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Author
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Topic: I need the straight dope on the CL14
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Toller
JuniorMember
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posted September 15, 2004 06:18 PM
   
I am looking at an old CL14 for US$700. Cosmetically it is pretty bad, but there does not seem to be anything structural wrong with it. The owner replaced all the wooden parts (seat, rudder, center board) but he used mahogany and the the workmanship looks good. The sails are in remarkably good condition. Presumably $700 is a good price?My real question concerns stability. I have owned two sailboats.
My 15' MFG Bandit was so unstable that it capsized at mooring every few weeks. I saw it happen once; a strong wind shifted and it just went over. It was 40 years old and I got rid of it when things started breaking that I couldn't make replacements for.
My 13 Starwing is very narrow with big sails. It is a blast to sail, goes over pretty easy. I still have it; it but it is strictly a one man boat.
I am looking for something stable; that I can take my wife out in and not have to worry about her having to swim. And I don't want any more complaints from neighbors sick of seeing my capsized boat. (Actually that worked out well, he gave me a hoist he no longer needed. Then the frozen lake wrecked it. Easy come, easy go.) So, will the CL14 be that stable? It looks wider than my Bandit, so that seems encouraging. Reading through the archive, I saw something about old C14 not having a pivoting mast. What does that mean?
Anything else to look for? Thanks IP: 67.50.59.233 |
whited
unregistered
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posted September 15, 2004 09:29 PM
I never did get to sail my CL14 but was told it was a stable boat. Not quite as hard to capsize as a 16...but easier to right if you do.
The older 14's (mine was a 1985.. sail #1347)has a mast with an aluminum casting at the bottom. Top raise, you had to pick it up and place in the plywood (or plastic) step. I'm told later models came with a pivot bolt type of step to make it easier to raise/lower the mast.IP: 142.177.157.254 |
Toller
JuniorMember
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posted September 16, 2004 05:10 AM
Yes, that was another thing he replaced, the wood square the mast sits in. That's not a big deal; I don't expect to raise it very often.You never sailed your CL14? IP: 67.50.59.233 |
skategoat
unregistered
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posted September 16, 2004 09:51 AM
A good way to judge is the fact that the CL14 is used by almost every sailing school in Ontario. That's a lot of schools. I have to think that's a ringing endorsement for stability and safety.I own a CL16. On my first day out, a strong gust caught me off guard with the main sheet cleated. I went over probably to the 85 degree mark. Water was coming in over the gunwales, my wife and daughter was screaming (my wife in fear, my daughter in delight) but we never did go all the way over. I turned into the wind and came right back. IP: 209.167.159.20 |
Toller
JuniorMember
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posted September 16, 2004 10:23 AM
That is reassuring, but let me ask:
Did you make a heroic effort to get your weight over the far gunnel and save the boat, or did it right on it's own?IP: 67.50.59.233 |
whited
unregistered
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posted September 16, 2004 11:09 AM
Toller...no, never got to sail it. Even when i launched it to deliver to the new owner's waterside property, the wind died and we paddled over.
As I've told the regulars, I was crew on a Mirage 33 the full 4 years I owned the 14 and the skipper would be calling 3 or 4 times a week to go out. His boat was at a slip in the best yacht club east of Montreal. Hard to turn down. Each spring I would pull the Cl14 out of my garage and after spending the summer in the driveway, I put it away each fall. A few of the crew were getting unreliable 9including me) so the skipper sold the Mirage this summer. Funny, it was almost a relief in some ways.
IP: 142.177.155.179 |
skategoat
unregistered
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posted September 16, 2004 04:02 PM
Yes, I threw my weight over but I wouldn't call it heroic. If I did not hike out, I still doubt it would've capsized. My buddy sails an Albacore and he tells me the CL16 is like night and day in terms of stability. He was constantly swimming with his Albacore. IP: 209.167.159.20 |
Canadian Sailor
unregistered
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posted September 19, 2004 08:22 AM
quote:
Originally posted by skategoat:
A good way to judge is the fact that the CL14 is used by almost every sailing school in Ontario. That's a lot of schools. I have to think that's a ringing endorsement for stability and safety.
too bad my sailing school doesn't have any.... the hunter's seem incredibly unstable compared to my CL16. ------------------
Canadian Sailor ;)
"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you
criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes." IP: 216.209.110.145 |
Dougster
Member
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posted September 19, 2004 09:50 AM
The place where I took my White Sails taught in CL16s (Sail Georgina) They had a 14 (or maybe a code 40)that they used to teach and practice the capsize recoveries. The instructor said this was because the 14s were easier to capsize and easier to recover. IP: 65.48.213.102 |
California
Member
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posted September 20, 2004 05:09 PM
On one of my first solo sails on my CL14 I caught a really good gust. I had the mainsheet cleated and I thought I would just head up and that would take care of it. Instead she heeled over and water started to pour over the gunnel. I stood up and released the main sheet and she stood right up. After realizing everything was ok, I hauled in the main and sailed away. It took a while to bail the 4" of water out of boat, but all it took was a pair of soggy shoes to teach me how stable she is even when I was caught off guard (read that asleep at the tiller)and did the wrong thing. I have had the boat out in 15 knot wind with gusts over that and I am wasn't worried about stability. Now over 20 knots? I haven't experienced that. IP: 208.25.203.2 |
