A mate is looking for a cruising boat and there may be a tidy Compass 29 available soon

Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated

Regards Don

Don,

I cannot comment from experience, but was very tempted by a compass 28 a few years ago. At the time the general feeling was that the 28's sailed better but had less room than the 29's. There was some talk that osmosis was a concern, but I suspect that is the case for most boats of the era.

There is a owners group for the compass yachts here.

http://compassyachts.info/web/, or Google compass yachts if the link does not work.

It it was previously very active and they are passionate about their boats, but ain't we all!

Only think I can add I think the 29s had wheel steering
Were very popular charter boats back then

The 29 footers are just 28 footers with an extra 2" in the topsides. Both are derived from the Northerner 28 which is the same hull but with timber furniture. They are fairly small inside. I was looking after my mates boat for a few months and when I went straight from his to my boat the Currawong felt enormous inside [it isn't]. Nothing special to sail. Are cheap though but be careful which engine they have. Early Compasses had the horizontal Yanmar!

I re-read comments on this previous thread last night:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Duncanson-29-Plans/?SearchTerms=Compass,29
MB and Cisco were pretty negative.

Put me off the Compass 29. Many of them have only a 10 or 12hp engine, which IMHO for a beamy boat weighing circa 5 tonnes is not enough.

However, on the plus side, an encapsulated ballast keel is one less worry if you are offshore on a stormy night.

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Yara said...
I re-read comments on this previous thread last night:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Duncanson-29-Plans/?SearchTerms=Compass,29
MB and Cisco were pretty negative.

Put me off the Compass 29. Many of them have only a 10 or 12hp engine, which IMHO for a beamy boat weighing circa 5 tonnes is not enough.

However, on the plus side, an encapsulated ballast keel is one less worry if you are offshore on a stormy night.
[/quote
A compass is NOT a beamy boat where did you get that from.
Not a lot of room but very strong and great sea boats a bit slow.

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twodogs1969 said..

Yara said...
I re-read comments on this previous thread last night:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Duncanson-29-Plans/?SearchTerms=Compass,29
MB and Cisco were pretty negative.

Put me off the Compass 29. Many of them have only a 10 or 12hp engine, which IMHO for a beamy boat weighing circa 5 tonnes is not enough.

However, on the plus side, an encapsulated ballast keel is one less worry if you are offshore on a stormy night.
[/quote
A compass is NOT a beamy boat where did you get that from.
Not a lot of room but very strong and great sea boats a bit slow.

Twodogs, everything in life is relative. Yes, compared to the modern lightweight fliers/thumpers with aft cabins, the Compass 29 is not a beamy boat. However compared to the Compass 28, it is. The whole point of the 29 "improvement" was to add beam and make the dinette bigger as well as add internal volume. Also the re-design was intended to make wheel steering possible, and hence most 29s do have wheel steering. There are some 29s with tiller steering, but they are relatively rare.

There are a number of commentators who have remarked that the 10hp for the Compass 29 was insufficient to battle a substantial headwind. The "standard" motor on the 29s was a Yanmar 15.

Hi all

Thanks for the feedback so far

This is the boat in question boatbrokers.com.au/boat-details/?de=175969

It has tiller steer, a sliding hatch so access to the cabin should not be a issue and a fresh water cooled Yanmar 2GM20

It looks fairly tidy in the advert and has a few useful extra's

Any thoughts ??

Regards Don

Ahha! That is not the boat we have been discussing. It is a H28 built in NZ. Sloop rigged, but with lots of features of the original Herreshof design. Good boats. Only negative I know is that the ballast might be steel punchings, rather than lead.

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Yara said..
Ahha! That is not the boat we have been discussing. It is a H28 built in NZ. Sloop rigged, but with lots of features of the original Herreshof design. Good boats. Only negative I know is that the ballast might be steel punchings, rather than lead.

