Going to try something different in the Whitsundays this year and potentially lots of other places on the coast but far from Sydney.

Everyone telling me I'm crazy to have two yachts but going to look at an Austral Clubman 8 on Saturday and will probably pull the pin.

Anyone here had any experience with these or suggest anything that I should have a careful look at apart from the usual obvious things?

Thanks in advance.

That's a good idea, trailer it up.
Save on air fares and have your own accommodation.
I would have thought a boat around 6-7m would be easier to tow and less fuel.
I can not think of the make of yacht, but they are around 7.2m and have a pop top...
I have seen them handle our Gulfs and local waters in SA..
I will think of the name..
Cheers...

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BeamReach said..
That's a good idea, trailer it up.
Save on air fares and have your own accommodation.
I would have thought a boat around 6-7m would be easier to tow and less fuel.
I can not think of the make of yacht, but they are around 7.2m and have a pop top...
I have seen them handle our Gulfs and local waters in SA..
I will think of the name..
Cheers...

Thanks for that:)

I'm prepared to drive a fair bit slower than my usual warp speed so I was figuring that the only reason, apart from cost, why bigger is not better is stepping the mast. I will find out how easy that is on a Clubman on Saturday.
I'm also keen to maintain performance and although full headroom would be nice (this has 5'10') I'm always a bit suspicious about the ultimate safety of pop tops both from the point of view of structural integrity and also leakage in the event of a knockdown or even severe water over the bow. As for the performance aspect I figured you can always reef but there's not much you can do if you have a short stick in light breeze.
Obviously condition is the primary factor as most of these boats are pretty old. I've got to be really careful about giving myself more maintenance or projects as it will be a second boat.

The Clubman does have a couple of features that appeal apart from a fairly big rig. It sits flat on a beach without a central external skeg although course this could impact structural integrity??
It also has a centre board which lifts vertically rather than pivots as I'm also a little suspicious about putting all my faith in 1 bolt which is probably inaccessible for inspection. I would be really interested if anyone knows whether the encased ballast is iron or lead? I can't find out a lot of information about the boat including annoyingly rig and sail dimensions.
Another nice feature is an outboard in a deep lazarette side locker with electric start and Morse type controls but liftable within the deep locker (without removal) to facilitate placing a blanking plate on the bottom for streamlining when not in use. The prop is maybe 700 in front of the transom so I would hope that this would stop it coming out of the water in rough weather as opposed to outboards over the rear of the transom like most TS have. It's also slightly modern in that the halliards and reefing lines are all lead back through a tunnel rather than lying on deck.
Anyway this all sounds great in theory but I guess I will find out in practise on Saturday.

Also trying to avoid painted boats in favour of ones with original gelcoat which is rare but possible if the boat has been predominantly stored in a shed or undercover.

I had this same bright idea about 8 months ago and went up to look at a Ross 780 MK2 in Queensland which was absolutely immaculate but I got cold feet at the last minute.

pics from a Whitsunday cruise in about 2007. Middle shot is Hill Inlet, bottom is Whitehaven.

The boys threw me overboard for the sailing photo, so I couldn't tell them about main luff tension :)

We had a Clubman a few boats ago... (have a Ross780 Mk3 now)
Clubman was very well built and nicely finished.
Sailed more like a yacht than a dinghy, but still very powerful rig and sailplan.
Thinks I liked:
tunnelled halyards, teak trim, very ergonomic, sexy looking, sailed beautifully, professional build.
Things I didnt like:
heavy mast for one person, motor in offset well not good for slow manoeuvring, trailer will need breakaway system, false floor and ceiling and internal mouldings look nice, but can be obstacles for maintenance, teak maintenance. Finding a replacement outboard to fit the well was a problem.

The motor will come out of the water when heeled over heavily, but this can be avoided by trimming properly.

Our Ross780 Mk3 is much easier to rig, sail and maintain.

