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Old 20-10-2019, 18:15   #16
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

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Thanks Sea Dragon! this is the one I am looking at (https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...orien-3010914/) - the engine sounds like it would need to be replaced.. not sure if that's something I am ready for. Anyone have any ideas on that process or a guesstimate price range? I am considering moving forward on this one especially with all the add on equipment ready for a cruising in New England lifestyle. Engine rebuilds/refits or replacements I know are incredibly expensive but.. for the right boat?
Yeah. I would buy it. Alchemy changed hands in 2013 for quite a bit more money. ($80k comes to mind) The original engine may be fine for regional sailing if the fuel tank is clean (unlikely) and fuel filtering is good. Some old Volvos had flawed transmission input shaft splines. Many old saildrives had corrosion problems. Do your research. Mine stripped out halfway between Marquesas and Hawaii. We got through it. A new engine sure would be nice. Liveability tips: remove the doors to the cabins, make the salon table a lot smaller, improve the hanging locker into something useful. Keep it simple.
You'll have so much fun!
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Old 20-10-2019, 19:47   #17
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

Love it! I'll be following up with my broker this week.. treading carefully. Thank you guys all for your comments and real take views. I'll make sure to post pics WHATEVER boat I end up with so you guys can share the pain *COUGH* I mean the journey [emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji3516]
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Old 18-01-2020, 17:26   #18
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

Hi BThompson - just curious what you ended up finding out about Alchemy. I’ve had my eye out for a Praetorian and ran across that same yacht world ad. That boat looks like it’s a pretty good deal. Did you ever end up checking it out?

Thanks! (long time lurker, first time poster)

-Neil
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Old 19-01-2020, 05:54   #19
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

Hey confused noise!

So I did end up going to look at Alchemy, and talked to the boats broker. Found out a lot of good information, for the most part the boat looks very sound there some stuff that you would expect to from an older boat in that price range. But in my opinion; as a novice never owned my own boat but done a lot of reading and lived on a wooden power boat for a while (lol) It's def worth at a look especially if you are looking for this type of sailboat. The owner & broker seem very forthright about everything that the boat has to offer and if you get serious about actually wanting to buy her they have people on site that can actually knock off some of the stuff that's on the to-do list. The man who owned the boat previously was a "boat mechanic" (not sure exactly) and he did most of the installs/upgrades/modifications. For someone who intends to buy her, the broker I think would be willing to put the new owner in touch with him in order to ask any questions about systems etc. Over all great boat, engine had a lot of hours, (to be expected) but for the most part the through holes all looked good some minor cosmetic stuff but most of the things that I caught were due to the fact that it's been sitting a while. I was devastated that my dreams need more planning as the dog/child/location ended up being too much to logically move ahead right now but I would love for Alchemy to go to a loving sailor. Please let me know if you or anyone buys her so I can imagine long transatlantic voyages for her!

-B

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Hi BThompson - just curious what you ended up finding out about Alchemy. I’ve had my eye out for a Praetorian and ran across that same yacht world ad. That boat looks like it’s a pretty good deal. Did you ever end up checking it out?

Thanks! (long time lurker, first time poster)

-Neil
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Old 19-01-2020, 06:37   #20
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

I have sailed a Pretorien over 20,000 miles. Due to the fairly hard bilges, its not super comfortable underway. The Catalina might actually be a bit more comfortable in a seaway, but that's just a guess.
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Old 19-01-2020, 08:37   #21
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

Thank for you the info and fast response! The combination of seaworthiness and price makes that boat attractive to me. I had gravitated towards that model, then had found that particular boat on yacht world, then got excited and did a general search on Praetorians and found your post! My daughter is now in Annapolis so finding time to get there and take a look first hand is definitely doable.

Boatguy30 - thanks for the advice, that’s a lot of miles. I’m early stages and so open to other possibilities.

