Clipper Marine?

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by boydk

Andy, do the catalinas have a swing keel? I'm looking for a sailboat good for a few hardy people and a weekend of camping that I can throw behind a truck (a scout, if anyone remembers what that is) with a 302v8 and run up to anacortes from Seattle in a few hours with.

B

Yo Boyd,

Catalina, as well as most builders of boats in trailerable sizes, built lots of centerboard boats.

Your V-8 Scout should be plenty strong as a tow vehicle, and has a nice short wheelbase for easy handling.

best, andy

[boydk]

Great! and thanks, obviously I've not looked at enough catalinas. -B

[capncusp]

My first sailboat was a Clipper 21. It had been sunk at the dock before I got it, the owner let the cockpit drain freeze up. I was on a tiny budget but to me it was my ticket to freedom on the water. After restoring it, I sailed the Chesapeake, Jacksonville bay, Biloxi out to the gulf islands and back, and all over Arkansas and Oklahoma. It was a wonderful boat and I could have it off the trailer and under sail in 20 minutes, and it had a board-up draft of 8 inches. I was able to learn to sail, anchor, reef, etc, all the things I needed to learn to sail, mastered epoxy, polyester, fabrication, all within my meagre budget. When I was ready for a larger boat, I moved on, but always remembered the adventure of discovering new places to explore simply from a trailer-sailer stored in my yard. Ron

[tjr818]

For anyone looking at a Clipper 21 all I have to say is that I loved mine. Dollar for dollar I had more fun on that boat than any of my others. Bill Crealock designed them; I have faith in his designs, but this was not intended to cross any oceans. Buy it, have fun with it and when you want to go on a sailing adventure move up to an appropriate boat. My only complaint was the centerboard winch - upgrade that.
Fair sailing, TJR

[fairbn]

I am an avid Clipper 26 sailor and take exception to the disparaging remarks made by John regarding the quality of Clipper Marine boats in general. For a person with absolutely NO experience sailing or indeed ever owning a Clipper he has lots to say. These boats have sailed from Mexico to Alaska and back without a problem so for you to slam them as you have is irresponsible and childish to say the least. I have sailed and owned a great many sailboats, 18 to be exact, over the past 45 years and find the Clipper one of the most pleasant to sail. It may not be a rocket but it is safe and reliable with built in quality. So next time you feel you need to extol your wisdom, do it on a subject you have a tiny bit of knowledge on. You will not look so damn stupid!

[doug jones]

I personaly would not by the boat as it does not fit my style, however do not say that the boat is not stong. To get an idea of what this boat can take look up the dec. 1979 national geo. you will see a clipper 21 sailing in over a river bar at bandon oregon. the boat pitch poled twice with only minor damage.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by fairbn

I am an avid Clipper 26 sailor and take exception to the disparaging remarks made by John regarding the quality of Clipper Marine boats in general. For a person with absolutely NO experience sailing or indeed ever owning a Clipper he has lots to say. These boats have sailed from Mexico to Alaska and back without a problem so for you to slam them as you have is irresponsible and childish to say the least. I have sailed and owned a great many sailboats, 18 to be exact, over the past 45 years and find the Clipper one of the most pleasant to sail. It may not be a rocket but it is safe and reliable with built in quality. So next time you feel you need to extol your wisdom, do it on a subject you have a tiny bit of knowledge on. You will not look so damn stupid!

Are you serious!!! First of all, get your facts straight. I know John and he has sailed more blue water than most people in this form. He is an active member of our local sailing club and has been on more boats sailing than I've ever seen. He teaches sailing, is active in getting our state officials to ad more sailing facilities to our State and is an all round nice guy.
Personally...I have seen a few Clippers. The deck is held to the hull with pop rivets and the rudder shaft looks like it came out of Home depot's plumbing department. You've sailed 18 boats in 45 years and the Clipper is one of the best??? I'd hate to know what the other 17 were. Are you sure it was a Clipper marine and not an Atlantic Clipper or Cheoy Lee Clipper? Alaska to Mexico? I don't think so!

[GordMay]

Critical "personal" comments are not welcome, nor allowed.
We treat each other with respect, even when we disagree.

[fairbn]

I never stated the Clipper was my favorite. I said it was a good sailing boat. I am sure he is an all round good guy but I remain steadfast. You should only criticize what you have actually owned or at least sailed. Having "seen" a boat does not make one an expert on its sailing qualities. FYI I have owned, and sailed, a C&C 30, Beneteau 32, Cheoy Lee Offshore Cadet 27, 4 Hunters and several Sea Crafts as well as 2 Hereshoffs and 2 Catalinas so please , lets not get so personal with this. For the average person on a limited budget, the Clippers are an affordable alternative for someone wanting to get into sailing without mortgaging the house. And they were quite a stoutly built boat, hence there are still plenty out there giving pleasure to their owners.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Sailors,
Thanks for coming to my defence Martin and for the kind comments and I don't think I really said anything about the Clippers that they didn't deserve and I too will remain steadfast in defence of my opinion about them.
I think if fairbn thinks I look stupid or made stupid comments then that's his opinion. I'm certain he won't be inviting me to go sailing with him and vice versa.
One thing I have learned about boats is that if you insult one then it truly is like insulting someone's mother. I'll refrain from doing that in the future and if someone asks an opinion about a certain boat I'll reply to them via personal message if I have a negative comment that way I won't upset an owner and invite personal attack.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[fairbn]

Aloha John,
I admit I was a bit rough with my criticism of you regarding the Clipper critique and you were correct in saying attacking a boat IS like attacking the owners mother. We all get quite defensive of the things we love. Having said that I will be more selective of my adjectives in the future. Keep the shiny side down.

[SkiprJohn]

Hi Fairbn,

And I thought we were going to have a real "donnybrook!" I'll try to be more objective in my comments.

Mahalo Nui Loa,

JohnL

[Cheechako]

If you are near enough to Bellingham, a boat yard went out of business and there is a pretty solid San Juan 26 that last I heard they were were going to cut up and put in a dumpster. Also what looked like a Benford? 22 that was kind of a hodge podge built boat. The san juan needs interior work, but seemed very solid to me. No trailer. Contact Phil at Seaview boatyard....

[tom in tampa]

hi, i'm Tom in Tampa and just posted somewhere on this site about clippers, I've owned two in my life and both were great boats.

E-mail me if you want more info
Tom in Tampa

[tom in tampa]

clippers don't have a rudder shaft, they have a balanced rudder hanging on pintles and gudgeons. And they are being sailed all over the globe.

Check out the clipper forum on trailer sailors .com