Frank,
got on to a John Williams boat builder site who had some pix of a BP 24 hull, but like you say, he was framing it out all in wood. Wonder if Joel White drew up a design for an Ariel style cruising cabin?
How about a race head to head on a windy day with a
Commander?
A brand new Commander built today to the same specs would net out just about the same, about 40 grand, wooden you say?
Ebb...me thinks a commander would cost more,simply because of wieght. The BP24 is 4000lbs ,boats cost builders 'by the pound' for materials, so I'd be guessin..just guessin..that a new commander would be higher.....unless 'God forbid' Hunter cranked one out.As to a race..me thinks it would be a close one..BP24 a little lighter...ours -a lil more sail erea.
Last edited by frank durant; 10-15-2005 at 04:13 PM.
Yer right, a brand new Commander would be worth more. We might want to engineer the scantlings down and separate the rudder from the keel. Use stainless for everything including the rudder post and work in an enclosed head.
Maybe somebody could handicap the race between the BP and the Commander if they didn't think the match was fair. Is Joel White with us?
I'm afraid both Carl and Joel are debating this right now....else where.Joel designed some very fine yachts and was a great artist ...painted some fine nautical portraits too.
How much would these boats cost if they were built today?
The Cape Dory 25D is fairly similar to the Ariel.
When Cape Dory went out of business, they sold the molds to Octavia Marine. They planned to build the "Octavia 25" and sell it for $62,000. This was somewhere around 1997.
A shame!
Have to be rich to afford a salty retro, keep it in a marina, join a yacht club, have the daysailer put on the hard Sunday afternoon by the staff, and wash it down.
These days the best selling cruising sailboat is the Macgreggor 26, for a paltry $19,999. It's trailerable, has standing headroom, and can go 22mph (doesn't come in knots). It has zero relationship to the CD26, and looks like a gient cell phone.
An Alerion appeals to the sailor in us, the Mac to genetically modified humanoids.
I worked for Roger Macgreggor on the 65' "daysailor" many years ago as the asembly foreman. l learned quite a bit about boat construction and how to do or not do. At night I took a few classes on yacht design from Crealock and other Pacific Seacraft designers. Needless to say Roger did not agree with my suggestions on how to build a better boat. We parted ways but the skills and knowledge gained from working for a production boatbuilder helps with my new Commander projects.
He does fill a niche very well and has made a very nice living. His daughter and son in law taught me to sail and introduced me to racing on their Burns 30 "Skidoo" which was featured in "Woodenboat" #81. When it came time to own another boat affter my Thistle I chose a 40 year old Commander for it lines and solid construction.
I got to sail on one of those Mac 65's for a couple of races , I think the Ariel has more beam , but gawd those 65's hauled ass . Hunter made a long skinny boat like the 65 Mac.
The first Harbor 25 is supposed to be launched this spring. And the price is already up to about 65K, once they figured out the cost to actually build them, plus about 10K in "options".
That overhead view in #24 shows what could be a rear deck, it's under that deck I'd have the saildrive. Less noise, more access. Like the Ariel it would make a lot more room below, right where you need it. I'd put the galley back at the companion way too.
No front hatch seems strange. Can you be comfortable in a boat without one? With some modification, a hatch with high and slanted coamings might be designed that would have the lid slide without lifting up on the front of the cabin. More headroom below. And air.
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