| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1784.1 | Big Belowdecks | MILKWY::WAGNER | Scott | Mon Sep 09 1991 13:02 | 40 |
|
About 7-8 years ago, I saw the Rhodes 22 at the Newport Boat Show.
I was wanting to move up from my daysailer (17' Explorer class) and
here was this boat with tons of room, lots of `stuff' below that you
don't see on a Catalina, Hunter, O'Day etc. 22, and the brochure had me
convinced it was so snazzy in design, it would leave J-22's in it's
wake. So, after talking to Stan at the show then later on the phone, I
took a shuttle down to Long Island, where General Boats was.
The 22 was (still is?) their only product, so the place was not all
that big. Construction technique was adequate, tho this was no Cape
Dory; I would keep land in sight. Stan and his wife were delightful.
He's an ex-engineer (electrical?) who followed his dream. They shuttled
me from the airport, to the factory, then to their home, on a manmade
creek which led to the southern coast of Long Island. A boat was at
their dock- right out the back door. What a setup!
Well, performance was pretty disappointing. Looking back more
analytically, the hull was more like a motorsailor; very boxy, sharp
turn in the chine, altho that gave it room below. The turn to the deck
is powerboat-like as well; gives a larger looking deck. Stan said this
kept the ride dry.
Someone I spoke to after I got home told me one year at the Newport
show, a Rhodes 22 leaked so badly at the centerboard trunk that it had
to be pulled and repaired right there. Called Stan to confirm/deny, he
got fairly agitated, and changed the subject, so I still don't know
whether that happened or not. Then I asked which Rhodes the boat was
named for, and he decided I was not to be a customer.
Ended up with an S-2 22 footer- a few more bucks, much better
quality and performance.
All in all, if racing is no concern, it surveys well and the price
is right, go for it. It does have lots of toys you don't get in other
boats that small; a poptop AND hatch, full galley, big cockpit with
cushions, table, etc. For comforts, I had a v-berth and cooler- not
much more!
Scott
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| 1784.2 | Need more Infor on these boats | CAPNET::RONDINA | | Mon Sep 09 1991 15:11 | 12 |
| Glad to see this topic. I just went to the Newport Sailboat Show, where
I saw the Rhodes 22 and Stan. At the dock it is an impressive boat for
its size, with a very large cockpit, galley bigger than most boats up
to 30 feet,sleeps 4 (plus 3 more in the enclosed cockpit) and plenty of
other gadgets, like a rope and pulley system to lift up the outboard.
Since these boats are all reworked and customized by Stan, the
"re-conditioned" varies. The one at the show was $5- sailaway. I was
impressed with the boat as a weekender-daysailer boat. I'd appreciate
any other comments.
Paul
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| 1784.3 | What you get for your money | ASDS::LONG | | Tue Sep 10 1991 15:00 | 51 |
| More on what you get for your money:
10-year old hull with full interior liner
Inner mast reefing main
Pop top & hatch
Bunk cushions
Bow pulpit
Stern rail with light
4 Genoa tracks & 4 cars
Coaming compartments
Opening ports with screens and awnings
Anchor with vent, rope locker, hangers
6' lazaret
Electrical control panel, interior & exterior lights
Cockpit cushions
Trailer and Stern eyes
Docking Cleats
Motor lift (6:1 Mech. advantage)
Dinette cockpit and cabin table
4-1/2' galley with sink, stove, icebox
Self-contained marine head
175% reefing genoa with window and sun cover
Double back stays and 5' boom traveler
Anti-fouling bottom
Kick-up rudder
Hicking stick & tiller lock
Cabin carpeting
Teak handrails on cabin top and back
Foam flotation
4 HP long shaft OB motor
Stern ladder
With all the goodies, $8K take-away. (No trailer.)
Delete the Inner Mast Reefing and the new motor, $5K sail-away.
The boat comes with a "new boat" warranty -- two years. So if the
centerboard happens to leak, get Stan to fix it. The package list
price, including trailer, is about $27,000, but as a "show special"
you could get it new for around $21,000.
There are some other options available, don't have prices -- a dodger
cover for the pop top, a "boom room" tent top and zip-on sides for
the boom, manual or electric mast-raising system, solar panels, 3-way
marine head, etc.
The comments in reply .1 on speed, etc., don't bother me -- as a
novice (this is my first sloop) I am happy to trade off lower
performance for stability, flotation, interior room, etc.
|
| 1784.4 | Okay, but... | AKOCOA::DJOHNSTON | | Tue Sep 10 1991 19:43 | 18 |
| Not to throw water on this love fest, but I used to sell these things
while in college for Colvin Yachts in Connecticut. They have concrete,
yes concrete as internal ballast! We used to put nine horse engines on
them because they really are very much like a power boat. With a nine
horse they really move!
Colvin quit selling them because the quality was terrible. Maybe that
has changed. By comparison, he took on such lines as Aquarius,
Venture, and Balboa because they offered better boats and none of those
manufacturers are threatening Hinckley in the quality department!
For very coastal cruising in protected waters, you are probably okay
with one of these. Almost all of them are sold to novices who value
the room at dock more than seaworthiness.
Sorry.
Dave
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| 1784.5 | Stable? | MILKWY::WAGNER | Scott | Wed Sep 11 1991 13:13 | 25 |
|
For $5K, that IS a lot of good stuff. But don't confuse performance
with seaworthyness. The fastest vs. slowest rated 22 footer I could
think of is still under a knot. Means more if you're going quite a
distance; less daysailing.
Remember also this thing has a centerboard; less stable (heel wise)
by nature than a fixed keel. But many 22 footers have that arrangement.
The main was the other thing that impressed me- roll it right into
the mast! Like that big fancy 40' cruiser I saw! Well this precludes
battens (tho new ideas are on the way) which really changes sailshape,
and I couldn't get the new one I tried to point worth a damn. So stick
to the conventional- most sailmakers offer some variant of fullbatten
with lazyjacks. Almost as easy.
Sail this boat, and sail others. Don't sell yourself short, go with
your gut. You're the one who has to make the payments!
Don't recall the cement part... or lead, either, for that matter.
Still better than that 26 footer with a water-filled keel, tho!
Shop shop shop! You're every salesman's pal... till you take
delivery!
Scott.
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| 1784.6 | Claims to be a lead keel. | ASDS::LONG | | Fri Sep 13 1991 13:24 | 22 |
| RE .4 -- perhaps earlier models had cement ballast. The current
"design notes" writeup on the Rhodes 22 talks about a "...lead ballast
encapsulated in a sand and resin cement that makes the keel
indestructible, even against rocks." I would have to ask about the
ballasting system on an older boat, I suppose. I would not particularly
want iron scrap or shot in a cement matrix -- too much chance for
rusting and subsequent expansion/cracking of the keel.
RE .5 -- the hull speed computes out to around 6 knots (20' LWL), I
don't know how much wind it's gonna take to get it to plane. Our
intended use for this "first" boat is to do a fair amount of trailering
and lake sailing -- first the smaller ones around here, then up to
places like Winnipesaukee and Champlain. Supposedly it takes around
600 pounds of force on the masthead to pull the boat over, a lot more
than say a Macgregor which boasts about it's 150 pound pull. The Rhodes
is self-righting and includes full foam floatation -- unsinkable unless
you fill the cabin with rocks or something.
For coastal cruising, we would probably go with a bigger boat anyway --
my wife fell in love with the Hunters and Beneteaus in the 28-35 foot
category, mostly for their huge beam (10-11 feet) and wide-open cabins.
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