We looked at one closely a number of years ago when we bought a
Cape Dory 300 and it seems they are probably as rare with under 50 built based upon the number that come on the market.
I had to search for it, but there is a blog on one here that I remembered reading a few years ago.
http://www.sailingthesanjuans.com/p/bombay-pilothouse-31-project.html
I liked the
boat and it seemed built really well except the
interior finish was lacking, but seemed it made up for it in
fiberglass. The owners loved the boat and cruised it for a year through the Gulf,
Bahamas and
East Coast. Only complaint was the
engine was a little under-powered.
You will like the Pilothouse and it is a super comfortable way to spend days running the ditch or comfortable
sails when few others are out.
For that era and size, there were a few builders who tried the Pilothouse, but it never had a wide appeal on the American boats. Watkins,
Morgan,
Cape Dory, and Gulf are the ones that come to mind. Watkins 27 and
Morgan OI 33 were really houses thrown on existing hulls, Cape Dory 300 has no non-pilot sister, but essentially a house with a large open aft
deck. The Bombay and Gulf were designed closer to the European and even Canadian boats like the LM,
Beneteau Evasion,
Fisher, etc.
Though our
new boat is not a Pilothouse, I really do miss it for many reasons.