[Rhodes22-list] Why I Love My Boat/More Velvet Elvis Pics

[benonvelvetelvis at theskinnyonbenny.com]

Nice compilation, Bill.

You know something?  We shouldn't be so grouchy about that question.  I enjoyed
reading all of that again, although I could quote some of them verbatem.

On being unsinkable....

I don't know if I mentioned or not, but when I took the post-Katrina pictures of
my R22, she still had a cabin and lazarette full of water.  She was heavy to the
point of being unstable, but I thought I was good until I had a chance to get
back with a bilge pump and generator, as there was no power yet.

By the next weekend, she had managed to roll onto the side.  Water poured in, as
the storm had taken my hatches.  When I got back, she was laying sideways at 90
degrees to normal.  The keel was just below the water.  Starboard side was
completely sunk, and port side high and dry.

Thus, I know emperically that the R22 is unsinkable, but that it can flood to the
point where it is not self-righting.  Obviously, this point is a lot more water
than you will ever get if you can keep your hatches and lazarette shut.  A few of
us (not me) have examples of a swamped cockpit that drained right away.

I have some old fashioned photos of the crew righting the boat with airbags and
pumps bigger than any of us should ever need.  But I have some camera-phone
quality photos of the damage that I'm left with.  Warning -- it isn't pretty.

See the Velvet Elvis damage photos from this page:

http://theskinnyonbenny.com/pgHome.php


Ben




On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 19:14 , Bill Effros <bill at effros.com> sent:

>Rick,
>
>Everyone who asks this question thinks they're the first to think of it. 
>
>We got so bored with it, we started collecting replies for a time like 
>this.  I think I collected 50 before I got bored with that.
>
>Following are some of the replies.  No time to select, just cutting and 
>pasting.  All from real people.  All from this list.  Going back to 1999:
>
>Oh!  Here's a good one.  From me in 2001:
>
>Jack,
>
>I thought people would have sent more stuff by now, but while I understand
>deadlines, you understand sailing.  You have requested information at a bad
>time for people trying to get in that one last sail.  Had you asked in the
>middle of the winter we would have sent enough information to fill
>Soundings.
>
>I have been collecting answers from people on the list to the "Why do you
>love your boat" question for the past 3 years. They all come from different
>people, geographically disbursed, names available on request, but if quoted
>and named please check with the original sender.  I have cut and pasted some
>answers, and placed brackets around each sender's quotes so you will know
>where one ends and the next begins.
>
>I think I can fairly speak for virtually everyone that both the boat and the
>Spitzers are terrific.
>
>First I'll include something I recently sent to the list.  This truly
>reflects the way I feel about my boat.  You may quote me.
>
>
>(I take offense at the common locution that confuses buying a larger boat
>with "moving up".
>
>A Chevy is not a "move up" from a Porsche.
>
>I can afford any boat I can sail, but I choose the Rhodes-22.  It is the
>perfect boat for me.  It is the Rolls-Royce of boats that fit my needs.
>
>I understand that people with kids, or who think they will sail around the
>world, buy larger boats in an attempt to compromise competing requirements.
>I have many friends who have done this.  Sometimes it works out.  Sometimes
>it doesn't.
>
>But in my view, that is a "move different" not a "move up".
>
>For the way I like to sail, the Rhodes is a little jewel I treasure.  As far
>as I'm concerned, I've moved up as high as I can go.)
>
>
>(Frankly, I think the boat has the best camp cruising accommodations for one
>or two people of any 22 foot production boat of similar displacement that
>can be easily trailered. The galley unit itself provides a lot of storage
>space. If the standard settee arrangement were substituted, you would have
>to fill it up with storage containers and ice chests to provide the same
>storage space with far less utility and convenience.  The drawer under the
>companionway step would by itself store a week's worth of canned foods for
>more extended cruises. Sitting headroom with the pop top down is comparable
>to other similar sized boats. With the pop top enclosure, one has full
>standing headroom in a well ventilated, bug proof and weather tight cabin.
