While rhis might be fairly subjective, what are the relative sailing qualities of the skerry vs the peapod ? Is one better ? ...Better, of course, can mean several things. And, while on it, which is the more stable boat ? I am an old guy with a skerry and I know it is a very safe boat...but sometimes, I feel I am one butt shift from a capsize....thanks all
Thank you, Lazlo...more and better information than I could have hoped for. And, off the record, I am pleased that you leaned towards the peapod.. I want to build another boat. In a July trip to a small lake in NH, I spent a good part of two weeks in my skerry. It is a wonderful boat and beautiful, in a classic Scandanavian way. But, in my view, leaves something to be desired while under sail. Tacking requires good speed to drive thru the eye...perhaps the very light weight of the boat handicaps it. Or maybe the helmsman ??...anyway, now searching for a place for my next build..Tom
MV...thank you for the suggestion. I am reminded of a recent sail with one of my young grandchildren stashed in the bow...yes, the boat did tack more easily. Clearly the added weight did make a difference but I never made the connection. And, I use a sprit rig but am thinking the lug might be better for this boat...anyway, thanks for the advice..Tom
Tom, am owner of a Skerry since 2017. Re your comment about difficulty tacking - have you tried placing any ballast up towards the bow? I put some right up by the mast step (10 to 30 lbs depending on winds). Have had no problems tacking in all but the flukiest of winds. Balanced lug rig. Without the ballast, your stern low and bow high, and the skeg and centerboard have less water to grip onto, for the tack, is my speculative unscientific guess on the matter. Others may know better. Fair winds
Tom,
I've been sailing CLC's demo Skerrys off and on for over 20 years and have recently acquired the spare Peapod prototype from CLC. I really do like the Skerry as a sailboat, but I love the Peapod.
I find the Peapod more stable and dryer than the Skerry. The cockpit is also roomier and more comfortable when sailing with more than one person. That's a real good trick, considering that the Peapod is a foot and a half shorter than the Skerry. The Peapod also has floorboards so you are not sitting in a puddle if water does get aboard.
When I had the Peapod out rowing recently, I deliberately leaned it left and right. It reached a point with the gunnels well above the water and stopped. I could not rock it hard enough to get beyond that point. It has amazing secondary stability to the point that I feel comfortable standing up in the boat. That means a lot considering that I am a registered sexagenarian with bad knees and resulting iffy balance at times. Getting in and out at tall docks is definitely easier with the Peapod.
In terms of sailing, the Peapod seems smoother, like a car with a better suspension. That's probably a result of the heavier hull averaging out the wakes and waves. I've only tried sailing the Skerry with the sprit (including the boomless prototype) and while I like sprit rigs for their convenience and simplicity, I find the balanced lug nicer. They share a lot of the same features, but the improved twist control of the lug means not having to worry about things like death rolls. Mind you, adding a line from the top of the sprit to the cockpit will also give you good twist control but the balanced lug does that naturally. The balanced lug's reefing ability is also nicer than brailing the sprit.
My impression is that the Peapod is faster than the Skerry, but I have no hard data to back that up. It is easier to row which indicates a more easily driven hull. Coupled with the extra 40% sail area that could easily explain the feeling of extra speed.
So again, while I really like the Skerry and I think that it's a really good-looking boat that's a lot of fun and even went so far as to buy the plans years ago, I'd rather be out in the Peapod.
Laszlo