Daysailing in Style

Three small boats that you’ll love to sail, daily

Daysailers have been around since the invention of recreational sailing boats—which some ascribe to the Dutch gift of a “jacht” to King Charles II. Heretofore, sailing boats were working boats.  Many notable builders tried their hands at the genre, perhaps none more successfully than the late Tom Morris who adorned his M36 with attributes that made it a semi-custom production boat with a yacht quality finish. It was rigged to be comfortably sailed by one or two people and had a large cockpit for socializing. It was a fine yacht upon which one might undertake a civilized adventure, if you will. Daysailers are built to one rule: Have fun, easily—above all else. Ideally, they set-up and put away fast. In between there are more smiles per tack than aboard boats twice their size. We look at three boats of this ilk that are directed at the gentleman, or lady, sailor. They all have auxiliaries, useable interiors, a plumbed head, and at least enough varnished wood to maintain interest. Each of these semi-custom boats will most assuredly quicken the pulse with either a glance at their lines or by their performance, or both.

e33

The e33 is from the pen of Jeremy Wurmfeld, late of Sparkman & Stephens, who collaborated with sail maker Robbie Doyle, an America’s Cup and Olympic veteran, to co-found e Sailing Yachts. Their express purpose: “to bring a new kind of sailing experience to market, creating a line of yachts that our clients would take pure delight in racing and sailing, every time.” Their self-imposed brief was to build boats that do not compromise performance and speed for stability, comfort and ease. The e33 posses all of the numbers that say she’s fast. An upwind  SA/D ratio calculates to 25.97 and puts it in the high-performance racer category.

On the water she lives up to the numbers. In a light Miami breeze, the boat moved spritely. Easily rigged, it has the amenities that will make it appealing to sailors of any skill level. There is nearly six feet of deck abaft the mainsheet that serves well for relaxing after or during the race—depending upon the commitment level of the crew. Forward of the traveler is a 16-foot cockpit. There is plenty of room below for comfortable overnighting for two, four if you’re friendly. A carbon-fiber mast with spreaders sweptback at 29 degrees eliminates the need for a backstay and makes room for its 247-square-foot flat top mainsail. The sails are easily raised and trimmed without winches, and if it gets breezy, the top of the mainsail will twist off, depowering the sail. The headsail is on a below-deck furler whose lines run beneath the deck to the cockpit.
If sales numbers are an indication of comfort then the company hit that mark as well. Since 2007, eboats has built 19 e33s. Recently it announced that all subsequent hand-laid-up boats would be built at Lyman-Morse, one of the top custom yards in North America; hulls 20, 21 and 22 are currently under construction there.  The e27 and e44, also under construction at L-M, are slated for 2011 introduction.

Alerion Express 33

Pearson Composites builds the hull and deck of its Herreshoff-inspired Alerion series yachts utilizing SCRIMP infusion over an end-grain balsa core. They make 38-, 27-, and 20-foot models as well as the 33-footer ( 25 have been sold since its introduction in 2007 ). Jeffrey Leach, owner of Express 33 hull number eight, stepped up from a 28-footer to the 33—his “first big boat.”  While the 33’s lines are stunning and there is just enough exterior teak—the toe rail, the grab rails, the cockpit coamings (teak decks are optional)— to keep one’s eye on the yacht for longer than most would typically gaze at a 33-footer.   The aesthetics are only part of what drew Jeff to the boat.

“I wanted a wheel,” he admits. Electric winches allow all sail handling to be manged from the aft-cockpit helm and all of the lines are led under deck to the helm. The cockpit can easily seat six while he tends the helm. Most of his sailing is singlehanded and he loves not only the way it sails “like a dream, with the [Hoyt] self-tacking jib boom,” but he also has high praise for the builder’s customer service. Soon after he took delivery the company resolved a problem with a peeling boot stripe by trailering the boat back to Rhode Island for the repair.
The boat’s SA/D rato is 22.69, putting it midway in the racing category. Jeff said that the boat performs best between 8- and15-knots of breeze. The carbon-fiber rig swept-back spreaders hoists a 495-square-foot main, with a large roach afforded by the lack of a backstay. With the jib boom adding off-wind power, this self-tacking rig projects more sail area than most ordinary rigs with a 150-percent genoa, says the builder.
Recently, Pearson introduced the Alerion Sport 33. It’s tiller steered and weighs 700 pounds less then its predecessor. It retains all of the Express 33’s good looks and sleek lines, it’ll just be faster.

Morris M29

The M29 comes standard with three days of private instruction from a North Sails University coach. That’s thoughtful and sure to help the new buyer get the most from his or her Sparkman & Stephens designed yacht. The M29 is easily driven in a light breeze, such as we had on Biscayne Bay. It was enough, though, to sweetly demonstrate the CKL (Cuyler’s Kite Launcher) bow deployment system and fly the gennaker with exhilarating results.
Named for the company president—who borrowed the idea from the Dragon class—it permits one to launch and retrieve the sail through a foredeck hatch into a below-deck sleeve. Once thought to be too messy for singlehanded sailing, the gennaker is tamed by the CKL, making it fit for the breed and adding to the fun factor. Winches are replaced with multi-purchase lines and, combined with the self-tacking furling jib, sailing the M29 is a snap.

Weight containment was a top priority. Construction is of 100-percent vinylester resin-infused fiberglass over a balsa core, a carbon mast and rudder help with the weight saving. Though its spreaders are swept back, it relies on a backstay to support the mast. The total upwind sail area is 395-square-feet, giving it a SA/D ratio of 23.6, putting it firmly in the racer category.
Below, with a 6.5-foot settee on either side, there is room for two to overnight or nap underway. It is the shortest of the builder’s M-series daysailers, which includes the M36, M42, and the most recent launch, the M52. Five of the 29-footers have been built since its introduction in February 2009, making the M29 a popular boat. Sail it and you’ll  know why.