Sanibel/Com-Pac, Page 3 |
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Little Yacht.The heavily-ballasted COm-Pac exhibits exceptional stability. A clever galley unit (top left) with sink and fold-up table, and a spacious, wood-paneled interior (bottom left) contribute to her yacht-like feel. |
COM-PAC 19/2
While we were in the Clearwater area, we also had a chance to tour the Com-Pac Yacht production plant and take a CornPac 19/2 out for a sail. The Hutchins Corporation, builders of the Com-Pac series, has expanded the design concept of their original 16-foot boat (see SBJ#47) into a 19-footer, a 23-footer, and now a 27-footer, which all bear a striking resemblance to each other. All are shoal keel boats with very high ballast-to-displacement ratios. All have a look that could be called "neotraditional": sprightly sheer lines, jaunty spoon bows, and cabin trunks with round opening portholes. Yet their profiles are lower than many old-timers were, and their fiberglass-molded lines are clean and functional.
We found our boat tied up behind the home of 'Hutch" Hutchins, the founding father of Hutchins Marine. As we stepped aboard, we were amazed that the boat hardly registered our weight. For a second, we wondered if she were a-ground. With 40 percent of the 19/2's 2,000-pound weight as ballast in the keel, plus the almost flat bottom designer Bob
Johnson gave her, the Com-Pac's stability is exceptional.
After cranking up the outboard, we motored out into the long canal that led to the Intracoastal Waterway. I had thought the long shoal-draft keel would make her steering sluggish. It didn't.
The winds were mostly moderate, but a few puffs gave us further proof of the boat's enormous stability. Under main and 150-percent genoa, she pointed well and her slippery hull left almost no quarter wave — we found we had covered ground without realizing it. If light air is prevalent in your area, a genoa probably will be standard equipment on this boat. The boat performed well on all points, steering itself to windward. We didn't even have to lash the tiller! The Com-Pac handles more sedately than the Sanibel, as you might expect from a heavier, long-keeled boat. But I'd guess she would stay even with the Sanibel over the same distance.
Yacht-like Interior
My wife Tina and I took turns checking out the cabin. The quarterberths were each about 26-27 inches wide by 6 feet 4 inches long with about 19 inches of clearance for the knees. With a filler cushion, the berth could be converted into one huge transverse berth! (You could do that with a Sanibel 18, also.) The vee-berth was 6 feet across with about 6 feet 3 inches of diagonal length. One tall and one short adult could fit well in there; two kids would have tons of space. The open cabin had full sitting headroom and 3 feet 10 inches of crouching room. The marine head slides behind the cockpit steps, and a galley unit fits into a notch in the
vee-berth.
The galley unit was clever, featuring a sink and a fold-up table. It took sufficient space out of the vee—berth that only kids could have fitted into what was left. The galley is removable, but there's nowhere to stow it. For cruising couples, it would make a nice addition. The interior was beautifully finished with full wood panelling inside the cabin trunk and oiled teak stripping along the hull liner. That, plus the brass ports, gave the 19/2's interior a yacht-like feel.
Back out in the cockpit, we relaxed against the generous coamings. A nicely finished gas tank cover provides a handy perch in the after cockpit, lacking only in back support. Our boat had a stern pulpit as well as a bow pulpit. Looking over the transom, we noticed a boarding ladder, a $109 option. These should be standard items on all boats. Few people are capable of regaining the safety of the cockpit if they fall overboard. Whatever boat you buy or own, we would recommend having a permanent boarding ladder mounted on the transom.
As we ran downwind, we noticed a small island in the channel fringed with white beach. Here was a chance to see how close we could get the Com-Pac with its shoal keel. We dropped sail, fired up the outboard, and stowed the genoa into one of the cockpit lockers.
We have mixed feelings about cockpit lockers on boats this size. The two hatches were very convenient, allowing us to hand sails and other gear below out of the weather and out from underfoot; but if a sea ever found its way into the cockpit in a severe storm, these could be conduits through which water could pour below. Offshore sailors should put lock-downs and rubber gaskets on these locker covers. Flotation would be a plus, but as the builders point out, there's not enough space below. Perhaps an inflatable bladder would do the trick (see sidebar "Flotation Choices").
With a gentle thump, we were aground. And the beach was still a hundred yards away. Talk about a gradual slope! Here was the flip side of all the stability we were enjoying: We drew twice the Sanibel's draft. And if we chose to dry out with the tide, the keel would keep the boat from sitting comfortably upright on its bottom.
