Jim Betts

Jim Betts

Jim Betts is a throwback to an era of boat building that if not gone, certainly appears to be on it's way out. And that is a true craftsman who not only cares deeply about his product, but one who for years has specialized in a material that today would leave many a techie scratching their head: aluminum. From the little 25' "Peppermint Patty" to the 70' sled, "Maverick", Jim has made his mark in metal. He is also a throwback in that he is a no bullshit,

honest guy who is a craftsman that can work in a number of mediums. He's built plenty of composite boats, with the R/P 74' "Zephyrus" being the largest, and his very slick latest endeavor, the Sierra 26 being the latest. We think highly of Jim, the least of which are the reasons above. He's just a solid guy who's had a passion for this sport that has enabled him to take his talent and create some wonderful boats. And that to us is very admirable.
Here's a few words with Jim.

Jim, the Sierra 26 represents somewhat new territory for you, that is building a "production" boat. How did this project come together?

JB
I had talked about doing a doing a small high tech production boat for years and finally sat down with Bruce Nelson in the spring of 2000 and started discussions on the design. We have been building larger custom boats for 22 years and felt that a smaller production race boat would fit well with our operation. After completing America True we came to the realization that the same construction techniques would lend themselves well to a small keelboat and decided to pursue the idea.

It appears that the new Sierra 26 is more of a "mini AC type" than a skiff type. Why did you choose this shape?

JB
We built America True and Bruce Nelson designed America One. The idea was to carry that technology down into a small keelboat. We gave Bruce a free hand to design around these lightweight construction techniques and he has come up with something that is truly exceptional. I really wouldn't say that it is "mini AC type". It has some of that look, but is quite different The intent was to build as strong an upwind boat as we could get with these light displacement numbers; it needed to be easily driven and predictable. We are not out on the edge as far as strength goes; in fact this is probably one of the strongest hulls of it's size that you will ever get a chance to see. 26 Sierra is what Bruce came up with and I must say that he did an excellent job for us.

You've chosen a standard pole instead of a sprit rig. Do you think this will be a big advantage in a boat of this size and type?

Your boat has approximately the same Sail Area as a Melges 24, but should be about 300 pounds lighter and a couple of feet longer. Did stability and ease of sailing figure prominently in your decision not to go more extreme?

JB
First off, 26 Sierra is 650 pounds lighter and two feet longer than a Melges 24; it's a whole generation more modern boat. Stability and ease of sailing are quite important to all of us. We wanted a boat that is light, strong and fast, but not so active that it will require collegiate level sailors to make it perform. Upwind stability was a big issue and one that we spent a lot of time sorting out. Originally the 26 weighed 950 pounds and it has grown to 1100 pounds, all of which went into the keel bulb.

We assume you're going with the rig adjustment in the headstay, like in a OD35. Frankly we've been unimpressed by the system used on the Antrim 27s. How will this adjustment be handled?

JB
The headstay is adjustable with the control line exiting at the front of the cockpit. It has plenty of purchase and is easily adjusted. There is also an accompanying jib cunningham which is double ended and exits on deck. The system on this boat works well.

JB
Base price is $74,950. That includes a custom trailer with gearbox and a race ready boat. Sails, outboard and instruments will be additional. When we say race ready we mean race ready. This 26 has the best gear available, in the industry, the rigging is well thought out and it works. The underwater surfaces are epoxy coated and wet sanded to a proper finish. Man overboard throwable, gear bags and spinnaker launch bags are all part of the package.

Last AC you built the America True boat. You've also build some pretty cool sleds, most notably the R/P 75 Zephyrus. Are you hooking up with anyone for 2003?

JB
We don't have any exciting new big boat projects on line at this time. Times are a bit strange right now so we will see what develops. There are several people discussing cruising designs and we have been doing some major refits.

You've always worked in both composite and aluminum. What are the advantages of working in metal these days? Would you ever build another raceboat in metal?

JB
I don't think anyone is going to build a serious race boat in aluminum again. The structural and weight advantages available in composite construction are significant. The biggest advantage of aluminum construction is that it is cheaper. It is a good choice for performance cruisers and, in fact, we have built a couple aluminum hulled composite decked boats in the last few years. The last of these was Jade a Wylie designed 68 footer.

Certainly the advent of the Offshore One design like the Farr 40 and OD 35 hasn't helped the independent, custom builder. Now you've got the economy, post Sept 11. What is the custom boat market like these days?

JB
It's difficult. The shops with existing projects are still fairly busy, but it seems that many of the designers are pretty quiet. The next few months may be quiet, but it can change over night.

You've probably worked with Nelson more than any other designer. Has this been by coincidence? And are there many differences when working with designers of custom boats?

JB
We were both located in San Diego and it was to both our benefit to do projects together. After moving back to Sierras we have done more work for different design offices.

As a builder who has built a wide variety of boats, what are some universal characteristics that all boats should incorporate?

JB
As far as custom boats go one of the things they need these days is an owner with a deep pockets. The custom high tech boats are more expensive to build all the time.

We've had a number of readers say they'd love an inexpensive simple 30' sport boat. First off al is there any such way to produce such a thing. And if you were going to attempt such a boat, what would you make a low-tech boat out of, and what do you think the cheapest something like this can be made for?

JB
In expensive is a relative term. If you want a 30' boat for under thirty thousand go buy an Olson 30 or 29 or a Hobie 33. They are good values for the money. If you want a modern sport boat it will cost more. Performance costs money. Right now the Melges 24 is sort of on the bottom of the heap at fifty grand with lots of good used boats out there for around twenty. Mumm 30s go for around one twenty five and our boat falls right in between them. We could have cut the costs on the 26 Sierra, but we would have ended up with a mediocre product with performance to match. It takes lots of labor, expensive materials and facilities that can deal with environmental concerns to be able to build boats and that translates into expensive.

JB
Right now our focus is on the 26 Sierra. We think there is a market for a small keelboat that is a generation ahead of anything else out there. We have a couple refits going and are working with owners and designers on a couple customs.