GOOD OLD BOAT REVIEW--5

Performance
Almost everything you say about the Flicka has to be qualified by the phrase "for her size." She's dry for her size. She's reasonably stiff for her size. She's quite fast for her size. But you have to remember that her size is small.

Her generous freeboard will certainly keep her decks dry when she's running or reaching, but when she's driving to windward in heavy weather, she will quickly start the spray flying aft to the  cockpit. It's not her fault. She's only little.

Similarly, her beam makes her stiff for a 20-footer, but she's not going to be able to fly all her working sail in 25 knots, as a Folkboat might. And while her initial stability is comparatively good, her ultimate stability cannot match that of a Contessa or a Nicholson 32.

It really doesn't help much to compare this boat with others. Her performance depends on where you take her and how you sail her. "Long passages of a 5-knot average and better are not uncommon," says the PS brochure. Well, you can't ask for much better than that. And if you count interior space and comfort as a measure of cruising performance, as you should, the Flicka suddenly emerges into a realm of her own.

Besides, Flicka owners "tend to be independent and thoughtful" according to the observant staff at Pacific Seacraft. Just the kind of sailors who don't give a damn what anybody else thinks about their boats, good or bad.

Known weaknesses

• Smallness. Size is not the major factor in seaworthiness, and a small boat used with common sense and great caution can be reasonably safe at sea. Nevertheless, it would be foolhardy to attempt to cross an ocean in a boat as small as this without a solid knowledge of sailing and a fair amount of experience. That said, it must be acknowledged that many boats less seaworthy than the Flicka have crossed oceans and even sailed around the world. In the long run, it's the combination of boat and sailor that counts.