Mariner 39

[sailorgal]

Hi Stacey
thanks for responding to the Mariner 39 question. I followed your website for several months and first became interested in the Mariner because of your experiences. I'm sorry (but not as much as you, I'm sure) that your adventure is now over. I really enjoyed your site and especially the photos and fishing tips. We are still looking at boats and probably won't be ready to buy for another year or so. Cheers!

iris

[escott]

We've owned a 39 for 16 years here in pr. She's now for sale so we can get a larger boat.

[graham]

Originally Posted by Jeff H

There were two very different companies that built 39 foot boats that were called Mariners. The one boat was built in Taiwan and was an absolutely miserable boat in all respects, but particulary with regards to really poor build quality and sailing ability. Run don't walk the other way from one of these turkeys.

The second Mariner 39 was constructed by a New England based company. These were reasonably good coastal cruisers. Build quality was a cut above average. Sailing ability was not bad. They came as aft cockpit and center cockpit layouts. The aft cockpit version has a lot more storage and a slightly better layout for distance cruising. The center cockpit version has all of the problems associated with trying to cram a center cockpit layout into way too short a boat. Other than that these boats have a pretty light ballast to weight ratio, especially when considering their shallow draft, encapsulated keels.

Jeff

Though an old post, we all know that people come here to thoroughly research the boat of their dreams and no post is too old to continue.

The 39 Mariner built in New England is not an encapsulated keel, it is a bolt on fin keel.

These boats, though not on the top of the list with Westsails and Peterson's for blue water are solidly built, much more so then any production boats of the 1990's or later period and have the capabilities, with an experience sailor to do anything you wish it to do,

They have good tankage, thick hulls, strong rigs and with the right electronics gear, gps, autohelm, weather, etc, they can get you anywhere where a catabenetahunter will not.

[TomandAnitas34]

The one I looked at had bad keel bolts. Any thirty year old boat with keel bolts should be examined VERY carefully. Cracks in the gel coat next to the hull weeping rust are a bad sign. Unless you're getting the boat for $9K and plan on the repair....

[souljour2000]

I don't like bolt-on keels...I would never own any boat with them...unless it was a trailer-sailer for protected waters. That's just me...lots of people have them and enjoy them and have never had any nightmare repair issues..so to each his own...Good luck finding the right boat..

[Ironhorse74]

For what it is worth I looked at a New England built center cockpit Mariner 39. I really liked that boat. It is overbuilt. Pretty decent sail boat that would take you far. I really liked the access to the engine for repairs.

Brad

[bstreep]

We have good friends who had one for a number of years. I (and they) loved it.

Frankly, I wouldn't own a boat WITHOUT a bolt-on keel. I mean, it just drops off when absolutely necessary. Versus a keel with encapsulated lead or steel? I don't think so.