crowther 10 hull refit: how much ?

[Silver Raven]

Originally Posted by guzzis3

sabahcat: I am comming to that conclusion. I don't know a lot about shipping/importing a boat, but if you take those C10 bridgedecks for example I wonder if it'd cost $35k to bring that one over from Panama...

It's painful to look at the overseas sites and see the prices.

waikikin: Thank you for that. Sounds like a complex lineup. Wish I could make head or tail of it. What for example is the difference between a macro 25 and a sonic 25 ? bridgedeck ?

The little 25 would be enough for me _IF_ it had a rational accomodation layout. What we really need is a proper double, a seperate heads preferably with shower, and a galley. There is fun to be had handling a smaller boat, I know they are bouncy, wet and perhaps most important of all limited in load carrying, but I quite like being a bit close to the action. I'm only up for coastal cruising not ocean crossing.

Anyway I'll just keep looking and see what comes up. I asked aout the F1 berths. They are 1 and 1.1 meters wide. Not enough for the two of us I'm afraid.

The C10 bare hull sold BTW. Be interesting to see how the new owner gets on.

G'day 'Guzzi'. I didn't look at it when it was up here. Only get off the property when I think it's worth the effort. A cramped - no shade - no protection - not much room - exposed multi is NOT what I'm after.

"bring it over here from Panama" ?? Sail it or freight it?? You could sail it over here for far less than $35k & then go cruising for a year or 2 & still have money left over. IMHO

Maybe somewhat like you -? - I wish to do some limited cruising but wish to do it with enough room to be comfortable & I don't see an open-deck-ish type - non-load carrying - little protection multi as being of any long-term real value to the way I wish to cruise. Not what I'd spend my hard-earned money on as no real value to my wish to cruise north & do the Darwin to Ambon - cruise/race & then extended cruising up in SE Asia - which is about all I'd be able to afford.

I'm not ashamed to be in love with the tropics & warm weather & will continue to live & cruise in these fabulous areas - however I don't want to die of sun-stroke or cancer - any sooner than I need to - so know I need to stay 'some-what' out of the direct sun - as much as is possible. Therefore I know I need to choose the 'right' for me - multihull to do all that cruising life-style in & get maximum enjoyment out of every dollar spent.

What about "Wings" - bloody top boat - well priced (in spite of what the rest of the OZ market is doing) enough room to be comfortable & not die of sun-cancer, quick enough to get where you want to go - in time to enjoy being there, shallow enough draft to get up a few rivers & close enough to some lee-side beaches. About the right size to be sea-kindly, not to wet & have a good pair of long legs & do it in comfort & at ease. There's also a Crowhurst cat - up here for about the same money. If I could - get all my ducks-in-a-row I'd be making an offer on either or both, for sure. Ciao, james.

They are both good boats, well equiped, sail well & fairly priced regardless of others opinions - which as a semi-retired yacht builder/repairer I might not agree with. Ciao, james

[guzzis3]

I'm not familiar with those boats you mention. Are they advertised anywhere ?

If I were alone the criteria would be simpler, but the boss has about as much interest in sailing as I have in flying (her passion), so to get her aboard there has to be certain luxury.

My name is Damian by the way. I forget about these forum names sometimes.

I have no interest in SEA. East coast and maybe some day a circumnavigation of aus might be nice. North in winter and south in summer

Something like gypsy in glass would be ideal. By all accounts they sail well, I'm just not keen on ply anymore for reasons mentioned previously.

I wouldn't sail a boat home. Crossing oceans is too much for this little black duck. I know you can get a boat shipped, but there is customs duties and quarantine and such.

Mm. Anyway....

edit: what are these like ? seawind 31...

http://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-...atamaran/86527

looks like it might have big berths...

[Silver Raven]

Originally Posted by guzzis3

I'm not familiar with those boats you mention. Are they advertised anywhere ?

If I were alone the criteria would be simpler, but the boss has about as much interest in sailing as I have in flying (her passion), so to get her aboard there has to be certain luxury.

My name is Damian by the way. I forget about these forum names sometimes.

I have no interest in SEA. East coast and maybe some day a circumnavigation of aus might be nice. North in winter and south in summer

Something like gypsy in glass would be ideal. By all accounts they sail well, I'm just not keen on ply anymore for reasons mentioned previously.

I wouldn't sail a boat home. Crossing oceans is too much for this little black duck. I know you can get a boat shipped, but there is customs duties and quarantine and such.

Mm. Anyway....

edit: what are these like ? seawind 31...

http://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-...atamaran/86527

looks like it might have big berths...

