Re: [Cal_Boats] New Members

Chris, I can do you one better! I sail out of Wareham, MA. the home of Cape Cod Shipbuilding, one of the 2 companies that built those Mercers (and CCSB built most of them, after the original builder stopped). Although the last one CCSB built (and the last built so far!) was launched in 1982 , I still saw a few of them over the years as they left the builder's yard originally, or as they arrived and departed after winter storage. They are very impressive boats, and look like a 44' sailboat should.... not like too many of today's floating condos that appear to be designed to be comfortable in port, not at sea. Over the years, the owners of CCSB actually have owned a couple of the Mercers and would haul out the boat on one of their marine railways. I think there may still be a video of the last one they owned sailing on Buzzards Bay, linked from the CCSB web-site. It is interesting to note, CCSB not only built the boats, but also had an in-house spar factory that made the masts and booms (still supplying spars to their smaller designs), but a few years ago I was talking to the then President of CCSB, Gordon Goodwin, and he mentioned that realistically, if they ever sold another Mercer 44, they most likely would not be making the spars since owners now want in-mast furling for the main and they don't have the capability to make that. By the way, they do have a partially completed Mercer in the back corner of one of their sheds! Just in case you ever want to "move up"! <GRIN!> Just give them a call.......... (List price is actually pretty reasonable for a boat that size, but my taste is more towards their smaller boats, and the logical move up from my Day Sailer would be the 18' Goldeneye........ but the $60K price tag is just a bit over my budget...... like $58K over!) Even the current "O'DAY" Day Sailer (DS IV) which they are the builder of, lists for over $20K with sails! Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 O'DAY DS II #10201 Previously co-owned "NODROG" 1970 CAL 21 #285 On Tue, 31 Oct 2017 10:05:52 -0400 "ccampbell cc… [at] lsnm.org [Cal_Boats]" <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> writes: On a tangential note, the latest issue of Good Old Boat magazine had an editorial piece (think that's where it was) about how in the last century, when we and our boats were made, the designers of the vessels were names--Bill Lapworth, Olin Stephens, Phil Rhodes, Carl Alberg, Bill Luders, Bill Crealock, Bob Perry, the elder Bill Tripp, a bunch of others. Now they're not so well known, maybe because the designs tend to be team efforts. Me, I'm happy to know that my boats are from Lapworth and Tripp and to recognize their sister vessels. The same issue of GOB had a classified ad for a Mercer 44, a Tripp design that still can take my breath away. There was one in my home port when I worked summers at a sailboat place and it really was my idea of how a yacht should look. My other boat is basically a Tripp Bermuda 40 with the photocopier set on 65%. It's nice when there are personalities involved. Those architects tended to have signature ideas. I'm a classical music listener and most of the good composers have rhythmic and harmonic signatures that identify them after you're heard 4 or 6 measures. Anonymity isn't good in design or composing or most other endeavors. I filled out a post-season survey for the schoolship group that I volunteer with in the spring. They gave the option of signing it or not. Seems to me that if you're going to be offering criticism, you ought to identify yourself. And if you're offering something creative--a yacht design, a piece of music--you hope you'll be identified with it. Chris Campbell We Say GoodBye To Sally Fields iflperfecttouch.com http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/59f8962eb9709162e01c6st01duc