>The cockpit hardware layout makes single handing as easy as any sloop rig
>with an overlapping headsail can be. The neutral, balanced handling, and
>superior comfort of the cockpit make a day at the helm a lot less tiring and
>stressful than say a Catalina or Hunter. Plus that large cockpit is far more
>comfortable than most for day sailing with a crowd.
>Any small boat will represent a balance of design compromises based on the
>designer's vision of the boat's function. Cabin space vs. cockpit space,
>headroom and interior volume vs. hull drag and sailing performance, size and
>weight limitations for trailering and launching. The prospective buyer has
>to choose the design that represents the best set of compromises for his
>intended use. For extended solo cruising one might pick a Flicka over the
>Rhodes; for competitive racing a J-boat or Sonar. But as a general purpose
>22' sailboat that can do most everything well, the Rhodes is hard to beat.)
>
>(We bought our 1976 Rhodes 22 in the spring of 1987.  At the time, I'd been
>sailing 8 years & my wife, Deb. had been a sailor for about 4 years.  The
>Rhodes 22 wasn't our 1st sailboat.  My wife & I knew what we wanted in a
>boat.  We looked for a year before finding our Rhodes 22.
>
>1st of all, we live on Sanford Lake in the central lower peninsula of
>Michigan.  Our boat had to be suitable for the lake we live on.  Sanford
>Lake is a manmade lake with a surface area of about 6000 acres.  Like most
>manmade lakes, the lake is long & skinny.  The lake's long dimension is
>oriented basically north/south.  Good windward sailing ability is essential
>on this lake.  There are plenty of shallow areas & stumps, so shoal draft
>with kick-up centerboard & rudder was important.  With it sitting in a slip
>in the backyard all summer, the boat's major use has always been daysailing.
>The huge open cockpit, plenty of on-board storage, large ice chest, 15 gal
>on-board water supply, great galley, & on-board head make her a great
>daysailer & good for entertaining guests.
>
>In 1987, our two sons Daniel & Gary, were 4 & 1 years old respectively.
>Little ones have intrinsically short attention spans & will tend to spend a
>lot of time below with their toys.  The Rhodes 22 cabin ventilates pretty
>well to keep it cool & has a couple of different sleeping areas to keep two
>little boys separated when it's nap time.  ("That's my side of the bunk...No
>it isn't!")  The main cabin is very versatile.  You can put one kid at the
>table with a coloring book & the other one on the cabin sole with his
>MicroMachine cars.  (I still have at least one MicroMachine rolling around
>down in the bilge somewhere!)  Or, you can stow the table & open up the
>entire main cabin sole.  Or, one of them can go quietly read up in the
>V-berth.  The large amount of cupboards & hatches in the cabin add to the
>possibilities for an endless variety of make-believe games.  The lower half
>of the companionway hatch board can be installed in the hatch & left open.
>Now, the cabin is an enclosed playpen & you can see & hear what's going on
>down there.  Of course, Deb. & I were also concerned about safety & things
>like built-in foam floatation, roller furling sails, good nonskid decks, a
>good toerail, & the intrinsic safety of 9 stays on the standing rigging were
>important features.
>
>I frequently went sailing with only Daniel & Gary when they were little.
>I'm an engineer & pretty handy at building things.  I designed & built my
>own set of 30" high double railings from 3/4" nominal diameter, schedule 40,
>stainless steel pipe.  The boys quickly learned there were several ironclad
>rules about life aboard the boat:
>
>PFD's are always worn on deck - adults & kids - no exceptions.  They could
>take off their PFD down below in the cabin unless it was very rough.
>Wearing PFD's got to be just like putting on a seatbelt in a car.
>
>When they were little & we were underway, the cockpit was the only place the
>boys were allowed without an adult with them.  The cockpit was completely
>enclosed by my custom-made double railings.