Assume you've seen these links

johncrawfordmarine.com.au/austral-clubman-8

www.trailersailerplace.com.au/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=16996

sailboat.guide/austral/clubman-8

Hey Julesmoto,

FWIW, I owned a Noelex 25 a couple of years back which was a pop top, drop centerboard (winch on top of keelbox), and had pull start motor in rear of cockpit. The Noelex was a fun and very easy boat to sail and rig and was perfect for bay, river and close coastal sailing in good conditions. It's lightweight was great for towing, launching and retrieving, but also meant it was very tender in blowy conditions and honestly, not really designed to handle open water conditions. I trailed it to the Gulf of Exmouth and spent a week on it between Exmouth and Onslow which is further north and outside of the gulf. The gulf is notorious for short period, steep chop due to wind opposing current and shallowish waters.

The pounding into the 20 knot wind and sea, cracked all the shelving (bow reinforcing in the V-Berth0. From the bow flexing in the pounding. This was one of the considerations for selling the boat after that adventure. The boat got me to where I wanted to go and back safely, but once back home, I carried out repairs and sold the boat. Other considerations were the toilet in the V-Berth and very small V-berth (I'm 6'3") meant my wife and I couldn't share the bed comfortably.

I sold the Noelex and purchased a Magnum 8.5 (28'). It's a much more substantial boat in every respect. It's heavier, has a heavier centreboard (electric hydraulic raise and lower), bigger motor (electric start and morse controls in cockpit), larger rig and heavier mast, better sail plan a fully enclosed head, oh, and a decent double bed
The difference between the Noelex at 25' and the Magnum at 28' doesn't look that much different on paper, but handling, performance and useability are dramatically different. The Magnum with it's sleeker bow. additional freeboard and weight make it much more capable in rough conditions. The bigger mast is more of a handful to step and raise solo, but still doable. It tows beautifully, but is noticeably heavier when towing in cruising mode. Launching and retrieving are similar (most of which I do solo), keel raise and lower are easier being electric hydraulic (from the cockpit) as opposed to winch in the cabin. It doesn't have the headroom I would like, and no pop top. The Pop Top is nice I must admit, when standing in the companion way.

I recently sailed the Magnum more than 50km off the coast in the Indian Ocean and felt much more comfortable in the boats ability to handle more adverse weather. Still prudent to passage in good weather. I think this is the most important difference between keel and trailer boats, I had to just admit that as a vessel I want to use for offshore passages from time to time, that it is a trailer sailer and will always be a bit more tender and on the back foot in heavy weather.

I love my Magnum and accept it's limitations and wouldn't intentionally sail it in 30 knots of wind unless caught out. Reef early, have a plan B and make sure the motor is reliable and powerful enough to push the b oat forward in a blow.

I don't know the clubman but perhaps my experience helps somewhat? Best of luck with the purchase.

DM

Wow lots of great information there guys and thank you very much.
I only have a Mitsubishi challenger (more correctly my wife does) and would be a little bit worried about towing a Magnum 8.5 as my Challenger already seems a bit gutless. That said yes the Clubman still requires breakaway brakes but comes with four-wheel disc brakes on an appropriate trailer and the car already has a 3000kg towbar. I will have to add a brake controller in the car however. Probably a bit of messing around but it seems they can be had for about $179 DIY.

The particular boat I am looking to buy has had the teak ripped off the cockpit floor and cockpit seats in favour of what appears to be, although you never know till you actually see it, very well executed glued down thermoplastic sheets. Even then there will be a fair bit of external teak which I don't really fancy maintaining but nothing is perfect. On my Northshore 38 it is only the rails on top of the coach house and I have slit pool noodles longitudinaly and press them over the rails every time I leave the boat as I don't want to be vanishing 5 coats, sanding and removing stuck masking tape anytime soon again.
The outboard in this boat is newish so hope not to be replacing that anytime soon but it does concern me that the mast may not be that easy to step single handed or even with my wife as she although young is quite slight and I am 68 this year and not particularly heavily built.

Thanks for the links R13 which I had actually seen although they annoy me as the ballast is reported as different to other sources I have seen and although the total sail area is given there is no other dimension to facilitate ordering of sails.

I wouldn't dream of having a trailer sailer if the object was to day sail as the effort in rigging would definitely not be worth it unless it could be stored with the rigg up. I plan on sailing for a week or more at a time however at each outing hopefully making the rigging time worthwhile. I already have a beach cat and a 14 ft dingy
in my front yard which I never use because I couldn't be bothered rigging them for day sails. If necessary I could probably con a generous passer-by into helping me for 5 minutes putting the mast up or down at most boat ramps.

