Crowther spindrift 48

Someone talk me out of going to look at this boat..

Crowther Spindrift 48FT | Other Boats & Jet Skis | Gumtree Australia Caboolture Area - Beachmere | 1278626350 https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/beachmere/other-boats-jet-skis/crowther-spindrift-48ft/1278626350

I know it's insane. Ever since the recent discussions of unfeasibly big bridgedeck cabin cats I've been thinking about big open and pod deck cats. Then this pops up.

I know it's crazy big and it puts me up a class for registration. And I'd need to find a mooring.

I've restored several boats, but never built from scratch, and I still have that mental block for building from scratch, so even though it's an insanely big project it actually scares me less than building a smaller boat from scratch.

I am assuming the hulls are all solid glass, hopefully the beams mast and boom are serviceable. It says it comes with a couple of sails, should at least be good for patterns. I assume the bridgedeck and pod will need replacing.

I hate daggerboards but ...

Hopefully the diesels could be sold to part fund outboards.

 

Guzzis3. This looks like a Spindrift 45 cat with an add on bulb bow. The "solid" fiberglass construction would not reflect the original design which would have been foam, CSM, woven rovings hulls with timber inserts in the stem, gunnel and keels. If water has leaked into the keel lines and rotted the timber it is a real problem to either strengthen or replace the keels. The rest of a standard Spindrift 45 was basically 12 mm plywood except the underwing (cannot remember but thicker ply) and a complicated ply timber cross beam. If there is any rot in these areas it will be a big job especially if you are also going to have to fit the boat out. Also if the Spindrift 45 basic structure has been done on the cheap or not to plan look up the 5 Arrows Spindrift 45 story in NZ where a Spindrift 45 hull broke away when sailing near Wellington.

I know a 30 plus year old well cared for Spindrift 45 that is fully fitted out, that is just finishing a 2 year refurbishment in a shed. The replacement of forward beam mounts, underwing repairs especially around the hull underwing joint, replacement of some small rotted patches in the plywood deck panels, refurbishment of the engine, strip down and repainting of the interior and exterior, lifting of and resealing all the deck gear, refurbishing of the rig, repair of dagger boards and rudders that have hit bottom, repair and upgrade of the electronics, fitting marine approved toilets and holding tanks etc. This refurbishment is costing more in todays dollars than it cost in yesterdays dollars the owner paid for the original boat.

These are BIG projects even to maintain let alone start from a semi finished state. My view is if you are really interested get a very good surveyor like Geoff Cruze to do a report. If it well built, without problems consider it. If there is any significant design changes or structural weakness leave it to others.

 

Thank you for the reply.

At least some of the home built spindrifts were all ply. I'd have to determine how much wood is in it and how much is bad. I would have thought at 45/48 foot solid glass is feasible although I know they are very slim hulls.

Thank you for the information on the beams. I had assumed they would be solid glass. It would be a nightmare to cut them out and rebuild them and also the hull components. If the boat is that bad it's basically worthless.

I had thought if the beams and hulls were sound I could just make a new bridgedeck and fit it out. I only want a very basic fitout, pretty much what I'd put in a smaller boat. Going big is really just about a nicer motion and maybe having the carrying capacity for bigger water tanks and a caravan washing machine.

Also some of those seem to have been masthead rigs with running backstays! Weird rig for a cat...

 

Looks like low aspect fixed keels, instead of daggers.
Does this boat also have daggers?

Didn't see anything about rot/ damage.
Do you have any actual information?

 

Do you have any actual information?

No. Only what's in the ad. I'm blind so chasing this stuff up is difficult.

Personally I'd prefer LAR keels to daggers but they probably aren't in keeping with the design. The seller may not even know whether it's solid glass or foam.

Used crowther spindrift catamaran for sale by owner - Free Spirit http://www.2hulls.com/catamaran_for_sale_by_owner_2004/freespirit.html

Looks like the transom extensions and bulbs were a common modification. I seem to recall LC was experimenting with bulbs at one stage.

 

I hope you are kidding about "blind".

 

No. I had 2 strokes last year. Lost half my vision. If I could still drive I'd just go up and have a look, but I'd need to sleep over at a friends and spend 2 1/2 hours each way on public transport to view the boat. Even then seeing stuff in maybe bad light, under dirt etc, is a problem.

I've only been interested in smaller boats until now, trailerable. Now I can't drive a boat on a mooring looks a lot more attractive. I know something about boats under 30' but big stuff like this is a bit of a mystery.

