Three young ladies voyage from the shores of CT on their maiden, manless crossing of vast Long Island Sound....                              

   HOME PAGE:     Your voyage starts here:                                                   

                                                   YOU are about to uncover a treasure of information that will detail

                                 the logic behind educated buyers homing in on Rhodes 22 sailboats.

                                          THIS sweeping fact-filled site takes you on board and down below

                                  the Rhodes 22 to learn about the wonderfully unique sailor-friendly features

                                  that make the Rhodes so irresistible - from a mainsail that goes and comes

                                  from within its mast to a motor lift for bad back sailors to a fully enclosed

                                  marine head to the Rhodes 22’s unsinkable, non-capsizing-under-sail flared

                                  hull design.

                                          HERE you will discover if your search ends. . .and the countdown begins

                                  to the day the tiller of your own Rhodes is in your hands, and you are

                                  experiencing the ultimate blast of small boat sailing, with big boat amenities.

                                          WE suggest taking as many days as needed to wade through this boat

                                  load of information and pictures, then jumping in your car (we are off US 17

                                  soon to be 1-87).  Or in your plane (the airport is across the street).   Or by

                                  boat  a safe basin and great ramp at the foot of Midway).   Check to see if the

                                  plant’s Not-the-Hilton guest room is available for a on the house night or two

                                  while you tour our small facility, even explore charming old Edenton in case

                                  you may want to move here and sail the amazing Albemarle that lets you

                                  sail off to anywhere in the world, yet has no tide.

       

    

   ...to triumphantly enter Huntington Harbor on the North shore of Long Island, NY. 

   all in this 30 something vintage Rhodes

CONTACT

GENERAL BOATS

114 MIDWAY DRIVE

EDENTON NC 27932

E-MAIL:      stan@generalboats.com  

(preferred means of communication)

   For the beginning of the rest of the Rhodes story go to the bar atop this page and navigate away.  BUT, as long as you are here, here a Texas Attorney and a Naval Architect, both two time Rhodes recipients, tell friends and a boating publication, their thinking in going for a second Rhodes sailboat.  A peek at owners e-mails and shoppers replies can be fun, educational and, ultimately, extremely rewarding.You will be able to do this kind of targeted eavesdropping throughout these pages.

This Texas family liked their old Rhodes so much, they decided to trade it in for the latest model: 

        “My wife and I took the new R22 out for its first sail today.  It is a fabulous boat!  We both marveled at how nicely this boat performs and how beautiful it is.  We were surprised and appreciated some of the improvements over our earlier Rhodes, including the skippers’ swivel seats, the bimini and its flush hardware and location for easy in and out of the cabin, whether it is up or down, the new recessed tiller extension lock for allowing the boat to sail with no one at the tiller, the better cabin door in black acrylic and stainless steel, the motor/tiller linkage, the electric motor lift that now also tilts the motor, the dual bow docking cleats,  the LED navigation lights and LED lights on both sides of the head mirror, the master electrical system switch, the pull out stove for more usable counter top work space, the handles for sail, centerboard and rudder lines handling, the grey non-skid two tone deck treatment, even the gas tank holder.  We have a wonderful boat.”

          

And here a Navel Architect sends a letter to a Boating Magazine; interesting stuff:

        “My focus has shifted from the types of boats featured in Cruising World to the small functional, get-out-there-and-use-them-boats instead of the beautiful never-leave-the-dock varieties that the beautiful sailing magazines espouse.    While we still wanted a boat we could overnight on, it had to be a size we could enjoy without a great deal of complexity.        I discovered this shift in focus would take more time in research than going big - actually nine months.  Like most sailboat owners, I feel the urge to share what I found:

        The requirements list started with the desire for a boat capable of accommodating, comfortably, two for two nights or more, four for occasional overnighting, and day sailing up to six.  trailerability was necessary to reduce the complexities and expense and to allow excursions to new waters. Stability and performance were as important as comfort and had to be balanced against the need for shoal draft.  Shallow Barnegat Bay would be the prime sailing area.  I had no desire to race but wanted a racing sailboat’s abilities to make it up wind, in light breezes with a responsive helm.