G'day Damian. Search engine - 40' Crowther Buccaneer tri for sale. "Wings" $98K AUD - was in Port Douglas (just 65 k north of Cairns) like I said - damn good boat. Lots going for it. Lots of sound cruising gear, etc etc. Proven cruising record.

Multihull Sales - also have 44'3" Broadhurst cat @ $99.9K AUD listed. I think it's still in Cairns (was 3 weeks ago)

Don't know your budget? - but you do say that some creature comforts are cardinal requirements for the 'cheese&kisses' so please explain what creature comforts of any type, shape, kind that you seem to think that a 'Seawind 31' has - cause I'll be buggered if I can think of any. About 10 questions there???

Sure it's cheap but maybe there's a good reason for that. Like - to short, no free-board, to wet, no room, not comfortable (cept if'n your size/height challenged), not any way to get out of - sun - rain - wind & you wouldn't take one around Australia if you were Loick Peyron or totally crazy. It's doable - 6,500 miles of 'formidable challenge - Bruce Arms just completed a circumnavigation of OZ however in a real proper catamaran & he's surely an excellent multihull sailor.

If your budget can't stretch to aprox $100K AUD - then just keep looking cause there's nothing much anywhere in the world for - - very much - - less that will get you comfortably & safely cruising that you would buy & sail - let alone around OZ - hey mate - it's a bloody big brick to sail around.

By the way Damian - that's not to say they're not out there - but they are extremely hard to find & you have to know exactly what your looking at & likely have the cash money in your pocket as well. Good hunting, Ciao, james

[guzzis3]

Thank you for the information on those boats.

http://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-...trimaran/23654

There is this aswell

http://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-...i-maran/106962

I like horstmans stuff but the mods to that boat are a bit unfortunate. They are normally either cold moulded or foam sandwich. You'd have to check how that one was built.

As I stated in a previous post I need one proper double berth a head and possibly a galley.

I'm 5'6" and the boss is a tad shorter. While I'm open to bigger boats I'd really prefer something a bit smaller. There are plenty of marinas on the east coast and as I said I'm no hero. If I were alone I could probably get by quite fine with an F24 or something.

I sailed across the northern end of Moreton bay many times on my caper cat. People have told me this was pretty adventurous but I picked my days and weather.

The sun can be dealth with with a good hat or a bimni. I learned to sail on keel boats but when I turned to cats the easy sailing has put me off ballasted yachts. Not that interested in speed.

The seawind is probabaly a bit dear at that price. No equipment, your buying basically a bare boat.

anyway...

[redreuben]

I'm quite taken with Horstmans, I find it really odd that he still has that market to himself it's a concept that could use a more modern update.
That one advertised is a bit tragic !
RR

[guzzis3]

Yeah I bought the study plans to the 25' swing wing years ago. He's an aircraft engineer I believe and he does some clever aerodynamics on his boats offering good headroom but limiting windage. The 27/9 is an absolute tardis.

I bet he'd cringe if he saw that one...still worse things have been done to pivers and wharrams...and...

I do prefer cats.

I appreciate the interest you've all shown in my search. Thank you all for your thoughts.

[guzzis3]

http://www.yachtandboat.com.au/class...ing-yachts-tas

This is interesting. Part ply part strip. $35k yeah I know it's got a wharram rig, you can't have everything, where would you put it ?

[sabahcat]

Got a cheek calling it a simpson

[redreuben]

That "Simpson" looks like a very good buy, looks like the 9m Ground effect, has a very good reputation.
RR

[guzzis3]

Found another one

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boat...-385578808.htm

if the link doesn't work go to trademe.co.nz and search on catamaran 36' $49k, remember those are nz$. Says it's glass. Bit of a battlecruiser...

There is also this:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boat...-445712900.htm

again $50k NZ for a 23' pelin snowbird. Glass over ply I believe.

[neville2006]

Hi Damian, did you find yr perfect boat?
If you were interested in the Seawind 31 there's a better price now I see.
And if Silver Raven hasn't completely put you off you can contact me for a chat about the boat...it used to be mine.
Regards, Neville

[guzzis3]

Thank you for the reply. I was starting to think I was talking to myself

As far as I can see the seawind is still 49, and that's probably too much.

I am corresponding with the owners of the mitchell in NZ. As far as I can see from this great distance that boat just about ticks all my boxes, the issue is the cost of getting it over here. I have asked for shipping quotes, or it could be sailed with a signifigant refit.

