Edel 665 good for beginner?

[carovina]

I'm a very neophyte sailor and am considering buying a 22' Edel to get more comfortable on the water - it would be slipped at a Chesapeake Bay marina year round and I'd likely never be more than a mile from shore. My son is 8 and takes sailing lessons on 10' boats but is obviously too young to rely on; my husband doesn't sail. It is intimidating to consider taking my family out on a boat I can't sail well - but it does have an outboard and i can't get better if i don't try. I'd love to hear anybody's thoughts on whether this is a terrible idea or a good way to scale up our skills. Thanks!

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by carovina

I'm a very neophyte sailor and am considering buying a 22' Edel to get more comfortable on the water - it would be slipped at a Chesapeake Bay marina year round and I'd likely never be more than a mile from shore. My son is 8 and takes sailing lessons on 10' boats but is obviously too young to rely on; my husband doesn't sail. It is intimidating to consider taking my family out on a boat I can't sail well - but it does have an outboard and i can't get better if i don't try. I'd love to hear anybody's thoughts on whether this is a terrible idea or a good way to scale up our skills. Thanks!

Hello Caovina - and Welcome!

I was unfamiliar with Edels, so I did a quick search on their sailing abilities and types of use. Here's a nice quote:

These beautiful French-designed, fractional-rig sloops were built in Ontario and are known for their clean, modern lines and good sailing qualities. The Edel 665 is 22' long, has a wide 8' beam, a shallow draft 3' fixed keel (get in close to shore), a pop-up cabin-top, tiller steering, ample storage, a head, sink, stove, and 5 berths!

If it were me, this boat would tick a few of the top items on my checklist. Number 1 of all is does she sail well? You can happily check that one off. It will be fun to take out, zip around and do some doughnuts in the Chesapeake.

Her traditional use as a family cruiser checks your box of comfotably fitting a family of three.

For me, I absolutely adore a tiller. I sailed across the South Pacific in a 38' boat with a tiller! The tiller connects you to the wind and the waves and the sea like nothing else. Hopefully, your previous boat was a dinghy, so that tranisition won't be difficult. The overwhelming tendency of having a wheel on every sailboat in North America is dismaying to me. Give me a tiller every time.

My two cents? She sounds perfect for you and your family.

Remember to kit everyone out with autoinflate lifejackets AND WEAR THEM. Also, initially, be very cautious about the state of the wind and and tide before going out - and identify those conditions that are comfortable for you. (A family I've been sailing with this summer prefers 8-10 knots of breeze.) And like any good skipper, check the weather religiously!

Have fun and learn lots,
Warmly,
LittleWing77

(And don't underestimate the kid - bettcha he'll get right into it!)

[Mirage35]

Oh you bring back memories. I learned to sail on an Edel 665 about 35 years ago.

I remember them as fun little boats, sail and manage well, and solid enough that you don't need to worry if you get caught in more wind than expected.

[LittleWing77]

This is a really interesting read from Thomm. He sails the Chesapeake in a Bristol 27'. DO NOT LET IT SCARE YOU or dissuade you from your lovely choice of boat. Just thought you might find it instructional. The post-discussion is quite informative as well.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...es-239583.html

Please remember - this is an extreme situation: wind-over-tide (as they call it in England) and high winds and seas.

See my earlier point about religiously checking the weather and learning the wind/sea state you're comfortable with.

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

[pcmm]

The Edel 665 is a fantastic little sailboat ( I had one from 2003 - 2006). It sails like a big dinghy! Very responsive to the helm, but also demands that you pay attention to it. very maneouverable and fast! great fun with an asymetrical spinnaker. Simple systems with only 1 thruhull for the sink so is a dry boat!

It was probably the most fun of any sailboat I've owned!

[Stewie12]

Sounds great to me. Remember to wear life jackets and go out in good weather and everything should be fine.

[Mirage35]

Easy to handle? I recall in the small craft channel in Georgian Bay (narrow, complicated, lots of islands and rocks, for those who don't know it): a friend, more experienced than I, was at the helm - and everything else. A chart in one hand, the mainsheet in the other, the tiller under one knee - reassured me he didn't need any help.

But, seriously, don't ask me for objective comments. I met my wife on an Edel 665 and still see both through rose-coloured glasses.

[guyrj33]

i'm posting to encourage you to engage your son in the sailing adventure and to encourage him to push his limits at every opportunity. you'll be amazed at how much he can accomplish and with amazing speed.
I often double handed our 33' boat with my daughter starting around the age of 5. It's OK to be scared, it's not OK to act scared. How does that translate to boats? When the boat heals over and makes you uncomfortable, you can scream or you can loosen the main sheet. Screaming is acting scared, loosening the main sheet is being scared and taking appropriate action.
In 6 years you're friends will all remark about how well you get along with your son.
In my daughters high school years we were returning from whale watching 20+ miles offshore and put up the spinnaker. I gave her the wheel and a compass heading and she piloted the boat home 20 miles and never collapsed the spinnaker, not even once.

[billgewater]

I just wish my mum had taken me sailing when I was 8. What a great learning and bonding environment!
I am sure you will involve him in all the shared planning and responsibilities. Lucky little sod.
I would suggest that he will mature faster with the shared responsibilities than any other kid standing on the shore looking wistfully at him and his mum achieving fun things together.

[carovina]

Hi everybody - thank you so much for all your wonderful and encouraging comments on this boat. We bought it! So I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time on these boards searching for information and maybe asking a few more questions of my own. Thank you all!

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by carovina

Hi everybody - thank you so much for all your wonderful and encouraging comments on this boat. We bought it! So I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time on these boards searching for information and maybe asking a few more questions of my own. Thank you all!

Congratulations!!! Has it got a name?

[Lake-Effect]

A friend had a small Edel (can't recall if it was the 665) but i was out with him a few times and it was a nice boat to sail. And reasonably forgiving to beginners. So yeah - a good first boat.

[johnn33]

We do not have these nice boats in the UK.
The wind over tide, or it can be called wind against tide, situation is tricky as higher than average waves occur with little warning.
This is an interesting article https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sail...planning-62960

Wind with tide obviously tends to flatten waves, but still a rogue can be expected.
John

[BuzzCox]

Hi and Congratulations!

We purchased an Edel 665 in July 2019 and have been in love with it from day 1!

The first boat we purchased was a MacGregor 26D but for various reasons we sold and went to the Edel.

It is a very solid and forgiving boat - we are relative neophytes as well. Reefing is easy and we installed a furler this spring. We are slowly working towards more extreme weather and have gone out in some howling weather! This is something we never would have done with the D.

I guess what I am trying to say is (if you have not already discovered this summer) that you made a very good decision with the Edel.

Would love to see some shots! Have you chosen a name? Ours is "Irish Wake"

Stay safe,

Buzz