I would definitely have liked to look at another Ross particularly and Mk3 which I have never seen but I couldn't seem to find one for sale. They seem to be the most actively raced and largest fleet of these (old) trailer sailers and this is reflected in the resale values.

Anyway I will report back after I fly home on the last flight out of Brisbane Saturday night and join the party revellers coming home in Sydney after catching the first flight up there requiring me to rise at 3 a.m.

Select to expand quote

julesmoto said..
Wow lots of great information there guys and thank you very much.
I only have a Mitsubishi challenger (more correctly my wife does) and would be a little bit worried about towing a Magnum 8.5 as my Challenger already seems a bit gutless. That said yes the Clubman still requires breakaway brakes but comes with four-wheel disc brakes on an appropriate trailer and the car already has a 3000kg towbar. I will have to add a brake controller in the car however. Probably a bit of messing around but it seems they can be had for about $179 DIY.

The particular boat I am looking to buy has had the teak ripped off the cockpit floor and cockpit seats in favour of what appears to be, although you never know till you actually see it, very well executed glued down thermoplastic sheets. Even then there will be a fair bit of external teak which I don't really fancy maintaining but nothing is perfect. On my Northshore 38 it is only the rails on top of the coach house and I have slit pool noodles longitudinaly and press them over the rails every time I leave the boat as I don't want to be vanishing 5 coats, sanding and removing stuck masking tape anytime soon again.
The outboard in this boat is newish so hope not to be replacing that anytime soon but it does concern me that the mast may not be that easy to step single handed or even with my wife as she although young is quite slight and I am 68 this year and not particularly heavily built.

Thanks for the links R13 which I had actually seen although they annoy me as the ballast is reported as different to other sources I have seen and although the total sail area is given there is no other dimension to facilitate ordering of sails.

I wouldn't dream of having a trailer sailer if the object was to day sail as the effort in rigging would definitely not be worth it unless it could be stored with the rigg up. I plan on sailing for a week or more at a time however at each outing hopefully making the rigging time worthwhile. I already have a beach cat and a 14 ft in my front yard which I never use because I couldn't be bothered ringing them for day sails. If necessary I could probably von a generous passer-by imto helping me for 5 minutes putting the mast up or down at most boat ramps.

I would definitely have liked to look at another Ross particularly and Mk3 which I have never seen but I couldn't seem to find one for sale. They seem to be the most actively raced and largest fleet of these (old) trailer sailers and this is reflected in the resale values.

Anyway I will report back after I fly home on the last flight out of Brisbane Saturday night and join the party revellers coming home in Sydney after catching the first flight up there requiring me to rise at 3 a.m.

I'm just down the road at Shellharbour. Happy to show you our Ross780Mk3. Its a 2007 model, so probably newer than your NS38.
Oh, I just remembered the mast step/foot on the Clubman is very unique. Check it out.

Select to expand quote

Azamagnum said..

julesmoto said..
Wow lots of great information there guys and thank you very much.
I only have a Mitsubishi challenger (more correctly my wife does) and would be a little bit worried about towing a Magnum 8.5 as my Challenger already seems a bit gutless. That said yes the Clubman still requires breakaway brakes but comes with four-wheel disc brakes on an appropriate trailer and the car already has a 3000kg towbar. I will have to add a brake controller in the car however. Probably a bit of messing around but it seems they can be had for about $179 DIY.

The particular boat I am looking to buy has had the teak ripped off the cockpit floor and cockpit seats in favour of what appears to be, although you never know till you actually see it, very well executed glued down thermoplastic sheets. Even then there will be a fair bit of external teak which I don't really fancy maintaining but nothing is perfect. On my Northshore 38 it is only the rails on top of the coach house and I have slit pool noodles longitudinaly and press them over the...

I'm just down the road at Shellharbour. Happy to show you our Ross780Mk3. Its a 2007 model, so probably newer than your NS38.
Oh, I just remembered the mast step/foot on the Clubman is very unique. Check it out.

