Posted: July 10 2007 at 22:30 | IP Logged

Hi,

Mr. Horner is a respected and popular author on many sail boat topics. I am only qualified to comment based on my direct experiences with hull #313 and indirectly by experiences of many other Whitby and Brewer owners. I'm reluctant to "challenge" his opinions and observations, but feel compelled to share my experiences and those of other Whitby and Brewer owners.

It is of interest to note that Jack's "weak points" regarding the Whitby 42 are not present on many, many production Whitbys and Brewers.

It is my understanding that rivets were used during construction to provide structural alignment during manufacture. After bonding of the deck to hull joint, for instance, through bolting was added to many vessels, My Destiny, #313 included. On those not specifically through bolted on the full perimeter, through bolts on 4" intervals occur on every Whitby along the port and starboard head sail tracks. Inspection of numerous Whitby 42s has demonstrated that through bolting was commonly employed and any prospective Whitby owner should verify this to his or her satisfaction.

A structural change was made very early in the Whitby42's production to the mizzen mast base to address compression issues . Again, be sure to check any vessel under consideration as this is not of issue for many vessels.

The "bench" cabin layout provides wonderful sea berths. Lee cloths are easily attached to the bench edge and are secured to the full length hand rail on the cabin ceiling. After a passage the cloths and their hand rail attachments are laid under the bench seat cushions out of sight until the next use.

Proper tank filling procedures prevent damaging the seals on the water tanks - forward, port and starboard....

Now, in my opinion - remember, I own just one Whitby 42 so my experience is limited even though I converse with many other Whitby and Brewer owners - the "weak" points we're facing are things like: center fuel tank leaks; starboard coaming box leaks that can be tough to track down; trusting rigging that, for some vessels, may be approaching 30+ years of age; electrical wiring and electronics that are old and may have been liberally modified in the past; finding parts for repairable but no longer produced accessories; the myriad of upgrades needed by any 30+ year old boat; and the list goes on....

These are the issues we Whitby owners are addressing and successfully overcoming....Just my opinion and experience with the Whitby 42.

But, in an anchorage, surrounded by many newer "cruising" boats with jerry cans of fuel and water strapped to lifelines on deck, I still marvel at the Whitby's sail worthiness, tankage and generally superior amenities both at anchor and in severe weather. She's a great boat!

There is a wealth of info at the Whitby / Brewer Owner's Association discussion forum and web site:

http://www.whitbyBrewerSailboats.com

Greg Temple, Whitby 42 #313 "My Destiny"