Fair winds!
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Old 19-01-2020, 20:07   #22
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

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I think neither is a good live aboard. There are better boats from that era for living aboard or taking them on an occasional ocean crossing. For live aboard I would chose the H31 from that era - have a look at this comparison. If you want to cross oceans you will need to invest a lot in boat and systems maintenance and I am not sure if it is worth it for such old designs, irrespective of the price.
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Old 19-01-2020, 21:02   #23
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

To OP:

If you're still in the game to buy check out these alternatives to your initial contenders.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...r-m36-3500002/
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/mariner-36-canning

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...er-38-3098022/
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/ma...38-pilot-house

Both for about 1/2 of your stated budget. The 36' definitely looks better cared for but the 38' being a pilothouse may be a better fit for your liveaboard and/or cruising goals.

I have a 36' and it has amazing amount of storage nooks which with a little tinkering become cavernous storage areas. And very good access to the engine from all sides. Overall build quality is very high as they were built in NH back when when boatbuilders took pride in their product.
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Old 29-02-2020, 18:50   #24
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

We found ourselves in a similar position about 3 years ago.

There are, of course, pluses and minuses going either route (purchasing offshore boat now and living aboard vs. purchasing a coaster and upgrading to a second boat later). Some thoughts with the latter route, as that is what I have experience with.

There are significant costs with trading up including taxes on the extra purchase, paying relocation fees twice, the risk of getting caught maintaining two boats, or, taking a loss on the first boat to make a quick sale.

We made considerable needed repairs missed on the survey and some upgrades to our first boat, but always felt held back because we knew that we would be switching up, meaning that any money we put into our coastal boat we would never see again. Now that we have our Pretorien, we feel rushed outfitting it, meaning we end up paying to have professional assistance (I've then had to go and redo some of their work that was sub par).

Had we started with the Pretorien, we would have taken on 1 major project and 2-3 minor projects/year. We would also have been able to do those jobs when it made the most sense during routine maintenance/winter storage, instead of us being forced to pay for an otherwise unneccessary haul and mast drop during the summer and thus lose a few extra weeks of sailing time for (hasty) refitting purposes. We would also have much more experience with the boat's quirks and how it likes to be sailed in a variety of wind/waves

Some pluses to this approach include that our first boat was smaller and thus 1/4 the purchase price and about 1/2 the annual haul/store/lauch/dock fees for the past 3 years (although this would not apply to the OP's circumstances). We were moving up from dinghy sailing, and a 28' boat was a nice stepping stone. Getting into keelboat sailing on the cheap also allowed us to assess whether that style of boat satisfied our needs and we ultimately decided to go with something (relatively) more modern.

When we compared with similar era Catalinas (the 34 and 36 mki) the Catalinas felt like they would be more comfortable entertaining. They felt like a condo dropped into the interior, whereas the Pretorien always felt like you were on a boat. That being said, we've found the Pretorien cozy, but never cramped and everything is built full human sized, so, idk why people would recommend a boat optimized for living aboard knowing that long-term goals look farther afield. Sure, the cockpit is smaller, but not small for 1 person, their dog, and a few visitors. It's annoying to have to step over the brigedeck every time you enter/exit, and a score of similar small sacrifices for seaworthiness, but, if one's going to have to learn to live with those things later, and one is considering similar priced vessels, I don't really see the argument for an interim liveaboard, but there likely are a few good ones.

I have yet to take the Pretorien into a chop or any serious weather with a swell, so I can't speak to it being uncomfortable. Most opinions that I've read feel that it is seakindly, but I appreciate hearing from people who have different experiences. I wouldn't really consider it hard-bilged though. To my eye, the station lines actually start like a more traditional vessel with a deep vee, and only later, almost 2 feet below the waterline, is this truncated by a second turn to a flatter bottom to improve performance over its predecessors.

Just my thoughts,
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Old 01-03-2020, 06:42   #25
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Re: Wauquiez Pretorien 35 vs. Catalina 320

To quote Gladiator... "Praetorian!"

Seriously though if you are looking to eventually go into serious water later on down the road... choose the boat that is made for it. The Wauquiez is undoubtedly a better sailing machine than the 320.
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