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Used Boat Notebook
2017 February 1 - 12:00 am

Hunter 43 Legend

This cruiser is more functional than fabulous, but offers a great value

By David Liscio
The sales brochure from 1989 pretty much sums up the Hunter 43 Legend, noting it was designed to exceed the requirements of sailors searching for performance without sacrificing comfort.Schedule
Features
2017 February 1 - 12:00 am

Storm be damned

Flotillas offer support and camaraderie to cruisers, and never more so than when a hurricane is bearing down

By David Liscio
 The plan was to sail from Rhode Island’s picturesque Narragansett Bay to Cape Cod’s idyllic islands, but Mother Nature had a different itinerary in mind.
Features
2017 January 1 - 12:00 am

Herculean task

An obsessive refit transforms a Catalina 22 into a showpiece

By David Liscio
 Some people say Chip Ford is obsessed.Fourteen years ago, at age 52, the sailor from Marblehead, Massachusetts, bought a 1974 Catalina Mk I for $2,500 because it seemed like an inexpensive way to go daysailing.  ScheduleScheduleSchedule
Used Boat Notebook
2016 November 2 - 12:00 am

Com-Pac Sun Cat

This easy-to-sail catboat makes quick work of daysails, yet is spacious enough for a weekend coastal cruise

By David Liscio
 Clark Mills envisioned a trailerable boat that was easy to rig, simple to sail, and would draw just enough water to make it suitable for breezing across skinny water or spending the night in a gunkhole.ScheduleSchedule
Used Boat Notebook
2016 May 1 - 12:00 am

Westsail 28

Marketed as an alternative to the pricier Westsail 32, this compact cruiser is capable of offshore voyageing

By David Liscio
 The 1975 sales brochure described the Westsail 28 as a world cruiser and the boat lived up to that promise. Although only 78 hulls were built, far fewer than the impressively popular Westsail 32, most of the small cruisers are still sailing the far-flung corners of the globe. 
Features
2016 April 25 - 12:00 am

Trying it before buying it

The new sharing economy comes to sailing would-be sailors into owners through boat-sharing clubs

By David Liscio
 For many sailors, the dream of boat ownership is always present. But making it a reality means overcoming the big fear: the terrifying possibility that you could plunk down a fair amount of mone
Used Boat Notebook
2016 March 1 - 12:00 am

Baba 35

A beautiful and rugged offshore cruiser that is perfect for a small family or a couple

By David Liscio
 Sailors who admire the Baba 35 are quick to point out that the bluewater cruiser possesses both beauty and brawn. The full-keel, double-ended cutter was designed by naval architect Robert H. Perry. When it first splashed in 1979, the boat was dubbed the Flying Dutchman.
Used Boat Notebook
2016 January 25 - 12:00 am

Catalina 22

This pint-sized daysailer and family weekender packs a lot of sailing into a small package

By David Liscio
 Frank Butler had a dream. In July 1969, he designed and built the first Catalina 22 in North Hollywood, California. This petite, family-friendly cruising sloop was his fledgling company’s inau
Retrofits
2015 November 23 - 12:00 am

RETROFITS: Bristol 32

A classic, tough boat becomes a pleasure to sail with cruise-worth upgrades

By David Liscio
 The search for a vintage Bristol 32 sloop took us to six states by road trip and to three others via online research. We wanted the boat that has often been called the little sister to the class
Used Boat Notebook
2015 October 22 - 12:00 am

Morgan 34

Charley Morgan’s early yachts look great and sail even better

By David Liscio
 Charles “Charley” Morgan Jr. emerged as a top yacht designer and builder shortly after the 1960 launch of Paper Tiger, the 40-foot, fiberglass, centerboard yawl commissioned by New York yachtsman Jack Powell. 
Technique
2015 September 22 - 12:00 am

Maintaining a life raft

We go inside a recertification to show what happens and help you decide if a new or used raft is best for you

