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| Histories and profiles |
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- Allied
Boat Company
The seed for the Allied
Boat Company was planted in February of 1960 when Annapolis naval
architect Thomas Gillmer designed
a 30-foot ketch-rigged sailboat for Rex Kaiser, an attorney from
Wilmington, Del. This boat would become the famous Seawind 30,
the first fiberglass boat to sail around the world with a voyage
beginning in 1964. Alan Eddy spent four and a half years circumnavigating
the globe with Apogee, hull #1.
- The
Birth of Fiberglass Boats
Despite
the popular notion today, fiberglass and plastic resins were not
"new" technology in the mid-1950s, nor was Clinton Pearson the
first person to use them to build sailboats. This begs the question:
who did build the first fiberglass sailboat?
- Catalina
Yachts: One big family
Call
the Woodland Hills headquarters of Catalina Yachts in California,
and one thing strikes you right away about the choices the telephone
answering system offers you. One option is for Frank Butler. That's
rare access in today's hectic business world, but it shows what
makes Catalina unique - the constant guiding hand of Frank Butler,
who founded the company in 1970.
- The
Pearson Era
It's
a familiar story to sailing buffs. The Pearson cousins, Clinton
and Everett, began the modern era of fiberglass production sailboats
at the New York Boat Show, in January 1959, with the introduction
of the Carl Alberg-designed Triton. They sold 17 of those 28-foot
boats at the show, and "it started us chasing money," says Clinton.
Indeed, that one show put the fledgling company on the map and
in solid financial shape, but this well-known story reveals only
part of the roots of Pearson Yachts.
- A
Successful Business That Just 'Evolved'
Don Moyer didn't start out to become the Atomic 4 guru, he
just loved 'messing about with engines,' and an Atomic 4 was the
engine he had ... the rest, as they say, is history.
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| Repairs, Maintenance
& Modifications |
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- Big
Beds on Small Boats
Have
you ever wondered what you have to do to get a boat with a decent-size
bed? My wife, Cheryl, and I searched for six years for the perfect
cruising boat. The number-one criterion was that it must include
a bed we both can be comfortable on and thus get a good night's
sleep.
- Blister
repair was cheap. . . all things considered
It all
started innocently enough. It was mid-October of 1990, and we
were going to Texas anyway to visit cousins in San Antonio and
then on to the Clear Lake area near Houston. I had seen ads in
sailing magazines for Valiant Yachts and noticed their facilities
were located in Gordonville, Texas. We would be going right by
on Interstate 35 and thought it would be great to visit the factory.
I had read about Valiants and their reputation as offshore cruising
boats and had admired their looks from afar. A letter to Valiant
brought a prompt response and invitation to stop by.
- Breakproof
tillers
Tillers
in some boats are known to break with regularity. If you've ever
taken part in a drill of this nature, I don't need to explain
that it's exciting. It's a situation that leads one to look for
an effective and permanent repair. I've had two boats with a history
of tiller failures. But now I've got a fix that lasts.
- Building
your own (leakproof!) classic hatch
When Mary and I bought our 1965 Alberg
30 we knew that replacing the forward hatch was going to be one
of many projects. Down below there was no indication that the
old hatch was leaking, but it was certainly an eyesore when viewed
from on deck. One
day at the Oakland Yacht Club we saw a very beautiful all-wood
sailboat that had an extraordinarily beautiful butterfly hatch
made of teak and glass. We know that the classic butterfly hatch
has a nasty reputation of leaking like a sieve, so we decided
to design and build a hatch that captured the beauty of the old
butterfly hatch but had the integrity of a one-piece unit.
- Fitting
Bronze Portlights
After
buying our old 1965 Alberg 30, Mary and I knew that part of the
renovation program would be the replacement of the old fixed windows
with operating bronze portlights. There were several reasons for
this, and not the least was good evidence that the old windows
leaked. The old Plexiglas was scratched, and someone had already
replaced three of the small windows with bronze portlights. "Why
only three?" we wondered. Mary and I also thought that the
bronze portlights would give our old boat a "salty"
look.