36' is a lot bigger than I want and increases the cost and issues with berthing, but it does make for a more seaworthy boat, and piloting that thing I doubt anyone would feel detached from the action

Solid glass hulls, glass over ply pod, stainless beams, 50' mast, minimal fitout but has the basics of what I want. It was built off a 1/4 mold so fore and aft are symetrical as well and top and bottom, which is why it has the odd silouette. It is a contender for the strangest cat I've ever seen, but it should sail like a demon with 900 wide 11 meter hulls, says it draws 300. It'd probably even tack....

47500NZ is about 36k aus.

[neville2006]

I agree that boat does look interesting Damian...
but don't just dismiss the Seawind 31.
$49K is too expensive?!? Man, you can hardly buy a cruising 31' mono for that...and here you have 2 of them slung together!
Look, don't know what you actually know about them but they are a very safe, dry and relatively roomy boat!
There's massive flare in the hulls...about 2m wide at shoulder height and over 6' headroom. You have decent galley in one hull with a dinette seating 4-6 foward of that, then v-berth double up front.
In other hull you have huge nav area, enclosed head, another v-double.
Also great sea berths under each cockpit...about a king single size.
The cockpits are just like a mono...deep safe and dry. Sure if you are bashing into a short sea at over 8 knots you are gonna get some occasional spray across the downwind cockpit, but you simply take a few steps across the hard deck and you are in the upwind cockpit and dry with a great view! Some dodgers would solve that, and biminis for shade too.
Reefing, tacking, anchoring and mast work is easy with the flat hard decks.
Sure it would be great to have the hulls longer for their width, (esp since they were quite heavily built with solid glass below the waterline and balsa core above) so maybe not a speed demon. I saw 13kn occasionally...upwind and on a reach with main and No2 as there were no downwind or reaching spinnakers.
I only cruised in Bass Strait a few times, short handed or singlehanded and it had a very nice motion at sea. Don't worry about the seaworthiness...the first one they built sailed up the coast then across to NZ then up to Tahiti and back to Sydney thru the islands. Private Message me if you want a copy of some stories from Cruising Helmsman .
I would not be concerned about taking your family in one around Aus...
Wheyto Freedom could be a little bit of a project having been unused for a few years...priced accordingly..and open to offers I'm sure...nice fit-out below...my wife was happy! They were a hull-and-deck kit so all a bit different inside
There's a couple of others on Boatpoint at the moment...if any are near you go and have a look.
Regards, Neville

[guzzis3]

Thank you for the comments.

The issue from my perspective is this:

Regardless of the worth of a specific boat there are quite a few well priced and interesting boats available right now, so I'm looking at them from the perspective of how well they tick MY boxes and the value they represent in that context.

The primary considerations are: glass (strip would be ok), big proper double, head (not a porta potty - boss says so), galley, nice manners, in that order.

When I look at the seawind I see:

glass: tick
double: Probably ok but I bet they are not 4'6" X 6'
head: Looks like a PP in one of the pics
galley: tick
nice manners: Probably ok.

So now I look at the ad and it clearly indicates there is work to do. I don't know how much, might be shrouds, might be rip out half the hulls and rebuild because the balsa has rotted. And it's 2000 kms away, so can it be sailed home ?

Then I look at the mitchell, which is one of the weirdest cats I've ever seen. Asking $36kAU ($47NZ). Ok there are going to be signifigant expenses inspecting it and getting it home, but it ticks ALL my boxes and is ready to run. It is 11 meters which pushes up rego and berthing, but as far as I can tell it appears in good order. I've had several email exchanges with the owner and I'm getting some numbers together on bringing it across. If that looks promising I'm going over for a look.

Then there is the gypsy, which ticks most of my boxes, is local and in good order, and $29k. Yep it's 8 meters, and glass over ply, but they have a good reputation as a seaboat. Needs some fitout but it sails and is a few miles away.

Then there is the simpson f1 at airlie. 9 meters, glass, some fitout, some go fast bits, looks in very good order, asking $43. Big problem: 1.1 meter berths.

So while some of this looks good in isolation, in the market it really doesn't. It is an unfortunate fact of life that it's a buyers market right now (which is what's got me looking) and while each seller has a specific boat to move on as buyer I have my pick of them.

I'll be putting my jarcat on the market hopefully in the comming week. There is a J6 on yacht and boat for $25k. I guess you can ask anything you want for your boat but I wouldn't be holding my breath. I'll be happy if I can get $4500 for my little J5 (with fitted cockpit tent).

As the old cliche goes "it's worth what someone will pay". Lots of old ads on those sites.

[redreuben]

Re; the Mitchell, where is you're double birth ? The Saloon ? I'd have a long think about that if I were you !
People on board but someone wants to sleep ? Mmmmm.