>
>Maybe I was just lucky, but the boys never really balked at these safety
>rules.  Violation of either rule resulted in instant confinement down below
>for the duration of the cruise  followed by a week of no boating when we got
>back to shore.  Each boy "tested" the rules just once & found that Dad
>wasn't kidding.  They quickly got to policing each other - things like
>stopping the other if he forgot to put on his PFD & started to go topside.
>Other than sailing on the Great Lakes when it was really rough, I never had
>to put them in safety harnesses to keep them within their boundaries.  When
>it was rough enough that Dad snapped on his safety harness, believe me, the
>boy's eyes were as big as saucers & they wanted their harnesses on right
>now!
>
>But, I had bigger plans for our Rhodes 22 & little boys grow up.  Daniel &
>Gary are currently 17 & 14 years old.  We've raced our Rhodes 22 & cruised
>it thousands of miles on every Great Lake except Lake Superior & numerous
>inland lakes & rivers.  For racing, I wanted good sailing performance,
>particularly in the predominantly light air we get around here in the
>summer.  I needed good trailerability.  When the boys were young, I needed
>the ability to step & unstep the mast singlehanded.  Now, with the boys in
>their teens, we're into hard core wilderness beach camping.  We need a boat
>that is truly seaworthy & capable of being self sufficient for periods of a
>week or more.  The standing headroom under the poptop, large water supply,
>pop top canvas enclosure, enclosed standing headroom boom room, & great
>galley make the boat capable of much more extensive cruising than any 22
>foot boat has any right to claim.  The boys have grown up with our Rhodes 22
>& we've had a lot of wonderful adventures with the boat.  By the way, GBI
>sells a starboard V-berth extension & cushion that makes the V-berth
>suitable for big people.  This extension & cushion installs over the head &
>allows the starboard V-berth sleeper to slide back about 24 inches.  This
>frees up the foot space in the bow for the feet of the port side V-berth
>sleeper.  It works for my two sons & allowed us to keep our Rhodes 22
>instead of buying a bigger boat.  The same can be said for the enclosed Boom
>Room.  It's an expensive option; but, MUCH cheaper than a bigger boat!
>
>So here I am, 46 years old with two teenage sons & a 24 year old Rhodes 22.
>We go to the boat shows every year & are not particularly tempted by any of
>the sailboats we see there.  I would buy the same boat today, well maybe a
>few years newer.  I purchased a used boat to keep costs down & have
>extensively modified her to suit my specific needs.  The Rhodes 22 is just a
>great little boat.  The construction & engineering are 1st rate.  The boat
>has held up well to a lot of hard use over many years.  Yes, it's expensive
>compared to similar sized boats.  GBI isn't after the new boater market.
>The Rhodes 22 is for sailors that know what they want & aren't looking to
>trade up in a couple of years.)
>
>
>(Rhodes vs. Catalina 22 --
>
>I can give you a few differences that make a difference.
>
>1. foam flotation. The Rhodes 22 is unsinkable. It has foam in the fwd
>area under the bunks and it has foam under the cockpit. It works, as at
>least one list member had the bad luck to find out. One other list
>member witnessed a Catalina 22 sink on an inland Lake. He can chime in
>and tell about it.
>
>2. the shrouds. The Rhodes has an abundance of shrouds which make it a
>very sturdy rig. There are two backstays, six side stays and a forestay.
>You can loose your forstay and the mast will not come down. Same applies
>to side stays. One of the list members had the misfortune of being a
>rookie and not securing his shroud as he tightened the turnbuckle. It
>caused shroud failure later in the year. The mast did not come down,
>even with multiple failures.
>
>3 strength and girth. The Rhodes weighs in at around 2,900# and has 700#
>of ballast. Last time I looked the CAtalina 22 was 1,850#, of which 550#
>was ballast. Even if you allow 200# for all the goodies we carry as
>standard equipment, when you do the math, there's at least 700# more
>fiberglass in the Rhodes 22.
>
>4. 7'4" cockpit. The Rhodes has the largest cockpit of any sailboat I
>know of up to 30'. You can truly lounge around when the wind is not up
>and you're drifting around.
