Looking for Any Information About the Privilege 39 (1992)

[R&B]

Hey Everyone I am happy to be a new part of this forum...I did lots of research on the 1992 privilege 39...which we ended up buying last year and love it.....we cant cut the lines yet due to kids in school... but step one is complete and now I am in the process of fitting her out for the future.....My question is does anyone out there have feed back on this type cat....Good or Bad.....Your knowledge is greatly appreciated....

[Intentional Drifter]

The Privilege 39 was/is a classic. Very roomy, well constructed, sturdy blue water cat. Not very fast in light air, but could still do the job. If you would like to see a recently completed circumnavigation done in one, check out: http://www.maxingout.com/index.htm

An interesting, creatively done website, too. As with all things doing with boats, there are compromises, but for a cruising boat, this one has many advantages. Also, check out: http://www.multihull-maven.com/Boats/Privilege_39

ID

[Lodesman]

The Privilege 39 is on our short list, so am eager to hear all the pros and cons.

Kevin

[Moby Dick]

It is personal taste, but I dont think the front cabin on the bridgedeck 'works'. It means you have a small saloon, and (important to me) you cannot see out the front windows when you sit down. This reduces one of the main attractions of a cat to me.

[Tropic Cat]

Many Cats have that floorplan, ours included. The front cabin works well for us. The bulkhead separating the cabin from saloon has closable openings. When opened, you can see just fine. More importantly, they're used for air circulation. When you're in the tropics, cabins located in the hulls need A/C

Rick in Florida

[exposure]

My main misgiving on the P39 is the helm station located at the aft corner. It is in the elements and farther away from the CG and the salon. For me, having our helm close to the salon door and well protect makes for comfortable and convenient sailing. I think that is one of the things that keeps the P39 more affordable than other, similar cats. It may be worth the trade offs for you, as all boats have their pros and cons and you have to pick the what is most important.

[maxingout]

We circumnavigated the world over a period of eleven years in our Privilege 39 catamaran, Exit Only. We found the catamaran was an awesome downwind sailing machine using the classical trade wind route around the world. Some people worry about the exposed steering station. The truth is that in our entire circumnaviation we hand steered less than 100 hours total. The Autohelm autopilot did all the steering around the world. When I sat at the helm, it wasn't to steer. It was just to watch the wind and waves offshore.

The longest time I hand steered continuously was after going through the Bab Al Mandeb at the entrance of the Red Sea. We had fifty knots of wind and fifteen to twenty foot beam seas, and I hand steered for four hours because I didn't want to put the autopilot at risk in those seas for such a short period of time. If the autopilot got overwhelmed and the epicyclic gears stripped out, it would have been incovenient for going up the Red Sea. That was the only time I got wet from hand steering the yacht in rough weather. The autopilot did 99 percent of the steering all the way around the world and it wouldn't have mattered where the helm was located on the yacht.

The Privilege 39 is a strong catamaran and will take you safely wherever you wish to sail. When conditions are rough, slow the boat down and you will do fine.

Our websites are positivegraphics.com and maxingout.com and they have lots of pictures and stories from the circumnavigation.

Dave Abbott
sv Exit Only

[Intentional Drifter]

Hi, Maxing Out! I've enjoyed your website, pictures and stories very much. It has been an inspiration (as well as a source of great information) as we plan our own extended cruise. Thanks for documenting yours so well and creatively.

ID

[R&B]

Thanks Dave

Although I did my homework, It is always great to hear from people that have been there done that....especially on the boat that we expect to take care of us......Our privilege and our cruising kitty are still in the TLC stage... She was neglected for several year in Grenada after a short charter career. We made her our home and have not regreted a minute. We look forward to a long relationship with her. Your lifes philosphy as well as you website are truely inspirational and we have enjoyed several hours reading it. If you started over what would you have done differently to prep Exit Only....Any advice you could send our way is greatly appreciated.....Thanks again.....