 

Good luck. That's a real problem.

 

Guzzi, as others are saying, I think it'd be worth if it's not rotted/has been well built. Otherwise, you are probably better off starting from scratch and building exactly what you want. With all kindness though, if you aren't doing it for the joy of boat building, how do you intend to sail it later? I feel like vision would be pretty important?

 

That's another battle. The national regulations mean I will lose my drivers licence and motorcycle licence, unless I regain some vision which is unlikely but possible.

There is however no field of vision requirement in australia for a boat licence, so I am hoping to keep that, even with restrictions.

Amusingly in Queensland if you don't have a motor on your boat you don't have to register it, and you don't need a licence, even if it's 15 meters. It's a quaint loophole in the law. Registration and licencing are separate issues, so if I put it on a swing mooring I'd need to register it but no motor I can still pilot it legally.

There is no issue with the practical side. My vision is perfect on the left and is stereo so I have normal depth perception, I just need to scan more carefully.

The main reason I'm thinking of going big is, until this happened, I'd always intended to keep the boat in the front yard, trailer and assemble in autumn, sail, take it home in spring. This is what I've done in the past. Now as I'd have to get someone else to do the driving and wait while I stuff around at the ramp mooring a boat looks a lot more attractive.

The 10 meter break point is annoying. There are lots of boats just over that which are really attractive. There are really few that suit just under that mark. I really DON'T want a full bridgedeck cat. The so called cuddy/sportsdeck or whatever type are my preferred option, but those or even open deck (easily adapted) in that length are surprisingly elusive.

If I go over 10 meters I might as well go big. It opens up the possibility of carrying a washing machine which would be really appealing.

Buying a restoration project is only sensible if it will certainly yield real savings.

Mick Waller has some interesting designs. He sticks to certain things, like 10:1 length to beam ratios, and plywood (yuk) construction. If you stretched one out say 30% lose the full bridgedeck cabin, but then you have to re-engineer the whole boat into foam.

Richard Woods Rhea would be a spectacularly beautiful boat. Oddly he has just deleted several designs from his site. A smaller option would be Romany shortened 2', possibly using Tamar hulls.

It's all a bit messy though.

 

That Coral Cove 40 of Mikes is a nice looking boat with a pod cabin. Mike Waller Yacht Design - Coral Cove 40 Catamaran http://www.wallerdesign.com.au/cc40.html

 

Yes it is probably my favourite of his designs, but he isn't interested in re-engineering it into foam and I'd never build in ply. I could just do it but I'd feel better if he backed the build.

Anyway I've been looking over the Richard Woods Saturn design. If you stretch and raise those hulls 13% you get 9.9m and 1.76 headroom, enough for me to stand up. I don't feel confident building round bilge and while practical I don't like the dory hulls. That boat is multi chine which I know is a bit labor intensive but it's a good half way option. The cuddy is plenty big enough for a queen bed and I'd put a galley in the port hull heads and maybe even a small washing machine to starboard. I'd want LAR keels though which aren't really in keeping with it's performance bias.

Incidentally, I've always wondered why so many designs have the heads to port ? Is there a reason for this I am missing ?

 

What's your aversion to bridge deck cabins?

Seems to me you'll get more weather protection.

 

First everything is a personal choice and everything is a compromise.

Full width bridgedeck cabins have their advantages but they have a number of significant problems.

Access forward is one of the more obvious ones. Boats with separation between hulls and cabin have walkways forward. You can go forward very securely in big seas and fast in an emergency. You can of course have forward doors on the bridgedeck but most boats don't. Going over the top is of course doable but there is climbing and being very high up on a potentially lurching boat.

Separation of accommodation spaces. Even large boats are somewhat cramped and large boats often take long voyages. Even among people you like being stuck in each other's pockets can get really old. Having 2 or 3 spaces fully isolated from one another can give a sense of privacy and peace.

There maybe more but that's all I can think of atm...

 

I know you've probably considered this but it sounds like the Gypsy would be better suited as it already has headroom, keels and a foam/glass option. Pod is the same size as Saturn. I had a look over one of these last year and was surprised at the space and how 'big' the boat felt. All I felt it needed was another metre or so length in the cockpit which would be easy to accomplish if building - indeed there are one or two stretches of existing versions detailed on-line.

I think I know of just as many boats with heads in the starboard hull as port. One thing I have noticed is that with galley down layouts the head is often in the opposite hull - presumably with hygiene and ease of access in mind.