Seaworthyness of a 1963 Cal 24?

[yermo]

Browsing craiglist ive stumble upon a nice Cal 24 for 1500$ ( im in canada )
theyre is a few things to be done on the boat but nothing major I wanted to fixe her up during the winter and planning of living on this boat while doiing some serious sailing during summertime. ( I really dont mind cramped space ive lived in them all my life)

By serious sailing I mean all around the pacific west coast ( mostly BC but I am planning on goiing south by the end of the summer) Im also planning bring the boat a few days offshore.
Are they built strongly ?
any crossing has been done on those boats ?

anything in particuliar that is knowed to be cheaply built on those boats ( Guidelines for inspection when I will go see the boat) ?

Id like to know what do you guys think of a 1963 cal 24 ?
mostly about seaworthyness, does the boat even sail well ?

Ive also seen on sailboat data that the keel was full with a center board, is it the case for the 1963 ?
ive got one picture of the boat I will include

basicly im after all your infos, opinions, hate comments, wtv ! on the 1963cal 24 !

thank you folks

[seahag]

Check with Cal owners groups-you can find online. All Cals have a reputation for being solidly built and good sailing vessels. The early ones were made to compete. A lot of things have been improved since 1963 on sailboats so you will have to be okay with those compromises but hull thickness and strength is probably not one of them.

As for crossing, it's a 24 foot boat. The boat if in good condition can likely survive it. Can you?

Good luck and hope it works out for you.

[roverhi]

Wasn't that the boat that Robin Graham sailed most of the way around the world. He lost confidence in the boat in the Carribean or maybe being in such a small boat. Understand the original Dove is still there and sailed. He finished the last leg of his cruise on an Allied Luders 33 that used to be here in the Islands.

[UNCIVILIZED]

It wasn't a Cal, rather, a Lapworth. And as I recall there were integrity issues with the boat. Specifically the hull to deck joint, which he'd already rebuilt a few times before reaching the Caribbean.


As to the Cal in question, if she's in decent shape she'll likely serve you well. Though on such a boat you'll not have much room for stores or equipment. So for the kind of sailing you're speaking of, something a bit bigger would serve you better. Under 30' is great, & there are lots of low cost, decently outfitted boats out there. Which, at that size, the costs to operate her will still be fairly low. Especially if you're adept at "dumpster diving", recycling old gear, & aren't a slave to buying the latest new gadgets in the West Marine catalog. Folks have cruised the world over, super cheap, by doing just this. And it's also how many of us got our start. I still recycle pre-loved gear, ditto on boats.

For me an old fav is the Cal 29', as they're often found with lots of gear, in decent shape, for $4k USD, asking. Which means they go for a lot less. And the design is pretty well traveled. And I've written about them many times here on CF, much of which you can find using the custom Google search engine, by typing in my name & Cal 29.

In order to better get an idea of some of what you'll face in your journeys, look up "occupancy of boats" an old thread here on CF http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-148171.html And do some studying on surveying boats so that you better know how to find ones that are structurally sound, or not. See boatpoker's home page, he's a surveyor that's also a member here. Marine Surveyor Ontario, Port Credit Marine Surveys, Marine surveyor Toronto, Whitby, Pickering, Newcstle

If you want the full "Undergrad", & "Graduate" self-education program about boats, click on this link & do some reading. It'll likely help you to better define your desires, & better select boats. --> http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2206710
There's also some great info on several smaller designs, & on sailing in general, in Steve & Linda Dashew's Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia vol. II which is free here --> SetSail FPB » Free Books

[zeehag]

i bought my son a jensen wenk 24, 1958. that was a tough lil boat. beautiful, quick, fun to sail. my son loved it--he learned to sail on his. took it from mdr to lost angeles without issue. sailed it north also without issue--lost angeles to mdr.
built tough.
there are more than one designer of cal 24 back in the 50-60s. jensen and wenk and lapworth. i donot remember when lapworth came into the picture, but your boat looks like a jensen wenk. does it have a built in checker board and backgammon board?? seems jensen and wenk put em into at least some of their boats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Yachts

[Adelie]

The Cal 24 was lighter built than the Lapworth 24 and has a centerboard. I would not take it on serious passages. Around the PNW, the Caribbean, and the East coast sure. Down Baja, or out to HA, probably get away with it, but not great if you get unlucky.

[Cheechako]

I'm not sure a coastal boat that old is a good choice for any offshore work. But, if you like it and it checks out well, buy it and get some experience. A few rough weather days sailing coastal will help you decide/soul search if you want to take it offshore. I worry a bit about fiberglass getting too old and brittle, especially in thin layups.

[zeehag]

the old jensen-wenk were not thin layups but heavy and laid by hand in costa mesa, cali. the centerboard was made of steel.
heavy.
unfortunate thing was the cable used to connect and maneuver centerboard--they frayed and went away. oops my sons is under the water at angels gate. seems the next owner could not manage repairs and maintenance. .....

[Seagirt]

Originally Posted by yermo

By serious sailing I mean all around the pacific west coast ( mostly BC but I am planning on goiing south by the end of the summer) Im also planning bring the boat a few days offshore.
Are they built strongly ?
any crossing has been done on those boats ?

Yermo, we are on parallel paths. I just purchased a 25' c&c and plan to sail up the west coast of Vancouver Island this summer, hopefully pulling away for a couple days closer to offshore waters. Good luck in your adventures!

[Suijin]

The Cal 34 is offshore capable, within limits, but I'm going to bet at $1,500 the cost of making that particular example equal to the task is going to be expensive. She should likely be rerigged, standing and running, and who knows what else she needs.

They also have very limited tankage which is an issue for longer voyages. But if your goal is hopping along the coast with no serious long passages, the design is more than capable of that.