Opinions on a 8'3 draft?

[tdine]

Hello... after looking at boat after boat after boat for about two years, my boyfriend and I have finally found one that suits us. It's our first boat, although my bf has been a working catamaran captain for years. It's 44' ketch but has a 8'3 draft! In all of my searches I have never heard of a keel so big! We are planning on living aboard for about 3-5 years then cruising the South Pacific. Does anyone think this huge draft will be an issue? Are we going to find it impossible to dock in the S. Pac harbors and anchorages? Also, it's a Bruce Roberts and I've seen some shoddy reviews of his design. What do you think? Please advise!

[skipmac]

8'3" is a very deep draft but I think in the Pacific not a deal breaker. Regarding Bruce Roberts you do understand that they are not builders but designers. My first and biggest concern would be to determine who built the boat and how well.

There are dozens of Bruce Roberts designs. I have not heard any comments that any of them were horrible and some have a good reputation.

[tdine]

Thanks for the input. The builder is Gary Alward, of whom a quick google search turned up nothing. The boat was built in 1989, LOA 43'8 Beam 12'5 and displaces 28,000 lbs. It's a center cockpit ketch and, when I went to the Bruce Roberts website, I couldn't find the specific design info that matched the specs. If anyone out there knows of this builder I would appreciate any feedback. Also, I'm seeing the boat tomorrow- what should I look for to determine it was a "good build"?

[skipmac]

Do the documents say where the boat was built, which boat yard or even which country? Note that many Bruce Roberts were home built or custom built.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by tdine

I'm seeing the boat tomorrow- what should I look for to determine it was a "good build"?

This is a really big question. How much do you know about boats, rigging, fiberglass layups, hull deck joints, bulkheads, etc? Without some in depth knowledge and experience with boats or working on boats or fixing boats no one could educate you enough in one post to make that determination. If you don't have that kind of background you need to get a good surveyor before making any comitments on the boat.

All I can say in short is don't be fooled by a pretty paint job and nice upholstery. You need to "look under the hood".

[rebel heart]

You're ruling out the European canals, which may or may not be something you'd consider.

If it was a beautiful boat that I loved, I'd sail it with a 10' draft.

[skipmac]

Ruling out European canals, Bahamas, most of FL, most of the ICW and will require care and good charts even in the Pacific. But if the Pacific is the only destination planned you could get away with it.

[Celestialsailor]

For me, it's difficult to believe the draft is 8'3"s. Have you seen it? Could it be a swing keel? Could it be a misprint?

[seacap]

I just check out the listing, I think...is it in Hawaii?

If thats the one it looks like a beautiful build!! Specs sound good, although 8'3" will be a bit limiting but great for going to weather....if you like that sort of thing.
Just get a good survey on it....also check things like sails, are they going to need replacement. That kind of thing can add a lot to your final cost.

Good luck, see looks sweet.

[aj_the_first]

Let me try a bit of Sherlock Holmes here.

Bruce Roberts is a fan of shallower draft than average, and not one for swing keels. I don't know of him ever designing a swing keel boat, and I can't imagine that he designed an 8'3" draft boat at only 44 feet long.

I'd bet that it is his "Mauritus" design which has a LOA of 43'11" and a beam of 12'6" and the shoal draft version has a 5'3" draft, and since most common typos are made vertically on a keyboard rather than horzontally (my man-paws frequently snag the letter above what I am aiming for), and 8 is above 5 on the standard IBM numberpad on a keyboard...
I say it is supposed to be the 5'3" shoal draft version of the Mauritus. The 432 replaced the Mauritus, but has an extra foot of beam. The 432 can be located here:
Bruce Roberts, steel boat plans, boat building, boatbuilding, steel boat kits, boat kits

I know because I frequently type an 8 when I mean to type a 5, especially if I am a bit overdue for a nailclipping. ;-)

I also recommend talking to Bruce as he is very nice to deal with (so I hear) and would probably be willing to send you the study plans of the Mauritus and let you know who built these boats under license and how many private-built plans he sold and give you recommendations on what to look for according to which yard might have built it.

[bstreep]

Good thought aj. This one was puzzling to me as well.

There are some nice Bruce Roberts boats out there. There are also a lot of not-so-nice ones. As noted, a GOOD survey(or) is absolutely a requirement - even if your bf has a lot of experience. Kind of like being your own lawyer...

[sandy daugherty]

Its more like being your own surgeon.

[bob perry]

I think Aj is correct. I can't imagine Bruce drawing one of his stock plans with that kind of draft. If it is reality then it is probably a builder mod. That does not make it bad. There is no substitute for draft. You are going to love cruising in the PNW.

[aj_the_first]

Oh, I meant to mention:
If the boat does actually have an 8'3" draft....
Since no stock Bruce Roberts plans have an 8'3" draft, and Bruce is known to do a lot of customizing to his plans, I'm SURE he would remember designing a 44 foot boat with an 8'3" draft. If that is the case then he could probably give you all the details on who built it and when... or if it was an "unauthorized" modification. Not necesarily a bad thing, but I would want my mods coming from the designer. Especially since Bruce is so willing to modify to suit customer needs. I say just contact Bruce.
(Oh, and see the blacklisted boats on his webpage... I don't think there are any Mauritius though.)

Like I said earlier though: my money is on it being a typo and it is his Mauritius design: all the specs line up (length, beam, displacement) except the 8 should be a 5 for the shoal draft version.

[meuritt]

with no real experience here, I am likely to be making a stupid statement, that said,

If it is a Coast Guard documented vessel, and the number being reported is from the vessel's documentation, then you may have a misleading number. The CG has their own way of determining draft that is more than just the depth of the vessel. It was explained to me, but i don't understand.

A couple of boats we looked at in the past year were listed as that CG number, and it was too deep for our shoal, north SF Bay waters, but on further investigation, we found the reality was substantially different, by more than two feet.

Mike
San Rafael, CA
Banjer 37