We pulled the trigger on the next boat! Easterly 36

[appick]

Well since we sold our Columbia 29 about 6-7 weeks ago I've been loosing sleep and weight (which I could stand to). I've been trying to figure out what we wanted for the next boat and we finally settled on one that is close to home. Of course like everything I buy it needs a little work...

The Easterly 36 we found in our home yard. It seems like it should be a fairly quick sailor with a PHRF at 153. It has a partial skeg semi balanced rudder. It also has an integral lead keel, and kind of weird hard chines in the middle sections of the hull. The hard chines give it more space below than many 38ft boats we've looked at. It has a fairly conventional single spreader mast. The cockpit is about 11ft long and HUGE compared to our 29.

Down below it reminds me of the the 1970's Winnebago my grandparents had when I was a kid. That being said not too many boats have over 6'6" standing head room!!! A huge plus for me at 6'2, I was getting tired of hitting my head in our old boat.

So it has that and a rotten bulkhead to work on. So a little paint, fiberglass work, and I'm planning on installing some left over strand bamboo hard flooring from our house project. I'm thinking some strips of maple or similar light wood in between the darker bamboo boards for that teak and holly affect.

So I'm excited, and nervous. Excited to get it in the water and see how it sails, see how it rides and handles waves ect, to hear the engine pur to life that first time. I'm nervous because it's BIG! I'm going to have to work on my docking skills. With the 29 you could just push it around if you got off course while docking. I'm thinking it will be a little harder to do with this boat!

[appick]

Also is it a coincidence or fate that our first cruising boat was named Blue Bottle, and this one is name Bombay?

[s/v Beth]

I get the desire to go east from where you live, but what happens to the Easterly when you have to turn around??

[La Porte Rouge]

Congratulations! And I haven't met a boat yet that wasn't a project....

[appick]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

I get the desire to go east from where you live, but what happens to the Easterly when you have to turn around??

I guess I'll find out! If I don't report back you'll know not to try!

[appick]

So I thought I'd better write back to say that the boat sails great! With the hard chines it is a very stiff boat and stands up well in a breeze. It has a nice comfortable motion in the 8-9ft Lake Michigan waves I've been out in. I sail it regularly with full main and genoa up in 20-25knts. While doing this I've hit 9knts steady . It also has a very light helm even when pushing it like this I can steer with two fingers on the wheel at any time. I couldn't be happier with how she performs. Even with her old baggy sails we placed middle of the pack in our cross lake 68mi race the Lake Michigan Clipper Cup. So on the rare occasion that someone is looking to buy one of these hard to find Easterly 36/38 do so with confidence in their sailing capabilities.

[LEOCAT66]

Congratulations.

We are very fimilar with the Easterly Yachts. They were made in Metairie, LA, where we lived back then, by the Brennan family. Easterlys came in three sizes, 30, 36, and 38. The 30 was a take off of the Gulf One, a wooden boat, which was very popular on the Gulf Coast with the racing crowd. All of their boats had the hard chine design.

There are still a number of 30's around and we still come across a 36 or 38 now an then. The 38 is a 36 with a reverse transom.

We are also friends with Donnie Brennan, who was very young in those days. Donnie is 10th in the world in Sunfish rankings and was also Shipwright for the American Team at the China Olympics. A sailing family for sure, from builders to sailers, hands on people. Donnie still works on sailboats and is owner of Diversified Marine, in Mobile.

Easterlys were well respected boats in their day and were apparently very well built.

[appick]

Leocatt,
Thanks for the info! It's good to find someone with at least a hint of knowledge about these boats. I've contacted 3 other owners since I first started looking at Bombay. One in Kentucky and one on the Gulf side of Fl near Tampa. I forget where the third was from. I also think I've talked to Donnie. I called down to a marina that I some how found info about. Thanks for chiming in! Owners for the most part seem pretty happy with the boats. I know I am. The only things I don't like are some of the self finished features the first owner did. Apparently some hulls were sold unfinished, and some were finished by the Brennans.

I've just gotten done putting it away for the winter after our second season. I had fun with friends sailing to Chicago for the America's Cup racing there this summer. I also did my usual cross Lake race in the Clipper Cup. I didn't place too bad this year either. Middle of the pack with 30+ year old sails! lol. I would've had second had I not had to do a mid race spinnaker repair. So looking for a newer suite of sails for her now and a folding or feathering prop to pick up her speed. I've been debating whether to have the phrf re-certified. Ive been racing with the original phrf of 153 from 1973. I'm thinking maybe the formulas have changed a bit since then, and I might be more competitive with a updated rating.