Daysailer Build vs Conversion

Hi all!

Currently in the process of looking at building a daysailer with the D 870 by Italian designer Alessandro Comuzzi being one of my preferred designs. I have been working though the study plans and speaking with a few builders with promising feedback received. Construction is plywood/strip plank and comes with detailed building guidelines and CNC files for cutting etc. See link for more info on the D 870
www.alessandrocomuzzi.com/portfolio/d-870-daltronde/

Speaking with a few others in the industry the comment has been made to look for an existing boat such as the Adams 10 or similar and rebuild the deck/configure into a daysailer. To ensure I look at all options id like to see if anyone knows of any hulls, possibly something that has been out of the water for a while that needs work, and preferably in WA. Keel preferbly fixed with an inboard rudder (which I know the Adams don't have).

This also goes without saying, this is a large project, one that I am prepared both financially and time wise to commit to, it wont be completed overnight but at a comfortable pace with subcontractors where required.

Thanks in advance, Justin

I agree with lydia, an Etchells would be the best daysailer. That D 870 would be a decent project if it was totally built by yourself but would still be expensive and you would end up with a one-off plywood yacht with very poor resale value.
For some reason daysailers are not popular in Australia even though 95% of cruiser racers are sailed as daysailers. The normal Adams 10 is a daysailer. If you feel the need for wood then saving a nice mahogany Dragon or 5.5 might suit.

&ehk=MnUDyGxwMyPSiHOwQAvkYpceG9aROUl49jIyzgdLyKA%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw

Solings come up every now and again but are even wetter than an E22. What about a Folkboat? Can reduce the cabin length a bit? Whatever you do need to be careful a frankenboat doesn't result.

Good one Justin. If you google Hick 30 many links will come up including chat lines circa 2004 which is about when they first came out, especially on sailinganarchy.........with the associated occasional dross on that site however initially well meaning..............

forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?/topic/208451-hick-yachts/

One of the inshore H30s in Sydney Very Tasty is probably nearing 20ys old and is still really top shelf - still beating everything around that size and larger except Mumm30s and Bull9000s and probably has beaten them also on occasions.

The Roper9000 in NZ looks similar to what you are maybe after? It is probably a one-off but has been launched and proven. Certainly looks like a good design and very well built. Expect won't have cnc files.

boatingnz.co.nz/boat-reviews/roper-9000/

I only found it as am 1/2 owner in a Ross930 - the Roper uses a R930 rig. A year ago we changed our rig to a swept back spreader design, no runners - that is what you should use including short footed jibs - aka E22 rig. Short footed jibs and mainsails are so much easier to handle on board - just roll them up or flake them. As long as the mainsail foot is long enough to give you height going to windward - so a far aft enough leech.

Steve Thompson has many yachts in your size range which could be of interest.

tboat.com/Services/buildown.html

Inboard rudder - not sure why you have this as a "nice to have"? On this size yacht a transom hung rudder suitably engineered is cheaper and less maintenance going forward? Ok such a design needs to be a bit deeper but ours has stood up well since built 1985............we renewed the lower pintles / gudgeons 3 years ago to correct the wear.

Finally the cockpit design - the Adams10 have the sit in seats as well the sit out on the sidedeck arrangement. Our Ross930 has similar but a higher coaming so that when sitting out the coaming provides good resistance to sliding back into the cockpit. Sailing dead downwind the sit in seat geometry is very comfortable. Murray Ross was a sailmaker by trade and got into yacht design after Paul Whiting's very unfortunate passing - for sure he got the R930 cockpit geometry perfect. Morale of the story is some of the sportsboats have "sit on" type cockpits where the height from the side deck to the cockpit floor is not much - and there is no coaming but that is easily fixed by adding one - but for some people the result of such a shallow cockpit is not comfortable, with at times knees up too high.

regards Rob

Thanks Justin.

Good input from Chris as always. Have seen those German lake boats - pianos on water...........

I forgot Dudley Dix he has many excellent ply designs and is a very experienced sailor to boot which shows in his designs.

www.dixdesign.com/

The French have a few companies doing ply boats not sure if they sell plans.

uk.boats.com/reviews/rm970-review/

The Italian designs you have shown look ok but both sterns/transoms look too pinched in - they should be ok maybe going upwind but will wallow reaching and running. Bruce Farr with his 727 1/4 tonner designed 1972 which won the 1975 title in France showed the way for boats which could hang in upwind but blaze away reaching and running.

Don't want to swamp you with information but the time / effort / cost of modifying an existing Soling or Etchells to result in something of unknown value and dated performance, versus the same for building a 2021 design hull and putting a 2nd hand E22 rig on it, is difficult to justify.

Someone sailing out of Five Dock Bay here in Sydney built a round bilge hull and put an Adams 8 rig on it in the 90s or 00s I forget when - named Cobalt. It looked great sailing out and going up harbour many times but not sure what happened to it.

Just can't see the issue with Etchell freeboard.
Sailed them in plenty and at times in very marginal conditions (with good crew I accept) and never even filled one up and that usually only happens downhill with a kite on in waves.
Major Etchell races are held in much more breeze and waves than you will ever day sail in.

I saw this the other day. It looks like Catalina are also making a day sailor.

www.catalinayachts.com/sport-series/275-sport/