[Rhodes22-list] sorry the first draft went out after I did plus the spellcheck also is out but here is completed survey

[stan]

> >
>>>>  > Joshua Colvin
>>>> Managing Editor
>>>> Small Craft Advisor
>>>> 907 Anchor
>>>> Morro Bay CA 93442
>>>>
>>>> 805-771-9393
>>>> www.smallcraftadvisor.com
>>>> email: smallcraftadvisor at earthlink.net
>
 One of the owners asked me to answer for him, so - for comic relief::

ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BOAT:
Your name:  Rhodes 22
Your boat's name:  The Placebo Effect
 Boat make and length:  General Boats Rhodes 22
 Year of manufacture:  I am a lady and don't give out that information
 Please tell us a little about the extent of your sailing experience.
 Small boat sailing since 1938  Learned on a homemade 11' something or
 other - then a wood Lightning until the wood mast broke then moved on to
 a wooden abondoned Snipe which I took on a two week cruise up the
Hudson to see if my significant future other really liked sailing or was 
just
 faking the screaming.   Never took any lessons and it shows but did win
 my first race and immediately retired from racing to keep my perfect
 record in tact.  Hung up the pants used since learned by that seat. .
 Imported Corsairs and Ponants and other French plywod boats to test the
 US Sailboat market.  Finally came out with the Picnic 17 which was a
 combination sailboat and a skiing boat that didn't do too well so gave
 the idea to Roger.   Although I currently build Rhodes 22s I don't own
 one because I charge too much.
>>>>
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS:
Please give us your general impressions on the following subjects:
Ease of trailering:   No problems. Except when I looked out the widow and
 saw the boat passing me.  Have towed the equivalent of a dozen or so
 times around the world without much excitement.  After awhile you don't
 know you are towing it until you notice in the mirror that you are being
 followed by a boat.
Ease of launching and retrieving:  So easy that if you get challanged to 
race, make sure the race starts and ends with all entries on their trailers. 
The boat self launches by applying the car brakes - be prepared to swim. 
For show offs like me, sailing onto the trailer gets lots of applause but 
the lowered centerboard deserves the
 credit. Ease of rigging:  The instructions say that one man can raise the 
mast - we just have not found him yet.   But at 79 I can do it single 
handed - if I use the cross over mast hoist system. Lowering is no problem - 
I just pull all the pins and run like hell. .
How the boat performs in light airs:  Light airs are its big number.  I am 
accused of having an inboard.
How fast the boat is:  Can manage 65 on the trailer.  8 surfing and 5 to 6 
when the weather and I are at our best.  Have passed all sorts of racing 
craft going the other way.
How well it points:  not as good as my dog - but it is not a dog when 
considering it is a combination keel centerboarder.
Initial stability:  Wonderful for a lightweight like me standing out on the 
hiking seat gunnels. But then very tender and then suddenly very stiff. 
Trully tried but never been able to turn one over under sail. Something 
about the flared hull..
SEAWORTHINESS:
How does your boat perform in heavy weather?  Heavy airs are its big number. 
How can you say that about light and heavey airs?  Easy:  Lower the pop top, 
lower the boom (which lowers the center of sail effort), shorten the IMF and 
fly a hankerchief that can be made out of the reefed 175 genoa, put the 
cockpit cushions away to expose the seats' heel grooves and get the crew up 
on the flared gunnels and you have a different animal that is good for up to 
29 knot winds..
Is the boat forgiving?  More so than my wife (but not as tender)
Does it inspire confidence?  The Rhodes uncovered four niches:  The 45 foot 
owner wo wants to get back to the fun of small boat handling but does not 
want to give up the amenities they have grown accustomed to on the big guy. 
The beginner who likes the foam floatation and hard to turn over trait and 
throtability of
 the sail area to match their learning curve. The realistic sailer who does 
not want to go bigger than 22 but wants the most 22 out there.  And the 
sailor who wants a boat so easy to sail, he or she can stay home.  This 
latter group will really love next season's model because it tells you if 
you had a good time or not when it gets back.
Is it dry-riding? With the flared hull there is no contest.  Not a fair 
question.
Does it exhibit a 
weather helm?
  You left no box for neutral.  Tweaking 
can get you either side of neutral.
Is cockpit drainage adequate in your opinion?  The three self bailing drains 
work fine except in golf ball size hail storms.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
How many can comfortably daysail, overnight , or cruise for extended
 periods on your boat?   Would you believe 9?  4 in the cabin three in the 
cockpit and two in the lazaret. OK, would you believe 7?   6?  4?  I beleive 
2, if you use the double 6-6" dinette table with the pop top up.  (I am 
clostrophobic).  But if my wife is mad at me she sleeps in the coffin like 
"V" berth.  She invited me to join her there one night and I have to report 
that there is sex after death.
Are sleeping accommodations  comfortable?   Depends on who you are sleeping 
with.
Is the head practical and convenient to use:  As the literature on the swell 
head of the Rhodes points out, half of us can stand up when we go, although 
it is the most comfortable seat in the boat - I also like the magazzine 
rack.
 Cooking facilities?  You will have to ask the buyer who had us install a 
stainless steel oven with two burners on top.  We also installed a real frig 
wtih a 5,000 foot extension cord. Light meals can be had since the dinete 
table can also be moved to the cockpit during daylight hours.
 Storage? To quote Bob Quinn who liked his Rodes so much he went out and 
bought a different boat, "For this size boat, can't be beat.  The under 
counter space is great and the rear lazarrette will hold two people - if you 
hapen to be serving humans instead of beef for lunch....
QUALITY:
What do you think of the boats construction?  A Rhodes is like wine.  It 
depends on the year. (explanation on request)
How about the stock rigging?  Better than asprin.  With 9 stays,  breaking 
the jib stay does not result in the mast falling on the crews' heads.  .
Does the boat seem durable? Yes.  We are curently deciding whether to build 
them to self-destruct in 20 years or just go out of business..
Any noticeable oil-canning, flexing, peeling or delamination?  see answer 
"depends on year"
 Any obvious shortcomings or corner-cutting in the design?  The shortcoming 
is its length - while it is 26' inside it is only 22' on the outside.  An 
obvious Phil Rhodes cost cutting design.
 COMPROMISES:
What stands out in your mind as a compromise an owner of this boat is
 likely to have to make?    Name.  Most of the good names have been used up. 
.
MODIFICATIONS:
List any significant modifications you've made to your boat, how difficult 
they were to execute, and how successful you consider them, particularly in 
light of time and money spent.  I refuse to answer this on the grounds that 
it may incriminate the entire company (in light of testimony from earlier 
models like Bob Quinn who did not have the features of the newer boats.).
VALUE:  We love this cocnept of value since the price of the boat is too 
high for buyers and too low for our accountant.  But its value is perfect. 
We are upset with the prospect who said he bought another boat because his 
friend said no one knows the Rhodes and so it has no resale value and here 
we were hoping he would buy one so we could buy it back from him..
 Compared with other small sailboats (25' or less), how do you rate this
 boat's value?  We use the NADA book
OTHER:
Please feel free to share any other general or specific comments about
 this boat.    It is not the boat.  It is the owners that are going to give 
you a problem with the truth since they know that if they say anything 
negative we will take their boats away from them.
Any other questions?
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