Southerly boats

[alex_sauvage]

Originally Posted by B23iL23

Thanks. It was the 480 (recent) and I may have heard wrong on the ballast or someone who thought they knew more than I said it. Either way I am not a fan of the boat. I just found the main cabin claustrophobic and felt like the walls were pushed in. I've sailed on DS boats before but this felt cramped and old. But again, that's my opinion and others my love the design.


As for shoal draft and sticking it on a beach , I don't think there is another cruising boat that will beat it. Does exactly what it says on the tin!

Southerly, like Amels are passagemakers, and like older Amel do indeed feel smaller inside than their size would suggest. One line of thought is that you dont want wide open spaces inside of the boat on the passage: basically farther to fall. I don't have enought experience to judge that point of view, but guys from Distant Shores are on their third Southerly, so there must be something there. And they sailed a lot of miles in the last 30 years. I spent yesterday 3 hours on board of 480 and we were inside all the time due to the rain. I would discribe it as a "cozy", rather than "cramped". The feel seems to grow on you. And it seems to be well designed boat with a lot of input from actual sailors.

[Belezar]

I just bought mine, so I don’t really have anything to report other than I did a lot of research, weighed the compromises of several boats, and decided that since I wanted a passagemaker, the variable draft checked a lot of boxes. It is a tremendously well built boat. The draft really opens up a lot of grounds.

[B23iL23]

Fantastic. Well done. I think that if shallow draft it what you are looking for, these are great boats. When you do stick it on the beach (on purpose), we want photos!

Originally Posted by Belezar

I just bought mine, so I don’t really have anything to report other than I did a lot of research, weighed the compromises of several boats, and decided that since I wanted a passagemaker, the variable draft checked a lot of boxes. It is a tremendously well built boat. The draft really opens up a lot of grounds.

[pianopraze]

Thinking about putting an offer on a Southerly 100. Anyone have any experience/opinions on them?

[AKA-None]

No experience but I think they checked many boxes for me. Never sailed one, only looked.
Everything that I wish to pay for looks small inside.

[Rohan]

I just wonder how well can they point, and how comfortable are they on a passage?

The swing keel, even when down looks a little small and there is no ballast bulb on it. So I assume all the ballast is very low in the hull instead. So to my admittedly amateur eye it doesn't look ideal for stability or sailing to windward.

However, I saw one at a boat show and loved it. Very nice yacht, high quality, and I would love to own one. If you want a swing keel, there aren't many to choose from. Some of the Jeanneaus are swing keels if you want a less expensive option, but that is only available on a couple of their smaller models.

Personally, I would feel more confident with a vertical lifting keel, but those are extremely rare. I am not aware of any new yachts that are produced with one.

[Iduna]

A Southerly is absolutely the boat that I am saving up for.

In the meantime, I hope to have my new to me significantly more affordable boat by the end of the month.

[nortonscove]

The ballast and keel mechanism seems very robust. Definitely a boat I would consider. I also like that it is easy to haulout and cradle. The one Garcia Exploration I've seen made me envy the ease of sitting it down given the number of days with high winds here during the winter months.

[De.windhoos]

Originally Posted by Rohan

I just wonder how well can they point, and how comfortable are they on a passage?

The swing keel, even when down looks a little small and there is no ballast bulb on it. So I assume all the ballast is very low in the hull instead. So to my admittedly amateur eye it doesn't look ideal for stability or sailing to windward.

However, I saw one at a boat show and loved it. Very nice yacht, high quality, and I would love to own one. If you want a swing keel, there aren't many to choose from. Some of the Jeanneaus are swing keels if you want a less expensive option, but that is only available on a couple of their smaller models.

Personally, I would feel more confident with a vertical lifting keel, but those are extremely rare. I am not aware of any new yachts that are produced with one.

A swing keel without ballast acts like a daggerboard. because the ballast is in the hull you don't decrease the stability when raising it. A well-designed swing keel points as good as any regular cruiser. Stability is more complex than hanging a big lump of lead under a boat.

[SVHarmonie]

Based on scuttlebutt on the docks...

Before you buy a Southerly, check carefully for maintenance access to things that might need fixing.

It might be model specific, but among the guys I know who spend time working on boats, this brand has a very bad reputation for being able to get to things without huge hassles.

Strictly hearsay on my part, but heard from guys who do the work...

[Gypsy Digital]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

I surveyed a Southerly 115 here in Queensland and I thought she was a nice yacht certainly plenty of yacht for the length. The only issue I found was the mast compression post had sunk about 12mm into the fiberglass base? The rest of the boat was well built.
Cheers

I know this is a old post but i just bought a bout with same problem so i wonder if it was a write off or they got it fixed?

[shimari]

Originally Posted by Gypsy Digital

I know this is a old post but i just bought a bout with same problem so i wonder if it was a write off or they got it fixed?

Best place to ask might be the Southerly forum on Facebook....it's pretty active.

[Gypsy Digital]

anyone seen something like this before? southetly 115 hull number 12

[Sos]

No experience but have a look at

Sailing Fair Isle

.
They had a similar problem, also on a very sturdy and well built boat.
Southerly's have a good reputation here in the UK where they were built.