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by R&B

Thanks Dave

Although I did my homework, It is always great to hear from people that have been there done that....especially on the boat that we expect to take care of us......Our privilege and our cruising kitty are still in the TLC stage... She was neglected for several year in Grenada after a short charter career. We made her our home and have not regreted a minute. We look forward to a long relationship with her. Your lifes philosphy as well as you website are truely inspirational and we have enjoyed several hours reading it. If you started over what would you have done differently to prep Exit Only....Any advice you could send our way is greatly appreciated.....Thanks again.....

You'll find that the Privilege 39 to be a very forgiving yacht when sailing offshore. We never had any structural problems in our circumnavigation and that is a real blessing because we saw several cats in New Zealand who had damage to bridge decks.

A catamaran is like a monohull in one important respect - the hull must be strong enough to dissipate the kinetic energy generated by sailing into walls of water - known to most people as waves. If you sail any catamaran fast enough, long enough, in big enough seas, you will eventually create a demolition derby. You simply can't build a cat strong enough to withstand the beating that it will take if you relentlessly bash into seas at high speed. I have never worshiped at the altar of speed because I wanted to do a circumnavigation without having to do structural repairs as I sailed around the world. I limited my boat speed to an average of 6.25 knots which gave me 150 miles a day when on passage. While sailing at 6.25 knots may not be exciting, you arrive at your destination without needing to be hauled out for repairs. As a cruiser, I could not afford to spend large sums of money on repairs.

The Privilege 39 does require watching of the rigging. I installed mast steps so that I could inspect the rigging before every passage. I had the privilege with diamond stays on the mast. Here is the rigging toll on an eleven year circumnavigation. Replaced rigging on a new boat is as follows:
Raitea French Polynesia: 1 upper diamond stay
Fiji: 1 upper diamond stay
New Zealand: all upper and lower diamond stays
Australia: 1 diamond stay.
Turkey: Head Stay toggle, One upper diamond stay
Gibraltar: Head Stay.
The only rigging that has not been replaced in eleven years was the two cap shrouds.

I put runnning backstays up before starting my circumnavigation because I wanted to protect the mast just in case I lost a cap shroud, and curiously, the only stays that survived the circumnavigation were the cap shrouds. Coincidence? I don't know.

The two most important additions to the yacht after starting the circumnavigation were a 70 pound buegel anchor in Mooloolaba, Australia, and Two Aerogen 6 wind generators.

I dragged a 45 pound CQR and 60 pound CQR all around the Pacific and Australia, and I finally got tired of anchor watches and dragged anchors. After I got the 70 Buegel anchor, I didn't drag anchor until I got to the Canary Islands. Buegel Anchor=No anchor watch and we can leave the boat knowing that it will still be there when we return, even if there is a shift in the wind and tide.

The two Aerogen wind generators were quiet and awesome. We could go for weeks at a time without running an engine. They would provide up to 400 amp hours a day when the trade winds were running twenty knots.

Good luck on your cruising dreams

Dave
Exit Only
PositiveGraphics.com
MaxingOut.com

[elcubanito]

Originally Posted by exposure

My main misgiving on the P39 is the helm station located at the aft corner. It is in the elements and farther away from the CG and the salon. For me, having our helm close to the salon door and well protect makes for comfortable and convenient sailing. I think that is one of the things that keeps the P39 more affordable than other, similar cats. It may be worth the trade offs for you, as all boats have their pros and cons and you have to pick the what is most important.

This is the most attractive feature I find in this catamaran....go figure.

[David M]

Dave of Maxing Out,
I am thoroughly enjoying your website and learning quite a bit.

I am curious, if you could pick any boat to do it a second time. Which boat would you choose? A Privilege 39 or something different? A larger Privilege? And why? Lets say you had unlimited funds (wouldn't we all love that!)..which boat would you then choose?

Thanks,
David

[DWT]

I went looking for used 39' and came across one for sale some time back that was remodelled having the galley up.....?
Not that I would want that but the large settee is to much for just me and the wife.
Anyone see or may have pictures of this or have other changes to a 39" (anywhere) I would..... like to see them.