Thank you very much for that kind offer but then the problem is finding one for sale at a reasonable price in reasonable condition. I'm kind of on a deadline because I really would like to have the boat at Airlie Beach by 1st July this year which is the start of school holidays for my six-year-old plus the time when I'm getting well and truly sick of the cold. I'll see how I go on Saturday and may well be getting back to you :-).

Is the mast step on the plug unique in a good way or a bad way? I'm guessing you think it's bad.

Select to expand quote

julesmoto said..

Azamagnum said..

julesmoto said..
Wow lots of great information there guys and thank you very much.
I only have a Mitsubishi challenger (more correctly my wife does) and would be a little bit worried about towing a Magnum 8.5 as my Challenger already seems a bit gutless. That said yes the Clubman still requires breakaway brakes but comes with four-wheel disc brakes on an appropriate trailer and the car already has a 3000kg towbar. I will have to add a brake controller in the car however. Probably a bit of messing around but it seems they can be had for about $179 DIY.

The particular boat I am looking to buy has had the teak ripped off the cockpit floor and cockpit seats in favour of what appears to be, although you never know till you actually see it, very well executed glued down thermoplastic sheets. Even then there will be a fair bit of external teak which I don't really fancy maintaining but nothing is perfect. On my Northshore 38 it is only the rails on top of the coach house and I have slit pool noodles longitudinaly and press them over the...

I'm just down the road at Shellharbour. Happy to show you our Ross780Mk3. Its a 2007 model, so probably newer than your NS38.
Oh, I just remembered the mast step/foot on the Clubman is very unique. Check it out.

Thank you very much for that kind offer but then the problem is finding one for sale at a reasonable price in reasonable condition. I'm kind of on a deadline because I really would like to have the boat at Airlie Beach by 1st July this year which is the start of school holidays for my six-year-old plus the time when I'm getting well and truly sick of the cold. I'll see how I go on Saturday and may well be getting back to you :-).

Is the mast step on the plug unique in a good way or a bad way? I'm guessing you think it's bad.

A mk3 will go from roughly 50k upwards

All I remember about the mast step/foot was that its a weird design and kinda fragile.
Ours had a removable furler/twin track foil which was great for cruising and headsail changes, but added weight when raising the mast.

Where is this clubman adverstised ?

Select to expand quote

Azamagnum said..

julesmoto said..

Azamagnum said..

julesmoto said..
Wow lots of great information there guys and thank you very much.
I only have a Mitsubishi challenger (more correctly my wife does) and would be a little bit worried about towing a Magnum 8.5 as my Challenger already seems a bit gutless. That said yes the Clubman still requires breakaway brakes but comes with four-wheel disc brakes on an appropriate trailer and the car already has a 3000kg towbar. I will have to add a brake controller in the car however. Probably a bit of messing around but it seems they can be had for about $179 DIY.

The particular boat I am looking to buy has had the teak ripped off the cockpit floor and cockpit seats in favour of what appears to be, although you never know till you actually see it, very well executed glued down thermoplastic sheets. Even then there will be a fair bit of external teak which I don't really fancy maintaining but nothing is perfect. On my Northshore 38 it is only the rails on top of the coach house and I have slit pool noodles longitudinaly and press them over the...

I'm just down the road at Shellharbour. Happy to show you our Ross780Mk3. Its a 2007 model, so probably newer than your NS38.
Oh, I just remembered the mast step/foot on the Clubman is very unique. Check it out.

Thank you very much for that kind offer but then the problem is finding one for sale at a reasonable price in reasonable condition. I'm kind of on a deadline because I really would like to have the boat at Airlie Beach by 1st July this year which is the start of school holidays for my six-year-old plus the time when I'm getting well and truly sick of the cold. I'll see how I go on Saturday and may well be getting back to you :-).

Is the mast step on the plug unique in a good way or a bad way? I'm guessing you think it's bad.

A mk3 will go from roughly 50k upwards

All I remember about the mast step/foot was that its a weird design and kinda fragile.
Ours had a removable furler/twin track foil which was great for cruising and headsail changes, but added weight when raising the mast.

Where is this clubman adverstised ?

