Clansman 30

[jayb]

I'm interested in a clansman 30, has anyone got an opinion on these boats

[Christian Van H]

Never heard of 'em, and I really dont like the name...

[jayb]

here is a link to a clansman 30 any information on these boats would be appreciated

[jayb]

sorry here is the link CLANSMAN 30 boat details - BoatPoint Australia

Thanks for your help

[surfingminniwinni]

Hi Jayb,

I used to own a Compass 28, when I went looking to buy a Compass I also looked at the Clansman 30. I found the interior room smaller than the C28, as both boats would have the same sailing characteristics I would suggest that you look at the Compass.
You will find that a Compass will be a lot easier to sell & will have a better re sale value.
My 2 cents worth.

[BadFish]

The name of that boat is just no good. I for one would not introduce myself as, "My name is _ and here is me clansman."

Just my 2c

Cheers

Bill

[jayb]

I know the name of the boat no good, but im trying to look past that.

Thanks for the advice on the compass 28

[fastfilm]

Badfish, you just don't have enough Scots blood in you, or is it Scotch Whiskey?

[BadFish]

Haha, I believe it's the latter.

You all may convince me yet.

Cheers

Bill

[TOM]

The Clansman 30 is a great yacht and would be my choice over a compass 28 or 29 for any sort of extended cruising . With regards to resale ,yes you will probably do better on a compass , but is resale value the main reason why we choose a design ? . AK I ,you could take the Clansman anywhere.

[mawfish]

I'm a bit biased because I own a Clansman (or is Clansperson more politically correct?) (1970 vintage) but I really think they are a fantastic boat. I have owned my boat for two years, cruised solidly for 4 months and think they are awesome.

I did a lot of research prior to purchasing the boat and probably considered the same package of boats that you are.eg. H28, Compass 28, Compass 29 and I think the Clansman is the pick of the bunch. H28's are a good boat, but tend to be expensive for their length, (in the $40K to $50K bracket, rather than $25K to 40K for Compasses and Clansmen). If you're spending that sort of money you would probably be better off with a Cav32 or a Swanson 32.

Compass 28's sail nicely, but are more cramped, slower and less capable than the Clansman.

I have heard few good things about Compass 29's sailing ability. The 28 moulds were simply extended to make the 29 rather than do a proper redesign. I understand their behaviour downwind and in confused seas is much worse than the 28 and the Clansman and they suffer from excessive weather helm. The 29 might have slightly more room inside than a Clansperson, but if you want to sail anywhere seriously (or have the option to sail seriously) you will be far happier with a Clansman. It is faster, probably safer (lower freeboard, lower volume, higher balast ratio etc) and a more comfortable sea boat. I don’t think there is any more difficulty with resale of a Clansman compared with a Compass. Good Clanspeople are sought after yachts because they are the most capable boats of their size and price available and there aren’t that many of them available (~100 made as against 400+ Compasses). They are built very strong and I am aware of several substantial voyages and understand they have made circumnavigations. Some have been on the market for a while right now, but I think anyone selling a yacht now will have difficulty. Certainly when I was looking they sold very quickly.

Just as a note, they are very close to a copy of the British yacht, the Elizabethan 29. These are very well regarded yachts that have made substantial voyages and there is quite a bit of information on the web for them.

There is also an active class association for the Clansman in Sydney. They have regular racing and cruising events and are a great source of information about the vessel. They have an annual Trans Tasman Challenge whereby the Clansman Association, through the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron competes against the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (Auckland). This is held alternately in Sydney and in Auckland, with Cavalier 32 yachts being sailed in Auckland. You can contact the Association Secretary at PBennell@richo.com.au and I am sure he would be delighted to chat with you about the boats and their events.

