[Rhodes22-list] Winter dreaming

[jmh123 at juno.com]

A good winter for dreaming about sailboats –or at least for those of us
with frozen lakes.
It’s not too unusual for the Catalinas and the Hunters of this world to
come up with new models –but there are new models this year from Seaward,
Compac and MacGregor. (I am not suggesting these models are
interchangeable or equally well constructed!)
Compac and Seaward have moved from Shoal keels (Compac Eclipse using a
combination keel/centerboard). Seaward and MacGregor have gone to dagger
boards to improve performance –MacGregor cites drag issues with the
centerboard slot. Both boats have apparently gained some structural
advantage with the dagger board enclosure offer bulkhead-type support.
This may help Seaward resolve some ongoing issues with deck compression
under the mast.
It’s been interesting to listen in on the Seaward forum and their
discussions of the 26. Also some comments about this "new" distributor in
NC. But most them probably have not had the distinct pleasure of
interacting with Stan and/or Elton.
I'd be interested to hear more from those who sailed both the R22 and the
new RK26 in comparing the "feel" of the boats. I've run some numbers and
came up with a Length to Displacement ratio of 113 for the Seaward and
161 for the R22. That puts the 26 in the "very light ocean racer" class
and the R22 in the "light cruiser/racer" group. That’s not real
surprising. Hard to be trailerable and weigh much more than the R22, and
the Seaward carries the weight on a longer water line. The sail area to
displacement ratios are higher for the R22 –I came up with 21 on the R22,
based on a sail area of 271, and only 18 on the RK26.
Also, is it safe to assume that with GB distributing the RK 26, there’s
no Rhodes 26 in the near future?
John Hill
s/v Clarity