- Get
A Grip: Improve your dodger
Dodgers
are not necessary - that is, if you're a masochist or a Spartan
who enjoys being hit in the face with water from every wave when
beating to windward or developing windchill in the off-seasons.
Since I'm neither a Spartan nor masochist, I wouldn't do without
my dodger. I find it an indispensable accessory for creature comfort.
It provides protection from the spray, wind, rain, and sun and
prevents downpours from entering the cabin when the companionway
hatch is open.
- Good
Old Catboat
At an
age when many sailors retire, sell the house, move aboard, and
go cruising, my wife, Dee, and I built a house, sold the boat,
moved ashore for the first time in 25 years, and started a business.
But we didn't walk inland with an oar over our shoulder; we "retired"
on the shores of the Chesapeake, just to keep our options open.
And while we learned about hammers and saws, we were each privately
thinking about all that Chesapeake water. When we started talking
about it, we discovered we knew exactly what kind of "retirement"
boat we wanted.
- Long-shaft
Conversion
I
bought Brushfire, my 1975 San Juan 24, from the Sea Scouts. Before
I agreed to the deal, the Sea Scouts offered to throw in an outboard
as a sweetener. The motor they dug up for me was a 7-hp Eska of
1973 vintage, a two-cycle with an integral three-quart fuel tank.
- A
new toerail for an old warhorse
My
mate, Karlene, and I looked long and hard for a sailboat suitable
for world cruising that we could afford. I've become convinced
that boat speed is an important component of voyaging safety,
so a major goal in our search was to find a good old fast boat!
In Tampa, Fla., we found a neglected Cal 48 yawl.
- Out,
out, bad pox!
Boat
pox, osmosis, or blisters . . . call it what you will. Most fiberglass
boatowners prefix the blight with a salty expletive deleted. The
shock of discovering bubbles on your boat's bottom is merely the
prelude to a prolonged pain in the assets.
- Singing
the boat bottom blisters blues
People
often ask whether gelcoat osmosis problems - generically called
"blisters" - are just cosmetic blemishes or a source
of damage to the hull laminate. Since I recently completed a blister
repair job on Second Wind, a 1979 Cal 2-25, and began another
on Can Do II, a 1971 Ericson 27, I put pen to paper to present
my findings, methods, and opinions for others contemplating such
work.
- Delamination
is not spelled d-o-o-m
The word "delamination"
causes instant visions of a good old boat coming apart at the
seams. Worse, those visions may be equated with an unsalvageable
hulk lying in the mud of a river bank.
- End
the "dinghy dilemma"
Dinghies
are a mixed blessing. They are a "must" for cruising,
allowing you the option of anchoring out in a quiet cove or in
a busy harbor when all the docks are full, and they are wonderful
for entertaining the kids in a quiet anchorage. A dinghy also
makes cruising safer, since you can use it to carry out a second
anchor on a windy night, or to kedge your cruiser off, if she
is not too inexorably grounded.
- Mildew
Wars: a fight you can't win
It's
the ultimate mismatch: you versus an enemy infinite in numbers,
awesome in reproductive power and blessed with all the time in
the world. In the Mildew Wars, eternal vigilance (and a bottomless
bottle of bleach) is the price of freedom from odors, ineradicable
black stains, allergies, and possibly even disease. You may not
win, but the alternative to a ceaseless delaying action is to
be driven from the water.
- Painless
Anchoring
It's
strange how much difficulty we owners of older boats have in finding
$500 to $1,000 to replace an old kitchen appliance or to provide
new furniture for the den . . . and how little difficulty we have
spending it on new stuff for the boat . . . especially when priorities
change.
- Pushpit
Seats: Comfort in the cockpit
Common
on many newer stock boats, pushpit or stern pulpit seating is
a great addition to any good old boat as well. The pushpit is
the stainless steel framework aft of the cockpit. It's an important
safety feature on any cruiser and, therefore, generally well constructed.
This makes it a perfect location for the addition of seating areas
that are not only great sailing thrones, but also provide out-of-the-action
perches for non-sailors as well.
