Loads of space
The smaller 29 that came out in
1980 – the last of the Primrose-
designed Moodys – was a
restyled development of his earlier
- It offers loads of space below,
albeit with a traditional layout of
amidships heads and quarter
berth aft of the chart table.
Roderick Dare – a happy
owner since 2001 – told me he
graduated from racing Flying
Fifteens and cruising a Kingfisher
and has sailed his fin-keel 29
extensively from Mylor to the
Channel Isles and North and
South Brittany. He once
demonstrated the superior
windward performance of his fin
keel compared to a twin-keel
Westerly Konsort on a long leg
towards Presqu’île de Quiberon,
saying: ‘We were sailing fairly
close-hauled on a port tack
and were able to maintain our
desired course. Our friends were
constantly drifting away from
the coastline and had to make
starboard tacks to regain the
desired course. The result was
that we arrived well ahead.’
Like many who buy boats
which are more than 30 years old,
Roderick has invested in additions
and improvements including an
electric anchor winch, a cool box
conversion to a fridge, a new
cooker and instrument upgrades
(log, echo sounder, plotter, AIS,
DSC radio etc). Also, like many
others, he went to Beta for a new
engine. He concluded by saying:
‘We now have a safe, seaworthy
boat with many qualities that suits
our cruising activities.’ About his
only gripe is the transom-hung
rudder, which
he says can
make steering
hard work
in certain
conditions, so he often uses his
autopilot when on passage.
Westerly came up with one of its
most successful 28 to 30ft cruisers
in the ’80s. More than 700 of the
ever-popular Laurent Giles-
designed Konsort 29 were built,
and these tough cruisers are still
much sought after. Its vital
statistics of 10ft 9in beam, 8,516lb
weight, 37.5% ballast ratio, 229
DLR and 15 SA/displacement ratio
are on a par with many of its
contemporaries. The Konsort’s
conventional accommodation –featuring amidships heads and aft
galley and nav area – is practical
and solidly finished, making it an
archetypal middle-of-the-road
family cruiser. And for those who
prefer a deck saloon offering
panoramic views from the warm
and dry, the Duo version has
many attractions.
Westerly Owners Association
Commodore Andy Truscott sails
a Konsort, and told me: ‘Drongo
was our third cruiser following a
Falmouth Gipsy and a Mk II
Macwester 27. The Konsort was
spacious and comfortable enough
to serve as a family boat, mostly
just the two of us, but also
capable of serving two and later
three generations together. We
have sailed her for 14 years and
have never felt the need for a
bigger or different boat.
‘We chose Drongo, a twin-keeler,
with care: she had been maintained
well from new. I ensured that we
found a boat that incorporated the
revised hull reinforcement system
Westerly adopted after early
production. Most of our sailing is
by husband and wife, so we have
equipped the boat to make it as
easy as possible for a crew now
well past retirement age. Reefing
is still double line but controlled
by good-quality clutches and
self-tailing winches replacing the
originals. We have a fully-battened
mainsail and stack system and
are delighted with it. To ease
anchoring a power windlass is
fitted, controlled from the
cockpit. Needless to say, power
consumption is much greater than
Westerly anticipated, so an extra
battery and improved charging
system were essential.
‘The boat sails well provided
there is sufficient breeze to get her
going. A cruising chute helps in
light airs. When the wind pipes up
the performance is good, with a
reef in the main around Force 5.The Konsort is very much a
cruising boat so we have never
expected her to point high,
but you sail according to the
characteristics of your boat. When
required, the 24hp Bukh diesel will
take care of any lack of wind.
‘We sail in the English Channel,
the Channel Islands and adjacent
coast of France, and have had no
unexpected problems with the
boat. Now, over 30 years old,
Drongo continues to be our ideal
cruising boat: a choice well made
and never regretted.’A different concept
The later 30ft 6in Westerly
Tempest, designed by Ed Dubois,
was a very different concept. Its
unusual accommodation featured
two double cabins aft and a heads
compartment in the eyes of the
yacht, à la Arpège. By Westerly
standards, its sales total of 107
wasn’t a runaway success. The
1990 Merlin 29 was a revamp of
the earlier 27 (see ‘Spoiled for
choice, PBO March 2015).
The Sadler 29 was another
winner from the ’80s. Martin
Sadler says: ‘The 29 appeared at
the 1981 Earls Court boat show.
She was offered with fin or twin
keels, and the mix was about
60/40 in favour of the latter.
Our demonstration boat had
twins, and it surprised people
how well she sailed.’ (This is
understandable: these twins
are shapely, well positioned and
draw 3ft 8in.) Martin continues:
‘The design concept of the 29
was to achieve a larger internal
volume for overall length than
the Sadler 25 and 32, and she
has accommodation very similar
to the 32.’
Designer David Sadler got the
balance between comfort and
performance right: 28ft 5in OA,
LWL 22ft 10in, beam 9ft 6in,
weight 8,200lb, 41.5% ballast
ratio, 307 DLR and 14.68 SA/
displacement ratio. Sailors loved
her, and 400 were built. Her
spacious accommodation with
amidships heads, good galley and
chart table and cosy quarter berth
appealed to traditionalists and
modernists alike, and the
well-engineered inner mouldings
conceal enough foam buoyancy
to make the boat float and sail
when fully flooded.
One Sadler 29 owner summed
up what to look for: ‘The advice
when buying boats of this age is
to spend a bit more on one that
has been sorted, ie
recent new engine,
sails, standing
rigging, cushions etc,
rather than getting a
tatty boat more cheaply and then
spending a fortune. To give some
idea, we re-engined last year at
a cost of £7.5k, including a new
feathering prop (big improvement
to sailing performance), and I did
half of the fitting. A new main and
stack pack cost £1.1k two years
ago, new DIY-fitted standing
rigging cost £600 three years
ago, and the list goes on...
‘We like the foam-filled
construction, not least because
it massively reduces
condensation compared toMirage 28: available second-hand from £8,500
Sailing ScenesSailing ScenesUK-built 28 to 30ft cruisers
➜
‘When buying a boat of this age, spend
a bit more on one that has been sorted’
Hunter Impala 28: available second-hand from £8,500