CS 20 MkIII - Belhaven 19 Comparison

[Richard C]

Greetings,

 

I'm interested in comparing the CS 20 MkIII and the Belhaven 19.

 

For background info, I currently have a Flying Scot that I use for daysailing, mostly on Jordan lake near Raleigh NC. Like many sailors I dream of seeing the world circumnavigating in a blue-water boat, but through research and the unwillingness to abandon a stable job, house and wife, I think weekend to week-long coastal camp cruising the outer banks and other interstate connected destinations makes a whole lot of sense. As such, I'm looking for a boat to meet those needs. Full disclosure: not ready to buy or build, I'm fully in the planning for a plan stage.

 

I've read the SteveKos thread about what to build next, but I'm looking for a more technical comparison between the two. One item specifically is the lack of the bilge keel on the CS20. The "tripod" idea of the Belhaven seems interesting, but I'm wondering if it was deemed unnecessarily for shallow maneuverability (is the CS20 board exposed at all when fully retracted?). I saw Doug mention that there is some pressure to overcome when lowering the board while already going to windward, would the bilge keel make a difference in this case?

 

Also, in a compact boat, I like how the CS has a full beam width cabin top and no side decks. Any other thoughts on differences between the two designs, pros, cons? 

 

Thanks for any input!

Richard

[Don Silsbe]

Richard,

Most boats experience difficulty adjusting the c/b while going to windward, due to the lateral pressure exerted on it at the time.  It might not be as noticeable in your FS, because I think that has a metal blade, right?  But all boats have some amount of friction going on, regardless.  It is easily overcome by heading up for a moment.

 

Personally, I have always liked the raised deck concept for cruising boats.  My philosophy is that I'll need the interior space much more than I'll ever walk around up forward.  (Provided there is little need to walk forward in the first place.)  I must confess, the only sailboat I've owned with a cabin was not raised-deck.  But if I had my way, I would be my on next boat.

[Steve W]

I'm building a CS20 Mark 3. The centerboard fully retracts. Don is right about the centerboard "sticking". Head up and adjust. Fall off. Easy Peasy.

 

I have never sailed on either. I've only sailed next to a CS20 with my Sea Pearl 21, so keep that in mind. My thoughts:

 

I did look hard at building a Belhaven. But cabin seating for two is important and I had a commercial boat (Catalina Capri 18) with a cabin like the belhaven and I couldn't sit on the quarter berth and lean back. I was a guest on a Tanzer 22 and I couldn't believe that more small boats don't have trunk cabins. Boats like the Stone Horse prove that they can be made to look beautiful. I also value cockpit space over sleeping space. I don't really like V-berths. A lot of times I have one of my buddies along. A separate berth is better in that situation. I do plan on making a "filler" board and cushion on my boat for when my wife is along.

 

I also do a lot of Day sailing in New York's Finger Lakes. Being able to bring along a few people makes having a bigger cockpit important. 

 

So when I saw the Mark 3 I was hooked. Big cockpit, a cabin you can sit in, room for two to sleep and proven performance. I was sure that is painted right it could be made to be very attractive, and Jay's sure proves that.  The 17 is really great, but I'm 6' with a long torso, so I went with the 20. I do like the "tripod" concept of the Belhaven. But I wonder how many times I'm going to have it sitting on it's bottom. Probably rarely.

 

I'd guess in a longer cruising situation the Belhaven would be great, but for Daysailing with an occasional overnite the Mark 3's are the ticket.

 

Take Care,

Steve

[Randy Jones]

Richard,

I have both a standard CS17 and a Belhaven 19 but haven't seen any of the water ballasted boats.  I'll share my experience and you can extrapolate to the CS20 Mark 3 versus Belhaven19. 

The CS17 at 400lb is fast, light, nimble and points better than the Belhaven.  You sit maybe a foot above the water level which provides a sensation of speed and connection to the water.  Spray hits the front of the cockpit at full speed. Performance in light air is good and it can be rowed if necessary. I don't use a motor.  Great day sailor but no cabin to hide in when it gets wet, cold and dark.  

The Belhaven's external lead ballast gives it a rock solid keel boat feel. You sit higher above the water and cabin catches the spray in anything except heavy weather.  In light air you can really tell you're dragging around lead, especially if trying to point.  It is too big to row so I use a 3.5 hp motor.  The big advantage of the Belhaven is the very comfortable cabin.  The main mast is up forward of the cabin and the centerboard trunk is offset maybe a foot to the port side doesn't extend very far vertically.  Sleeps two grown men with no spooning. It has so much storage space that I'm still finding things hidden away after a year of ownership.  When necessary to motor long distances I spend significant time on auto-tiller standing in the companion way half out of the weather.

Overall, I think your decision comes down to speed versus comfort and how and where you're going to use the boat.  I love the Belhaven, but unless you are looking to do long trips I would think a CS20 mark 3 with water ballast would provide more excitement and adequate cabin.  The flexibility of water ballast seems an advantage as is the shorter build time and availability of the precut kit.  

can't go wrong either way.