        As a navel architect the first major decision point concerned the underbody configuration.  A straight centerboard boat was rejected as it can offer only form stability and the relatively inefficient use of ballast inside the hull.  The swing keel and drop or lift keel configurations were also rejected, as the thought of a moveable 500 pound items being responsible for the ultimate stability and performance of the boat made me uncomfortable.  Further, with the keel raised, the boat would have virtually negligible sailing ability.  Thus, it became clear that only a keel/centerboard boat would match my requirements.

        I developed a list of approximately 30 keel/centerboard boats. The hull dimensions, sail areas, various calculated form coefficients and ratios and the number and location of adult sized berths. Pricing information was obtained in order to insure a fair price comparison between boats.  Other non-quantifiable characteristics were summarized such as the amount and quality of storage and the location and layout of the galley. These facts served as a starting point. Things like how well the boat sailed, the quality of construction and the competence and honesty of the builder could only be determined by talking to others and making the rounds of the boat shows.  The “Other Opinion” service of Cruising World was a useful source of information.  The list was narrowed down to six boats. Some fell short but were included because they looked so beautiful.  We arranged test sails and made our choice.

        There are three characteristics that I look at: aesthetics, sailing ability and comfort.  Although a number of people have complimented the looks of the Rhodes, I do not think it is attractive.  My taste tends to Carl Alberg’s Cape Dory Typhoon. The sailing ability of the Rhodes is excellent; fast, stabile and responsive, making the learning process easy. The Rhodes 22 is the most comfortable sailboat for day sailing and cruising on the market in her size range.  The single most striking feature   of the boat’s layout is the size of the cockpit: Its length and width is equal to or greater than many larger boats I have sailed. It is perfect for comfortable sailing and lounging even with a crowd aboard and makes into a berth that is 7 feel long and 5 feet wide. Sail handling is very well organized with both sails a snap to handle even with the crowd aboard and there is more storage space than a sensible sailor can fill.  

       The cabin has a long galley area to the starboard with built-in sink, cooler and stove. A settee to port is laid out so that a person can sit back and relax without staring at his belly button and it converts to a double berth. A portable table can be moved to the cockpit.  Forward is the obligatory V-berth, and, the Rhodes has a fully enclosed marine head system. The cabin top includes a pop top that provides standing head room. The construction of tis item is superior to the many others I have seen on the market and has bee trouble free.

        The mast is supported by 6 shrouds and 3 stays: 2 uppers and 4 lowers; a double back stay and the forestay.  This seemed like a lot of wire to me but the shrouds actually make raising and lowering easier.  The 2 upper shrouds and forward lower shrouds are positioned such that the mast can be handled without the fear of its falling to the side.  Although the mast is larger than that on our previous boat, we find the Rhodes 22 easier to rig.

    The boat has very unique features that have come about over the years as a result of tinkering by the builder and owners. One of these is the outboard motor mount on the stern.  As with most reputable builders, there was an open invitation to visit the plant and we paid them three visits. I am hoping you (Note: he was writing to SBJ) will get to highlight the Rhodes 22 one of these days.”

And here an experienced West Coast sailor downsizes:

    “I was considering a Compac. . .our first boat was a Hunter260, the last a Hunter 33. When I saw the Rhodes’ hull design and sail configuration I thought I had found what I wanted in a smaller cruiser; one that would sail fast and easy.  Wow. Not only fast and easy but the balance was excellent. I could not be happier having the Rhodes.”  

SOMETIMES ACTIONS TRUMP EAVESDROPPING.

     A LA attorney just took delivery of his third (3) Rhodes.  No, he hadn’t sold the other two.  Was he going into the sailboat business  on the  side? No.  He just wanted a Rhodes to be there, ready to sail whenever he ended up in any of his sailing haunts.

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NOTE:   For information on used Rhodes

including used As Is, used Certified, Recycled with new boat guarantee

and Broker boats in your State, click on:

               http://www.usedrhodes.com/home.html

I asked my wife what she is laughing at.           

  “I am reading the owner’s manual. and enjoying evert word.’

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