Halcyon 27

[Phlegethon]

Halcyon 27

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[barnakiel]

HALCYON 27 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

A friend has one.

What about it then?

b.

[barnakiel]

Welcome to the forum!

b.

[Phlegethon]

Thanks for the welcoming,

Loads of questions about his particular vessel. Just two of many would be what is the boat's windward behaviour in say, F7, and another would be about the most suitable windvane regardless of cost.

Thanks in advance for your time.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Phlegethon

Thanks for the welcoming,

Loads of questions about his particular vessel. Just two of many would be what is the boat's windward behaviour in say, F7, and another would be about the most suitable windvane regardless of cost.

Thanks in advance for your time.

IF you get a sound hull/rig structure she will handle F7 without a hitch.

Talking wind force, not sea state. And she will handle F7 sea too but then we assume adequate skills on the side of her crew.

Here:

Yacht Designs Database

(I believe) is a tip as to where a review of this boat was printed. Now just think of it - the exact one owned by my friend.

I know they do ship water when slightly pressed, not something I would tolerate but I know many other UK designs (of that era) do.

She is tiller steered and so most any windvane system will do. Look up the light Windpilot. I think Navik will do too, or a Sindbad if you want a present system.

Given my own experiences and the impression I get from talking to countless windvane heroes, Monitor is top of the shelf if you prefer pendulum over independent rudder.

And then, of course, a tiller drive AP can be used too.

Back to the boat, remember they are all old boats and may show plenty of age related issues. Otherwise we are talking about a decent design, well built and capable of anything that she was designed for (coastal cruising in the UK, I would guess).

Cheers,
b.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Phlegethon.

[Phlegethon]

Thank you for that. I better start looking for one in structurally sound condition. From market research so far, I think I might find one around 18000-20000 euros.

[Snowpetrel]

I saw a one in Sydney that had been sailed out from england by a young couple. looked like a capable pocket cruiser. Shapewise she seems similar to a 28 foot Holman designed Sterling that I sailed across the Tasman to Wellington in winter. The sterling was called "Wild Chorus" she was a sweet boat with no vices, with a homemade trim tab system that had done many thousands of miles on her and worked well.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Phlegethon

Thank you for that. I better start looking for one in structurally sound condition. From market research so far, I think I might find one around 18000-20000 euros.

WHAT?

I would NEVER pay this much for one. Except perhaps for a fully loaded sailaway condition. My advantage now is I know 'fully loaded sail away' simply does not exist.

There is a Rival 38 (full do up) in France asking below 10k. There are plenty of Halcyon like boats on the market too.

Take it slow. Explore similar designs. Then explore other designs to see what you gain and what you lose.

Take your time.

If you are really pressed by your emotional urge to own a boat (look up BOAT definitions meanwhile) get an IF from a neighbouring country for a FRACTION of the amount. Sail it, grow, sell it, get THE boat.

If you are not all that pressed look towards a Rustler 31, a Contessa 32 and similar designs, shop around and see if with some research and some bargaining you might get one for just below EUR 20k. Spend the balance on beer.

b.

[Phlegethon]

Thank you for the solid advice b.
The boat will have to be under 30ft for the simple reason that boats over 10m in length are ridiculously taxed in Greece even if they are as old as the Parthenon. I would only pay this kind of money for a boat that's not going to ask for major expences for some time, although I am well aware that no one can safely predict that. However, included in this sum would be a new suit of sails, a windvane, new standing and running rigging, new electric wiring and some top quality paint job for the hull. With all this in mind, 18-20k sounds reasonable enough.
I've been looking at various boats for sometime now and I ended up with the Halcyon or the Albin Vega as finalists, the latter being faster, the former better looking imo. With offshore sailing in mind, which one would you go for?

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[barnakiel]

the boat will have to be under 30ft
30ft is only 9 meters,
10 meters is 32.8 feet,

both Contessa and Rustler fit in,
read Greek law very carefully to see if they talk LOA, LWL or maybe LOD?

included in this sum would be a new suit of sails,
2k

a windvane,
Monitor 4k, Winpilot Light 1.5k, etc.

new standing and running rigging,
1.5k

new electric wiring,
??? who wires?

and some top quality paint job for the hull
2k
and why?

With all this in mind, 18-20k sounds reasonable enough.
With all this in mind, you have just blown your budget thru the roof.

With offshore sailing in mind, which one would you go for?
None.

I would either go minimalistic or else stretch myself and get some extra displacement and extra waterline that would buy me some extra margin of seakeeping (much as in this size range they are all more or less "unseaworthy").

We are doing ONLY offshore sailing - 1 rtw, 1 N Atlantic loop, plus a couple of less dramatic pieces. Our boat is 26.35' on the deck and nearly as much on the water.

Cheers,
b.

[Phlegethon]

Thanks for that b.
Except for the windvane, ok I may have underestimated the cost of the above. I 'd indeed need to stretch or just keep looking.
What does minimalistic mean to you btw?

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Phlegethon

Thanks for that b.
Except for the windvane, ok I may have underestimated the cost of the above. I 'd indeed need to stretch or just keep looking.

What does minimalistic mean to you btw?

By minimalistic I understand that since no small craft is safe in rough seas I would elect a very small and very inexpensive craft with a proven record.

I think what Webb Chiles is doing right now is minimalistic.

In my personal case, with my biased views and given my inadequate experience, I would buy a boat like e.g. an IF (available from 2k upwards). They crossed Atlantic many times, they raced Siglehanded Transpac too.

Minimum hardware, minimum fuss, minimum comfort, minimum cost, etc.

b.

[youngson]

Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List

[Glenn.Brooks]

I am a bit confused, if you are buying a boat to keep in Greece, why equip it for offshore sailing? If you want to go offshore, e.g. Out of the Med, then you could consider a slightly bigger boat, IF you want the extra space downbelow. FWIW, I am perfectly happy on my Alberg 30 and do not buy into the hype that bigger boats are more safe - they are are not- they are just more expensive, require more exertion to sail, and more work to maintain.

Second question, where are you shopping? Sounds like you are in Europe, hence US boats are way far away, adding travel,costs to purchase price, etc.

Just as a suggestion, If you are looking for preeminent seaworthiness aNd small, there are a couple of Laurent Giles Vertues for sail in Italy and in UK that could fill the bill. The Vertue in Bosham is currently around 9500 UK or less on offer, but needs some planks replaced. Once that is done, you might have a fantastic boat.

Best wishes for your sailing adventure.