>
>5. Well tuned rig. The Rhodes 22 will not let you get into trouble. Even
>if you get hit with a major puff, the boat rounds up into the wind and
>saves your bacon. It has a very well balanced helm and does not take two
>hands to control the tiller. Some boats will challenge you when on a
>beat with the amount of rudder pressure. Not the Rhodes 22.
>
>6. IMF furling. Lots of boats have a headsail furling system, but very
>few have a mainsail furling system. The Rhodes 22 has that available,
>and most owners have it. It allows you to roll up your mainsail inside
>the mast with the mainsail furling line. This comes under the heading of
>safety, since reducing sail is a major factor. The IMF has another
>feature that I call the first reef point. Under normal conditions, the
>mainsail furling tube is at the top of the mast and the mainsail reaches
>all the way up. When it gets a bit strong, I lower the gooseneck and
>boom by pulling a pin and bringing the assembly down to near cabintop
>height. This has the effect of lowering the mainsail's center of effort
>by something like 2'.
>
>The Catalina 22 has some benefits as opposed to the Rhodes 22. It is
>lighter, and therefore easier to trailer. The mast is not as big, nor
>does it have the IMF of the Rhodes, so it is easier to hoist. I'm sure
>as a Catalina owner, you could add to this list of benefits.
>
>
>
>I think I covered most of the highlights as to differences between the
>Catalina 22 and the Rhodes 22. If you have not yet visited their
>website, go to http://rhodes22.com/. It is a fun site, with lots of
>information on the Rhodes and General Boats. )
>
>Jack -- Same guy, different answer:
>
>(You will be getting numerous answers on this one. AS for me, it was a
>case of wanting a very large cockpit for day sailing. It was only after
>I had the Rhodes that I discovered all the other nice features that
>attract others. I wanted a boat that I could take friends out for a sail
>and not have an uncomfortably crowded area. The Rhodes 22 has the
>largest cockpit of any 22 foot boat that I know of.
>
>It doesn't hurt that it is one of the very few boats in this size range
>that has foam flotation that ensures that your boat won't sink, even if
>holed. Matter of fact, that's a major feature for some owners.
>
>The engineering that has gone into this boat must be seen to be
>appreciated. You should visit the Rhodes22 website and read all the
>factory propaganda, make notes and ask the questions that come to mind.
>I have Intermast Furling (IMF) which means that the mainsail rolls up
>inside the mast with the ease of a furling jib. Of course the Rhodes has
>a furling jib too. So if you are concerned about safety and the ability
>to reduce sail in a blow, the Rhodes shines.
>
>The mast is a very heavy duty unit, and the rig is secured by 9 shrouds,
>which means that if one fails, it is not a catastrophic failure most
>boats would have occur. The mast can stand up with just the side stays.
>Of course you would have to reduce the sail area or douse completely,
>but there have been instances where sailors have lost one or two stays
>and sailed in.  This boat is built and rigged to be as safe as possible.
>
>The Rhodes 22 carries 300 square foot of sail in the 170% genoa and the
>100 sq ft mainsail. She can ghost along in very little wind. Yet that
>massive amount of sail can be doused in seconds with the furling system.
>She can perform with the best of the boats in this size range. The
>standard rigging is of very high quality and placement has been worked
>out for maximum effeminacy and ease of sail. As an example, check out the
>mainsheet system and the traveler. The traveler is mounted to and
>between the two backstairs. Unconventional at first glance, but very
>pratical because the traveler and the mainsheet system is out of the way
>of normal use in the cockpit. You can easily control the mainsail with
>this arrangement.
>
>The seats are very comfortable and are open beneath, for easy storage
>and comfrotable seating. The deck and gunnels are comfortable to walk or
>sit on, while the built in toe rail provides safety. There are grab
>rails or handrails at the right spots for safety. The lazerette storage
>area is the full width of the boat and is lockable. The motor bracket is
>decades ahead of anyone elses's and is an exclusive design of General
>Boats. Your average 5 year old can raise or lower a 10 hp engine, so it
>should be no problem for an adult.