By David Liscio
The decision on whether to carry a life raft and what kind of life raft that should be can be a challenge for sailors. New six-person, non-commercial life rafts cost at least $1,700. Used life rafts can be a relative bargain, but all rafts need periodic maintenance. The decision on what is right for a boat can hinge on factors as varied as budget to the kind of sailing you do.
Features
2015 September 22 - 12:00 am

Laid back and loving it

A charter cruise along Florida's pristine Emerald Coast offers up the perfect opportunity to catch a concert and the casual vibe

By David Liscio
 We’ve been to plenty of concerts but never by sailboat, so when our friends in Florida called to ask if we wanted to join them to see the Dave Matthews Band via boat, we grabbed our bags and headed for the airport. 
Used Boat Notebook
2015 August 17 - 12:00 am

J/24

This compact one-design racer remains as popular as ever

By David Liscio
 The J/24’s story reads like the script of a Disney movie. It’s 1975 and amateur boat designer Rod Johnstone is tinkering in the garage at the family’s Stonington, Connecticut, home. 
Used Boat Notebook
2015 June 1 - 12:00 am

Peterson 34

This fast, tough racer-cruiser is well suited for offshore racing

By David Liscio
American yacht designer Doug Peterson gained the attention of the world’s most competitive sailors when he unveiled the one tonner Ganbare in 1973. The 35-foot sloop was innovative below the waterline, and it was praised for its looks and sailing capability. It went on to win the SORC. By 1976, Peterson had designed the Peterson 34, an offshore racer-cruiser.
Splashes
2015 March 3 - 12:00 am

The Great Navigator

By David Liscio
Nathaniel Bowditch didn’t look like Hollywood’s version of a swashbuckling sailor, but his contributions to maritime navigation more than 200 years ago made it possible to traverse oceans with greater speed and accuracy. And the mathematician’s hard-earned accomplishments haven’t been forgotten. The National Sailing Hall of Fame in Annapolis, Maryland, included Bowditch in its 2014 class of eight inductees during a September ceremony at the Detroit Yacht Club in Detroit, Michigan.
Retrofits
2014 December 1 - 12:00 am

Marshall 22 Catboat

By David Liscio
 It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what drew me to a catboat, and specifically a Marshall 22. Perhaps it was some romantic notion conjured from gazing at an Edward Hopper or Winslow Homer painting,
Boat Test
2014 December 1 - 12:00 am

C&C 30

The new 30-foot rocketship continues C&C's racing focus with high performance born of high tech

By David Liscio
If you’ve ever imagined steering a rocketship but had your dreams dampened because you’re not a NASA astronaut, I have good news for you. The new C&C 30 one-design race boat provides fast acceleration, light-air performance and so much exhilaration you’ll be convinced this is exactly how it feels to hurtle through space as the hull planes across the water. And it doesn’t take long to grow accustomed to leaving slower boats in your wake.
Used Boat Notebook
2014 October 1 - 12:00 am

Jeanneau Sunshine 38

A blend of speed and comfort still stacks up on one of the first performance cruisers

By David Liscio
When Tony Castro designed the Jeanneau Sunshine 38 in the early 1980s, many other naval architects had not yet caught up with the notion that sailors might want a comfortable cruising yacht that was a
Used Boat Notebook
2014 September 1 - 12:00 am

Alden 44

This classy bluewater racer-cruiser is worth waiting for

By David Liscio
The Alden 44 was designed in 1977 and has been turning heads ever since. This capable offshore racer-cruiser has made countless passages and won its fair share of hardware on the race course in its da
Features
2014 September 1 - 12:00 am

The enduring charm of the Etchells

The world championship at Newport, Rhode Island, drew both pros and amateurs who love sailing this classic one-design

By David Liscio
Patricia Stadel sailed her fifth and self-proclaimed last Etchells World Championship in June where she had the distinction of being the most senior skipper competing in the 95-boat fleet. At 75, Stadel has by default become a goodwill ambassador for the International Etchells Class. She had plenty of wisdom to impart when asked why she and so many other competitive sailors, including legends like John Bertrand, 68, who won the America’s Cup for Australia in 1983, gravitate to this particular sloop.
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Perry on Design

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    A svelte cruising cat that has performance front and center

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