I own an early 65 and its fast. It suffers from some of the issues that you might hear about, but all have been addressed, such as the original 12 VDC system, the
ports and plastic fittings, plus the
deck to
hull joint. The early version is 10,000 pounds lighter than the pilothouse model ('87 and up), so it's a much quicker boat. Unlike some comments about them being flimsy and poorly built, this simply isn't the case. The early versions did have some low quality
hardware, most of which will likely be replaced by now, but they're not flimsy. If you go over the construction details, you'll find a well thought out build, stout construction and advantageous abilities, if sailed within her comfort zone.
Mine is the deep fin version with the tall rig, so understandably needs to be reefed earlier then most, but nothing unreasonable. Some say they're
tender up
wind, but they do okay, they're just wet, because of low freeboard and penetrating bow sections. The
cockpit is 60' away, so not uncomfortable. Pricing on the early
race versions are quite low, mostly because of the spartan accommodations, but mine was built with an ABS
inspection, so those that think these puppies aren't well done, simply haven't run the numbers, looked at their construction details or bothered to sail one. I'm just below Daytona in
Florida with a standing invitation and healthy bet to anyone with a 30 year old mono that can beat me.
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