THE 27'

NEWELL CADET

BY LARRY KEAN AND DICK RATH

Scratch the average owner of an average fiber-glass sailboat, and you'll probably find a man who likes wood. He might even go so far as to admit that his pride and joy is actually a bit impersonal for his taste, but he'll follow that up with a paean to the practicality of fiberglass, pointing out that with his schedule he'd have no time left for sailing if he had to maintain a wooden boat. So he fondles his mahogany steering wheel and squints wistfully past the whitened glare of his no-maintenance cabin top at somebody else's pretty teak deck. And reminds himself yet again of the myriad practical advantages of fiberglass.

He's right, of course. Like thousands of other owners across the country, he probably wouldn't have much time left for sailing if he had to take care of a wooden boat. But that doesn't make the glare of his cabin top any more appealing.

The not-very-inscrutable Chcoy Lee Shipyard of Hong Kong decided to go after those sailors whose busy lives seemed to make fiberglass mandatory, but whose tastes ran to teak decks. The result was Fiberteak--Cheoy Lee's trade name for a felicitous combination of practical fiber-lass and practical, beautiful teak. Like most catchy trade names it only partially penetrates the ear, and as we walked down the long Pier #3 at Johnson's Marina, Branford, Conn., we were looking for the fiberglass Newell Cadet we were to sail that day.

With naval architect Taylor Newell leading the way, we passed several dozen fiber,glass sailboats--white ones, blue ones, green ones, some with artificial strakes molded in-but Taylor kept right on walking. At the end of the pier, he stopped. There was nothing left but a little teak goldplater with white topsides.

"So where's the Newell Cadet?" we asked. He pointed at the little teak goldplater. Our first reaction was that there must have been some mistake-maybe this was a wood prototype or something-but if someone leads you aboard a Fiberteak Newell Cadet and insists that it's a fiber-lass boat, you eventually swallow your incredulity and accept the truth.

It is a fiberglass boat. Standing in the cockpit, though, or on the dock alongside, almost everything you see is teak-deck, rails, hatch trim, coamings, handrails, cabin trunk, even the grating on the cockpit sole.

Making appropriate noises of amazement, we went below. Same story: Almost everything in sight was teak. It would be very hard not to fall in love with this boat on first boarding.

A gentle northerly was coming up, so Taylor Newell and Allen Markelson began bending on the dacron main and jenny while we went in search of some kind of camera boat. Frank Skolonis, who operates the gas dock at Johnson's, very kindly lent us his workboat and we were soon under way.

We fired up the Cadet's Atomic Four (an option at $250, instead of the standard Volvo MD-1 diesel), and ran over to the gas dock to top off the tank. She was surprisingly responsive to her throttle (the test boat had a 13ef x 8" 2-blade propeller), and proved to be very maneuverable under power, with the usual exception of steering in reverse.

As we powered out the narrow channel between Big and Little Mermaids, we noticed that the Cadet was faster at half throttle than one would expect, and that she made very little wake.

Leaving the Mermaids astern, we hoisted the sails and cut the power. The light northerly could be described as a loosely related series of cat's paws, and we didn't really expect much, but the Cadet went right on moving. We put her through all points of sailing, and she ghosted well on every one. She showed a tendency to heel more than the gentle breath of air seemed to warrant, which made her seem somewhat tender. but she was certainly a good light-weather boat.

After a half-hour or so there was a commotion to windward, and our cat's paw northerly suddenly grew up, all at once, to a 15-18-knot northerly. She put her rail down (a moment's unease), and took off like a startled rabbit. Again we tried all points of sailing, and she liked them all. Reaching or going to windward she carried a very slight weather helm. As before. she seemed tender until she had her rail almost in the water, then she stiffened-it was very difficult, even with the jenny sheeted in hard in the puffs, to get the rail under. And she moved-the camera boat, with the throttle wide open, couldn't keep up.

This Cadet didn't have halyard winches ($65 extra each, for the reel type) and both sails were a trifle too long on the luff. We tried repeatedly to swig up the Dacron halyards. becoming very appreciative of the bare and uncluttered teak deck, the well-placed handrails, and the 201/2" high lifelines as we moved about the boat.

Shortly after the wind picked up, a small lateen rigged catamaran capsized about a mile downwind. We ran down to her, with the camera boat astern doing her best to keep up. A man and a woman were standing on the submerged hull. looking damp and uncomfortable ... but safe. Larry Kean and Tavlor Newell soon arrived with the camera boat and went about the business of righting the cat, while we charged off in the Cadet on a mile-long port reach and back. The sea had made up into a noticeable chop by this time, which gave the boat a chance to demonstrate her considerable power and relative dryness - as we let her assume her favorite attitude with lee gunwale about four inches out of the water. If we insisted on putting the rail under, she responded by throwing some spray into the cockpit and slowing down perceptibly. It was as if she was saying, "Look, you lubbers, I know how to do this, so why don't you just let me do it my way?" We did, and the results were exhilarating.

