30' Fortune pilothouse

[Bashleys]

I'm considering a purchase of the above vessel. My wife and I are planning distant cruising and wondered if anyone has any experiance cruising on one. This is a pilothouse version we are looking at...most are flush deck. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks...

[KJB]

Greetings! I d/n anything about the boat, but I just wanted to stop by and say - Good Luck and I am sure others will drop by with some good info.

[westsail374]

Hello and good luck.

You might want to look at Cruising World, which has published many reviews over the years that are available over the web.

If you find a listing for the boat you want, you might want to include a link. You will get many opinions, no doubt!

Fair winds.

Bill

[Matilda]

G'day! We purchased a pilothouse yacht 4 months ago and havent looked back. I used to be into hardcore sailing, but my missus is a novice and like the creature comforts of home. If you cant picture your missus taking the helm in a gale in an aft open cockpit while u take a kip..then this is the way to go.
I thought i was compromising when I got a pilothouse yacht instead of an aft cockpit with two young kids and a creature comfort missus, but at the end of the day, when it is pissing down outside, and you are warm and dry inside and still sailing, I dont know why I didnt convert sooner. Also from a UV point of view, in the heat of the day, you can escape a considerable amount of sailors disease....

[Bashleys]

Fortune custom pilothouse cutter Gallery - Ref: 1935 - YachtWorld.com Mobile

Here is a link to the boat we are looking at. Thank u for any comments!

[jgbrown]

I was looking at the same one. Seems ok once you get past the color. I did notice they are supposed to be a bit on the slow side. Otherwise I think it looks great, much easier to live aboard than mine!

Not a true pilot house though as I understand it, no inside controls

[Cheechako]

Might be a great boat, depending on price and the details. Not sure why they call it a pilot house... it isnt. But... matters not.
They are absolutely dreaming on the price though. I'm thinking under $15k in todays world for an unknown design in bright yellow.
As an example, another not so well known boat, went recently for $7k-$9k with FW yanmar diesel. It had solid bronze chainplates, bow hardware etc. Needed minor TLC but was a good dry boat.
For the asking price of teh Fortune you can probably get a Baba 30.

[Bashleys]

Thank u all for the insight. I would love to hear from someone that owns/sailed this type of boat before.

[witzgall]

Nice boat, but I don't see how that is a pilothouse, as there is not inside steering?

[Sailmonkey]

I don't know anything about the boat......but I like the looks. There is nothing pilothouse about it though, in order to pilot from in the house one needs to be able to see ahead.

[jgbrown]

Originally Posted by Bashleys

Thank u all for the insight. I would love to hear from someone that owns/sailed this type of boat before.

Try searching fortune 30 blog there's a couple living aboard one, they might well be worth contacting

[Pyrate]

I currently own a Fortune 30 cutter. She sails great if you've got a bit of wind. Very stable, fairly dry in even 4-6 foot waves. I haven't sailed her offshore, but quite a bit around Alaska's inside passage. Definitely a solidly built, heavy hull. I'd hesitate taking mine on a long ocean voyage primarily due to age and lack of additional safety gear, such as life rafts, etc. It looks like the 'custom' part of this boat is just an extension of the cabin to a small aft cockpit, whereas my 'Sanctioned Mistress' has an aft cabin (had some people sleep there, but it's primarily storage space and aft engine access). I definitely think that the price is too high, as I paid quite a bit less for mine and it came with some nice extras (RADAR in Alaska is a great comfort), though also did have some aging equipment as well. Just remember that no matter how pretty, this is a 34 year old boat. For that price, it better have new sails, recent engine overhaul/replacement, and receipts for all work done!

Feel free to contact me if you have other questions.

Good luck.

[Bashleys]

Thanks for this info. Everyone seems to agree the price is high and I agree. I was mostly interested in her sailing performance. Additionally, I'm concerned about her tankage. As u can see there is nothing in the ad and the broker has no clue. I will b checking this out Sin and let u know how it turns out.

[Pyrate]

For fuel, mine has dual 25 gal diesel tanks. For potable water, there is one plastic (probably original) tank under the floorboards (unsure of size, I don't use it), and two SS tanks under the V-berth (about 15 gal ea). The SS ones I'm pretty sure are additions, but with your different cabin configuration, who knows what you've got. As far as sailing, she'll go in anything but light wind. It doesn't take much to push her along under a reach or run (I often sail wing-on-wing in mod-heavy wind) at 3 kts. Getting the extra 2-3 kts (my record is 7.2 with wind, waves and current). On a reach or broad reach with the stays'l, she's well balanced. Close hauled she has quite a bit of weather helm, but then again, my mains'l is rather tired and not an ideal shape. Wing on wing with a whisker pole is a breeze, though in any seas I'd be sure to have a preventer on the main. I have gone short distances wing-on-wing without a pole at all. With the cutter stay, tacking in light wind poses the same problems that most cutters have, though with a reefed jib (roler-furled on mine), she tacks just fine in mod-heavy wind. The hardest part is docking with a decent off-dock breeze, since the bow has lots of windage and almost no draft. Of course, I've got a narrow slip and am usually single-handing, so that doesn't help any. I have sailed in heavier weather with just a stays'l (probably 33 yrs old)/double reefed main and was quite comfortable, but not making any way into the wind. However, I had plenty of steerage and very little water came on deck-mostly spray.

Hope that helps a bit. Let me know if the deal works out and we'll have to compare equipment, upgrades, and everything else relevant to a one-off design.

[Bashleys]

Thanks for the comments. I'll let u know how it comes out on Sun.