>
>I have not mentioned the cabin as yet. You will find a very comfortable
>cabin with well over 6' headroom when the pop top is up. You can sail
>with the pop top up with no problems, and in the event that you feel the
>weather is too extreme, you can lower the pop top easily. That would
>allow for you to lower the sail by about a foot or so as the whole
>furling rig will slide down to lower the center of effort. I call this
>my first reef point because it effectively brings the boat back on her
>lines. With the pop top up, you can stand and cook at the galley, use
>the sink and do those domestic chores I steer clear of. The head is
>useable and (depending on the year of the Rhodes) may have a tri-fold
>door that makes for more room. You can have a hatch just above the head
>that is useful for several reasons. The setee is comfortable and it
>converts into a nice double berth. The v-berth is not adult friendly,
>but fine for kids.
>
>You can load up options that make the boat feel larger than any 22'
>boat. We have the pop top enclosure that makes for weatherproof camping
>aboard. It has windows that roll up and screens to keep the no-see-um's
>out. We also have the bimini top, which makes fornice day sailing in
>sunny hot weather. Additionally, you can rock the bimini forward to mate
>up with the pop top enclosure and keep the cabin dry while leaving the
>companionway open.
>
>You can go all out and get the cockpit filler cushons which make the
>cockpit a very large bed. You can enclose that with the boom tent. Many
>of us have some of the options listed, and have used tarps and made
>their own items to make more use of the boat.
>
>That sums up my opinions of why we ahve a Rhodes 22. I had a Chrysler 22
>some 20 years ago that I loved, but when I got back into sailing, I
>discovered the Rhodes 22 and did not try to find a Chrysler. For one
>thing, I did not want to deal with an 800# swing keel, the pivot, the
>cable or the winch associated with it and most other 22' boats. I like
>the shoal keel/ centerboard combination. I did not mention Phillip
>Rhodes, the designer or why the hull has the shape it does. You can read
>about that at the Rhodes22.com site. )
>
>Jack -- Same guy again -- he's really been on the list for a long time --
>he's quiet now, but these are things he would have wanted you to know:
>
>(I think everyone on the list has heard of just how pleased xxxxxx xxxxxx
>has been with the wonderful treatment and continued support you all have
>given her. I would like to add that while I had bought my Rhodes from a
>local owner, I was afforded all the support I could ever ask for.
>
>I visited Edenton and purchased the mast raising system for the General
>Boats team. While there, I toured the factory and was given explanations
>for just about every phase of their boatbuilding operation. While I had
>purchased a few parts and a kit, I was treated as if I had bought two
>brand new Rhodes 22's.
>
>Anyone looking to purchase a new or recycled boat from General Boats can
>count on nothing but the best treatment and support. Speaking from
>experience, I can assure everyone that the recycled boat is a much
>better deal than purchasing from a priviate individual. While the Rhodes
>is well built, after 12 years of minimum maiintenance, my boat needed
>some help. With my factory tour behind me, I appreciated what went into
>the building of this boat. I could accomplish the needed work, but had I
>bought a recycled boat instead of the one I purchased, I would have been
>sailing a lot more early on.
>
>Thanks again for all the support and the wonderful boat,)
>
>
>
>(My wife Ellen and I purchased a new Rhodes last year. If we were buying all
>over again, we would do the same thing. The only thing that would change
>our minds about that is if we thought we wanted a boat of a significantly
>different size.
>
>We have the IMF main and would not want to be without it. The system works
>flawlessly and, together with the roller furling genoa, makes
>single-handling the boat easy and safe.  As for other features, we
>especially like the bimini and the captain's seats.  I don't think we could
>do without the bimini for long, and once we steered from the captain's
>seat, none of us (including our two kids) wanted to steer from any place
>else--visibility is excellent, and if you sail from the leeward side you
>get a good view around all 175% of the genoa, which is helpful in
>high-traffic areas.  We have two cabin top hatches and like them both;  the
>one over the enclosed head makes its use easier, and the one between the
>main cabin and the v-berth, in addition to providing some ventilation,
>allows a nice view a night and provides an interesting, enclosed place for
>the kids to stand while underway.  But I think that many people might be
>happy with a single hatch.  Ventilation in general is good;  we added a
>solar-powered vent in the v-berth which helps a lot on stuffy nights.
