IF suitability

[paulmac]

I am considering an IF boat as my first real boat. I have dinghy experience and limited cruising experience, is the IF a good boat for a first boat. I would intend sailing in the Moray Firth, Scotland with some travel further afield.

Also what should I look out for when looking at boats for sale.

I would probably travel to Sweden to find a suitable boat and sail it across the North Sea to Scotland.

[maja]

There are a number of crews which have previously crossed the North See. So bringing the boat to Scotland is hopefully a minor problem.

Anyhow, it could be wise for you to collect infformation about how to make such a trip. There are a couple of articles written in previous issues of our Magazine Medvind. Unfortunately these are written in Swedish language, so you have to get it translated in some way.

[paulmac]

Thank you.

I'll try and get them translated.


Paul

[kubal]

Hi Paul,

I have chosen IF boat as my first boat two years ago. According to my sailing experience in the Baltic and partly North Sea this summer, the choice was quite good. To be more specific I am very, very satisfied with the shape of the hull and the behavior of the boat during sailing. On the other hand, I am not so satisfied with the interior of the cabin and the absence of inboard engine. It seams to me, that IF is designed more like a weekend sailer and for occasional racing. It is not optimal for cruising for several weeks. The outboard engine is not a practical solution for open sea with big waves, you will probably be angry about it, like me.

To make some conclusion: as a weekend sailer and for racing I would buy IF-boat despite of the above mentioned disadvantages. For long cruising I would buy Marieholms 26 (which has internal engine, but which is heavier, more expensive and harder to find).

David

[MathiasB]

I am also in the process of choosing between the IF and the M26 but have not been able to test both.
Would you please elaborate, what specifically do you dislike about the interior and does it make any significant difference if the engine is in the well or on the transom?
I know most people don't like the engine well but asuming one does, is it further forward enough to mak a difference in big waves?

[paulmac]

I am looking for a weekend sailor with occasional longer cruises in the summer. Never more than 2 people overnight.

What do you not like about the interior?

[FredrikH]

I have successfully used my IF for racing in many years. The strength is, that you just need to add food to go out for cruising. We are a family with two children and every year we stay out for 1-2 weeks, mostly we don't go to harbours, instead we find nice places along the shore.

The boat is an excellent sailor in all weathers, though it is not very comfortable. The cockpit is small and if you sail for many hours, it is literally a pain in the...

Living in the boat is ok. You can not walk straight inside, but the beds are long and quite comfortable and there is more enough space for the luggage, and almost enough space for the beer in the keel...

For our use this is a great boat, the only thing I lack is a kitchen that is fixed mounted. When you are not sailing, it is good enough for cooking, but during sailing the kitchen can not be used, which limits the time you can be out... I have been sailing for 30 hours at the most, and then we had pre-cooked meals to eat...

[maja]

Generally speaking, it is hard to design a boat so small as a 26-footer that will both have a cabin like a nice little caravan as well as good sailing performande. To get volume, beam has to be wide and cabin height has to be high. Both those things are generally no good for sailing performance.

Another thing is the inboard engine. For a skilled sailor or two onboard, the engine is something that you use when the wind is so weak, that you cannot make speed over ground. So generally speaking 2.5 Hp and a cooresponding outboard will be enough in most cases.

Compaired to a standard IF-boat the Swedish SRS Rating office regards the Marieolm 26 about 7 % slower. This is, among others, due to the effect of propeller with fixed baldes, generally greater displacement due to bigger cockpit and more interior equipment and heavy aft end due to the heavy diesel engine.

[paulmac]

Thank you.

I think the IF is the boat I want. I now need to plan a trip to buying trip to Sweden. Probably next spring.

Paul

[Jakob.s]

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that the IF boat in some cases were equipped with an inboard engine, in that case they are called IF-E and the only diffrence between the IF and the IF-E is the engine.
The IF-E is slower then the IF thougth, but I think it sails better then the M26 on that point I'm not sure since I have never sailed a M26.

/ Jakob

[maja]

The IF-E is rated 0.98 by the Swedish SRS committée, i.e. it is regarded to be about 4 % slower than an IF, due to the fixed blades propeller and a heavier stern.