- Stanchion
repair
When
we were unloading our boat following a recent week-long cruise,
I noticed the midship stanchion on the port side was slightly
bent toward the stern. It was about an inch out of plumb at the
top. While docking in gusty conditions, the stanchion had taken
the weight of the boat, and something had to give. When I examined
it closely, I discovered that the stanchion was bent and the deck
under the stanchion was flexing. Clearly there was also structural
damage to the deck. Repairs were in order.
- Suffering
from Sealant Confusion?
In my experience, there are always two things trying to get into
your boat that you don't want there: water and your annoying brother-in-law.
While there's not much you can do about family problems, there
is something you can do about the water.
- Tanks
A Lot Part 1: Tanks: Easy to Forget, Too Important to Dismiss
You've found your dreamboat, had it surveyed, and signed up for
a long and happy relationship. The broker said it holds 20 gallons
of fuel and 40 gallons of water. He didn't say where the tanks
are located. The boat surveyor's report didn't mention tank condition.
He did look at the tanks, didn't he? Well, not necessarily.
- Tanks
A Lot Part 2: Rescue that Rusty Tank
Tucked away under the cabin sole floorboards, the average fuel
tank doesn't get much attention from those of us who like to sail.
In fact, it may be totally neglected until something major goes
wrong. Even if you're good about preventive maintenance, your
time and energy probably stop short of a detailed inspection of
that fuel tank and of yanking it out, if necessary. The good news
for many of us is that it is possible to refinish a problem tank
without too much effort and expense. The key is to do it before
it's too late. New tanks are expensive. But it is possible to
maintain your existing tank in a condition that will be worthy
of your confidence and reward you with years of trouble-free service.
- Tanks
A Lot Part 3: The Epoxy "Cure"
One of the most annoying problems that can occur on a sailboat
is a leak in the diesel fuel tank. If you don't have the time,
expertise, or courage to attempt to repair it yourself, you can
always arrange to have your boatyard repair it. But you can do
it yourself, if you are willing to try.
- Vang/preventer:
a fast, effective safety device
I was guilty of contempt. Never a good thing, in this case it
turned out to be a serious error. I had held a thunderstorm cell
in contempt all morning. It was over there, and we were over here.
We had been sailing for hours in strong winds that were probably
feeding that cell, but it had been such a joyful ride I couldn't
bring myself to quit. We had the 110 up with two reefs in the
main and were on a screaming reach. We had been flying like this
for hours. Occasionally we would have to tie a foot reef in the
jib and put in or shake out another reef in the main. But we were
moving. Madeline Island was to windward, and the seas hadn't much
fetch. But the wind was getting over the island, and we had plenty
of it.
- Wedging
the mast
An acquaintance raised the question concerning those little wedges
that hold the mast in column on many boats. On a recent sail in
blustery conditions, the wedges on his boat worked loose and fell
into the cabin. He wanted to know how to prevent this from happening
again.
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| Systems |
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- Atomic
4: Smooth, Worth Another Look
Diesel envy? Take another look at the gasoline engine that
came with your good old boat.
- Brewer
By Numbers
The terms and ratios that follow are used by all yacht designers,
so it's a good idea to have an understanding of them if you are
considering buying a boat or having a custom design created.
- The
rest of the raitos: On helm blance
As you
are aware, proper helm balance is a very desirable factor on a
sailing yacht and can make the difference between a craft that
is enjoyable to sail and one that has a helm that would rupture
a gorilla, exhausting and exasperating her crew. The ideal vessel
will have about 3 to 4 degrees of weather helm and will still
retain a light and easy feel to the tiller or wheel under all
conditions of weather. Excess weather helm, besides being extremely
tiring for the helmsman, adds unnecessary resistance and can make
it difficult, or even impossible, to jibe.
- A
Comfortable Cruiser
As a person to whom quality time and time aboard are synonymous,
I often daydream of idyllic passages through tropical seas with
steady trade winds, puffy white clouds, and sun-sparkled wave
tips at my back. Moments later, reality returns to find me clutching
a warm coffee mug and watching my steaming breath join the rest
of the condensation coating a frigid cabin. Or it finds me pondering,
with burning eyes, the flies gathered on the mainsail during a
windless, steamy August afternoon.
