Now what?

[never monday]

I wouldn't worry about the windows. The Hardin 44 has larger ones and is considered by many to be a blue water boat. I'm more concerned about the availability of spares for the Nissan

[Rick]

Jenny,
After working with several new and used boats and working similarly with another engineer who has had various boats we determined that there are some things that just need fixing regardless of the age. One of those things is the safety stanchions. From the factory many of them just are not designed properly or installed correctly. One problem is those stanchions that can be removed from their holders. They MOVE. No matter how small the movement it works everything loose. They need to be welded solid or use better stanchions.. not too expensive if the boat is sound to work with in the first place.

Similarly go things like the helm (various reasons could apply here....what was the problem with the ones that you saw?). Regardless, there will always be a long list of things to fix or change to make sea-ready any new or used boat. The REAL question is about the basic layout, scantlings, engine, rig and overall construction state and design. The rest must be handled on a piecemeal basis.

What do you think?
Rick

[Ex-Calif]

"It is documented
Price--$64M"

You can probably get more boat for 64 million - Just my opinion.

Seriously - It's a very nice looking boat. This is very similar to what I am looking for.

Remember, it's not "all" about sailing. This is your house and you have to live on it.

[SkiprJohn]

Take if for a sail. A prospective seller should be able to arrange it for you. If it doesn't meet your needs in that department you'll know that you need to keep looking.
Good luck!
JohnL

[Lancerbye]

My own personal concerns would be sail handling on a Ketch rig . I looked at a few of these and loved them but I had to do a reality check and realize that as we age our physical limitations come into the picture. I also love to sail, I opted for a boat that had easy handling sails, out of the elements. I can sail when ever there is wind and the handling is easy.

[cooper]

Hi Janny - the window sizes are not overly large. If they are polycarbonate ("Lexan" is a brand name) then the material itself will be strong enough which leaves you with flex. You can build in an intermediate rail that goes from top to bottom of thewindow frame and stands about 5 mm off the window. If the pressure on the window starts to push it in to far, it will start to press on this rail which will then devide the surface area and help take the increasing pressure on the sealant/fasteners holding the window in. Storm shutter are a great idea, especialy if you can utilise existing bits. ie bunk boards. follow your dreams ...to many people wait....and wait.....and.....

[Celestialsailor]

I hate to be a nay-sayer. But I have heard from more than one person that these boats are not the best sailers. This might be why the larger than life engine.
I'm not saying my boat is a rocketship but a good design from a well known designer. I only say this because many people spend hard earned money on a dream only to be disappointed.
As far as Islander goes. The Lapworth designed 44 is a great sailing boat. Hope I don't get many arrows in my ass for this one...

[Sailormann]

It looks like a nice boat. I think that there is some nagging in the back of your minds still, hence your post seeking reassurance. So... the open cabin and the ports are minor issues easily dealt with... the boat is never going to be a quick sailor though. She can be seaworthy, strong, comfortable, commodious, forgiving, beautiful and a good home, but she'll never be quick or light on her feet. If that is really important to you - don't get her. As inconceivable as it may seem right now, there are other boats out there that you will love just as much.

However, if you are quite content to sail along comfortably with lots of room on a boat that you love to look at - go for it !

[Ole]

Janny,

From the sounds of your posts you might go smaller than a 41 Footer? We settled on the Freeport too. But not the 41 footer--the 36. The 36 foot Freeport was designed by Robert Perry. I think the 41 was designed by someone else. The Freeport 36 was the boat Perry said was his favorite design. He said if he didn't have kids aboard, it would have been his choice. He ended up with one of his Passport 42's.

Our Freeport 36 has sailed over 50,000 miles from San Francisco to Equador, all over the Caribbean, up to the Chesapeake, Bahamas, etc. so I know she is up to the Caribbean cruising we want to do. The people who owned it before us lived aboard for 16 years. The boat is VERY comfortable for a couple (that was Perry's intention when he designed it--for a cruising couple). The boat was designed in the mid-seventies during the "performance cruiser" era, so it is not slow. Hull speed is just over 7 kts., which is fast enough for me. People have told me it has the interior space of a 42 footer. All I know is the boat is very comfortable. One of the main reasons I was attracted to the boat, (besides being designed by one of my favorite designers) is the headroom. I am 6'3" and I was bumping my head on almost every boat I looked at. The Freeport 36 has 6'7" headroom in the saloon and 6'5" everywhere else. I never bump my head. With a displacement of 17,000 it is a very stable boat too.

If you haven't looked at them, you should. We thought we needed 40-45 feet for living space until we looked at the Freeport 36. Dockage fees, tackle size, sail size, being able to be handled by one or two people, etc, made us look at a smaller boat, under 40 feet.

There is a very strong owners group for the Freeport 36, too.

You should go with the boat you like and are comfortable with. Especially if you are going to live aboard. If you want any more info on the Freeport 36 email me. I'd be happy to add whatever I can or point you in the right direction for information.

eric.olson62@gmail.com

Eric
IF-36 B Plan
FURTHER

[Janny]

Well, as I had said before, Ed had his heart set on a Tartan Tock--he wants to sail a safe boat, so...we put an offer in on one!

[OldSarg]

It looks great!

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Janny,
Let's hear about your new true love. How does it sail? I would say a safe boat is determined mostly by the skipper's experience and precautions.
JohnL

[Janny]

Hey John, we just placed the offer and as soon as we hook up with the surveyer (who adores Tartans), so our 1st 'sea trial' should be within the next 2 weeks. Our brokers husband took her back and forth to St. Aug twice (for the 1st guy where the financing fell thru) and says she did just fine on the intercoastal

The prior captain had her for 13 years and loved her, poor guy fell off his roof a year ago and finally put her up for sale. We just missed her on our 1st trip, she was under contract, and was the main reason for the trip.

She'll have a few projects to complete for sure but they can be done as time allows. We love her layout --the V-Berth has even been made into a workshop. http://www.tartanowners.org/models/t...SS_TOCK_GA.jpg

We especially like the deep cockpit and easy manuvering on the huge deck. She's set up to single handle too, what more could we ask for? A good price--we'll see how she comes thru her inspections, our first offer was $39m!

[Celestialsailor]

So glad you chose the Tartan over the Islander. Much better quality and a far better sailer with a crazy amount of interior volume. I had a 1966 Tartan Blackwatch 37. Never let me down and I knew she could take a lot of punishment if I got caught in a blow. Congradulations!!!

[dcstrng]

On a mid-70s vessel, the TLC and upkeep it has received can mean as much or even more than the original design… Simple fact is bad boats, seldom get sustained good care – good boats often will… or at least that’s a barometer… When I had my Irwin 42 twenty years ago, I used to envy the Islander 41s… they seemed to be everything my Irwin could have been with about 20-30% more effort in the quality and refinement areas… for that price, I’d be real tempted to write the check – the cabin windows can be handled if one is tempted to venture out in hurricanes or the like… shop with yer heart, buy with yer head…