I have kept an eye on Clansman on the market, for ideas on internal improvements etc and to see how the price etc is going. The one you’re looking at looks like a really good boat to me. He’s replaced most of the expensive stuff and done a beautiful restoration inside. The only thing he doesn’t talk about is the motor. If it’s an old one you might want to talk him down a bit in price – a factory reco Yanmar will cost you around $5,000 and a new one around $8,000 so you need to be able to handle that if the motor decides it has had enough. With a good survey and decent motor it’s a reasonable price but I’d try him on $30K. He also lists the hull age as unknown. It looks like it could be a 1960’s boat, which is ok but you would want to know that. If it is a 60’s one resale much over $30K may be tough. If you asked for the name of the boat the Association can probably find the hull number and year (providing the name hasn’t been changed).
The only complaints I have about the Clansman are: The Forward and Dinette berths are only about 6ft long. So most people need to sleep diagonally a bit, or you can make modifications with boards etc, otherwise you can sleep in a quarter berth which are 7ft long but not very wide.
The dinette double berth isn’t – you could have two kids, but not two adults – but it is comfortable for one adult. The dinette is only comfortable to seat two adults and two kids – two adults cannot eat next to each other.
The sidedecks are very narrow and uncomfortable to walk along. This is a tradeoff with behaviour at sea. The boat is itself very narrow and being narrow the boat has a beautiful motion at sea and can get to windward against strong winds and seas.
Anyway, this is a long and opinionated rant about the virtues of Clansman, but I hope it is of some help. Please let me know if you have any more questions about the boat.

Cheers

[David M]

Its probably just in the USA that "clan" has a negative connotation. The word clan of course goes back much further than the KKK.

From freedictionary.com:
1. A traditional social unit in the Scottish Highlands, consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor and following the same hereditary chieftain.

clan - definition of clan by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

[mawfish]

Hi David,
The name had never really bothered me in the slightest. I had just thought of an old scottish tribe - perhaps equivalent to yacht model names like a Chieftain or Warrior. I just joked about it being a Clansperson and left it at that. I hadn't really thought of the KKK (or the derivation in much depth) - when I think of that I can see your point - the builder is probably lucky he didn't export to the US. But they are still lovely boats and the owners association is something of a passionate clan about the boats - much like the Alberg 30 or Pearson Triton 28 owner associations in the US.
Cheers
Dave.

[biggles72]

Hi all, my first post. ;-)

Forget about resale value. They hold their value well. I have watched the prices of the Clansman for 15 years. The value of these have not gone down, in fact it has gone up.

In my opinion they are more attractive than the compass 28. Compass 29's do have much more room below, but the price is more.
Good luck

[DavidKumeroa]

Hey man,
I have owned my 30' Clansman "Clandoig" for nearly 9 years now, & I love her for her galley lay out and private toilet ( head). There is just not another sail boat about with a galley as useful or as big as a Clansman in a 30 footer. ( There are a lot of bigger Yachts with smaller cramped galleys!)
We Sail in the top of the Spencer gulf in South Australia where the the swells can be short & Sharp and it seems the wind is always on the nose when ever we sail. We used to race with the local club & I used to pray for bad weather, as the rougher it got the better she goes. While others were changing down to survive, we just kept in all up and hung on. The Full length keel keeps her tracking straight. She just carves up the the choppy seas. We also fly a big Spinnaker when running down wind and she gets up an bogies.
We have also converted the Vee birth into a permanent Double. We swear there is more room in her than some large vessels. Mind you, I'm 6'1" & I stretch my feet into the the Anchor locker area at times for a full stretch. But me & the wife fit. Oh the the dog has jumped in on the odd occasion too.
My Yacht came with an original Arona 12hp 2 cylinder Diesel. I pulled her and over hauled her for around$400 parts & $300 labour by a local retired engine mechanic. I did do a lot of the work myself. But I now have a fully overhauled Engine & Gearbox for around $800 mark.
My wife find the Safety rails a little low for herself so I'm exteding them this year around the cock pit for her.
The hull is made the old way, 1" thick ply with hand laid fiber glass on both sides.
the Masts were shorted than most others which means they handle the the strong wind in the south very well.
You do need to be strong on the tiller or you have to reef in on the main for weather helm.
She very stable & very Strong. I've seen then go from $23K, fixer uppers to $39K with all the bells & whistles.
Clansman's (Strong, hard, wirly characters. Very tight on money) Speaks for itself. People that sail in them swear by them. Not at them!

Fair winds,
David.