I've just had a crushing disappointment. I found the
boat of my dreams but the bubble just burst.
For the last two years I've been looking for a larger
catamaran, with
dagger boards for better upwind performance. Last year I found a 1992
Catana 40 which met all of my criteria, but the buyers looking at my
PDQ bought something else, and the
Catana was gone by the time I found another set of buyers. It was perfect because it was a high performance cruiser that would just fit the travelift at my self-service boatyard near by.
I recently heard about another Lock Crowther design at justcatamarans.net that seemed worth a visit. I went, I looked, I measured, and then I cogitated. It was truly a Crowther design, it looked like it could have come out of the Catana 42 molds, albeit on a Monday. The
layup was pretty wavy; the hulls had not been very well faired. The
interior cabinetry was pretty amateurish, and more 'mountain-cabin' homey that yacht like. Still, I'm not likely to suddenly get rich enough for a new
Outremer, so it grew on me. Today I asked a good
boat guy to remeasure for me, since I had come up with an inch and a half too much beam to fit in the travelift here. His measurement was even wider. Bummer!
So close, and yet too far. So now I'll reveal this secret bird's nest on the ground. If you're looking for a LOT of great sailing boat for $120K, its yours. Its a couple of inches TOO great for me.