I HAVE NARROWED MY SEARCH…CAL 2-46, CAROFF GALAPAGOS 50 STEEL KETCH, GARDEN PORPOISE 50 OR WELLINGTON 47. I AM GOING TO CRUISE THE SOUTH PACIFIC FOR 2-3 YEARS. ALL CAN BE OUTFITTED TO GO FOR ABOUT THE SAME DOLLAR AMOUNT. I LIKE THE LOOKS OF THE WELLINGTON,BUT HAVEN’T A CLUE AS I HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE. I WILL INSTALL MAXSEA-YACHT. PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT WELLINGTON YACHTS AS I CAN’T FIND THEM ON THE INTERNET. ALSO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW YOUR CHOICE OF THE FOUR BOATS GIVEN THAT THEY ARE EQUAL IN ELECTRONICS, SAILS ETC. THANK YOU GARY
Hi Gary: Sounds like you have some good choices. We’ve seen several Wellington 47’s–as I recall they had positive buoyancy, and a lo t of interior volume. Both good features. Also, very shallow on draft. On the other hand, the beam, shallow draft, compromise performance. I am not familiar with the 50′ steel ketch, but metal is very nice from a security standpoint. A key here is the condition of the hull and paint job. The Cal 2-46 is a great boat too. Bill Garden is a great designer, but the odds are the Porpoise 50 was built in Taiwan on the early part of the Taiwanese learning curve, and I’d be leery of the construction and structural details. If I had to make a decision–and assuming the hull and fin configuration was comparable on the steel boat, I’d go with the metal. I think I’d go to the Wellington second, and the Cal2-46 third–but the decision would be close, and most of it would be based on what I thought of the boat’s condition. Good luck with your choice–sounds like you have some good ones–Steve Dashew
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