Thanks for that. Not really advertised. I came across it in a roundabout fortuitous way :-)

This fellow mentions Clubman 8 on his website so presumably would have sail geometries?

www.stevewalkersails.com.au/yacht-sails/

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r13 said..
This fellow mentions Clubman 8 on his website so presumably would have sail geometries?

www.stevewalkersails.com.au/yacht-sails/

Thank you very much for that I'll give him a bell.

With a little ingenuity mast standing can be a one person operation. I've been down the path your treading & the 30' charter mono is the way we have resolved the tyranny of distance & time. This year we're getting a little Catalina in the second week of the holidays, might see you there

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woko said..
With a little ingenuity mast standing can be a one person operation. I've been down the path your treading & the 30' charter mono is the way we have resolved the tyranny of distance & time. This year we're getting a little Catalina in the second week of the holidays, might see you there

If you don't mind me asking what is a Catalina worth for a week in the holidays?

Hi Jules...
Thanks for the detailed reply. You obviously have been doing your homework and know what you want.
The trailer sailer I was thinking of, is a Timpenny 770.
If you picked your weather for day sails, I would think you would be safe and comfortable. I did see one for sale in Victoria, for 22k, which is what they normally go for. Good value for a capable TS, as compared with the price of Farr 7500 and Nolex 26.
Not a huge investment and the resale is good, going by what I have seen available in SA.
I guess it depends on your budget ? But you already have a Northshore 38 and we all know the costs associated with keel boats. Lol
I have seen a group of Timpenny 770's in one of our Marina's on the Yorke Penninsula,SA and I was impressed with conditions they sailed in and sailing to Kangaroo Island, which can be a challenge on some days.
I looked up the displacement, that being 1,550kg and a ballast of 410kg...
Or as it has been suggested, exploring the cost of hiring a small Catalina, up at the Whitsundays, may be cost effective??
Cheers

I think the fact the clubman dries out flat would be good in the whitsundays.
Either the Magnum. Noelex Clubman or Ross 780 would be fine. However look at things like anchoring equipment, water capacity etc and also the quality and suitability of the trailer.
If money isn't an issue consider a Farrier tri. F28 etc. Easier to tow and sail..faster and a good stable platform. ??

Select to expand quote

Thanks again guys for the further input. Yes the Timpany 770 looks considerably more modern than the smaller version which is the one I always think of in relation to the name.Yes they are very well priced too but I have my super now so money is not the primary issue. I'll be interested to hear if Woko gets back to us with the cost of a 30 footer in the Whitsundays in the holidays but I would imagine it is way too late to book for this year and the 32 footer I did look up was 650 a night in non peak periods so not cheap although probably a lot less hassle as walk on walk off. There is however something to be said for doing your own exploring and investigation in your own boat with no constraints. I already have a keel yacht and I like the idea of beaching it flat.

At the moment it's all theory and absolutely no practise as I have never sailed on a trailer sailer. I did sail a lift keel yacht which might have been a Binks around 30 ft in the early 80s on the Gold Coast at a convention I was sent to and was put in charge of. All I can remember is getting involved in racing another guy from the convention in the same model and going the wrong side of a channel marker. Much to my embarrassment I came to an abrupt halt. It's all sand up there however and a push of a button lifted the keel and had me off promptly.


Speaking to a seller recently in relation to a TS I was considering a guy told me how a Ross 780 in his club had failed a pulldown test whereas his Noelex 25 fared much better due to the more modern Ross having more vertical topsides. Doesn't inspire me with confidence. He also related an incident on his when the Spinnaker halyard got stuck during a race after a broach and he had to jump on the keel while some other guy cut the sail loose in order to get the yacht upright. Don't think my family would appreciate such antics! Did capsize my RS Quest last year down wind with my then 5yo on board but a 1300+ kg TS is a whole other ball game.

A lead bulb on the bottom of the keel which some people seem to have added or some models have standard would probably guard against such a situation but then you are trading away flat beaching so I think I'll just sail conservatively and only put the kite up on really light days.

Tri s are a bit too much out of my knowledge base and comfort zone at this stage. Think I would have to have a friend with one and sail on it quite a number of times before I would ever consider them.

