Yachting Monthly - April 2016

APRIL 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 95

USED BOAT TEST

OUR VERDICT ON THE BOAT

What’s she like to sail?

With her sound design, substantial build quality, encapsulated

long keel and high ballast ratio she is steadfast and sea-kindly.

Her rig is strong and simple – a thick-section mast well supported

with chunky fore and aft lower shrouds. The deep vee-sectioned,

overhanging bow cuts through waves rather than slamming, and

little water reaches her cockpit unless you push her too hard.

Though slower to react to the helm than a lightweight fi n-keel

yacht, she is thoroughly predictable and gets on with the job

regardless of sea and weather. Her big genoa provides most of the

power and should be reefed fi rst, when her lee toerail is awash.

She can be cutter-rigged if you need a more fl exible sailplan.

Her shortish waterline and large surface area below it make

her relatively slow downwind, but a spinnaker will speed her up

considerably in light to medium airs. She tracks straight, with

little or no assistance needed on the helm to keep her on course.

What’s she like in port and at anchor?

On many Rustler 31s, the anchor chain is fed down a pipe into a

locker below the forward berths. This can be tedious, as often the

chain piles up in a pyramid and blocks the pipe when recovering

the anchor, so someone has to go below and tip the pile over. She

has stout mooring cleats and fairleads, but none amidships. An

extra turning block on the genoa track can help with solo docking.

Her long-keel hull is cumbersome when motoring astern. It

takes a little practice and there are a few tricks to learn, but most

owners soon learn how to manoeuvre in and out of marina berths.

But that keel also provides a good, fl at base for her to dry out on,

and with a pair of legs fi tted she’ll take the ground upright.

If she has a downside it’s her accommodation – somewhat

cramped and a little gloomy. For a couple, it’s just a question of

working around each other, but with guests you’d best hope for

fi ne weather or invest in a cockpit tent. Her cockpit is long but

narrow and if a wheel has been fi tted it reduces the useable space

quite a bit, whereas a tiller can be hinged up to free more space.

Would she suit you and your crew?

Whether or not you’d want to own a Rustler 31 depends on your

outlook to sailing and what your priorities are. She is indeed

pretty, sails to windward effortlessly and if you’re planning to do

frequent long, open-ocean passages, she won’t let you down. But

if you like having groups of friends on board for the week, then

you’d better have some skinny mates!

The cabin layout is snug but straightforward and practical. The

two 1.88m long (6ft 3in) settees make very good sea berths with

the addition of leecloths. Even better if you can fi nd the version

with a quarterberth behind the chart table. However, the galley

is basic and small, as is the heads. Also, few Rustler 31s have

pressurised hot water and even if they did, there’s no room for a

shower unless you have it in the cockpit.

To sum up, this is a boat for the traditionalist – someone who

likes the look and feel of owning a classic yacht and is willing

to overlook her shortfalls in the luxury department for her

seaworthiness and beauty on the water. And unless you have

deep pockets, it’s good to be handy at boat maintenance, too.

FACTS AND FIGURES

■ Guide price £18,000-£25,000

■ LOA 9.58m (31ft 5in)

■ LWL 7.32m (24ft)

■ Beam 2.74m (9ft)

■ Draught 1.68m (5ft 6in)

■ Displacement

5792kg (12,770 lb)

■ Ballast 2,540kg (5,600 lb)

■ Ballast ratio 43.9 (%)

■ Sail area 51m^2 (547sq ft)

■ SA/D ratio 16.1

■ Diesel 68 litres (15gal)

■ Water 50 litres (11gal)

■ Engine 28hp

■ Transmission Shaft drive

■ Designer Holman & Pye

■ Builder Various, including

Maltings, Orion and Ansteys

■ Owners Group Websites

http://www.rustler31.org

http://www.rustleryachts.com/owners

Rustler 31

Would she

suit your style

of sailing?

COA STA L

PORT-HOPPING

★★★★★

CREEK

CRAWLING

★★★★★

OFFSHORE

PASSAGE-MAKING

★★★★★

TRADE WIND

VOYAGING

★★★★★

HIGH-LATITUDE

ADVENTURE

★★★★★

GRAPHICS: MAXINE HEATH

Her long keel and displacement give her a comfortable, easy motion

through the water that you don’t get with a lighter, beamier boat

Tight for space, but it’s a

practical sea-going heads