Does anyone know how many 25s were built and from when to when (first year - last year)? Thanks!
Boy did this one drag me down the rabbit hole of curiosity.;)
History says the Compac 25 was a later generation of the Watkins 25, which was based on the Columbia 24 and allegedly used that mold. That seemed strange, the two 25's were not close to the Columbia, I owned one. Online history also says Compac started production of the 25 in 1979 but Watkins did not start production until 1983 and their production went until 1989 when they shut down and Compac acquired the molds for the 25.
What is apparent is that sailboat building on a production basis is a tough business. In just the recent couple of years Precision, Compac, and, most recently, Catalina have shutdown. I thought Catalina was bullet proof.
Yes, that's the story I heard, too, about the 25 -- that it was born from the molds of the Watkins 25. In fact, if you look at the Watkins 25, to me, it is almost identical to a Com-Pac 25 inside of the cabin, however, on the outside, there are more obvious differences -- the foredeck, forward hatch, portlights/holes, for example, all are very different.
Here is an old ad for a Watkins 25 for sale:
https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/66326 (https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/66326)
One thing which baffles me is how the Watkins 25s are so much cheaper than the Com-Pac 25s. I don't know if this is the case because the builder of the Watkins just didn't have the reputation that Com-Pac Yachts did or what. 🤷🏼
I've seen several 25's listed this year for what seem to be low asking prices. They seem to disappear from the market soon thereafter.