Issue 62 : Sept/Oct 2008 I’m greatly indebted to my friend and mentor, George Cuthbertson, for giving me my start in the sailboat business more than 50 ye...
A noted designer tells what makes a boat seakindly Issue 62 : Sept/Oct 2008 In all the books I have studied about yacht design and the sea, there has been very little written about seakindliness. Many...
An inexpensive and economical cruiser/racer Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 After the success of the revolutionary fin-hull/spade-rudder Cal 40 in 1963, it was inevitable that Bill Lapworth would create simil...
She’s just as fit for bluewater cruising as for club racing Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 Olin Stephens pioneered the fast keel/centerboard (k/cb) ocean racer in the 1950s, beginning with the famous Finiste...
Compact craft with offshore ambitions Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 The three boats in this group — the Pacific Seacraft 25, the Bristol 24, and the Francis 26 — represent very different approaches to desig...
A look at three long-waterline cruiser/racers Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 I had some difficulty finding two designs to compare to the very-long-waterline Tartan 33, actually a 34 by almost any standards ...
Comparing the Ericson Cruising 31 with two close rivals Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 First, I have to admit that I intensely dislike the appearance of trailboards on a sailing yacht with a bald (no bowspri...
Three boats built expressly for speed and fun Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 George Olson designed one of the first successful ultralight-displacement boats (ULDBs), the one-off 24-footer Grendel, in 1970. I...
