[Rhodes22-list] Soundings magazine article featuring Stan

[KUHN, LELAND]

Chris,
 
I don't think so.  It's "The annual rite of autumn at City Dock" on page 19 by Jack Sherwood (the Bay Tripper).
 
"...As far back as I can remember, the colorful Spitzer brothers from North Carolina have been there promoting their trailerable Rhodes 22 as the best small boat in the world.  Stan, a sailing engineer by training, handles demos on the water, and soft-spoken Elton takes care of the land demos, occasionally joined by his bro.  For this event, they had a record four boats.  These R22s are so tricked out they would surpass an expensive, working, full-scale nautical Erector Set with a dizzying array of gimmicks, gadgets and thingamajigs.
 
Stan the founder, who is in his 80s, proudly boasts of surviving in the trade with no dealers and no industry advertising.  His verbose 24-page brochure (with an amusing array of typos and 100-word sentences) reports more reasons for buying his boat than you might care to know.  He also brags about its speed, which he claims once caused an Ensign 22 helmsman being overtaken by him to remark: "Where are you hiding your motor?"  Ah, but there is no way to conceal the outboard hanging from the squared-off transom on a clunky, but clever, elevator bracket powered by an electric motor, or a block-and-tackle rig with a 7-to-1 purchase.  An awesomely impressive package, that it is.
 
Through the years I have playfully tormented Stan as he conducts demo sails in the crowded harbor (always sailing faster than him, I should add).  As he moved along close-hauled in a 15-knot breeze this last time with his 175 percent genoa deeply roller-reefed, I eagerly anticipated yet another brief encounter.
 
As we tacked about in gusty winds, I could not help but shout to Stan in close quarters: "You may be faster than a full-keel Engsign 22, but you are not faster than this full-keel Sailmaster 22!"  He smiled in a good-natured way, shook his head, but had no reply as he rolled up the sails and motored back to his slip.  My humbling mission accomplished for the day, I blasted out to the Bay while hoping for another short match with Stan before he skipped town.
 
Of course, every boat owner and boatbuilder has the obligation to state that his or her boat is better than what the competition offers in the same size range.  Stan and I are no exception to this rule.  I try to go faster than every boat out in the Bay, but I know my limitations and rarely go after the racing classes or larger boats--except if they are under excessively shortened sail or stalled by poor sailing trim.
 
As for seriously looking at show boats, I am constrained by financial limits, ironically, on all but the affordable ($45,000) Rhodes 22, whose inventive builders also offer recycled 22s, for the less-fortunate yachties.  One of these days I hope to visit the boys at the plant in Edenton, N.C., when they aren't drumming up their product on the show beat.  I hope they will have me...."
 
Lee
1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
Kent Island, MD

________________________________

From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org on behalf of cowie
Sent: Sun 11/22/2009 11:05 AM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Soundings magazine article featuring Stan




Is the artical from Soundings available on line?



Dan in NH wrote:
>
> Hi Stan.  Great article about the Annapolis boat show and the author's
> history with you!!  Check out Soundings magazine if you haven't seen
> it.  Nice comments about the Rhodes 22 too.  Dan
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