- Cool
and quiet and trouble free
The most popular sailboat exhaust system today is a wet exhaust
system which includes a waterlift muffler. This system offers
many advantages and seems deceptively simple. Almost all engines
are cooled with seawater, either directly or though a heat exchanger.
The seawater must be discharged after it has picked up the engine
heat, so it is logical to inject it into the engine exhaust. This
cools the engine exhaust so it can be routed through the boat
without too much concern for the parts of the boat that it passes
near and through. Wet exhausts are the best choice for the majority
of sailboats, but they can cause trouble if not properly designed,
installed, and maintained.
- Fuel
and water filters: Simple insurance policies
Picture a hot, windless Sunday afternoon as you power home on
a glassy sea. Suddenly your engine slows and stops or overheats.
Today of all days! You really did not need this, and it could
have all been avoided.
- Hooking
. . . for a good night's sleep
The wind had shifted overnight. A sea was starting to
run into the anchorage from the exposed direction, so we decided
to leave. We finished the breakfast dishes and pulled in the "off-duty
hook." Karen motored up to the windward hook. I snubbed the
rode as she went over it. It broke out; I pulled it in and stowed
both anchors and rodes.
- Marine
Sanitation Devices
Like
most good old boats, All Ways, my 28-foot Pearson Triton,
was built with an overboard discharge marine head. Since my favorite
cruising area was recently declared a No Discharge Zone (NDZ),
installing a holding tank became an important priority in my refit.
The previous owner had installed a 2-gallon plastic "tank"
that fulfilled the law but was of little real use. (He bragged
that he never had an odor problem since the tank had never had
sewage in it!) I wanted a tank that was large enough for at least
several days for two of us.
- No
fear mast stepping
In
an article in November 2000, I touched upon the use of a quick
and easy way for the lone sailor to raise or lower the mast on
the typical small cruiser. Ensuing months brought a number of
inquiries clamoring for more details regarding rigging. In truth,
ponder as I might, I could never come up with a suitable mast-raising
method on my own. However, I have a good friend, Gerry Catha,
who is an airline pilot, aircraft builder, and fellow Com-Pac
23 sailor. He grew tired of my whining and worked out the following
solution. I am grateful to him for redefining and perfecting the
hardware involved and generously passing along the method to be
adapted by his fellow sailors.
- Rating
rules shaped our boats
The purpose of any rating rule is to enable yachts of
different sizes to race together fairly. Without a rating rule
there could be no enjoyable racing as, barring unforeseen circumstances,
the largest yacht (and the richest owner) would always win.
- Repowering,
Part 1, the decisions
Chances
are your boat is like a member of the family. You could no more
dispose of it than sell your only child. But, inevitably, the
day arrives when you realize that your power plant is on its last
legs, and there are some important decisions to be made.
- Repowering,
Part 2, Replacing the power plant
In
the September/October issue of Good Old Boat, we discussed the
decisions to be made when the inevitable day comes that your power
plant needs to be either rebuilt or replaced. In either case,
the engine will have to be removed from the boat. Once you have
decided that engine replacement is the way to go, and you have
made the decisions laid out in the previous article, the actual
engine replacement can begin.
- Up
the Mast
The only sure things in life are death, taxes, and that - sooner
or later - you will have to go up your mast. Many people dread
going aloft and will do just about anything to avoid it, even
putting off needed repairs or rig inspections. But the trip needn't
be a white-knuckle affair. With the proper equipment and technique,
you can actually enjoy going aloft. I've gone from being afraid
of heights to looking for opportunities to climb the mast (anyone's
mast) just for the view. Really.
- Winter
agitation
For those of us who live in the higher latitudes, the approach
of the fall season reminds us of an upcoming conflict between
our boating agendas and the impending deep freeze. For a fortunate
few, this means stowing those summer clothes on board and sailing
toward warmer climates. But most of us will make arrangements
at the local marina for a haulout and winter cover or possibly
for wet (in-the-water) storage. Those who have their homes on
the banks of navigable water and have their boats moored at their
own docks or at the community dock of a condominium have yet another
option: wintering their boat in the water at her normal location
near home. This option requires appropriate preparation and equipment,
of course.
