[Rhodes22-list] Rhodes22 Questions (perspective buyer)

[David Walker]

David,

I bought my Rhodes for many of the same reasons you list.  It is my second
boat, my first a 17' daysailor.  I trailered it for the first year, have
kept it in a slip since then (4 seasons).

The Rhodes is a more substantial boat than the others you mentioned,
displacing more per foot than most boats (except a Flicka of course).  I
docked next to a Catalina 22 last year and the differences were striking.
The IMF main  (if you like it) is something that is pretty much not
available on any other boat in its price range.

Trailering is physically easy, the mast raising crane requires no real
physical effort, just time to rig the boat and derig it.  Plan on 45 90
minutes to rig depending on how practiced you are and how much you de-rig
for travelling.

As far as sailing is concerned, you can get as much performance out of the
Rhodes as much as you like if you coinfigure it appropriately.  With the IMF
and 175 genoa, I am competitive with catalinas, and O'days of similar size.
The one benefit is that I can do it single handed.  The boat balances well
and I usually sail with the tiller locked with a tiller tamer.  Some on the
list have gone the direction of performanace with full battened mains and
smaller jibs and full spinakers.  In that configuration the Rhodes makes a
pretty sporty boat (probably not quite a J22 though).

As for motors, there are many camps.  Sizes run from 4 to 9.9 Hp, both 2 and
4 stroke.  For lakes you can get away with 6, most of us on the coasts have
9.9's.  Reccomending a brand is very controversial on the list, but I
currently have a Yamaha 9.9 HT (hight thrust) which although dreadfully
heavy, has electric start, a reasonable alternator, good low speed (for
docking) and can get me through the strongest tidal current that I've run
into yet.

Good luck with your search.

Dave Walker
S/V Windswept
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Schuster" <davids@mmfcpa.com>
To: <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 10:19 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Rhodes22 Questions (perspective buyer)


> Hi folks, after reading through some of the info here, it seems I have
> finally come to the right place!
>
> My wife and I are in the market for a used day/weekend cruiser. It will
> be our first sailboat, and we are novices for sure. We have taken a week
> long sailing course so we do have a few basics down. I know I love it
> and can't wait to get back into it.
>
> Anyway, I'm wondering if those who own one would recommend the rhodes22
> as a beginners boat (relative to the size)? We want some thing stable
> and enjoyable to sail, and easy to manage. We also want a boat that is
> of excellent quality and will hold up in the long term. Speed and
> maneuverability isn't our priority. And of course we want something that
> is going to make us happy for a long while. My wife and I hope to sail
> mostly on the lakes in the Western part of the US and eventually on the
> coast. So obviously it seems logical to look at trailerable boats. The
> Rhodes I have seen in used listings and at General Boats are a bit more
> expensive than comparable production Hunters, McGregors and Catalinas.
> But they seem to posses their own character and quality, and I suppose
> that is worth it for us...
>
> We've got a Toyota 4 runner that I believe could manage the tow. But
> what kind of work is involved in trailering this boat? How is raising
> and lowering the mast? Is it something you have to muscle, or pretty
> straightforward? What about outboard motors? Are there any other
> concerns that I should be thinking of?
>
> Any info or suggestions for a first time shopper would be much
> appreciated. All the details and techy jargon is pretty new to me, but
> I'm starting to get a handle on it. It seems like there are some
> dedicated Rhodes22 sailors here, and I'm exited to hear your thoughts.
> Thanks!
>
> DFS
>
>
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