Hi all

Sorry for leading you astray

Any thoughts on this one

Regards Don

Just to clarify on the Compass 29. Yes they are slow, have serious weather helm and are getting old. However, they are robust, easy to handle (except maybe the weather helm) and cheap.
I don't believe Ramona is quite right in his comments above. The 29 hull is wider than the 28 which is a significant factor in the 28 being a far better sail boat. But the 29 is quite roomy for its size and age.
I rate them a reasonable first yacht.

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Donk107 said..

Yara said..
Ahha! That is not the boat we have been discussing. It is a H28 built in NZ. Sloop rigged, but with lots of features of the original Herreshof design. Good boats. Only negative I know is that the ballast might be steel punchings, rather than lead.

Hi all

Sorry for leading you astray

Any thoughts on this one

Regards Don

As Yara said. Ive heard of one that the owner took months to dig out the steel punchings and start again with lead ballast.. The steel punchings became wet and rust and swelled.
There would be the odd few like that but others would be fine

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Yara said...

twodogs1969 said..

Yara said...
I re-read comments on this previous thread last night:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Duncanson-29-Plans/?SearchTerms=Compass,29
MB and Cisco were pretty negative.

Put me off the Compass 29. Many of them have only a 10 or 12hp engine, which IMHO for a beamy boat weighing circa 5 tonnes is not enough.

However, on the plus side, an encapsulated ballast keel is one less worry if you are offshore on a stormy night.
[/quote
A compass is NOT a beamy boat where did you get that from.
Not a lot of room but very strong and great sea boats a bit slow.

Twodogs, everything in life is relative. Yes, compared to the modern lightweight fliers/thumpers with aft cabins, the Compass 29 is not a beamy boat. However compared to the Compass 28, it is. The whole point of the 29 "improvement" was to add beam and make the dinette bigger as well as add internal volume. Also the re-design was intended to make wheel steering possible, and hence most 29s do have wheel steering. There are some 29s with tiller steering, but they are relatively rare.

There are a number of commentators who have remarked that the 10hp for the Compass 29 was insufficient to battle a substantial headwind. The "standard" motor on the 29s was a Yanmar 15.

They are not beamy compared to an adams of the same vintage or most of the old 1/4 tonners. Compass are a thiner full keel design a very good sea boat.

A NZ fibreglass and modified version of a H28 build by Compass yachts. Long keel, apparently sail well but not too quick; sea kindly and safe. Higher top sides than a traditional H28. Probably closer to a clansman than a Compass 29. I have review a of a new one (when they began to import them to Aust) in an old sailing magazine somewhere and at the time I recall that they were thought to be traditional but competent.

compass H28 or 29

Walker H28 below cock pit drain opening on the stern . If the cockpit was full of water its around 1/2 a tonne +


So if it was my boat Id be getting my tools ready for an up grade two things
One the cockpit drain add some big ones
the other port lights to large as there not strong enough for open ocean on the compass 29

For coastal work she'd be nice and its well fitted out Donk
But Id still fit some through hull hose tails through the stern locker and out the stern it has some already but not large enough
for my liking
Ive always admired her fit out light and aerie

Hi HG

Thanks for the information, your thoughts and the youtube links

I don't mind the look of this boat and it seems to have some reasonable gear onboard

My wife looked at the advert and said it is better equipped than ours than our Sailmaster

If i was in the market for a boat i reckon i would take a look at this one

Regards Don

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Donk107 said..
Hi HG

Thanks for the information, your thoughts and the youtube links

I don't mind the look of this boat and it seems to have some reasonable gear onboard

My wife looked at the advert and said it is better equipped than ours than our Sailmaster

If i was in the market for a boat i reckon i would take a look at this one

Regards Don

I thought you would think that Donk its one of the best compasses Ive see to be honest and nicely fitted out
maybe you should sell you mate the sail master and buy it instead

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HG02 said..