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| Sails |
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- The fore-and-aft rig
The
history of the fore-and-aft rig is a fascinating one. It is
particularly interesting when you realize that two of the earliest
fore-and-aft rigs, the lateen sail of the Middle East (Egyptian
feluccas and Arabian dhows) and the Chinese junk, have remained
largely unchanged over the centuries and are still in use in
the areas where they began.
- I've
Got the New Sail Blues
Talk
about confused! I've never been offered so many contradictory
opinions in answer to one question. All I wanted was a new sail.
The boat I purchased recently came with a brand new mainsail and
three headsails of different shapes. One was about a 150-percent
genoa, very long on the foot with a leech that swept up to the
head in a long curve.
- Mainsail Tamers
The easiest way for the shorthanded sailor to control
the mainsail when reefing or stowing is a set of well-fitted
lazy-jacks. Lazy-jacks are made from a set of fixed or movable
lines led from the upper section of the mast to the boom, with
lines on each side. They guide the sail onto the top of the
boom when reefing or dousing it and keep it there to be tied
up at the crew's leisure.
- New
Wings at Half Price
Those of us who love good
old boats do so out of aesthetic preferences, sailing abilities,
and - let's face it - a certain consideration of economic factors.
If cost were not a consideration, I know I would be sailing a
Hinckley, Alden, or whoknowswhat? as opposed to my little 1961
Pearson Ariel. It isn't all economics, since I do get a lot of
satisfaction from my own accomplishments in giving new life to
an older boat. At times I do tire of always having to fix something,
though.
- O, how she scoons!
It's not discreet to say this,
but I've been having an affair, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
It's been
a lifetime love affair with schooners. There are still some, and I
suspect many,
of us who believe that no sailboat ever built can compare in beauty
with the schooner. But why are people still drawn to this rig when
the schooner
as a recreational boat has all but faded into oblivion? I think it's
because the schooner rig has a symmetrical rightness about it.
With a gollywobbler, fore gaff topsail, spinnoa, flying jib, forestaysail,
fisherman - what
other rig can carry such a mixed bag of sails and (instead of looking
ridiculous) become breathtaking?
- Quit horsing
around!
You're
all settled in for the night in that well-protected cove, when
the wind picks up. What had been a nice quiet anchorage is
now alive with motion as the wind causes the boats to weave back
and
forth on their anchor rodes. Your boat rolls and jerks from
one "tack" to
another, and you begin to worry about what all this motion
is doing to the set of your anchor. Your nice
quiet evening is now anything but restful.
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| Galley |
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- A
clean look at the "dirty" half dozen
When it comes
to choosing a marine stove fuel there is rarely anyone completely
happy with the choice. All fuels have a "dirty" side to them,
and some sides are deadly as well. Alcohol is heating-impaired.
Kerosene is maintenance-dependent, and a mess if spills occur.
Diesel is hot and has sooting problems. Electricity is power-hungry
and generator-dependent. Compressed natural gas (CNG) is explosive
and expensive, as well as hard to find. And what about liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG)? The potential for a massive explosion aboard
your good old boat gives LPG both a deadly and a "dirty" side.
- Cooking
Under Pressure
Long, long ago in another lifetime far, far away - well, 17 years
ago in Montana when sailing hadn't infected our lives - we received
a 6-quart pressure cooker as a wedding present. I remember staring
at it and wondering if it would become an enemy or a friend.
- Honey,
I tossed out the cooler
I am married to a refrigeration engineer who was prepared
to design the onboard refrigerator to beat all refrigerators,
but the choice to live without an icebox during a recent vacation
set us free in ways we hadn't expected. There was no need to run
to civilization in a quest for ice.
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| Boat Buying |
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- Budget
boating
Not
so long ago I did not have a cruising boat, but I wanted one badly.
