rogerbum":25midfdv said:The Maple Bay is a fiberglass hull, the Devlins are wood. I love the way the Devlins look and the way they are laid out BUT no way to I want the maintenance associated with a wood hull. Practicality is in the eyes of the beholder.
Also, just a question for the experts here (Bob?). I noticed that the Maple Bay has a "canoe" like stern where as the Devlin is more flat. I assume the Maple Bay would be better in following seas as a result but I have no practical experience in this regard. Who can comment on this?
The exterior of most Devlin boats is epoxy over wood -- there is not much more exposed wood trim than on your typical Grand Banks. Prolly more brightwork than I would want, but certainly not what an older wood boat would require.
To address what Jim said, I am not interested in moving up from the Tom Cat unless and until it is something in the 40-50' range, and that will be for a long multi-year coastal cruise. But I like boats and learning about them, and this one was quite unusual, hence it piqued my interest.
All the boats I am interested in -- such as the Willards, Kadey-Krogens, some DeFevers, Nordhavn (I wish!) -- have a stern like on the Maple Bay. They are blue-water boats. Read Beebe's Voyaging Under Power for more on this.
Warren