[fbchristo]

Originally Posted by maxingout

We circumnavigated the world over a period of eleven years in our Privilege 39 catamaran, Exit Only. We found the catamaran was an awesome downwind sailing machine using the classical trade wind route around the world. Some people worry about the exposed steering station. The truth is that in our entire circumnaviation we hand steered less than 100 hours total. The Autohelm autopilot did all the steering around the world. When I sat at the helm, it wasn't to steer. It was just to watch the wind and waves offshore.

The longest time I hand steered continuously was after going through the Bab Al Mandeb at the entrance of the Red Sea. We had fifty knots of wind and fifteen to twenty foot beam seas, and I hand steered for four hours because I didn't want to put the autopilot at risk in those seas for such a short period of time. If the autopilot got overwhelmed and the epicyclic gears stripped out, it would have been incovenient for going up the Red Sea. That was the only time I got wet from hand steering the yacht in rough weather. The autopilot did 99 percent of the steering all the way around the world and it wouldn't have mattered where the helm was located on the yacht.

The Privilege 39 is a strong catamaran and will take you safely wherever you wish to sail. When conditions are rough, slow the boat down and you will do fine.

Our websites are positivegraphics.com and maxingout.com and they have lots of pictures and stories from the circumnavigation.

Dave Abbott
sv Exit Only

Hi Dave-

Just got through watching your dvd and loved it. it did two things, first got me considering the Red Sea as a cruising grounds and second has me looking at the Privilege 39 as a possible retirement boat in the next 12-18 months. What i cant seem to find however is information about headroom. Being 6'6" with precious little hair left to scrape off on the celling headroom becomes an issue. Any information about vertical interior clearance would be most helpful.

Regards

Fred

[Vampire]

Originally Posted by maxingout

You'll find that the Privilege 39 to be a very forgiving yacht when sailing offshore. We never had any structural problems in our circumnavigation and that is a real blessing because we saw several cats in New Zealand who had damage to bridge decks.

A catamaran is like a monohull in one important respect - the hull must be strong enough to dissipate the kinetic energy generated by sailing into walls of water - known to most people as waves. If you sail any catamaran fast enough, long enough, in big enough seas, you will eventually create a demolition derby. You simply can't build a cat strong enough to withstand the beating that it will take if you relentlessly bash into seas at high speed. I have never worshiped at the altar of speed because I wanted to do a circumnavigation without having to do structural repairs as I sailed around the world. I limited my boat speed to an average of 6.25 knots which gave me 150 miles a day when on passage. While sailing at 6.25 knots may not be exciting, you arrive at your destination without needing to be hauled out for repairs. As a cruiser, I could not afford to spend large sums of money on repairs.

The Privilege 39 does require watching of the rigging. I installed mast steps so that I could inspect the rigging before every passage. I had the privilege with diamond stays on the mast. Here is the rigging toll on an eleven year circumnavigation. Replaced rigging on a new boat is as follows:
Raitea French Polynesia: 1 upper diamond stay
Fiji: 1 upper diamond stay
New Zealand: all upper and lower diamond stays
Australia: 1 diamond stay.
Turkey: Head Stay toggle, One upper diamond stay
Gibraltar: Head Stay.
The only rigging that has not been replaced in eleven years was the two cap shrouds.

I put runnning backstays up before starting my circumnavigation because I wanted to protect the mast just in case I lost a cap shroud, and curiously, the only stays that survived the circumnavigation were the cap shrouds. Coincidence? I don't know.

The two most important additions to the yacht after starting the circumnavigation were a 70 pound buegel anchor in Mooloolaba, Australia, and Two Aerogen 6 wind generators.

I dragged a 45 pound CQR and 60 pound CQR all around the Pacific and Australia, and I finally got tired of anchor watches and dragged anchors. After I got the 70 Buegel anchor, I didn't drag anchor until I got to the Canary Islands. Buegel Anchor=No anchor watch and we can leave the boat knowing that it will still be there when we return, even if there is a shift in the wind and tide.

The two Aerogen wind generators were quiet and awesome. We could go for weeks at a time without running an engine. They would provide up to 400 amp hours a day when the trade winds were running twenty knots.

Good luck on your cruising dreams

Dave
Exit Only
PositiveGraphics.com
MaxingOut.com

SV "ICE BEAR"
From Tunisia.