Carter Offshore Competition 30

[GordMay]

Mirage 26:
Yes the Sail Drive was OEM (on "Auspicious"), and the portable 5 gal day tank was under the flip-up aft cockpit step.

[bob perry]

Gord:
The original plans show a straight shafted engine but I can find no spec of what that engine was. I happen to be a fan of sail drives myself and I have one in my own boat hooked up to a cute little Volvo diesel.

[GordMay]

Bob:
Would it be fair to say that your Mirage designs (26/27, 30, 33/35). shared of lot of design philosophy with the C&C team?

At the time (mid-late 80's) I often commented that our Mirage 26 was a price-point answer to the C&C 26 & 27's that were then (still) so popular.
I thought that the DESIGNS were quite similar; but the execution (construction & fit-out) was somewhat inferior. The Mirages were quite a bit cheaper to purchase.

[bob perry]

Gord:
Not really. I just did my own thing with the directives that Dick Steffen gave me. Of course I was influenced by C&C, who wasn't. I certaibly never studied C&C hull shapes. Part of what makes one a design is that inner confidence that you can do it better. And sometimes you do. And othertimes,,,,,

[GordMay]

Well, I certainly liked my (your) 26, tho' the extended 27 was prettier.

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by GordMay

...., tho' the extended 27 was prettier.

LOL...you can say that again.

Connemara

[bob perry]

I do not agree.
Any time you extend an existing design you mess with the balance of the sheer and to my eye it is almost never succesful. But that's just my eye.
I really trust my eye.

[Moderation III]

Hi Folks, Thought I'd add a little tidbit here, seeing as the discussion has migrated to Mirage 26/27's. I am the proud owner of a 1981 Mirage 27 (currently called Moderation and soon to be called Moderation III once the registration process is completed). My 27 came with the OMC saildrive as well. Seems to be a reasonably well working motor but it is a bit of a hog on fuel. The reverse transom of the 27 does have the nasty habit of leading the exhaust gases back into the cockpit if motoring with the dodger up. That's a bit of nastiness I could do without.

A question for you folks though. Has anyone done a sail polar for the 27? I race mine every year in the Chester Race week and a set of polars would be handy. I guess that will be my project for this summer.

[Connemara]

That's interesting, Mod 3. I've never noticed exhaust fumes particularly.

I agree about the fuel hog comment, 'tho. I haven't measured it, but we ran thru most of a tank motoring most of the way from Niagara to Hamilton last summer. Made RHYC on fumes. I was surprised.

To answer your other question, I do not have polars, but you might ask on the Mirage forum (on Yahoo). (Am I allowed to point people to other fora?)

Connemara

[bob perry]

Conn:
You may have to contact US Sailing and ask for their polars on the boat, if they have them. Because that boat was drawn well before we used computers to design hull sit would take a lot of work to get the boat into the computer accurately so that polars could be run. It's far from a one button process.

[Moderation III]

Conn, and Bob Perry,
Thanks for the input. Looks like I will have to create the polars from data gathered from actual sailing. I have a program that will store the information received from my instruments (GPSGate) and sumarise the info to create the polars. Either that or use my gut feeling as to whether the boat is going as fast as it should under the conditions.

I have been a member of the Mirage/Kirby group at Yahoo for several years. There doesn't seem to be a lot of 27 owners actively racing their boats or interested in the idea of polars. So I thought I'd try here.

Steve Williston

Mirage 27 - "Moderation III"

[bob perry]

Conn:
polars you prepare based upon your own performance will be the best anyway as they will reflect the reality of exactly what your sails are like and they will give you a great reference if you buy a new sail.

[Miles]

Bob:
The earlier suggestion that you might know how to reach Dick Carter, would that be possible?
I have a Carter 37 and there is hardly any information available on these yachts.
Thanks,
Guido Pas
The Netherlands

[bob perry]

Guido:
That last time I spoke to Dick I got his number through directory assistance for Nahant, Mass. He was still living there but that was about ten years ago.
Best of luck and if you do get ahold of him say hello for me please. I don't think Dick would have acces to these plans anymore. When Dick left the business he really left the business.

[Dave Carter]

Dick Carter's not so easy to get a hold of these days. I'm his son and I can barely do it myself. That being said I can do it. Bob you're right, when he left he really left but he's still got some of the old plans. Carter 37 eh? I'll see what I can dig up and Bob, I'll tell him you say hello.