That kinda wraps it up as my last comment.
Best
SF
In a message dated 10/25/99 2:44:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
tgrimes@gw.bsu.edu writes:
<< Hi--
The Rhodes 22 is a very odd, strange boat---it is and has been built
by a small company (that to the best of my knowledge does not build
any other boat) for over twenty years. All of that time the people
who build the boat have listened with care to all of the boat owners
and made changes that the owners have suggested. Not just to fix
flaws and weak spots in the design; improvements and things that make
the boat easier to sail and more convenient to live aboard.
I first saw the Rhodes 22 in an in-the-water boat show in Michigan
City, Indiana, nine years ago. The salesman showed three of us over
the boat for twenty minutes, and didn't repeat himself. Sales
material that he was handing out wasn't fancy, it was voluminous--it
was single spaced, typed, and on both sides of ten or twelve sheets of
paper. Most of the things were small, but all were well thought out
and useful.
I have never seen, before or since, a boat that was so obviously well
thought out, and so thoroughly developed. Not thought out to be
faster than other boats, but to be easy to sail and to weekend (or
whatever) on. The factory has even figured out how to SAIL the boat
onto the trailer!
Harry, I agree with you that the mainsail-furling-in-the-mast system
looks like trouble--it does to me, too. It was optional nine years
ago, though, and from the way the rest of the boat has been
thought-out and improved I would suspect that if it had given trouble
the cause of the trouble was fixed--otherwise the mainsail furling
would have been dropped years ago.
Different strokes for different folks--I don't have a Rhodes 22. I
was happy with the boat that I had at the time (and I still am). I
don' particularly like that negative sheer that the Rhodes 22 has, and
the flair at the deck line looks odd to me.
I have never seen, before or since, a boat that has been so
thoroughly develped as the Rhodes 22. I have often thought that we,
here on the Potter web, could make suggestions to IM that would
improve the Potters--maybe even that would make them sell better.
The salesman that showed my friends and me over the Rhodes 22 all
those years ago was the president of the company--it is a small
company, and I understand that everyone in it wears many hats.
Regards
Tom Grimes
P-14 #363 Far Horizon
Muncie, Indiana
>>