With a little work and some practice, most cruising sailboats can become potent PHRF performers (See the June issue of SAIL). The following 15 boats are cruisers that are commonly raced in PHRF fleets, but that can also be raced as one-designs, provided there are other interested owners living near your home port. Please note that there are many other designs out there that can prove fantastic cruiser/racers-cum-one-designs – this list is simply designed to serve as a starting point for any would-be buyers, or for owners looking to connect with other owners.
If you own one of these boats or are interested in buying one, contact the owner’s association and see what sorts of events and one-design races exist in your area. If you are in the buying market, a boat that can be raced PHRF and one-design can potentially open more doors for you than you’ve imagined. Also, if you’re in the buyer’s market, look for a boat that’s commonly raced in your area. Not only will this provide potential consultants for DIY questions, but it’s usually best for racing and re-sale purposes if there are identical and active boats close to your mooring. Note that some boats have a tendency to stay somewhat close to where they were built, whereas others become nationally (if not globally) ubiquitous.
Links to class associations:
Cal 25, www.cal25.com
Catalina 27, www.catalina27.org
C&C 27, www.cc27association.com
Santa Cruz 27, www.sc27.org
Sabre 28, www.sabre28.com
Catalina 30, www.catalina30.com
Pearson 30, www.pearsoncurrent.com/home/index.php
Tartan 30, www.tartanowners.org/v6/community.phtml
J/32, sailj32.home.comcast.net/
Beneteau 343, www.beneteau-owners.com
Sabre 362, www.sabreyachts.com/pdf/owners_associations.pdf
C&C 37, www.cncphotoalbum.com/groups/index.htm
Beneteau 373, www.beneteau-owners.com
Morgan 38, www.morgan38.org/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi
Cal 40, 626-795-3282, ext. 111