As soon as we became accustomed to her initial tenderness, we began to sense the confidence that this boat inspires. Even with the jenny set and the wind hitting Force 5 in the puffs, the Cadet could be sailed single handed. Two made it easier. of course, and certainly four good men could race her to the other end of the world and back without unduly straining themselves, but she could be handled by one man if necessary. And with working jib rather than jenny, single handing would be a snap.

As we put her through her paces for the camera. we sailed some distance to the east past the Thimble

Islands, hardly realizing that we were covering so much ground. A glance at the fast-moving shoreline, and our watch, told us it was time to head back. and we reluctantly put her about and steered for Branford Harbor.

The test boat wasn't equipped with a speedometer, so any appraisal of her speed would have to be a seat of the pants appraisal-which would read: She's fast. We had only one chance for comparisons hard chine cruising sloop of about the same Loa-and we overhauled and passed her as if she were anchored, which she wasn't.

Back at the dock we got the sails off, and took a closer look at this little fiberglass yacht built by a Lloyd's-approved*** yard in Hong Kong. On deck there's teak everywhere. bare on the deck itself (where it's set in Thiokol compound and the cockpit grating, oiled on the trunk, coamings, hatch trim, handrails, bulwarks, and rail cap. The bulwark is 2 5/8" high forward, 13/4" aft-much superior from the safety point of view to the more common undersized toe rail. Side decks are 171/2" wide, and clear of obstructions.

***The fact that Cheoy Lee Shipyard is a Lloyd's-approved yard does not mean that individual yachts are built under constant supervision by the surveyors of Lloyd's Register of Shipping of London, England. It does mean that the shipyard premises, facilities, materials, and methods have been inspected and approved by Lloyd's. It further means that the yachts are built to Lloyd's scantling rules for fiberglass yachts. This same Lloyd's publishes the Register of American Yachts and is a regulatory body concerned with construction of British ships and yachts.

Deck hardware includes two 7" quarter cleats with 31/2" chocks port and starboard. The quarter cleats take both the stern lines and the double-ended mainsheet, and are slightly crowded when the boat is tied up in a slip. Forward, there's a 9" mooring cleat bolted through the deck, with 4 1/2" bow chocks let into the bulwark port and starboard. The test boat was equipped with #3 sheet winches, in place of the standard #2 winches, a $70 extra. Two Dorade-type 7" cowl ventilators are placed port and starboard alongside the mast. The teak boxes for these are fitted with two 3" deck plates for the cowls, so that the air flow may be led directly into the cabin when the spray or rain-shield feature is not required. All hardware is stainless steel or chrome-plated bronze. made by the builder.

Modified wing tip type running lights are cast into the bow pulpit. On the mast, there's a 20 point bow light just below the spreaders, and an anchor light at the truck. The 12 point stern light is mounted on a

Directly opposite the galley is a handsome little teak dresser with a jump drawer and locker under, and a book rack behind. A portable teak table attaches to the forward end of the motor box, and an- other small folding table is provided on the forward end of the port bunk. Cheoy Lee's joinery is of superior quality throughout the boat. The ice chest is under the bridge deck, with a large door opening into the cabin over the starboard bunk and a top opening in the cockpit for loading ice or unloading beer-a wondrously practical feature. Insulation is 1 1/2" foamed polystyrene.

The forward cabin sleeps two in a huge V-berth, 6' long to starboard, and 7'8" long to port. The 26 gal stainless steel freshwater tank is under this berth. A Wilcox-Crittenden Type 451 head is installed under the after end of the port berth. To starboard is a large hanging locker with a door which swings out to close the forward cabin off from the main cabin. The 16" x 17" Lucite and teak hatch brings plenty of daylight into the forward cabin, even when closed, and there are three fixed ports and one opening port. Shelves are provided over each berth, and there's a good-sized rope locker in the peak.

The engine is in the conventional location under the bridge deck, and access is good with the table and companion step removed. In the way of the engine, the compartmented bottom confines any oil or fuel leaks to the engine space. Ventilation equipment for the test boat's engine compartment included a intake and an exhaust blower discharging through a small cowl. The blower is an optional extra at $75, and, while the Coast Guard considers a blower merely the "equivalent" of a cowl exhaust, we'd consider it absolutely essential with a gasoline engine With or without the optional blower, the Cadet is equipped to meet new CG ventilation requirements

The stainless steel fuel tank (9 gal) is under the cockpit sole, and the fuel line is fitted with a filter and a manual shutoff, accessible from the port cockpit locker. The engine exhaust line is water-jacketed from the manifold to the muffler, and wet from there overboard.

A 12v alternator is standard, as is a heavy duty battery installed in a solid fiberglass box with a ventilated cover. Wiring is heavy duty and very neatly installed, with two 15 amp main fuses with knife switches in the cabin (one for the lighting system and one for the engine). A switchboard in the starboard seat locker includes switches for ignition, masthead light, spreader lights, bow light, stern light, port and starboard running lights, anchor light, and cabin lights.