Swanson 28 Double ender

[sparau]

This contessa appears to be somewhat a project but has been for sale for years and "but the owner says "SELL" and has indicated that he will look at any offers".

Used Contessa 25 for Sale | Yachts For Sale | Yachthub

[sparau]

Originally Posted by youngson

here's a nice contessa 26 for 8000$, cant beat that with a stick.
1972 JJ Taylor Contessa 26 sailboat for sale in New York
And heres a albin vega that needs work and it comes with a trailer and a volvo engine for 1500$ thats pretty good.
1973 Albin Vega sailboat for sale in Florida

Just got to look around you'll find the perfect boat in your price range guaranteed!

In Australia you can generally add a zero to the prices But if you got the time, cash and ability it would be fun holiday to grab a US bargain and just resell it at the end.

[Cheechako]

You'll find the Contessa is a LOT smaller boat than the Swanson. More like camping on the Sweet little Contessa. The Swanson has a proper galley and dinette etc.

[CheoyLee39]

Cheers for those last few posts, I liked the video of the 'Vaga' not sure about the checker colored spray dodger though, LOL Also I am in Australia, so US based yachts are slightly impractical.
I actually have 2 specific yachts in mind that are up for sale, only not keen on posting them as someone may snap them up before I get a chance, and that would ruin my day Hopefully one will be mine in the next 3 weeks, I will then happily post the yacht I bought.

[boden36]

If the Germaine is well built and rust free she is a bullet proof yacht which you can sail anywhere. Make sure she has lead ballast.

Regards,
Richard.

[Ambler]

I think a boat in the 30 to 40 foot range, perhaps a well designed mid 70's, early 80's cruiser/racer is a far better blue water boat.
I, like you, saw the double ender as a nice looking boat. I got that out of my system having cruised and lived aboard a citation 34. The Manitou (also a biddlecome design) and Swanson 28 appealed to me as well. But the hobby horsing effect of fine entry and exit lines of the above vessels don't lend themselves to a fast sailboat as the rig cuts back and forth in the breeze. Frustrating.
If you enjoy sailing you need a boat that was designed to sail well to its length.
Check out the stable of Peter Joubert production boats. Currawong 30, Brolga 33 and Magpie 34. There are lots of similar styles out there of that era. But they go places like NW Passage, Cape Horn, etc.
It's a buyers market so enjoy the experience. Look around, make silly offers.

[laika]

Not sure what you're lookin at over there in AUS, but the boat list here may still be worthwhile: http://atomvoyages.com/planning/good...oats-list.html

Good luck

Ryan

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by sparau

Reefmagnet, I guess this was your Albin? It looked like a nice boat.
Used Albin Vega for Sale | Yachts For Sale | Yachthub

Yes it was and yes she was

Only got rid of her because we are going on an extended cruise and the missus wanted the whole hot and cold shower thing...

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Ralph1966

Cheers for those last few posts, I liked the video of the 'Vaga' not sure about the checker colored spray dodger though, LOL Also I am in Australia, so US based yachts are slightly impractical.
I actually have 2 specific yachts in mind that are up for sale, only not keen on posting them as someone may snap them up before I get a chance, and that would ruin my day Hopefully one will be mine in the next 3 weeks, I will then happily post the yacht I bought.

Lol, It was made by the PO and that was exactly what we thought until we got the quote to replace it. Funny enough it grew on us and most people that saw it in the flesh thought it looked pretty good after giving it a while to soak in.

[sparau]

Originally Posted by Ambler

But the hobby horsing effect of fine entry and exit lines

I thought fine entry / exit lines slowed down the pitching effect? It seems logical that greater buoyancy at the ends will lead to a faster motion for a given boat length.

[Reefmagnet]

We looked at buying a manatou 32 a fair few years back. They were sold as a basic package for owner fitout so there is a wide range of layouts and quality in the range. They do hobby horse apparantly and there is surprisingly little room in them for the 32 foot loa length.

[Ambler]

Originally Posted by sparau

I thought fine entry / exit lines slowed down the pitching effect? It seems logical that greater buoyancy at the ends will lead to a faster motion for a given boat length.

A fine entry and perhaps a V shaped forefoot is a good thing, absorbing waves and tracking well. But the maximum beam carried further aft and flatter sections aft such as modern designs will be more sea kindly and offer more volume interior layouts, as well as preventing the hobby horse momentum.

[GILow]

Hi Ralph1966,

There's some interesting ideas here so far, I'll chime in with my two cents as we have a Swanson 42, we've had it for a year and half so far.

I've lost track of the number of people who ask me how I handle the hobby horsing, and they still get a blank look from me whenever they ask. Maybe I don't recognise the symptoms, or maybe it's not a problem, but it certainly has not been a problem for us.

So far, as we were told to expect, the Swanson has proved to be a very forgiving and confidence inspiring boat. Nothing has upset its poise, except the limitations of the somewhat green skipper.

I've seen many Swansons out of the water now, and they all share so much in their lines that I imagine they mostly have similar characteristics size for size when sailing. I am yet to hear a consistent negative thing about them except for the issues of reversing them, which is plain difficult.

There are a couple of Swanson sailors on this site who have experienced the other boats, and may be able to tell you more about the 28. All I have heard from them was positive. If you search the threads you'll find them and you could probably send them a PM. Most of the Swanson sailors I know of are too busy herbing around on boats to check in here very often. I am just an exception to the rule.

Finally, I don't think everyone completely understands the difficulty of buying boats in Oz. As some here of hinted, it's pricey, and there is less choice than some other countries. That being said, I certainly don't see the Swanson as a "last resort" boat. Anything but in fact.

Happy boat hunting,

Matt

[CheoyLee39]

So much great information, much appreciated Impossible to address every post But obviously there are a few options out there, even at a lower price range like mine, 25k (maximum).
I to am under the impression that it is a buyers market at the moment (apologies to sellers), even if Australian prices are higher than OS and range of choice lower, there are still a few good buys to be found. I don't mind a bit of DIY, but certainly wish to avoid another 'Willida' (my old 27 ply yacht), so ply yachts are out of the question, although easy to patch up. Fiberglass and steel obviously have their own issues.
Having owned and lived aboard the cramped 27 (mainly due to the generous walk around topside design, and engine position), I am very conscious of interior layout and design (from a live aboard viewpoint). The Swanson 28 sloop double ender, although slightly small in the cockpit, has a very spacious and well designed layout, and generally from what I have gathered is very sea kindly.
I am not particularly after a fast boat, I like comfort There are one or two yachts around that are very well priced, and offer a comfortable and well equipped inventory and are in good condition. I am by no means an experienced sailor, so I possibly will not notice all the sailing, handling characteristics of individual yachts.
I certainly will post once I have purchased

[GILow]

Small addition, I just found a photo of a Swanson 28 out of the water and I would have trouble telling the difference between it and our boat below the waterline, it looks practically identical.

To my simple mind this suggests it would be very similar to sail particularly as the sail plan looks very similar.


Matt