Montecarlo / Montevideo 43 (balsa core hull)

[Flyingtyke]

Hi there,

Is there anyone out there in the sailing community that owns, has owned or has any experience/information on these vessels.

I have tried many sources in an attempt to gain information on the construction of these vessels but alas I have had very little luck.

My main interest pertains to the construction of the hull and if any owners out there have had any problems with the balsa core?

Thanks in advance.

[tigerpilot]

I understand the hull is cored to the waterline, then solid below.

[GordMay]

"The Montevideo 43 Yacht has a hand laid fiberglass over balsa hull with a center teak cockpit and teak decking. Different sources have the hull as balsa core to the waterline then solid fiberglass below...”
➥ Cape Town to Canada - Yacht SummerLove

You might ask the designer, Lavranos Marine Design Ltd
➥ Lavranos // Marine Design

[Downline]

Originally Posted by Flyingtyke

Hi there,

Is there anyone out there in the sailing community that owns, has owned or has any experience/information on these vessels.

I have tried many sources in an attempt to gain information on the construction of these vessels but alas I have had very little luck.

My main interest pertains to the construction of the hull and if any owners out there have had any problems with the balsa core?

Thanks in advance.

We are the 3rd owners of a Montevideo 43. The hull and deck is solid fibreglass. She was build in 1980 in Durban and has already circumnavigated twice. Our boat is very solid with ribs and stringers. Its probably over engineered and we had no structural problems so far. We had to fix some osmosis. There is a newer Montevideo close to ours. I'll ask the owner about the construction on his boat.

[krissteyn]

I have just seen a 1980 Montevideo advertised by a friend that I am considering...my question is , how are the chain plates fixed to the hull ?
Balsa , or ???

[Downline]

Originally Posted by krissteyn

I have just seen a 1980 Montevideo advertised by a friend that I am considering...my question is , how are the chain plates fixed to the hull ?
Balsa , or ???

We have a 1980 MonteVideo 43. We have had it since 2012 and have cruised more than 16000miles without any problems.
The two previous ownners both circumnavigated without any problems.
The hull and deck are solid fibre glass. We don’t have any core anywhere on our yacht.
The chain plates are connected to a very solid rib. The hull has got stringers and ribs and does not flex much.
I did talk to Angelo Lavranos about the design. He did not not design it but gave some input. He does have drawings and lots of info if required.

[krissteyn]

Hi , thanks for quick reply.
How easy is t to inspect the chain plates - I have been told that most of these had custom build interiors , with resultant accessibility issues.
As the boat is now almost 40 years old , I would prefer to pull them and inspect.
However , I suspect I would only be able to do that if I bought it.
As one of my previous boats almost had a mast failure due to inaccessible chain plate not inspected and failing , I am cautious.

Where are you based ?

Kris Steyn

[Downline]

Hi Kris.
We are currently in Belize.
I also had the same concerns so I pulled the chainplates and replaced them with new ones.
I had the old ones tested and they were actually still ok. But still happy that I did it.
It was not a big job on our boat.