A COM-PAC 16 REVIEW
The Com-Pac 16 built by Com-Pac Yachts of Clearwater, Florida, is one
of the original microcruisers. By now, nearly 3,000 of them are sailing up
and down the East Coast. It's the heaviest of all the microcruisers, weighing
a hefty 1,100 pounds, and almost half the boat's weight is in ballast. Though
the Com-Pac is a little bit less nimble off the mark and a little heavier
on the trailer than the lightweight Montgomery, it's also more solid in the
water. When you step aboard, it acknowledges your additional weight with only
a deferential tip of the hat.
Like the Montgomery, the Com-Pac's hull is constructed of handlaid fiberglass.
The deck is cored with a microballoon/polyester slurry (no delamination problems
here), and the outward-turning hull and deck flanges are joined with tough
5200 sealant in combination with double-headed aluminum pop rivets. A protective
rub rail covers the joint. All fittings are backed up with plywood. If the
Com-Pac doesn't use some of the same construction techniques as the Montgomery
boats, it compensates for its greater simplicity with what is, for a small
boat, massive construction. In fairness to each, I would suggest that when
it comes to hull safety, the difference between the boats is a matter of style,
not substance. They're both very soundly built.
John and Ed Rodgers of the Small Boat Shop, a father and son business in
Norwalk, Connecticut, launched the boat for me. The ramp was steep, which
helps when your waterline is 33 inches off the roadbed. Although the trailer
has a tilting hinge, Ed Rodgers simply backed down, then braked sharply. Two
such stops were all he needed. The 1,100 pounds of the boat did the rest;
the Com-Pac rolled itself right off into the water. Like the Montgomery,
the Com-Pac 16 has a three-stay mast that sets up quickly and needs only
slight tensioning. I see no point in tuning the rig of a small cruiser like
a harp: It just adds stress with no commensurate improvement in performance.
A Boat with Decor
While John and Ed bent on the sails, I went below to check out the cabin.
Where Montgomery opted for a vee berth, Com-Pac went the quarterberth route.
Two 8-foot berths fit under the cockpit seats, leaving the peak area open
for storage. Since no sleeper is apt to be 8 feet tall, plastic baskets with
some extra odds and ends can be shoved down to the ends of the quarterberths
and retrieved with a lanyard when needed.
Storing almost everything forward has one useful advantage. In many small
boats, everything is stored under the cockpit seats. When the passengers are
also sitting aft in the cockpit, the boat tends to squat in the stern and
sail badly. One can either design a boat with a broader, flatter, and slower
stern to handle the load or store the goodies forward for better trim underway,
as Com-Pac has done.
When I slid my legs down into the space under the cockpit seat and lay down,
I was reminded of one of the old Mercury astronauts getting shoehorned into
his space capsule. It was snug. A panel of veneer that graced the aft cabin
bulkhead further reduced by an inch the space over my hips. The berth was
also narrow. My arm flopped down into the footwell. What to do?
The width problem was easily fixed by setting two square flotation cushions
on top of each other in the footwell. They fit so perfectly I had to wonder
if the footwell was sized for them. Now, I could sleep.
The meager height above the after end of the berth was another problem.
Even if the veneer panel were trimmed flush, the 12-inch clearance from mattress
to seat underside would remain tight. One rolls over with care in such a bunk.
I've met a few well-upholstered individuals who couldn't have fit in there
at all, let alone rolled over. A little boat is, after all, a little boat.
Mounting Beckson inspection ports with screens in each side wall of the cockpit
foot well would encourage a refreshing flow of air through those leg tunnels
especially, helpful on hot nights.
The Com-Pac 16 ventilates the cabin via an air scoop mounted on the forward
deck. It has a flexible plastic cowl that will yield easily, if accidentally
stepped on. I'd substitute a taller, wide-mouthed scoop, especially in southern
waters. Although the little round cabin ports let in a reasonable amount of
light, on most sailing days the companionway hatch is the primary source of
air and light.
Sitting in the cabin was comfortable. I only had to duck over a little.
The chemical head slides out from under the bridge deck, and a potti-user
can sit with his head poking out the hatch into the fresh air. It's the best
arrangement for a small boat. Before going back on deck, I sat in the hatchway,
and admired the cabin. Teak paneling inside the cabin trunk, teak stripping
along the insides of the hull, tan canvas storage pouches, brass portlights...this
little boat has décor!
Little Sea-Boat
I've gone sailing on Com-Pac 16’s a couple of times, but this trip we had
the best weather ever. John's happy German shepherd jumped in and we were
off, riding the same robust northwester of the previous day, only slightly
moderated. The Com-Pac moved and handled more sedately than the Montgomery,
but she impressed me with her sea-keeping ability in conditions that would
force other boats her size back to the docks. An occasional gust would heel
us way over, but the boat would stop before things got antsy.
The Com-Pac 16 is conservatively rigged to begin with; reefed down, it's
hard to imagine how anything short of a hurricane could seriously threaten
the security of this shippy, bluff-bowed little boat. The Com-Pac also responds
easily to the helm. If it doesn't point as high as the Montgomery, it sails
to windward satisfactorily for anyone interested in relaxing while under sail.
The self-bailing cockpit is nearly 7 feet long and nicely proportioned to
make sailing comfortable for, in this case, man and dog to stretch out at
their ease. An after lazarette provides a handy spot for life jackets, cushions,
anchor, and other gear. If I anticipated doing any real offshore sailing,
I'd put a rubber gasket and a solid tie-down system on the lazarette hatch.
The Com-Pac 16 deserves the popularity it has received over the years. It
is well appointed and ruggedly built; it sails well and is easy to rig. It
weighs a few hundred pounds more on the trailer than the Montgomery, but for
a boat only 16 feet long, it offers a reassuring sense of security on the
water due to its generous ballasting. And though the cabin may not fit every
cruiser's needs, there's plenty of sitting (and sleeping) space in the cockpit.
And that, after all, is where a sailor spends most of his time.