Anyway hopefully much will be revealed to me tomorrow :-)

I would suggest a visit to a sailing Club that races trailer sailers and bludge a ride for the day. Make sure you get the experience of launching and retrieving with a bit of cross breeze at the ramp. Take your missus and have her try out the head. I think a smaller trailer sailer up to about 23 feet combined with regular stays in a motel might make for a better holiday. Most of the time you will be living in the cockpit so ensure the seats are long enough to sleep on.

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julesmoto said..

woko said..
With a little ingenuity mast standing can be a one person operation. I've been down the path your treading & the 30' charter mono is the way we have resolved the tyranny of distance & time. This year we're getting a little Catalina in the second week of the holidays, might see you there

If you don't mind me asking what is a Catalina worth for a week in the holidays?

By the time all the doda charges are added on, GBR enviro levee, stay onboard night before charter, we don't bother with the fishing gear, kayaks, pool toys etc. it works out at $640.50 per day + the refuel on return, last year from memory we used $40 in diesel because we only used the engine for battery charging & mooring. It's certainly nice to have them take your lines on return to the marina then basically walk off

Select to expand quote

woko said..

julesmoto said..

woko said..
With a little ingenuity mast standing can be a one person operation. I've been down the path your treading & the 30' charter mono is the way we have resolved the tyranny of distance & time. This year we're getting a little Catalina in the second week of the holidays, might see you there

If you don't mind me asking what is a Catalina worth for a week in the holidays?

By the time all the doda charges are added on, GBR enviro levee, stay onboard night before charter, we don't bother with the fishing gear, kayaks, pool toys etc. it works out at $640.50 per day + the refuel on return, last year from memory we used $40 in diesel because we only used the engine for battery charging & mooring. It's certainly nice to have them take your lines on return to the marina then basically walk off

Interesting. Still a keel boat I presume which hopefully comes with a tender.Thanks very much for that. Maybe see you up there. What dates are you going? NSW school hols start a week after Qld.

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Ramona said..
I would suggest a visit to a sailing Club that races trailer sailers and bludge a ride for the day. Make sure you get the experience of launching and retrieving with a bit of cross breeze at the ramp. Take your missus and have her try out the head. I think a smaller trailer sailer up to about 23 feet combined with regular stays in a motel might make for a better holiday. Most of the time you will be living in the cockpit so ensure the seats are long enough to sleep on.

Good points thank you. Also need to work out mozzie protection if beaching it as opposed to anchoring offshore. Anyway tomorrow might be quite revealing. I suspect that if it's 80% of what I am hoping for my urge to buy a new toy will probably preside.
Taking my moisture meter up and just made up a very small wooden mallet with a rounded tip for tapping the foam core hull - hopefully not too strongly for the owner to object. Keeping the small dowel handle and head separate so Jetstar can't accuse me of taking a weapon on the plane.

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julesmoto said..

woko said..

julesmoto said..

woko said..
With a little ingenuity mast standing can be a one person operation. I've been down the path your treading & the 30' charter mono is the way we have resolved the tyranny of distance & time. This year we're getting a little Catalina in the second week of the holidays, might see you there

If you don't mind me asking what is a Catalina worth for a week in the holidays?

By the time all the doda charges are added on, GBR enviro levee, stay onboard night before charter, we don't bother with the fishing gear, kayaks, pool toys etc. it works out at $640.50 per day + the refuel on return, last year from memory we used $40 in diesel because we only used the engine for battery charging & mooring. It's certainly nice to have them take your lines on return to the marina then basically walk off

Interesting. Still a keel boat I presume which hopefully comes with a tender.Thanks very much for that. Maybe see you up there. What dates are you going? NSW school hols start a week after Qld.

Catalina 350 "wazabi" yep they all come with a RIB with the smaller boats your obliged to tow them around, will have her 3/7 - 11/7
another benefit of the charter game is you've a choice of vessels to try out, last year we had a beneteau oceanis 31. Also return customers get a discount

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julesmoto said..

BeamReach said..
That's a good idea, trailer it up.
Save on air fares and have your own accommodation.
I would have thought a boat around 6-7m would be easier to tow and less fuel.
I can not think of the make of yacht, but they are around 7.2m and have a pop top...
I have seen them handle our Gulfs and local waters in SA..
I will think of the name..
Cheers...

