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JAD46 · 24-10-2011, 10:10

Would appreciate any thoughts on the gulfstar boats. Am looking for my first and have come across some in the 45' to 55' range

zeehag · 24-10-2011, 10:17

excellent boats made in usa and comfortable for cruising . have a high freeboard and are pudgy, yet i understand from owners they sail decent. look great. one can do a lot worse.

Richard Jordan · 24-10-2011, 10:29

Welcome aboard JAD. While representing Gulfstar models for sale, I got frustrated by the lack of information and inconsistency in prospects' opinions so I scuttlebutt and wrote a history. Please let me know if this helps: Gulfstar Yachts Review: A Complicated History - Waves « Jordan Yacht Brokerage

Zee, not all of them have high freeboard and are pudgy. They varied their designs, and you are probably referring to the 47-foot Sailmaster type models.

Sincerely, RJ

Dkdoyle · 24-10-2011, 10:36

That sounds about right. We ran a marine railways in bayboro harbour and my husband spent much time fixing the mek bubbles on the hulls. The had a bad rep at the time for poor workmanship but the owners loved them.

jzk · 24-10-2011, 10:38

Richard,

One note on your review of the 60 is that the hull is cored in balsa both above and below the waterline. I did have occasion to view the boat Bamboo that you reference, and she had some wet core as a result of some damage that was not addressed in a timely fashion.

NCountry · 24-10-2011, 10:51

We have a Gulfstar 44CC... she's beautiful under sail and super comfortable. I've won two first place finishes in our local regatta.
I just finished the Harvest Moon Regatta on a 47 Sailmaster. We got 4th in our class and 11th in our fleet of 31 boats. We were PHRF'd out of 2nd place. My only complaint about the 47 is that it is so large on the inside that there's very few places to grab and hang on when underway. I guess I could nit pick either boat but I could do that with any boat....

Richard Jordan · 24-10-2011, 11:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzk

Richard,
One note on your review of the 60 is that the hull is cored in balsa both above and below the waterline. I did have occasion to view the boat Bamboo that you reference, and she had some wet core as a result of some damage that was not addressed in a timely fashion.

Good to know. Surprised that someone actually read my 60 report! There was a 54? Sailmaster around that had a wet hull too. Not a project you want to take on. Best just to sail as a coastal boat imo.

NCountry, I love the 44 CC. Really handsome boat.

tartansail · 24-10-2011, 11:17

It's smaller than the OP's target, but there's a Gulfstar 40 in our local fleet that is gorgeous and sails very well.

zeehag · 24-10-2011, 11:22

i LIKE gulfstars and particularly the sailmasters-- comfy and good for cruising!!!! if i didnt have a formosa i would try for one of those... roomy and sail also.
friend has a sailmaster independence--is awesome.

Seahunter · 24-10-2011, 11:29

We looked at a number of Gulfstar 50's. It's a small 50' because of the narrow beam and so has a feeling that all of it's furniture was just "stuffed" inside. Generally, we found the 50 to be cramped. One of the worst features was that the cockpit locker extended right into the galley making the head room clearance atrocious. I kept banging my head every time we walked from the main stateroom (located stern) to the settee area as there's only the galley passage to get from aft forward. Not a bad boat if you're shorter than 5'. Not sure about the other Gulfstars as we stopped looking after our experience on three 50's.

Unicorn Dreams · 24-10-2011, 11:45

Welcome Aboard

The only high free board and pudgy Gulfstars I know of are the motor sailors. They are based off the motor trawlers and are more power boat with a mast. The one sitting next to me is at least 16-20" more free board than mine for the same length.

My free board at the boarding gate is 37" at the hull joint, 39" at the top of the toe rail.

Don't race anymore, but do pass a lot of boats my size and most of them only have one stick. Solid hull below the waterline, foam core above waterline. Don't know what decl is cored with as have no deck problems.

Unicorn Dreams · 24-10-2011, 11:53

Zee

Go to Boats for Sale, New and Used Boats and Yachts - YachtWorld.com and look at the Gulfstar 80 for sale. Only $1.25 million, but pretty.

NCountry · 24-10-2011, 14:03

Thanks Mr. Jordan. I once read a review of the Gulfstar that I think was written by Bob Perry. He said it's no fun to review a boat when there's nothing to complain about or words to that effect.

jzk · 24-10-2011, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Jordan

Good to know. Surprised that someone actually read my 60 report! There was a 54? Sailmaster around that had a wet hull too. Not a project you want to take on. Best just to sail as a coastal boat imo.

NCountry, I love the 44 CC. Really handsome boat.

Richard,

I read your report with great interest. I am a huge fan of the Gulfstar 60. The balsa core hull separates her from all other Gulfstars in that she is light and FAST especially with the tall rig. When I was looking at Bamboo, they were asking $199k for her which was outrageous. She was simply a victim of neglect. Many leaks had caused significant damage to the otherwise beautiful interior. The area of wet hull was caused by a collision that was never repaired. As time went on, the price went down. I spoke to the guy that the owner quoted to do the bottom job and strongly considered making a go of it. However, the engine ate oil like crazy so it seemed that was an issue too. And like you said, taking it out seemed "complicated." She finally sold for $85k, so with the $25k - $30k bottom job, that was just the beginning. I thought that was still too much so I passed. I also considered Solitaire which had a blue hull and also had some core issues. And a leaky teak deck if I remember correctly. But absolutely gorgeous. And some serious winches on her to compliment her tall rig. Roma was one that sank to the cabin sole. The one that was refit by Hinckley is a goofy blue color and I am not crazy about the hard dodger. Antares, while very nice, is still too expensive.

Such a shame what happens to them if the window leaks aren't addressed in a timely fashion. You could at least tape a bag over them or something in the mean time.

I notice that in some PHRF listings, there is an entry for a Gulfstar 60 CB. Did they ever make a centerboard model? That would be something.