Date: 12/19/2006
Name: Tim Lynch
email: windchaser@lewiston.com
subject:re: go fast
Well Barry, I for one got a SJ21 so I could test my skills as a sailor against other sailor's in similarly prepared boats, which is the basic premise behind one design. I got bored racing handicap in a 12' boat and coming in 2nd or third yet over 20 minutes behind the the rest of the boats.The other appeal of the SJ21 was the fact that I DIDN'T need all the go fast gadgets to be competitive. Last summer I finished 4th out of 8 SJ21's in a regatta and 8th overall (30 boats entered) using a jib from 1993 a main sail from 1998 and a keel gasket from 2001. (I even gave Gary VanDusen a run for his money a couple years back on Lake Couer d'Alene, Idaho)
I've proved here in Lewiston that old sails, an old keel gasket and no fairing can still win races when sailed well.
The point is, the SJ21 is a great boat for testing your skills against other sailors (the point of one design). It's not the fastest boat, but it was very reasonably priced ($2,500 on the trailer), cheap to maintain (as long as you don't bend the mast on over head wires), and most of all, FUN to sail! The biggest expense I've faced to date was new tires for the trailer! (insurance covered the mast)
[Return to Harbor Messages | Create New/Followup Message]