BLUEMOMENT

I visited Littlehampton yesterday and noticed this with a 'for sale' card:

http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=115302" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've no intention of buying a boat but it did seem to stand out a bit.

I've sailed 'smaller' steel boats (as in 35ftish) and they've been overweight and poor sailors. Am I right in thinking that at 4 million tons and 26 feet this is going to sail like a total dog?

I like the idea of a small steel boat but it would need to outsail a Trapper 300 or Spring 25...

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3 tonnes isn't excessive for a 26-footer.

Maurice Griffiths also designed the Golden Hind, a proven blue water cruiser with bilge keels. I suspect Poppy could be a very good buy for someone looking to go long distance cruising on a small budget. She ain't going to beat a Trapper round the cans though.

I know that there was at least one Silhouette(18ft) built in steel instead of the more normal plywood or later GRP. Perhaps contact the Silhouette Owners Assoc and see if they have any data on the comparative sailing performance of steel/ply/GRP for the same design?