My wife understood and said, "Take the $2,500 we've
put away, and buy a boat." You may not believe that $2,500
will buy a cruising boat, but it did. I got a great boat plus
money.
- Diamond-in-the-rough,
perhaps, but how rough?
When, in our wanderings,
we find an older boat, a fiberglass boat which appeals to our
hearts, our spirits soar, and a smile lights our faces and then
fades. It fades when we consider the work and cost associated
with the required plastic surgery. But need it fade?
- Soft Dinghy?
Hard Choice!
The age-old question of what
dinghy is best will never find a universal answer. Each boating
situation has too many variables to recommend a "one-dinghy-fits-all,"
but it is possible to list the advantages and disadvantages of
each type.
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| Constrution & Materials |
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- Bowsprits,
bumpkins, and belaying pins
If you
remember when all sailboats had wooden spars, manila lines, galvanized
fittings, and cotton sails, chances are you have problems with
your waistline, your hairline, and the number of teeth you can
call your own. Those of us who fit this category have a special
feeling for those sailboats of our youth, but those fond memories
don't include the maintenance involved in boats of that period.
- Is
there a metal yacht in your future?
In the 1960s and early 1970s we rarely saw metal yachts
in North American waters. Steel yachts had been built in Holland
and Germany for many years but, with only oil-based paints to
protect them, they were not particularly long lived. Indeed, I've
seen lovely 40-foot steel yachts corroded to junk in 10 to 12
years.
- Is your
boat stable?
The speed of a sailing yacht in any given wind is determined,
to a large extent, by the amount of sail she can carry. In heavier
weather, that sail area is governed by the ability of the hull
to remain on its feet; in other words, her stability. In extreme
weather conditions, of course, the vessel's stability also determines
her ability to recover from a knockdown, and thus it can be a
major contributor to safety.
- Keel
design: What's best?
The purpose of a keel, fin, or centerboard is to provide
resistance to making leeway; in effect, to keep the yacht from
sliding sideways through the water due to wind pressure on the
sails. Various shapes of underwater plane have been in and out
of style over the past 150 years.
- A
Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever
A British author
once wrote, in effect, that you can go away for a week's cruise,
and everything goes wrong: your favorite jib blows out, the portlights
leak water onto your berth, the head plugs up, the engine only
fires on half its cylinders, the stuffing box springs a leak,
and you run out of rum. Disastrous? Yes! But as you row ashore
from your mooring, you look back at your boat and, if she is truly
beautiful, all her sins are forgiven.
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| Safety |
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- Preparing
for the Big Blow
My
first memory, as a small child, was being in the middle of a hurricane
in the North Atlantic. It was the 1930s. Our family was returning
by ship from a European vacation in the days before radar and
weather satellites. One day before arriving in New York, we blundered
into a hurricane that was moving up the East Coast.
- Planning
for an unplanned inversion
When Isabelle Autissier's 60-foot racer capsized in the
Southern Ocean, it sent a chill of fear through the sailing community.
Sailors don't like to think of capsize. But here was a big, well-found
boat, a Finot-designed Open 60 Class flier, wallowing upside down
in huge frigid swells, with her long thin keel jutting toward
heaven. It was a bizarre and frightening sight.
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| Misc |
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- Renaming
a Boat? How Bad Could it Be?
Some years ago, when I wanted to change the name of my newly
purchased 31-foot sloop from Our Way to Freelance, I searched
for a formal "denaming ceremony" to wipe the slate clean
in preparation for the renaming.
- Vigor's
Black Box Theory
Why is it that some
sailors go quietly about their business, consistently making quick,
safe, and satisfying passages, while others lurch erratically
from port to port amid a series of catastrophes? Is it luck? No,
it's the Fifth Essential.
- What
is a Valiant 32?
The Valiant 32 was designed
by Bob Perry as a smaller version of the successful Valiant 40.
In the 1970s, a 30- to 35-foot boat was considered the optimum-size
boat for a cruising couple. In response to this demand, the Valiant
32 was produced. About 67 were built in the late 1970s and early
'80s.
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