Donk107 said..
Hi HG

Thanks for the information, your thoughts and the youtube links

I don't mind the look of this boat and it seems to have some reasonable gear onboard

My wife looked at the advert and said it is better equipped than ours than our Sailmaster

If i was in the market for a boat i reckon i would take a look at this one

Regards Don

I thought you would think that Donk its one of the best compasses Ive see to be honest and nicely fitted out
maybe you should sell you mate the sail master and buy it instead

Hi HG

The thought has crossed me mind (more than once) in the last couple of days

The Sailmaster is a nice thing to sail though, i have grown rather fond of her and i kind of know all of her in's and out's

Regards Don

HG

The other problem is that mine probably owes me around $35,000 and if this one is listed at $34,000 what could i ask for mine

My guess is that i would be lucky to get more than $25,000 and if i was looking for a boat the Compass would seem to be a better buy than my Sailmaster for around the same money if it presents as well in the flesh as it does in the advert

Regards Don

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Donk107 said..
HG

The other problem is that mine probably owes me around $35,000 and if this one is listed at $34,000 what could i ask for mine

My guess is that i would be lucky to get more than $25,000 and if i was looking for a boat the Compass would seem to be a better buy than my Sailmaster for around the same money if it presents as well in the flesh as it does in the advert

Regards Don

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Donk107 said..
HG

The other problem is that mine probably owes me around $35,000 and if this one is listed at $34,000 what could i ask for mine

My guess is that i would be lucky to get more than $25,000 and if i was looking for a boat the Compass would seem to be a better buy than my Sailmaster for around the same money if it presents as well in the flesh as it does in the advert

Regards Don

Tasmania is a bit of a unique market, however pricing for H28s, or rather ultimate selling price, seems to fit into two categories. The quick sale, probably true market value, price, and the "I really want that boat" price. Vendors hope for the latter, and sometimes succeed, but may wait for a long time and end up selling for the true market price.

On the Mainland, a well fitted out boat with original engine and rigging, but in good nick, seems to be around $23k. With new rigging and a refurbed motor maybe $28k to $30k. If this particular boat has been on the market for a while, dont be afraid to make an offer.

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Donk107 said..
HG

The other problem is that mine probably owes me around $35,000 and if this one is listed at $34,000 what could i ask for mine

My guess is that i would be lucky to get more than $25,000 and if i was looking for a boat the Compass would seem to be a better buy than my Sailmaster for around the same money if it presents as well in the flesh as it does in the advert

Regards Don

It's unfortunate this H28 is called a Compass 29 and it's caused lots of confusion here. The NZ Compass boats are a different company to the Australian Compass yachts. The NZ Compass H28 is very close to the original design where as I think your Sailmaster has an extra 2 inches of freeboard and is actually a larger boat. Most of the NZ Compass 28's I have seen advertised sell fairly cheap though this one looks particularly nice.

It's weird but I do not think there are any H28's anywhere in the world that are actually 28 feet long but it would help if they were actually advertised with their correct names.

For the record and Two Dogs:

Beam of various boats-
Compass 28 - 8ft 2 in
Compass 29- 9ft 2 in
Walker H28- 9ft 2in
NZ Compass H28- 9ft 0in
Adams 10 - 8ft 8in
Source- Observer's Book of Sailing Craft

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Ramona said..

Donk107 said..
HG

The other problem is that mine probably owes me around $35,000 and if this one is listed at $34,000 what could i ask for mine

My guess is that i would be lucky to get more than $25,000 and if i was looking for a boat the Compass would seem to be a better buy than my Sailmaster for around the same money if it presents as well in the flesh as it does in the advert

Regards Don

It's unfortunate this H28 is called a Compass 29 and it's caused lots of confusion here. The NZ Compass boats are a different company to the Australian Compass yachts. The NZ Compass H28 is very close to the original design where as I think your Sailmaster has an extra 2 inches of freeboard and is actually a larger boat. Most of the NZ Compass 28's I have seen advertised sell fairly cheap though this one looks particularly nice.

It's weird but I do not think there are any H28's anywhere in the world that are actually 28 feet long but it would help if they were actually advertised with their correct names.

