Westerly Discus Review

[@SailingSeaDreamofClyde]

Thanks for sharing the great review. I am celebrating two years of owning my Discus, and that may not have happened had I not found your little video here. Here on the Pacific coast of Canada, there are very few Westerly Yachts, and to my knowledge, zero Discus or W33! At the very tail end of my search for a comfortable but modest liveaboard, I came across an ad for a Westerly Discus located at a marina that was a bit of a drive away from my core search area. The couple photos on the rather basic ad were enough to intrigue me, and I begin investigating this foreign brand that I had never heard of before. In searching, I made the connection that the Discus is the same vessel that Bob Shepton uses for his wild adventures; I had seen the video of the "wild bunch" trip to Greenland and Baffin Island, and loved it! That brought me to your video, which showed me that despite the Discus only being 33ft, it is basically as large inside as many 40 ft sailboats out there. I had been under the impression I was going to need something 35 ft or bigger to get the level of comfort my Wife and I were seeking, but after seeing your video, we were convinced to go have a look at Sea Dream of Clyde. Wow, were we glad we did! She had been looked after beautifully, updated nicely, and we absolutely loved the interior layout and the massive amount of storage. It immediately went to the top of our list and we made an offer. After a little bit of back and forth, we agreed on a price, and set up a survey. The surveyor was impressed with her condition and only found primarily cosmetic issues here and there. Two years and many trips later, we now looking at doing our first long trip aboard our Discus, likely to Alaska, and maybe beyond to warmer climates. Cheers!

[@directorstu]

The Discus is incredible value for money and a proven boat as Bobs adventures show. Thanks for the feedback and good luck in your adventures. I will look out for you videos.

[@tedthesailor172]

I agree with your comments about the advantage of bilge keels enabling the boat to park up and do some inter-tidal DIY. It's a point one doesn't often hear mentioned, yet a lift out can cost anything up to £200 as well as the additional risk to the boat dangling about in straps. It's a pity you didn't open the lockers and lift cushions to actually show the storage space available. And 4 hanging lockers for the size is exceptional. I think the galley is pretty wretched (I like good food) and the layout down below typically unimaginative for its time - compare it with the Hans Christian 33 (which usually costs a lot more). However, for the money, a Discus is quite a lot of boat.

[@directorstu]

Hi Ted. Just been looking at the Hans Christian 33. Gorgeous lines, cosy bunks and a real go anywhere feel to her. You're right about the layout. We're thry built arou d the same time? £60k though so way out of the Discus price range. We went with a Westerly Seahawk in the end. Single keel. I don't miss the twin keels too much and I was surprised how much better the windward performance was. If I wasn't Co owning and was buying just for my family the Discus would still be a strong contender. Big cockpit. Nice lines. Maybe get one that needs work and remodel the galley and aft cabin.

[@tedthesailor172]

@@directorstu Hi there. I guess you can't really go wrong with the Seahawk. It's certainly got a much roomier rear cabin. Not sure about the age range of Hans Christians. Despite the name, they were actually built in the Orient. Yeah, they're pricey, but built to a standard that Westerly could only dream about. I've never been in a hurry so speed has always been less important to me than independence - especially from people who want to charge me for everything. And when you have a boat they never seem to stop! Sometimes I think that British boats were all designed by bachelors, who were used to subsisting on baked beans, pot-noodles and bacon-and-egg sarnies, hence the piddling little galleys...

[@directorstu]

@@tedthesailor172 Lol. Just seen this. I think there is some truth to the bachelors comment. The Seahawks aft cabin was I think their first attempt at making a truly partner-friendly vessel.

[@DaveWatts_ejectamenta]

I would go for the konsort duo, seems to be more spacious

[@directorstu]

Hi, I have not been on board a Konsort Duo but the saiboatdata website suggests the Duo is smaller. 28 ft compared to the Discus 33 ft. 4500 kg displacement compared to 6800 kg on the Discus. Nice deck salon that probably makes chilly autumn nights on the water a pleasure. But more windage.

[@DaveWatts_ejectamenta]

@@directorstu Yes it's smaller, but the space is divided less, so the compartments are bigger. So you get a big main berth, but also there's an extra single berth. Anyway, I would like to find one but they are getting expensive.

[@jackccharity]

I have looked at both. There is no comparison. The Discus (and W33s) is MUCH more spacious.

[@kameramann07]

nice

[@rr67benler]

Just wondering if you got a discus or did you go for something else

[@directorstu]

Robert Rose. I'm still looking. A slight budget increase has brought the Seahawk or moody 34 within reach. If the budget hadn't grown a bit I'd be very serious about the Discus. Possibly the Moody 33 or a Westerly 33 but the Discus has the nicest lines.

[@rns101]

I am also looking for a boat with twin keel and a aft cabin 5 years from when you made this video do you still recommend the Westerly? Or has anything else come into that sort of price range ?

[@directorstu]

Bit late in replying but here goes. We bought a Westerly seahwak 35 in the end. This was about 30% more expensive than the Discus. Massive aft cabin. Good headroom even in the walk though. Still a solid heavy family boat but a great sailing boat too. We also went with a single keel in the end. A single keel definitely makes for better sailing. I don't miss being able to take the ground much. The seahawk and Discus is not really a fair comparison as budgets don't match. There is something about the Discus I find very charming.

[@jackccharity]

Good video except for the irritating muzak.