The Cal 39

[sailingdon]

hi peoples,

trying to find people who sail a cal 39 ,(or sailed) and have something good and bad to say about this beauty,construction,handeling in 20-25 kn and above, ect........ (offshore purposes with wife and a 2 year old) i prefer the older ones i think , around 1980?? or am i wrong about this
thank you
tim

[Joli]

Friends raced one for years. They are a heavy duty boat that is not slow. Big rig and big sails though.

[sailingdon]

thank you joli,
sails and rig is just the financial part i think ,hehe

[s/v Breakaway]

I sail a Cal 34; I would say the Cal 39 is the best of the lot (Bill Lapworth designed ~ a dozen Cals) for my preferences, but Cal 40's are highly regarded but very "old fashioned" in layout and design, IMHO.

[Latitude9.5]

We love our Cal! that;s all i have for input sorry

[Squeaks]

A young sailor/surfer, Liz Clark of Santa Barbara, CA is cruising the So Pacific aboard her Cal 40 Swell.
See: WetSand.com > The Green Room > Liz Clark Swell Voyage
John _/)

[gianno]

Bluewater Sailing did an article/review of the Cal 39 that you might find useful

http://www.boats.com/news-reviews/ar...shore-dreaming

[Trim50]

I raced for many years on a Cal-39 Tall Rig...outstanding boat for the money...and fast for a cruiser when it has the tall rig.

Also, my boat was designed & built by engineers from the Costa Mesa outfit. They made a wonderful vessel for cruising.

[jimking100]

Hi Tim,
I just bought a 1984 Cal 39 tall rig about one month ago so I can't comment on them as I am just getting to know my own boat. However the web site referenced by gianno has a lot of great information. My plan is to "retrofit" my 39 and take off world cruising in '09. Perhaps I'll see you and your family out there. Best of luck.
Jim

[neophytecruiser]

Hi Tim,
We've had our '82 Cal 39 MRK III shoal draft for four years and are just returning from an 8 month cruise along the west coast of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez. Most of our sailing was done in wind of 15 knots or less. However, on the bash back to San Diego we did encounter winds between 22 and 30 knots. Sailing in those conditions, we were under double reefed main and 100% jib. The boat was able to sail between 5.5 and 6.5 knots, depending on the wave conditions. It handled well, albeit a bit more lively than heavier cruising designs of the same length.

We've been pleased with the boat. It sails well compared to similar designs of the same vintage and performs respectfully even against newer, lighter designs. The boat really shines against those comfortable cruisers when the wind is light. While it will outsail most under most all conditions, with light air the Cal is still sailing while those beautiful, comfortable but heavy cruisers are cranking up their desiels.

It handles very well and is strongly constructed. One of the only things I would consider is reglassing all the tabs to all the bulkheads; it's an issue of noise when going to weather when the rig is loaded. There are no problems with door or cabinet fit due to flexing, but it can be noisy.

Good luck and enjoy whatever boat you settle on. Fair winds.
Pete

[redcobra]

I have a friend, who I taught to sail, who has lived aboard his Cal39 MkII in Baltimore for 8 years. He was one of my students and lived on the boat instead of renting an apartment while he was in school. I helped him bring the boat up from SCarolina on the outside. Although I have never had one it was my sought after boat until the Pearson fell into my lap. It's great boat with the tall rig and deep keel, but a little deep in the keel for the Chesapeake. I was there at the survey and it is a heck of a good boat and better for liveaboard than my P39 but has a smaller cockpit. I recommended that the CAl39 be one of the boats he looked at. He did have engine trouble and had the Perkins rebuilt as well as had to replace the sails a few years ago.
A trustworthy boat!! I would go anywhere in it.

[sailorboy1]

Just to bring up a point, but do we really think someone who asked about a boat over a year ago is still looking for options?

PS - I like my Cal-39 just fine and feel it will go anywhere and do anything!

[neophytecruiser]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Just to bring up a point, but do we really think someone who asked about a boat over a year ago is still looking for options?

PS - I like my Cal-39 just fine and feel it will go anywhere and do anything!

I don't know about you, Don, but I have been shopping boats for more than 40 years and am always interested in knowing what other owners have to offer. I'm still interested in hearing what other Cal 39 owners have to say about their boats and find it interesting how they have refitted them for their purposes. It's always good to mess about in boats and never hurts to share opinions and experiences.

[Boomerang!]

Originally Posted by gianno

Bluewater Sailing did an article/review of the Cal 39 that you might find useful

Features Landing Page | features.boats.com

Hey there...just curious to know if there is a good link to this article(s) on the Cal 39's....just buying one now, one of my favs of all time (used to crew on 40's out of SDYC when I was a kid...) and looking for guidance/tutelage if there is anyone willing.....

On the Chesapeake if that helps....

thanks,

Charles

[jimking100]

Charles,
I bought a Cal 39 about 1-1/2 years ago and love it (of course). If you will schroll back in this thread you will find a link to a great article on the Cal39.
Best,
jim