Hi Ramona

People often look at my Walker Sailmaster 845 in the water and call her a H28 but under water she is completely different

Not sure about the freeboard on mine compared to others but 8.45 meters is only 27.7 feet long and i think that a Walker H28 like HG's is actually longer than 28 feet

Looking at the two side by side i think that the Walker H28 has a longer cockpit than my Sailmaster

The photo's below show the differences below the waterline

Regards Don

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Yara said...
For the record and Two Dogs:

Beam of various boats-
Compass 28 - 8ft 2 in
Compass 29- 9ft 2 in
Walker H28- 9ft 2in
NZ Compass H28- 9ft 0in
Adams 10 - 8ft 8in
Source- Observer's Book of Sailing Craft

Tasman 26 9ft 4.8 in
Carter 30 10ft 08in
Davidson 28 9ft 4in
Traditional 30 9ft8.8 in
Eastcoast 31 10ft 5.5in
Cal9.2 10ft3.3in
Nicholson 1/2tonner 10ft 2.5in
I couldn't find a miller and whitworth 26 which would be beamier
Also couldn't find a adams 30 which is also beamier
All these are older boats which i would call beamy

HI seabreezers
i was in the market for a compass 28 or 29 before I found my n.z compass h28
I looked at a number of them too as well as a top hat clansman and a walker h28 .
Here's my take.
I much prefer my compass h28 for its much bigger and more practical interior lay out , huge cockpit , good head room, bigger fuel and water tanks , stern hung rudder and a usable toilet
I love the big windows lots of light and good views which is nice I do have plywood covers for offshore work, never used them thou just peace of mind

there are lots of compass 28's and 29's around where I live and my boat is always faster even with a blown out mainsail. infact I regularly out pace a local mottle and clansman which surprises me every time.

they point and tack very well for a full keel boat. but do not reverse well in marinas ect. and steering is heaver than a fin keeled boat.
don't panic about cast iron punching get a good survey if there's a issue it would have shown up by now
lots of boat's have cast iron keels and punching's it pretty normal
I have drilled through the sole to try and check what sort of ballast is in mine no rust came out and I also checked over with a inspection camera everything looks good. I had the boat surveyed at purchase time too for peace of mind.

there are rumors that one boat had issues ,they where available in kit form too so maybe that owner did something different if its even true . maybe its just a myth.
they are very well built boats, built for n.z conditions heavily hand laid fiberglass mine has no osmosis or structural issues.

there has been several ocean crossings and circumnavigation`s in the n.z compass h28.
the most famous where brothers that circumnavigated the globe
I believe a previous owner of my boat may have sailed it to Fiji and back In 1987 I found documentation indicating that.

these are some passage right ups here http://h28.org.nz/index.php/main-2-passages
lots of good reading
the n.z h28 owners page use to have lots of good technical information and a good right up about getting them up n.z off shore standards (cat 1 I think) which are very though . I cant seem to access it at the moment though

one thing I would like is drain opening in the transom like the walker h28s have. I currently have 2x 1 inch drains for the cockpit which does concern me.

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twodogs1969 said..

Yara said...
For the record and Two Dogs:

Beam of various boats-
Compass 28 - 8ft 2 in
Compass 29- 9ft 2 in
Walker H28- 9ft 2in
NZ Compass H28- 9ft 0in
Adams 10 - 8ft 8in
Source- Observer's Book of Sailing Craft

Tasman 26 9ft 4.8 in
Carter 30 10ft 08in
Davidson 28 9ft 4in
Traditional 30 9ft8.8 in
Eastcoast 31 10ft 5.5in
Cal9.2 10ft3.3in
Nicholson 1/2tonner 10ft 2.5in
I couldn't find a miller and whitworth 26 which would be beamier
Also couldn't find a adams 30 which is also beamier
All these are older boats which i would call beamy

My M and W 26 was just under 10 feet wide.

My takea the same kurt storm covers and add more covkpit drain
They set up nicely inside no question about that
Ive removed all my forward seacocks
As on top of my lead balast it has concerete poured over it
The edges are not sealed so ill be sealing mine up with epoxy before it goes back in the water