Information on the Potter 19

Ray Boivin (BOIVINRA@ENE.GOV.ON.CA)
Fri, 26 Mar 1999 12:59:58 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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George:

I saw your request for information regarding the Potter 19 and thought
that I would add my two cents.

I sail my boat on Lake Superior, mainly in the Thunder Bay area. I have
had the boat out in 20 knot winds and six foot swells. We have the
working jib and two sets of reef points in the main sail. I have never felt
that the boat was unsafe or was going to let us down although I have
found it difficult going to windward when there is a big swell running.
We usually solve this by bearing off or changing our plans or motoring.
We have tried to avoid heavy weather by carefully listening to weather
forecasts prior to going out and I would suggest that the boat is not
designed for off shore or heavy weather sailing although anything can be
done if you are prepared and courageous enough.

I am very satisfied with my boat although I have learned that it is probably
impossible to have a perfect boat no matter how much money you spend.
It seems that all boats have post production glitches that have to be
corrected. My boat arrived missing the boom vang and later developed a
small crack in the deck. Both of these problems have been satisfactorily
corrected by the factory.

We have spent numerous weekends on the boat and have done an 11
day cruise. My family consists of two adults and two young children.
The boat has been perfect for us. One of the nicest things is the ability to
get close to shore so that everyone can jump off. I know that we would
all get cabin fever if we had to spend too much time cooped up in the
cabin although we have had a couple of stormy days where we ducked
into the cabin between rainstorms. We had fun playing games and made
the most of the breaks between rainfalls. We used a towel to dry out the
cockpit each time the rain stopped.

We tow our boat with a 1985 Toyota 4Runner. This truck has a four
cylinder engine and is somewhat underpowered although it hasn't
stopped us from towing the boat 400 plus kilometres to our favourite
spots. I'm sure the newer trucks have more power and would be more
than adequate for towing.

I just read your post regarding your desire to find a used boat. I hope you
have good luck.

Ray
P-19 - #953 "Water Wings"
Thunder Bay, Lake Superior