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Olson 29 or Yamaha 33

OlyJeff

OlyJeff

New member
It's January and cold out so this post is just for fun. :)

Say a guy had 2 boats, an Olson 29 and a Yamaha 33 and this guy is thinking about doing the race to Hawaii. Lots of sailing experience but none offshore.

The Olson 29. Fast and fun of course. In good condition but very stock. Would need a lot of upgrades $$$ and time to get ready for the race.

The Yamaha 33 not so fast but much more comfortable. The previous owner set this boat up to do the pacific cup but never pulled the trigger. I would say 85% or more of the work and expense is done.

So which boat would you take? And why.
 
OlyJeff said:
It's January and cold out so this post is just for fun. :)

Say a guy had 2 boats, an Olson 29 and a Yamaha 33 and this guy is thinking about doing the race to Hawaii. Lots of sailing experience but none offshore.

The Olson 29. Fast and fun of course. In good condition but very stock. Would need a lot of upgrades $$$ and time to get ready for the race.

The Yamaha 33 not so fast but much more comfortable. The previous owner set this boat up to do the pacific cup but never pulled the trigger. I would say 85% or more of the work and expense is done.

So which boat would you take? And why.
Click to expand...

The olson because it's smaller and would cost less. I don't have unlimited money. If I was going to cruise afterwards and I had the money, then the Yamaha.
 
OlyJeff,
I did the SSS TransPac in a Yamaha 33, Foxxfyre, in 1992, 1996, and 2000. All in all, I did about 25,000 nm of shorthanded offshore sailing in her, before Doug Soderstrom took her over. During that time I endured many tough offshore experiences, including a bare poles knockdown in 25 foot breaking seas and (measured) 70 knot winds, Gales in the Gulf of Alaska with 50+ knot winds for over 2 days, isobar squeeze with 50-60 knot winds and horrible cross swell coming down the coast from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If you were thinking of bringing either the Olson or the Yamaha back from Hawaii, there is no question in my mind that the Yamaha is a tougher boat. It is also pretty fast. I believe that one of my transpacs was done in 15 days. Properly set up, Yamahas are really very good at sea. If you can get Doug to chime in, he may have some thoughts about this issue also.

Preparing a Yamaha (or any boat for that matter) for the round trip is neither easy nor cheap. There are a couple of issues that MUST be properly addressed before going. If you read this, and wish to discuss them, drop me a note at [email protected].

Cheers,
Michael
 
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