Clipper Marine?

[tom in tampa]

Originally Posted by clausont

Ok - now I get to really show my ignorance
In looking for a project sailboat I have come across a number of Clipper Marine sailboats. I am completely unfamiliar with these and have not looked at one in person, nor have I ever heard any one talk about them. The ones that I have seen advertised all had a relatively low price on them and at that seem to sit on the market for quite a while. I assume that "you get what you pay for" applies here.
My question: Does anyone have any experience or know much about the Clipper Marine boats?
Thanks

I did reply to your inquery but don't know where it ended up in here,

Tom in Tampa

[GordMay]

CLIPPER MARINE OWNERS MANUAL:
http://www.clipper-sailor.net/drawin...rineManual.pdf

and:
manual

Clipper Marine Sailor's Net:
"Clipper Marine Sailor"

[SevenSeas]

Ahoy mates,
My boat partners and I have had a 1975 Clipper Marine 30' for the last two years. Ours had been well cared for and when we hauled her out last year, her hull was strong, healthy and sound. My understanding is that the hull thickness on the earlier models like ours were made thicker and stronger than the post '75 models. I can't speak for those, but ours does not have rivets holding the deck on, it's all a single molded piece like a Clorox bottle.

There are also two different keel models, one with a shoal keel and one with a longer keel. We're in the San Francisco Bay, so ours has the longer keel.

Yes, it is a budget boat. She's not the biggest, not the prettiest and not the fastest. But we're sailing the same water and she has taken us through some rough weather, including gale force winds and brought us home safe. She's a fun boat, has been trouble-free for us, and is an easy, forgiving boat to sail. I would call the Clipper Marine a great little boat to learn on and a fun, affordable family sailor.

-Claire

[Cheechako]

I've looked closely at a couple, Pretty cheap construction, really small rigging and mast etc. On the other hand, whatever floats and suits your purpose works! I just wouldn't plan on any rough water trips in one personally.

[JB]

My first boat, which I bought new in 1976 while living on the North Shore of Long Island, was a Clipper 21. It was all i could forward at the time, and provided lot's of memorable times cruising Long Island Sound. Not exactly a blue water cruiser, but loads of fun anyway. Thinking about "Pendejo" brings back loads of fond memories!

[Michael Gruenwa]

and dont regret it for a minute

it was full of water, the deck flexed, and still does

the rigging is not that of a cruiser, and the bottom is flat, so these things will plane

the swing keel has problems too, it is prone to leaking

a basic boat, but if you are about to learn the basic skills it very well may be the right boat for you, as it was for me.

restoring,repairing, improving, optimizing and sailing fast are skills you dont want to learn on your Hans Christian....

[SVDistantStar]

A buddy of mine owns and lives aboard a Clipper 32. Now this is one of the oddest boats ive ever met. Its a 32' long 8' wide centre cockpit aft cabin ketch trailer boat. It has a motor well between the 2 aft bunks for an outboard motor. This boat lost its rigging years ago, so it just motors around with a 9.9 outboard.

[henryk]

Buddy of mine bought one last year . He paid $4500 for it ,and I see him on the lake almost every day . He has 27' footer with pop-up and just loves that old boat . A few weeks ago we were caught in the storm on lake Okanagan and he was mast in the water when the wind hit , She easily right herself up and he kept on sailing. Nothing was damage ,except for the mess in the cabin

[Swede1344]

Some interesting posts about Clipper and I can certainly see the difference in tastes and budgets (I particularly loved the comparison with cars. Porsches, Chevy and Yugo, now that is a trip). My family had a low number Clipper 30 for over 20 years and it was a great boat for what it was designed for. I need to stress this big tiime. Our family lives in Sacramento and we have more than our share of places for these boats around here and she had been in the Bay and somewhat beyond, along with Folsom and Lake Tahoe. She even spent several weeks up in Puget Sound. These were lake boats designed for day sailors, but the big ones could easily bed down 4-6 people. They were nothing fancy, and were a blast to sail. My in-laws and the ex were big into racing Hobie 16's at the time and this was a very logical move for them. It turned out wonderfully and I have tons of great memories to go along with it.
A good friend bought a Catalina, which is a heavier boat for sure, but compared to the Clipper, it was slower. The Clipper because it had a shoal draft keel could actually move along quite nicely. I will guarantee you that if the Clipper had been a slug, my ex-father in law, with his competitive spirit, would have dumped it. Granted, it was not a Porsche, but having owned the very first one in Northern California, I can atest to their being a money pit. Great cars and very fast, but there are few of the older ones around and definitely not as many as there are Chevies!
Reality being what it is, the Clipper worked for me. Hell, if I was into heavy ocean sailing, I would be crazy to go out there in one, but would opt for something like an Erikson 37. I have been in some heavy SF Bay water and the Clipper did just fine.

[David M]

I think most in here can agree that Clipper Marine made some of the most poorly constructed and poor sailing boats ever. These types of boats obviously suit some. Different boats for different folks. There is nothing wrong with that.

For the vast majority of people though, you probably want to look at something better constructed and a better sailing boat especially if you are not going to be sailing on a small lake. I think that is a fair and factual statement.

[Cheechako]

enough on this subject I suppose, but there some very reasonable priced boats of much better construction out there.....

[Swede1344]

I agree that there are lots of sailboats out there that were constructed better than the Clippers, but as I said, or tried to say, I am not looking for a boat that is an ocean cruiser like the Erikson's. I do agree with you on your assessment with regards to the smaller Clippers, none of which I would own. As I also said, these boats were constructed for one purpose and one only, light lake cruising and fun day sailing. From what I can see from this rather length thread, there are folks out there that definitely agree with me. It has been my observation that each boat has it's fanclub. Heck, I have seen sailboats in Europe (specifically in Copenhagen) that make most of the stuff we see over here look like junk. And their prices are no where near the overinflated ones her. My niece and her husband own one. Of course they know rough seas over there. The North Sea can make for some interesting sailing.
In the end, everyone has their one opinion and you know what they say about that.

[aoneal7]

As the Skipper of a Sea Scout Ship, I have a dilemma. Our 1973 26' Clipper likely needs to be scrapped. The boatyard advises us that her swing keel has lost too much metal to safely sail. Replacement would be too costly. We're told that dismantling her with reciprocating saws is the only practical solution.

For reasons of safety and sentiment, we'd prefer to find a different solution. Anyone have any ideas or advise?

Thanks,

Skipper Alan

[Cheechako]

If the swing keel has lost too much metal to be safe...yikes! Could you seal the bottom in the up position and put as many lead wheel weights in the cavity as possible from the top? Then encapsulate with casting resin or "Rudder cast"?

[little boat]

Originally Posted by aoneal7

As the Skipper of a Sea Scout Ship, I have a dilemma. Our 1973 26' Clipper likely needs to be scrapped. The boatyard advises us that her swing keel has lost too much metal to safely sail. Replacement would be too costly. We're told that dismantling her with reciprocating saws is the only practical solution.

For reasons of safety and sentiment, we'd prefer to find a different solution. Anyone have any ideas or advise?

Thanks,

Skipper Alan

Your wording is a little unclear here, Alan; but I think you are looking for a way of disposing of the boat without sawing her up?
Perhaps the boat could be stripped and transported to a playground for children to play in; I have seen this done before.