What the heck are these?

[boatman61]

I have 3 on my boat.. one for the salon, one over the galley and one on the opposite side to give airflow to the aft cabin.. not half as sexy as those though.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by PlumKrazy

...so that I can have that long, sexy deckspace to sprawl across in the sun?

Yes, I can imagine the appeal of this idea.

But as the owner of a boat with a foredeck so big, flat and uncluttered that you can, quite literally, roller-skate on it, I can tell you it doesn't quite work like that in real life. Most of the time the deck is at such an angle you are going to slide right off into the water and start wishing you read some of the M.O.B threads. Then at anchor the whole foredeck is gonna turn into the equivalent of the iron grill used at the local hamburger joint, you'll be calling your significant other to come and prise you off the deck with a spatula. (Yeah, I know, at this point the multihull guys are sniggering because their decks remain flat and the tramps stay nice and cool, but hey, this is a mono thing... ok.)

I am actually trying to figure out how I can add a set of these to our boat, we are heavily dependent for our ventilation on items that are not good to have open underway, such as deck hatches and opening portholes.

Still, ten points for your choice of boat, Crealock made some truly lovely boats IMHO.

Matt

[ozdigennaro]

It's a very beautiful boat - very easy on my eyes. The dorades are a fashion statement as well as practical. Go with the flow, or go for a different boat.

[jongleur]

I doubt someone joins CF in March 2011
and then starts trolling in March 2016.
Just a guess.

[jongleur]

Originally Posted by GafferMate

No one has yet questioned the design of those Dorade boxes...usually the cowl is either fore or aft of the box, but these are is in the center. Does that mean they vent DIRECTLY below decks? If so, then rain or spray also will go directly below. Unless there are TWO holes inside those boxes, on either side of the cowl above? I'd also say that, while varnish and polished chrome is lovely, the overall design/dimensions incline me to agree with PlumKrazy's negative first impression--though not for the sunbathing reason. Dorade boxes are an absolute blessing.
Here is the construction I'm more familiar with:

Also, wouldn't you have 2 of them
facing one direction and 2 of them
facing the opposite direction? Not
all 4 the same direction unless there
are 4 more out of the picture.
That's the way I've always done it.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by jongleur

Also, wouldn't you have 2 of them
facing one direction and 2 of them
facing the opposite direction? Not
all 4 the same direction unless there
are 4 more out of the picture.
That's the way I've always done it.

I'd have all 4 with their 'back' to the bow so as to use the venturi effect when the wind is frd of the beam which it invariably is...air then gets sucked in down the hatch.

Mind you with the 'dorade' setup they would probably just either suck or blow through the 'scuppers' regardless..... you probably need some form of 'freeing ports' on the scuppers.... closed in port... open at sea....except when its hot and not rough...

[Jim Cate]

I think we have covered the basics of the Dorade box (not named after the fish, which is a Dorado, I believe), lets look at a detail in this specific instance:

The guard rails on the forward boxes are attached to the boxes themselves, not the deck as is usual. If a sheet does foul one of the guards, there is a risk of tearing the box off the deck with some unpleasant consequences. I'm kinda surprised that Pacific Seacraft did that, for they are a pretty conservative builder.

Jim

[savoir]

Originally Posted by jongleur

I doubt someone joins CF in March 2011
and then starts trolling in March 2016.
Just a guess.

Could be a sleeper troll.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by savoir

Could be a sleeper troll.

Made me LOL for real

Originally Posted by boatman61

not half as sexy as those though.

Here ya go, this will cheer you up:

[savoir]

I know about these things.

I saw " The Manchurian Troll ".

[hsi88]

To the OP, I like your choice of boats. She's a beauty inside and out. Your profile says you are landlocked. If sailing is in your future, why not start by moving closer to the coasts. For one thing, jobs are much more plentiful. The job centers are pretty much all located within an easy drive of large bodies of water. I live just over an hour from the Chesapeake Bay and make my way there at least once or twice a month. I also have boats to "play" with right here where I live. Although building your own boat seems like a good idea to get to know sailing, along the coasts you will find many, many very nice starter boats that can be obtained for very little money (under $1000). Marinas have "free" boats up to the 50 foot range if you have $10K-$20K and a year or two to spend on them. They will even provide discounted storage fees if they feel you are serious about getting the boat out of there in a reasonable amount of time. One additional suggestion. You might want to look more closely at boats in the 25-35 foot range. Beyond that size, costs really skyrocket. As one who has looked seriously at boats in the 40-50 foot range, boats of this size carry with them much higher insurance costs, slip fees, hardware costs, sail and rigging costs, etc. etc. Also, if you are younger or have a crew, that's wonderful, but when you are older and/or single handed, even spinnaker poles are heavy and cumbersome when you enter this size range. Everything starts needing motors to make life easier and hence even higher maintenance requirements and costs. Stick to the magic 25-35 zone and you will be rewarded with relatively inexpensive sailing in the least amount of time and with the least amount of effort.

[PlumKrazy]

Thanks so much for the advice! I actually have heard that larger boats are more expensive but I haven't really thought that much about it.

Previous to me falling in love with Crealock's "ultimate evolution of the breed," I wanted the Crealock 37.

As someone who's spent several years in 34' to 40' RVs (On a residential basis in a dozen states), I've come to greatly appreciate the difference that a mere 6 feet (Couple meters) of living space can make in tight living conditions.

Since the 44 is the ultimate Crealock design, I feel that if I start early at the top of the spectrum, I'll be settled that much faster. But I really should spend more time studying the different ones available and how much each design affects overall costs, for sure. It just has to be something that 4-6 people can live relatively comfortably on for an extended period of time even though it'll probably only be 2 most the time.

I believe the 44 is the only one equipped with dorades by default, so I think that might be the deal breaker for the smaller ones at this point based off of everyone's opinions and what I've learned about them so far.

[Trumpet]

Originally Posted by PlumKrazy

Either/or mcos. They both work!

Ah, don't be too off-put Mr/Miss Trumpet. Most of us are pretty nice, but there are some salty ones and some downright bitter ones, too. If you toss a pinch of jest and anti-troll spices into the mix, it's not so bad.

I've really learned a lot and spent many entertaining hours here at CF.

Just grab some popcorn and enjoy the show!

Dear Mr PlumKrazy,

I joined this forum thinking it was a place where sailing folk were able to ask questions and share experiences in a spirit of goodwill and openness. It appears I have been gulled by this thread. That makes me feel stupid. Did you intend to make gullible but genuine folk like me feel stupid, or is that simply an acceptable (to you) biproduct of having a joke with your mates?

[Lizzy Belle]

This forum has 148,983 members (I just checked ). It's hard to get along with 148,983 different people from all over the world, let alone please everyone and never step on anyone's toes.

Especially online which lacks tone of voice and facial expression.

PlumKrazy asked a question and not all of us were sure he was being serious. PlumKrazy understood, and now you more or less blame him for not getting upset

Don't take it all to heart. Use the information you find useful, ignore what's useless to you - be it advise, topics or posters.

[Trumpet]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

This forum has 148,983 members (I just checked ). It's hard to get along with 148,983 different people from all over the world, let alone please everyone and never step on anyone's toes.

Especially online which lacks tone of voice and facial expression.

PlumKrazy asked a question and not all of us were sure he was being serious. PlumKrazy understood, and now you more or less blame him for not getting upset

Don't take it all to heart. Use the information you find useful, ignore what's useless to you - be it advise, topics or posters.

Thanks for this useful perspective, Lizzy Belle, but it begs the question: was PlumKrazy's original post a genuine query? If so, I apologise wholeheartedly for doubting it. If not, the question in my previous post stands.