I know that the height of the two bridges across the Hawkesbury is 11.5 and 11.8 metres.
WHat I want to know is what boat around the 25-30ft mark fit..
for example ..
Top Hat 25
Compass28
Cavalier26
Mystere25
or anything else..
I live on the western side of the bridges and looking for a yacht that will fit under
Do you mind if you have to fold down mast? or do you want it to fit whilst upright?
The Brooklyn railway bridge is your problem I think. Been many years since I was there and I have no idea what the clearance is except that you wont get a 35 foot yacht under it without lowering the mast.
I suggest you look for the best yacht possible that suits your purposes that has a deck stepped mast and/or tabernacle and figure out a way of raising and lowering the mast.
Lowering is not a problem. Just let all or most of the stays go and gravity will do the rest. Getting it back up is where all the stress is involved.
Go for a yacht / mast that will fit under without any "lowering"...
(IMHO)
Just avoid the hassle so there is no obstacle to using your yacht
at any opportunity
....
Poods
Any Top Hat 25 will get under both bridges, should have about 1m clearance at H.W.S., you will have to check it tho'
have a look around www.tophatyachts.org for more info on TH25 mast heights
You will have to measure the mast, which is easy, of any yacht your considering buying, if this getting under bridges aspect is critical to where you keep the yacht.
cheers
Zakkie, the commodore of the Hawksbury River Yacht Club has an S&S 34 (Star of the Sea) that he bought from Perth. He has a lowering system that is a one man operation.
Sorry I don't have any pics of it in action, but if you contact users.tpg.com.au/hrycnsw/ you might find it's not as hard as you think and then won't be limited by size.
Or, you could by a Top Hat..... :-)
Michael
Hi,
I used to own a Compass 28 and I cleared both bridges but you would still need to check the mast height before buying as the original mast and rig could have changed over the life of the boat.
Out of all the boats you listed I would get the Compass 28 again if I was in the market for a boat in that size range. With its full keel it was one of the nicest and most comfortable boats I have sailed in. And they're easy to sail single handed. Oh and the last thing you want to be doing is raising and lowering a mast every time you go under the bridges, even if you fitted a tabernacle and the appropriate lowering device. Sailing or boating should be as pleasurable as possible, not an onerous chore
Good luck,
Don
thanks everyone, am looking at a Cavalier 26 today, and will measure the mast with a string on the main halyard see how it goes..
what do fit apparently are Top Hats and Compass 28's (although you watch the tide)
like the Perth idea of fold down mast though
thanks again, put a deposit on the Cavalier 26 , mast to water line about 10.4 m so will do the trick
