Maarire is the name of our
boat. It is a Maori word meaning to go Gently. Our
boat is a 1979 Tanzer 8.5m made in Dorion
Quebec. My thoughts on
boats is very similar to Jeff H and his Farr 11.6, however at the moment this is what we have and for what we do it is fine. Also it is less $$ to own and operate. I bought the boat new in 1979, I was a Tanzer dealer at the time. The
hull is solid GRP and the
deck has a
plywood core. The
hull is very solid. The masthead rig is a bit small but is fine in a breeze. The original
rudder was an awful design and I have built a new one as many Tanzer owners have done. The
keel is cast iron and not a good foil. I intend to do some fairing
work someday. The hull is a joy given the constraints of a 7400 pound
displacement. The run aft is a bit steep but cannot be avoided. I will extend the transom and make the run more shallow, the extension will also serve as a place to board. At the moment it is not easy to get to the boat from the
water so this would be a
safety issue as well. The boat is likely big enough to take two people anywhere and it is easy to manage. I am on an inland lake and can not easily transport anything bigger to the ocean. If we eventually move to the large puddle we may consider a bigger boat. BC Mike C