Blackwatch 24 / 19

[unbusted67]

Anyone here own a Blackwatch 24? I am going to look at one this week and am curious about the usual: performance, nervous ticks, stuff to look out for.

[Highlander40]

Don't own one but depending on when and where it was built, you should check out the weep holes through the stringers to see that they are sealed. There should be a pipe on the inside.
Some were built without care for water intrusion into the core.

I have talked with guys who built them.

[Ocean Girl]

I love Blackwatches . My mom's last sailboat was a Blackwatch and a friend of mine had one too. My friend John sailed it all around the keys and then across the Gulf to Texas. Neat boat. I believe the builder is here in Texas..?
Erika

[unbusted67]

I read somewhere that they are ridiculously tender. Can anyone attest to that or disprove it?

[Ocean Girl]

YES, they are tender for a coastal cruisers. If you are a big guy and hop aboard mid ship the mast may hit you in the head but under sail she seems to steady out at 20-30 deg. She has a nice plumb bow and barn door rudder so she cuts thru the water well and has good helm, but she can get tossed around a bit with swells. Sweet boat, pretty lines, easy to trailer, and fun to sail.
Erika

[unbusted67]

Good to know, thanks.

[popeye1]

I too heard that they are tender. Surprising since the draft and displacement are quite similar to my Compac 19, which is quite stable.

Am curious about the weep hole in the stringer problems and the lack of care taken to prevent water from entering the balsa core. Were the deck fittings just badly caulked?

Any info on contruction? Deck/hull joint? Is there a core in the hull? Rigging issues?

Boats look very salty and appealing.

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by Highlander40

Don't own one but depending on when and where it was built, you should check out the weep holes through the stringers to see that they are sealed. There should be a pipe on the inside.
Some were built without care for water intrusion into the core.

I have talked with guys who built them.

This is how bad rumors get started. These boats do not have cored decks or hulls, nor do they have stringers. I'm not sure you and I are talking abut the same boat.

They are a tad tender although not really to their detriment. Once you are healing they stiffen right up. I took mine across Lake Erie, Down the Erie Canal and Hudson River to New York City and found it to be comfortable, just a wee bit cramped. I wouldn't really want to be on an open body of water in anything over 25 knots but that goes for almost any boat with an 18 foot hull.

[Capt.Fred]

It has been 5 years since the last post about the Blackwatch 18. I presently own the last one, the only gaff cat that was built and I'm entranced. She sails beautifully and is very easy to balance and handle.
In my short lifetime of 82 years, I've owned 6 boats. Not counting all the various dinghies, I have opinions about, 1. A 35' teak Cheoy Lee Lion 2. A 50' 23 ton cutter rigged yawl, the Daedalus which I designed and built myself. 3. A 1939 18' Chris-Craft barrel Back, I restored 4. A Southern cross 28. 5. A Rob Roy 23. 6. An 18' Blackwatch gaff cat.
This Gaff cat is really a kick to sail and maneuver in tight areas. Goes to weather very well and flies down wind. Mine weighs 2500# with a ballast at 1000#. she is almost half as wide as her length and is not very tender. I add another 200+ #.
I tend to ramble...