Thanks for that:)

I'm prepared to drive a fair bit slower than my usual warp speed so I was figuring that the only reason, apart from cost, why bigger is not better is stepping the mast. I will find out how easy that is on a Clubman on Saturday.
I'm also keen to maintain performance and although full headroom would be nice (this has 5'10') I'm always a bit suspicious about the ultimate safety of pop tops both from the point of view of structural integrity and also leakage in the event of a knockdown or even severe water over the bow. As for the performance aspect I figured you can always reef but there's not much you can do if you have a short stick in light breeze.
Obviously condition is the primary factor as most of these boats are pretty old. I've got to be really careful about giving myself more maintenance or projects as it will be a second boat.

The Clubman does have a couple of features that appeal apart from a fairly big rig. It sits flat on a beach without a central external skeg although course this could impact structural integrity??
It also has a centre board which lifts vertically rather than pivots as I'm also a little suspicious about putting all my faith in 1 bolt which is probably inaccessible for inspection. I would be really interested if anyone knows whether the encased ballast is iron or lead? I can't find out a lot of information about the boat including annoyingly rig and sail dimensions.
Another nice feature is an outboard in a deep lazarette side locker with electric start and Morse type controls but liftable within the deep locker (without removal) to facilitate placing a blanking plate on the bottom for streamlining when not in use. The prop is maybe 700 in front of the transom so I would hope that this would stop it coming out of the water in rough weather as opposed to outboards over the rear of the transom like most TS have. It's also slightly modern in that the halliards and reefing lines are all lead back through a tunnel rather than lying on deck.
Anyway this all sounds great in theory but I guess I will find out in practise on Saturday.

Also trying to avoid painted boats in favour of ones with original gelcoat which is rare but possible if the boat has been predominantly stored in a shed or undercover.

I had this same bright idea about 8 months ago and went up to look at a Ross 780 MK2 in Queensland which was absolutely immaculate but I got cold feet at the last minute.

I sailed on one a couple of times. It had found the bottom (the lake level was low) at speed with no significant damage, if I recall correctly.

Damn nice boat IMHO. Most of those 780-850 cruiser/racer TYs arguably suffer a little bit because the trailer limit means they must be quite skinny and therefore either carry comparatively small rigs or be a bit tender, but the Clubman goes well. I think you can modify the sliding hatch mount to give a bit more headroom.

Having done the odd offshore mile in similar big TYs I'd be perfectly happy with one almost anywhere BUT they are sensitive to sail well because of the inherent slight lack of form stability because of the narrow-ish beam.

Select to expand quote

Chris 249 said..

julesmoto said..

BeamReach said..
That's a good idea, trailer it up.
Save on air fares and have your own accommodation.
I would have thought a boat around 6-7m would be easier to tow and less fuel.
I can not think of the make of yacht, but they are around 7.2m and have a pop top...
I have seen them handle our Gulfs and local waters in SA..
I will think of the name..
Cheers...

Thanks for that:)

I'm prepared to drive a fair bit slower than my usual warp speed so I was figuring that the only reason, apart from cost, why bigger is not better is stepping the mast. I will find out how easy that is on a Clubman on Saturday.
I'm also keen to maintain performance and although full headroom would be nice (this has 5'10') I'm always a bit suspicious about the ultimate safety of pop tops both from the point of view of structural integrity and also leakage in the event of a knockdown or even severe water over the bow. As for the performance aspect I figured you can always reef but there's not much you can do if you have a short stick in light breeze.
Obviously condition is the primary factor as most of these boats are pretty old. I've got to be really careful about giving myself more maintenance or projects as it will be a second boat.

The Clubman does have a couple of features that appeal apart from a fairly big rig. It sits flat on a beach without a central external skeg although course this could impact structural integrity??
It also has a centre board which lifts vertically rather than pivots as I'm also a little suspicious about putting all my faith in 1 bolt which is probably inaccessible for inspection. I would be really interested if anyone knows whether the encased ballast is iron or lead? I can't find out a lot of information about the boat including annoyingly rig and sail dimensions.
Another nice feature is an outboard in a deep lazarette side locker with electric start and Morse type controls but liftable within the deep locker (without removal) to facilitate placing a blanking plate on the bottom for streamlining when not in use. The prop is maybe 700 in front of the transom so I would hope that this would stop it coming out of the water in rough weather as opposed to outboards over the rear of the transom like most TS have. It's also slightly modern in that the halliards and reefing lines are all lead back through a tunnel rather than lying on deck.
Anyway this all sounds great in theory but I guess I will find out in practise on Saturday.

