Com-Pac 16s was Re: [Rhodes22-list] Thanks for the help!

[Mary Lou Troy]

Mimi,
As Rik said Fred and I had a Com-Pac 16 for 10 years before we moved to a 
Rhodes 22. Com-Pacs are stable solid boats and the 16 is easy to trailer 
and rig. They stand up well to brisk winds but if you are going to be doing 
any sailing in light winds a large genoa is a must. Most of the 16s had a 
shoal keel and as Ron mentioned out they don't point real well. They also 
have significant weather helm. Again the larger jib seems to help with both 
the pointing and the helm issues. There is an active Com-Pac email list on 
Yahoo (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/com-pac/) and several of their members 
have been experimenting with reshaping the rudder and have reported 
improved helm. Very recent 16s have a centerboard which should improve the 
pointing ability considerably. Hutchins (the manufacturer) has recently 
announced that they are no longer making the 16 or the 19. They will be 
concentrating on the SunCats, the larger Com-pacs and will be bringing out 
a new sloop said to be an 18.

All in all we liked our 16. It was slow but we had a lot of fun with it and 
it certainly was simple and safe. It had only 3 stays and the mast was 
short and light. We had it out in rough weather and it handled it very well 
for a 16 footer. It was easy to tow. In the winter, it lived in the garage. 
We actually camped out on ours a bit though that convinced us we needed a 
bigger boat. There are a lot of them around. Look for one later than 1980 
that has a bowsprit - I think that improved the helm issues some by 
allowing for a larger headsail. If there is any sign that there has been 
water standing on the floor of the cabin (common when the hull/deck joint 
sealant dries and cracks) make sure that the concrete keel is not 
waterlogged. The keels can be dried, but in New England I would worry about 
it having gone through a freeze/thaw cycle.

The Com-Pac owners group on Yahoo is a very helpful group of people. There 
are often boats for sail and there are probably a few owners not far from you.

Best wishes and good luck in finding your boat. If you have questions about 
our experiences with the Com-Pac ask away.

Mary Lou
1991 R22 Fretless
Swan Creek, MD / Ft. Washington, PA





At 02:06 PM 9/19/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Hello everyone!
>
>Many thanks to so many of you who offered your assistance and words of sage
>advice last week when I began my quest for a boat that included a Rhodes 22.
>
>The short of it... we've decided not to purchase this particular boat
>(though I loved the email that said 'quit looking and just buy it!'!!!)  We
>were tempted, but decided not to for the following reasons. (and I'll also
>tell you what we've now decided to look for)
>
>1)  I've heard it said that "there is no perfect boat - only the perfect
>boat for what you want to do".  What do I want to do?  Have something just a
>bit sturdier and drier than my Sunfish, that I can sail singlehandedly with
>ease, but that is more than just a daysailor... i.e. a small cabin.  But
>unlikely that we'd be doing overnight cruising... all I really need is a
>place to go potty/to the head out of sight of the world, and maybe take a
>nap while on anchor!  As a single mom with two large dogs (I'm not even
>going to venture into that dog discussion... I have my own strong feelings
>about what 'responsible dog ownership' looks like relative to beaches and
>leashes!)  the liklihood of getting away for overnights just isn't high...
>I'm happy to go out for a nice long day on the water, then come home and
>shower and sleep in the comfort of home!
>
>While I understand that the Rhodes is fairly simple for its size, it still
>seemed a bit more complicated than what I want to get into at this time ...
>particularly after reading many of your emails this past week about
>riggings, lightening, stove fires (!), etc. It's quite simply more boat than
>I need.
>
>2)  This boat is old (1976) ... good bones, but in need of a whole bunch of
>sprucing up in the cabin.  Given the kid, dogs, man in my life, and home
>that I'm renovating... well, sum it up with "I don't need another project"!
>For someone looking for a fixer-upper, it would be wonderful.  But that's
>not me right now.
>
>3)  There's a little bit of damage that we're not sure about in terms of
>what it would take to fix... a small gash in the point of the bow (docking
>incident?)... which doesn't look so bad on its own, but we noticed a little
>big of leakage up in the bow of the cabin... are they related?   Portholes
>also leak a little bit... another 'fixer upper' project.  Probably not a
>problem at all for someone handy with such things.
>
>4)  We found what we think IS the perfect boat for our needs... just need to
>find a used one now.  Are any of you familiar with a Com-pac 16' or Com-pac
>17' SunCat?  Simpler rigging, VERY sailable by one alone, easy on and off of
>trailer (I know the Rhodes is trailerable, but not so much for simple day in
>and outs of the water - we have no mooring for it right now - though on the
>list...but they are very hard to come by where we live.)  A small cabin with
>two simple bunks/berths... PERFECTION!  AND I think a bit more stable for
>Cape Cod wind and waters - particularly the cat-boat variety with its wider
>beam.  Anyone know of a good used one in my area for sale?
>
>So... now I take a bow and say 'ta-da'!  AND a huge thank you to all of you
>who offered advice... you obviously love your boats... and they are an
>impressive lot.  If any of you would like to comment on the above, please
>feel free, though I will likely exit myself from this list within the next
>24 hours (WAY too many  emails coming in each day to deal with).    You are
>more than welcome to also write to me directly at mimi@cape.com
>
>Anybody out there know of someone who IS looking for a fixer-upper project?
>They're asking about $2000 I think... includes a fairly decent trailer, and
>a 5HP motor (Nissan),  that's only about 3 years old.  It's on trailer in
>Falmouth/Woods Hole area of Cape Cod.   Just came out of the water about 10
>days ago.  If interested or you want to know more, please contact Ellie at
>the following email address...  shavereb@aol.com
>
>MANY THANKS again to all of you for your input...
>
>And if anyone is interested... please check out my website... I do
>commission art/paintings...http://www.artworkbymimi.com
>I'm also in the process of becoming certified as a Reflexologist, so if
>you're in the area and would like a Reflexology session, please don't
>hesitate to call!!!
>
>Smooth sailing everyone!
>
>Mimi Schlichter
>508-548-9096
>
>
>                   *******
>
>Please take a look at my websites...
>
>http://www.artworkbymimi.com
>Paintings to bring you joy!
>
>http://www.melaleuca.com
>Peace of mind through safer,
>healthier, less expensiveshopping!
>
>Blessings of joy and peace to you!
>
>Mimi Schlichter
>
>508-548-9096