Gozzard sailboats

[kyanps]

Hi there!

I was just looking at the Gozzard 36's, 37's, and 41's online and liked the interior, with convertible main salon forward - which can be open or closed and functions as a sleeping cabin as well - either with two wide single berths or a hinged-together double bed. This is something I haven't seen on other boats. It would be particularly nice on the 36's and 37's as I would imagine it would live like a larger boat. I also liked the boats' cockpits which were spacious for their size.

In terms of their bluewater capabilities, I know that one critisism is the lack of a seaberth in the middle of the boat. Also, the large cockpit has been cited as a negative, although at anchor I sure would appreciate that feature. The cockpit's the equivalent of a porch and patio and backyard, isn't it? Does it have to be dinky to be safe?

I wouldn't want to sacrifice safety at sea for comfort at anchor, but I would be willing to sacrifice some comfort at sea for comfort at anchor, since I plan to do a lot more of the latter.

I'd sure appreciate hearing your thoughts on the above issues as well as any other input on these boats. I'm always impressed by the amazing amount of knowledge on this board!

Thanks, and sorry for sounding so much like a typical first mate,

Kim

[CSY Man]

Gozzards?

Ain't they the most expensive sailboats on the market?

Limited edition, semi-custom built...Saw an old used G-30 or 29 on the market for huge money, $130K or something.

Big aft cockpit can be swamped by following sea in nasty weather.
The bigger the cockpit, the faster the boat sinks...

My boat, a CSY 33 does also have a huge aft cockpit, and I never had a problem since I sail in fair to good weather only.

On a long passage ya may not have that choice.
Smaller cockpit better in big storms..Or so they say.

[kyanps]

The bigger the cockpit the faster it sinks! Yikes! Ah, well, that thought lasted a day.

You know what I don't like? All these companies that claim their boats are bluewater cruisers when they're not. They have to know that people are going to take their time and do research and find out that their boats don't cut it anyway, so why not just level with us?

It seems to me that all the boats that might qualify are very expensive. I wasn't thinking of buying a new boat, however.

The boat du jour is the J42. Has anyone seen it?

http://www.jboats.com/j42/j42intro.htm

It's built to cater to cruisers. It seemed like it might fit the criteria better. It's also very expensive. Who knows, maybe by the time I'm ready to buy one it'll be in my price range. I also wonder if you can refit an older J40 boat for cruising (without dumping ridiculous sums), and whether it would be comfortable. I actually like their spartan interiors.

While I'm focusing on that company, does anyone know anything about J-World in Key West? I was thinking about taking classes there.

[jim lee]

Seen the J/40, J/42, J/44, J/46.. Own a J/35.

I like the sparten interior and pretty much for that reason I like the interior of the (Later model) J/35 the best. Second favorite is the J/40. Those (IMHO, were really nice boats.) At the time we bought the J/35, they wanted over 2x the price for the J/40. Didn't make a lot of sense to me for the extra 5 feet.

We've lived aboard the J/35, did the blue water cruising thing with it. It worked out great. Little rough ride to weather, but then again, it WILL go to weather. So, I'd think that any or the larger J boats would work fine as a blue water cruiser.

Donno' about the J-World sailing program, sorry.

-jim lee

[Jeff H]

I personally am not all that big a fan of the J-42. The J-42 was an adaptaion of the J-40 and while the build quality is said to be a little better the added weight of the overhangs seems to hurt performance a bit in heavy going (the 3 sec a mile PHRF rating not withstanding). I think if I were looking at a J-boat for distance cruising in the price range of the J-42 I would seriously try to find a J-44 shoal keel. They had a nicer layout and were a lot more boat all around. Another neat option is the J-130 but they would need more radical adaptation than the J-44 but less than the J-40 that you mention.

There was/is a long discussion of the J-40 over on Sailnet.com Buying-A-Boat message group.

Regards
Jeff

[kyanps]

Thanks for your replies. I've taken a peek at the J-44 and I'm going to try to find more info. I wonder how many shoal keels were built. There were 67 J-44's total, but the figure wasn't broken down. Wait, l'll Google... Nope, it's not going to be that easy.

Am I right in thinking that the 44 could carry about 1000 lbs. more than the 40?

Thanks for giving me more to chew on.

Kim

[harryrezz]

Kim - Getting back to your Gozzards, yes, they are expensive, but they are well built boats, and most are, indeed, bluewater capable. They are sort of a "cult boat" - ya either love 'em or hate 'em! We've encountered quite a few in our travels (including a GORGIOUS relatively new 44 with a glistening black hull) and all the owners love them. As you've discovered, they have lots of clever and unique features and layouts.
As for the large cockpits, yes, they can be a liability in extreme weather, but if they are properly drained this lessens their negative value, and they GREAT when in port - which is where cruisers spend 95% of their time anyways.
Biggest negative is price - they are expensive to buy, and they hold their value really well, so they are hard to find in the price range of we mere mortals!
Happy Hunting ....

[wguterbock]

We loved our Gozzard 36. Very comfortable, innovative interior allows privacy for two couples. Lots of handholds, a cozy nautical feel to the interior. No pilot berths for long passages, however. Only one head, which was OK with us. High quality throughout. Ours had very limited sail controls, not even a traveler. In boom furling meant a rigid vang that kept the boom out of the cockpit but did not allow much tweaking of the main. Cutaway keel protects the prop and the rudder mounting is extremely solid, top and bottom. We liked the big cockpit but I recognize that there is the danger of swamping and water in the cabin if a big sea comes over the transom. The little windshield is a nice touch but if the bimini is attached to it you can't see a thing out the front; we had the cover modified to allow better visibility. It's a heavy, slow boat and with the light air in summer and big tidal currents in the PNW we often ended up motoring. She was a bit squirrely to dock in a breeze or in a tight fairway because of all the windage up front (bowsprit, two head sails) and the mast set further aft than on a sloop rig. But the staysail did allow going wing on wing with headsails downwind, which was nice. Quite a bit of brightwork to manage but not too much of a chore if you use Cetol, as I did. The boat attracts a lot of attention and compliments and proved to be fairly easy to sell; first offer was reasonable and we accepted.



Hard to find any boats as beautiful and well-built as a Gozzard, but they are definitely a niche boat and not for everyone.

[letsgetsailing3]

Holy thread resurrection, batman!

[wguterbock]

Oops! Didn't spot the dates.

[LauraleeG]

Our boat is in Bayfield, that is where the factory ( workshop) that builds Gozzards is. Amazing workshop. Beautiful boats. We usually see a number of gozzards in our marina that have been shipped there waiting to be sorted--this may or may not be a good thing or practical thing, but I do like that they are a phone call away should problems arise or the owner needs a refit or a part.

[ronbo1]

If you think they’re expensive consider a used Gozzard. The factory is one of the few semi-custom boatbuilders still in business and will refit your used Gozzard to new for half the price of a new one.

Ronbo
2002 G44