>There are pros and cons to the enclosed head;  we would choose it again,
>but a good case can be made for a porta-potti, and there is at least one
>owner who has arranged a porta potti that can either be removed or pumped
>out from the deck. We have the mast hoist system and there is no way I
>would want to raise and lower the mast without it. It works exactly the way
>it is supposed to, and even though my pulse does pick up a bit during those
>few seconds while the mast is being raised and before that headstay is
>secured, there's no reason for it--the system works like a charm.
>
>We had GB install the compass on the portside cabin bulkhead. We had
>agonized over the merits of that location vs. a slip-in companionway board.
>We found the bulkhead position to be just fine and that it does not
>interfere with the use of the bulkhead as a backrest. But there are many
>owners devoted to the companionway location.
>
>If there were other instruments you think you'd like to have, I'd suggest
>having GB install them as well.
>
>We are adding the cockpit filler cushions for this season so that we can
>spread out a bit more at night.)
>
>(Sounds like Joy is a lot like my wife.  I used to go up to the bow
>of my Compac 16 to raise the jib while she manned the tiller.  She was
>very nervous with me up there and power cruisers with big wakes going by.
> For her, the safety and simplicity of operating the Rhodes was it's most
>endearing feature. For some reason, the flared hull isn't often
>mentioned, but is a unique standard feature.  It keeps you drier, stops
>you from healing beyond a certain point and gives you added deck space.
>     I must have been looking at the Rhodes 22 and other boats at boat
>shows (Michigan City, IN & Strictly Sail / Chicago) for the last 15
>years.  I almost
>bought a used Pearson 30 in marvelous condition.  Elton talked me out of
>it.  I'm glad he did.  I bought a used (1989) Rhodes 22 in 1998 and
>upgraded to a brand new one in 1999.  In fact, I think I have the first
>dark green hull they ever produced.  I sail on Lake Michigan out of New
>Buffalo, MI.
>     This boat offers more "big boat" features than any other boat of
>it's size that I've ever seen while retaining the good features of a
>small boat.  I wanted to make sure it could handle the chop on Lake
>Michigan without bobbing around like a cork.  No problem.  I also wanted
>to be able to trailer it so I could take it home between seasons. I can
>putter around on it there and not have to run to the harbor every time I
>want to work on it.
>     When I first launched and motored to my slip, most of the other
>sailors with larger boats (Hunter 27 & Catalina 30 for example)
>congregated around my boat and marveled at the huge cockpit.  It was
>bigger than those of much larger boats.  Don't take my word for it, check
>for yourself.  Even if you have a large boat, you still spend a majority
>of your time in the cockpit.  Think about it.  It really is important.
>     The mast hoist system is a dream.  The first time I used it by
>myself I was really nervous, but it works every bit as well as advertised.
>     The roller furling main & jib are wonderful.  We'll be sailing along
>on a hot day and decide to take a swim.  Five seconds later, the sails
>are in and we're in the water.  Back in the boat (the flat step ladder is
>really nice) and we're sailing again in no time.
>     The Captain's Chairs are also a great feature.  They're incredibly
>comfortable and provide a superior view of surrounding activity than you
>can get from the cockpit (without standing or stretching all the time).
>My wife sits in the other one and constantly swivels to get the best
>angle of the sun.
>     The pop top is terrific.  I'm 6'2" and I can stand straight up with
>room to spare.  I'll hand my wife the tiller and go below for a cold
>beverage.  Then, I'll just stand there awhile with my arms on the deck,
>in the shade with a nice breeze and a full panoramic view, while she
>sails.
