Can anyone weigh in on the sailing performance between these two boats.
Which one is better in light air? Which one is faster?
Any other differences in performance?
Thanks
Well, good question. They are similar. I've sailed alongside an Eclipse at the CLR on numerous occasions with a CP19XL. Raced against it several times too. But I never sailed on the Eclipse.
After several times sailing together my observations are that the way the boat is setup--sail condition/age, mast rake, bottom condition, rudder type, sail trim, etc will play a more significant role than any inherent design differences. Also the skills/desires of the captain will influence this greatly. Which boat is quicker all else being the same? I don't know--but I bet it would be a close race.
With this said, the masthead rig design on the 19 will let you carry a bit more square footage forward so if given the choice of sails, you'll have an advantage using a 19.
Check out the picture of our drifter in the CP19 section under "drifter" post. It's huge and catches a ton of air. You would not be able to fly that large of a genoa-like drifter on an Eclipse. When I say genoa like, I mean able to tack normally behind the forestay as opposed to a spinnaker.
To be honest the other qualities of the boats are what I would focus on rather than performance.
The Eclipse is certainly a bit roomier and easier to setup, launch, retrieve and teardown. Also easier to go swimming and operate the outboard off the lower transom.
I second Salty19's remarks.
"The 19 is no slouch"
But it can be hard to reboard when swimming...... And I think it has that mastender....
Mac
i have sailed both ooats and i would say that the eclipse" feels" faster. it heels more readily than the 19 ,with less ballast and a centerboard\keel configuration. the eclipse points a bit higher. it is much easier to rig but i think the launching if about the same. the cabin is lower but wider than the 19 not having a walkway on deck. like salty and mac said, the open transom is great for swimming and i think adds to the sensation of speed. i have always said that the eclipse is the boat for us. if i could just afford one. gotta love that plumb bow too.