Also trying to avoid painted boats in favour of ones with original gelcoat which is rare but possible if the boat has been predominantly stored in a shed or undercover.

I had this same bright idea about 8 months ago and went up to look at a Ross 780 MK2 in Queensland which was absolutely immaculate but I got cold feet at the last minute.

I sailed on one a couple of times. It had found the bottom (the lake level was low) at speed with no significant damage, if I recall correctly.

Damn nice boat IMHO. Most of those 780-850 cruiser/racer TYs arguably suffer a little bit because the trailer limit means they must be quite skinny and therefore either carry comparatively small rigs or be a bit tender, but the Clubman goes well. I think you can modify the sliding hatch mount to give a bit more headroom.

Having done the odd offshore mile in similar big TYs I'd be perfectly happy with one almost anywhere BUT they are sensitive to sail well because of the inherent slight lack of form stability because of the narrow-ish beam.

Thank you for that. Despite the forecast of rain and showers we had 15 to 20+ knots in sunshine with quite some chop and a small-ish swell and the boat sailed beautifully and fast on all points with both available reefs in and jib not Genoa. Still a little overpowered hard on the wind. It even sailed ok on the main alone and probably would also sail ok on the jib alone as I had the traveller and mainsheet relieved constantly (but not played) at one stage. Think I'd have three reefs if I replaced the main.

The advertised headroom of 1.8 was nowhere in evidence but rather 1.6 at very best but that doesn't concern me overly.

Unfortunately the boat, sails and trailer were just not anywhere near up to scratch maintenance wise.

If it was to be my ONLY boat which would be kept in my yard all the time and I was able to knock a bit off the price I still may have bought it but combined with the maintenance of my other yacht it would be just too much. Again quite a shame as I loved the yacht design and sailing characteristics. It also seems quite well built. It was pretty dry in the conditions too and only shipped a bit of solid spray into the cockpit a couple of times. Even started surfing quite fast on a broad reach too but always felt stable and I didn't think the form stability was that bad despite the beam constraints of a trailer sailer.

Was crestfallen last night. I guess I have to realise that all these boats are quite old and that trailers if used a lot for a long time deteriorate badly. The only other trailer sailer I have ever looked at 8 months ago was a Ross and had been kept in a shed all it's life and was probably the best preserved one in Australia - never to be repeated.

Bummer.
Trailer maintenance is just as important as boat maintenance.
Something will turn up eventually.

Mast raising on big trailer sailers is easy with the right set up. Heading for the Whitsundays ourselves shortly for our second very extended period living onboard. :)
Off to The Kimberley's next year and seeking another large cruising equipped TS or two to cruise in company with for part or all of a planned 3 month trip.

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Azamagnum said..
Bummer.
Trailer maintenance is just as important as boat maintenance.
Something will turn up eventually.

Select to expand quote

Azamagnum said..
Bummer.
Trailer maintenance is just as important as boat maintenance.
Something will turn up eventually.

That's a nice cover. Can you recall who made it?

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Azamagnum said..






pics from a Whitsunday cruise in about 2007. Middle shot is Hill Inlet, bottom is Whitehaven.

The boys threw me overboard for the sailing photo, so I couldn't tell them about main luff tension :)

Wonderful pictures of your Clubman in the Whitsundays. Thank you. Do you recall what brand of Bimini your boat had as I am wanting to buy one urgently.

Most biminis appear to have feet designed to be screwed through the deck but I would rather not make anymore deck penetrations. I wonder if a toe rail mount is possible. Also I'm a little unclear as to where your back stay goes because the Bimini seems to come quite far back.

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julesmoto said..

Azamagnum said..
Bummer.
Trailer maintenance is just as important as boat maintenance.
Something will turn up eventually.

Azamagnum said..
Bummer.
Trailer maintenance is just as important as boat maintenance.
Something will turn up eventually.

That's a nice cover. Can you recall who made it?

Adrian, at Revolution Sails in Nowra