>     I could go on and on.  The boat has so many nice little "creature
>comfort" features like the mainsheet traveler being out of the way, the
>space beneath the cockpit seats, the outboard motor mount, the keel /
>centerboard design, etc...
>     I guess you could say we like the boat.)
>
>
>Jack -- Same guy from a different answer --
>
>(I think the Rhodes 22 would be a good first boat for you for a
>number of reasons.  First, the manufacturing plant is right in your
>backyard.  You won't find a more customer service oriented company than
>General Boats.  Second, it is one of the simplest most user friendly
>sailboat designs I've ever seen.  Third, it would be hard for me to point
>to one feature that makes it a good first boat, which is really the
>point.  It is the combination of so many features that makes it a good
>first boat.
>
>...
>
>This boat offers more "big boat" features than any other boat of
>it's size that I've ever seen while retaining the good features of a
>small boat.  I wanted to make sure it could handle the chop on Lake
>Michigan without bobbing around like a cork.  No problem.  I also wanted
>to be able to trailer it so I could take it home between seasons. I can
>putter around on it there and not have to run to the harbor every time I
>want to work on it.)
>
>
>(The boat defintely saved us from a couple of my rather basic sailing and
>seamanship errors.  I filled the cockpit with water because I had not
>sufficiently tightened the motor pivot and the motor suddenly turned,
>giving us a bad angle on that following wave--the water had bailed out
>almost before I realized what had happened.  I put the boat over at about a
>65-70% angle of heel (whatever it was--it caught my attention) because I
>failed to cleat the furling line at a pre-determined spot before taking out
>the main (and also because I failed to instruct my crew about exactly how
>the anchor rode had been secured to the boat and its canvas bag).
>
>I suppose that in the back of my mind I had been wondering how far to rely
>on the claim that the Rhodes was noncapsizable under sail. What I can say
>now is that I really, really worked hard to flip the boat over with a full
>main out--maybe it can be done, but I couldn't do it;  the boat rounded up
>and virtually bounced back upright.)
>
>Jack, the following guy is a woman -- there are many active female owners on
>the list, some more serious sailors than a lot of the guys:
>
>(It's not so much that it's interpreted as SPAM. It's just that you feel a
>bit like a broken record... "it's a great boat, it's a great boat, it's a
>great boat..." If you've lurked for a while it becomes pretty obvious that
>the owners are a pretty satisfied bunch. We also throw fine parties.
>
>One thing that doesn't always get said (and I was remiss in my response to
>Gail in not mentioning it) is that the folks at GBI are fine folks to deal
>with. Every boat, new or recycled, becomes a semi-custom boat. One of the
>things we liked best about buying our recycled R22 was that we were dealing
>with a small family business, the original manufacturer of our boat and
>that we had a lot of choices on the options on a USED boat. The Rhodes 22
>seems to fit several niches in the sailboat market. If you, as a potential
>buyer, are in one of those niches, I don't think anything else will suit
>you as well.
>
>If, in your lurking, you find you have questions, fire away. The more
>specific the better. Certainly, if you are thinking about a R22, you need
>to know "is it as good as the website says" but if you ask that question
>here you are asking it of the converted, the people for whom the niche was
>right, the people who will say, "it's a great boat, it's a great boat, it's
>a great boat...". )
>
>(The boat was built and designed for what you have in mind, it was built and
>designed in the NY area for the Long Island sound / Chesapeake area. That's
>where it got it's large sail area for light winds and shoal draft.  Phil
>Rhodes
>did a good job on the hull form and the boat handles chop well and the
>fair-hull makes it a dry ride. It is also a safe boat that will round-up
>when
>overpowered. I have the boat out long after the power boats go home. The
>motion is very nice under sail. It is only a 22 foot boat and 3000 pounds,
>when
>chop becomes waves it will ride over them instead of pounding through, but
>the
>hull form seem to keep most of the slap out of it. 2 people are fine for a
>weekend, 4 become tight.)
