Eclipse vs Com-Pac 19

[archimedes]

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

[Salty19]

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.

[MacGyver]

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

[kickingbug1]

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.