contour 34 & 50 experiences

[s/v Beth]

Anybody cruise with these tri's? Is the 34 right for a couple with occasional guests? They look like a good next boat for us.

[Cavalier MK2]

I think the saying is, "If you have to ask, you belong in a lead lugger....."

Nothing beats sailing a boat for yourself.

[Factor]

Not sailed one but the 50 has always looked like a "right" boat to me. I would love to get some miles on one. Good luck with your search

[Sand crab]

Cf member Pipeline used to own a C50 named Pipeline. Now he has an even bigger tri. Perhaps you should PM him.

[Cavalier MK2]

Rereading my post it seems a bit mean, the point was a tri is different enough you have to sail on some to get the perspective. Sailing is faster, space is less so you need a different approach to cruising. Bring less and take more in with expanded range and better light air sailing with more speed as the wind rises. The trade for the smaller cabin is much more deck/net area, monos the same length seem very skinny after awhile. A Cross is going to be more sedate than a Farrier, after sailing a few you'll get the idea of the features you want when you are looking at boats. Enjoy the hunt and the test drives!

[Capt RonB]

I've sailed a little on the F34 and they really sail great but I can't comment on cruising one.

I did cruise for a week or so on a borrowed F28R though. My wife and I sailed from Clearwater to Boca Grande and back, living aboard. Fun, fun, fun but it was truly camping. We left Long Boat Pass in the early am with a 25k easterly breeze and we anchored up off Useppa at 1pm. We hit 18.5 knots with the auto pilot steering and me playing the mainsheet, straddling the aft beam, getting soaked everytime the aka hit a wave and grinning like the Joker.

Raced the same boat many times, great fun especially when you could get the main hull flying. There's nothing like sitting on the windward ama, making 18+ and steering with 2 fingers on the hiking stick.

Wonderful, fast machines.

My Stilleto 27 also made it past 18k a few times but man it was a serious handful to steer. You had to concentrate 100% or you were going over. It could switch from weather helm to lee helm in a flash.

The F28R on the other hand was way more stable and not squirrely at all. I always felt in control with the f boat, not so on the S27.

[Sand crab]

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...4-a-17352.html

Contour 50 Trimaran - YouTube

[HapaPops]

I had a Contour 34 for awhile. They still have a relatively active mailing list on Yahoo Groups. Contact them for a possible ride.

Pros: For cruising with a family of 4, we found it worked pretty well when the kids were little. Sailed nice and flat, huge open space (parties of 15+ on deck were not uncommon, everyone came to our boat). It's not super fast, maybe around the vicinity of an F27. There's a couple of old videos of us out in Youtube land - google Contour 34, San Francisco

Cons: Kids grew and it's a hassle breaking down the table for the extra berths. Design is a little flexi, it always made me nervous in heavy chop. You need to upgrade the rudder, and upgrading the daggerboard would be good as well. Also, design wise it's a big move from the cabin to the cockpit, but the cockpit was big enough that I used an aluminum table in the cockpit as my nav station. I never did figure out how to build a dodger that would protect the cockpit and not be a monstrosity.

[s/v Beth]

Thanks Pops that's what I needed. That and the earlier thread (Sand crab- thx) I guess I am back to the dragonfly and the hammerheads....