>
>(Would recommend checking the GB site (rhodes22.com) for the latest
>information.  Believe the last time I looked re-cycled were in the 18 to
>22K range depending on age and condition.  We have the IMF(no problems) and
>the 150 jenny.  We like the combination and feel that any loss of IMFsail
>shape (believed minimum unless you are a dedicated racer) is and acceptable
>trade off for ease of handling. (Must add that with developments in flaking
>systems, standard sail handling has become quite easy these days.) May be
>that over the years I've become lazy but the IMF is easy to work with and
>the furling jenny likewise.  In our south Florida waters wind conditions
>generally are good and the combination gives us a great ride.  On windy
>days we just reef the jenny (and sometimes the main) or drop the pop top
>down and lower the boom.  The combinations seem endless and we generally
>find a combination that we find acceptable for the wind conditions.  We
>have been out sailing in winds up to 30mph - with reduced sail of course -
>and moved along quite well.  I generally don't like to be out when things
>get over 20mph but that is a personal preference.  As most any sailor can
>tell you tho, you eventually will encounter a fast moving front that will
>not give you much warning.  We have encountered a few thunder storms over
>the years that we just couldn't get out of the way of and rode them out in
>great shape on the R22.
>
>As a relatively lazy guy, I would recommend a recycled or new from GB.  The
>recycled come with a new boat guarantee - hard to beat - and a buy back
>arrangement if you decide to move to a new one - even harder to beat. )
>
>Jack -- I may have quoted this guy before...I'm losing track.
>
>(I absolutely love sailing the Rhodes. There are so many reasons why it's
>hard to know where to start, but here goes.  First, it's easy.  I had some
>sailing experience before the Rhodes, but not that much.  With roller
>furling genoa, inner mast furling main, and all lines going back to the
>cockpit, I've had no problem taking the boat out by myself, even when the
>wind is up.  It is easy to deploy and furl the sails to any extent needed,
>easy to get a more-than-decent sail trim without endless adjustments.
>Second, while the boat readily gets up to hull speed (theoretically 5.99
>knots) in around 10 knots and up, it's even nicer (given the often
>uncooperative summer wind on the Chesapeake Bay) that it gets up and at
>least jogs when there is almost no wind--even when the wind is only around
>4 or 5 knots, the boat sails;  the 175% genoa can generate power from
>seemingly very little wind.  Third, it's comfortable.  The cockpit is
>really big, the seats are genuinely comfortable for long periods.  I also
>have the captain's seats, which I thought were a little hokey before I had
>them but now can't live without them--the visibilty is just terrific.  We
>also have the bimini, which is another thing I wouldn't want to do without.
>While it's true that when you don't want it, you'd like it to disappear,
>when you need it, you really need it.  It makes the two hours waiting for
>the wind to pick up on a boiling August day more than bearable, actually
>pleasant. And the pop-top is also great--we keep it up most of the time
>when the wind is under 15;  it's a great place to stand and lean while
>underway, and it makes it easy to move in and out of the cabin.  Fourth, it
>is easy to keep control of the boat when the wind picks up.  When the boat
>begins to feel as though it is overpowered with full sails, I merely lower
>the boom and can handle considerably more wind before feeling the need to
>reef a bit (on the ease of which see # one above)--which means I can keep
>more sail out longer, with confidence. Confidence is also increased by the
>solidity of the boat, for lack of a better word.  This may seem odd to say,
>but it doesn't bend or flex when you walk on it, say, to go forward to set
>out fenders or retrieve an anchor. And given the traveler arrangement on
>the backstays, I don't worry about jibing in brisk wind--naturally, I keep
>the mainsheet under control and ease the boom across, but the traveler bar
>arrangement insures that if I get caught off guard or relax the sheet
>prematurely, the resulting impact will be absorbed.
>
>In short, I think the Rhodes is a boat that makes it easy and comfortable
>to get on with fun sailing without a lot to worry about, but it also offers
>enough opprtunity to tinker and adjust as you wish.)
>
>
>
>
>Hope this helps,
>
>Bill Effros
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>