"Attempts to find a 'flat
spot' in her turns on or off the wind failed; all of which
points to a well-balanced hull and sail plan which should
(and no doubt does) carry its benefits up through successive
wind forces. I believe that with a small, tired crew and on
passage in boisterous weather she would snug down to a very
small sail area and continue to sail fast and easily"
Yachting World Nov '74
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Reviews of the Varne 27, Varne 850, Weston 8500 and Varne Folkboat |
From the Good Boat Guide:
VARNE 27/850
27'9" * 21'9" * 4'3" (fin) 344sqft /
3-5 berths,
Volvo 7.5 hp Saildrive or Yanmar 8
Fast cruiser with excellent performance and handling and rather unusual accomodation and bearable headroom (quoted at 5'9"). Fine bows limited
the forepeak, so that a separate heads compartment to port started well
back, with a single berth opposite. The saloon has a dinette arrangement
to port, with a pilot berth above it; opposite was a good galley. Aft of
the saloon were 2 quarter berths on either side and between the port
hand quarter berth and the companionway was a separate navigators seat
and chart table. Nice looking and well-finished, but not many about and
some were home-completed.
Silhouette
(reproduced from the
Hurley Owners Association)
One of the most popular small
cruisers of all time, Bob Tucker's diminutive mini cruiser
arrived in 1959 and by 1967 had tempted over two thousand
customers. Early (Mk I) boats were plywood (hence the chines);
most Mk IIs were GRP while the Mk III was moulded by Hurley
Marine to a radically revamped design. The central ballast stub
was removed, draft increased by 5in and the ballast ratio
improved from 26 to 37%. She also carried 43% more sail. A fin
keel version was available but the vast majority had twin keels.
Her two berth accommodation was still cramped (the Mk 4,
built by Varne Marine, added two bunks) but her low cost,
good looks and predictable handling have won her many friends.
All we have on the boat at the moment it this
picture. However, the Silhouette has her own Owners'
Association, details of which are
here.
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