Bruce Roberts 434 ?

[bryan and wendy]

Iv'e been looking at a Bruce Roberts 434, 43' steel hull, appears to be well constructed, in reasonable condition. I know all the pos and cons of steel, build quality eytc etc, however my question is- assuming the boat quality is OK, what about the basic design? Does anybody have any experience or data on Bruce Roberts designs- I can't find anyting around STIX etc on their website
Cheers
Bryan

[watermelon]

hi i have a bruce roberts 43 mauritious(spelling wrong) fiberglass though great boat , i have sailed from st maarten to trinidad and back and down again,been in heavy weather,and she is a great sea boat, had 11 knots out of her in a storm,the layout is great roomy and huge aft cabin with seperate head and shower, a bit crap to windward because of the keel but i love it

[Alan Wheeler]

A very well recognised name down in these here parts. Probably the most recognised in steel design. If you see a steel boat down here in NZ or Oz, it more than likely would be a Roberts. I don't think you can compare them to modern designs, but for a steel boat of that era, they are just as good as anything else around. His designs have seen many Kiwis and Ozies sail the world with no problems.

[speedoo]

If I were committed to voyaging exclusively, I would prefer a steel hull. I have friends who cruise in a Roberts that they built themselves, basically a Roberts 40 footer with a custom interior and a deckhouse, with heavier steel than most and they swear by it. My impression is it's not a particularly quick boat, but extremely seaworthy and comfortable.

[ssullivan]

I agree with all the positive comments. Kanter is a top notch builder, and the designs are reputable and seaworthy. The real issues here in looking to purchase are the following:

1) The boat will be a DOG. It will not be very quick under sail. You will have to take into account the give/take between safely being able to avoid weather in a fast boat, or slogging through it in this boat. I actually looked at the Kanter, but decided on a faster boat.

2) Resale value and ability resell will be inconsistent. You may or may not find an interested party. Depends on luck.

[jimisbell]

I owned a Bruce Roberts 43 center cockpit ketch. It was a great boat, efficient under power and reasonable under sail. Got 0.9 GPH at hull speed from a Perkins 6-354 Diesel. One important downer. You will find it impossible to sell. I paid $55K for mine and gave it away for $25K four years later when I decided that a ketch of that size was too big to single hand. It was in better shape when I sold it than when I bought it. But unless you are in Europe, where they have more sense, it will not sell. Americans like plastic boats and dont want something that will rust.

[Weyalan]

As a general rule, Steel Roberts boats are bomb proof motor-sailers. They usually have large engines, because they need them - they are very slow under sail. A friend of mine who used to be a delivery skipper was telling me yesterday about delivering a 50' steelRoberts ketch from Tasmania to the Australian mainland. They had 25 knots right on the beam (i.e. the best possible breeze strength / direction). With main and mizzen main and #1 genoa and staysail jib, they couldn't get the boat to 5 knots, but under motor she did 10....

Good solid dependable seaboats, but slow as all hell.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Qoute:
A friend of mine who used to be a delivery skipper was telling me yesterday about delivering a 50' steelRoberts ketch from Tasmania to the Australian mainland. They had 25 knots right on the beam (i.e. the best possible breeze strength / direction). With main and mizzen main and #1 genoa and staysail jib, they couldn't get the boat to 5 knots, but under motor she did 10....

Looks like he needs to go and learn how to sail. I have a Spray 36 which is supposed to be a dog, and average around 6 knots under working sails

[funkadelic]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

As a general rule, Steel Roberts boats are bomb proof motor-sailers. They usually have large engines, because they need them - they are very slow under sail. A friend of mine who used to be a delivery skipper was telling me yesterday about delivering a 50' steelRoberts ketch from Tasmania to the Australian mainland. They had 25 knots right on the beam (i.e. the best possible breeze strength / direction). With main and mizzen main and #1 genoa and staysail jib, they couldn't get the boat to 5 knots, but under motor she did 10....

Good solid dependable seaboats, but slow as all hell.

We have a Roberts 434 steel cutter. We used to have a Formosa 46 - very fast, seaworthy and comfortable boat. (Designed by Doug Peterson) Compared to our F46 our 434is a little sluggish. Compared to other boats out there, she can hold her own. She's heavy, bombproof and we can make 7-8 kts under sail without issue. Rust-schmust - we just scrape and paint. She's currently 3 different colors. Scraping and painting beats brightwork anyday. (at least in my book) No, she doesn't sail with incredible performance like our beloved F46 but when, this last weekend we were in nasty weather off Nor Cal Coast and I felt like we were in a friggin' washing machine, she handled it beautifully. (6-8 foot swell, howling winds, cresting waves coming from every direction - yuck!) We've got a 65 Horse Yanmar - she motors well and she sails well with her new suit of sails and low aspect rig. She's stiff, fairly comfortable, very seaworthy and did I mention BOMB PROOF? I love our BR 434. Oh and below decks - a dream - more room than our F46. We just need some hand-holds...got a little bruised up on our last trip....

[offrd2001]

Bryan and Wendy,

I am also looking at buying a BR steel Offshore 44. It was gutted my the current owner and has to be re-fitted BUT... I love the designs he puts out and like all the others have said, bombproof. Im looking forward to whats to come.

[Jerry Cox]

I have a 36ft Spray Gaff cutter. She is wholly stable in bad conditions...needs a fair breeze to get her going. I recently saw 9.3 (very unusual)..on a beam reach...we were going like hell...Normal average in 18 to 20 knots of breeze is high 6's..So...If you cant get yours to go well...a good look at the sail trim and set up is in order. I have spent some time on ballast trim and this has paid off in spades...
She has a 42hp Mercedes...easily enough...6.5 cruising speed at 3litres per hour...A superb boat all round.

[GeoffRob]

Originally Posted by Jerry Cox

I have a 36ft Spray Gaff cutter. She is wholly stable in bad conditions...needs a fair breeze to get her going. I recently saw 9.3 (very unusual)..on a beam reach...we were going like hell...Normal average in 18 to 20 knots of breeze is high 6's..So...If you cant get yours to go well...a good look at the sail trim and set up is in order. I have spent some time on ballast trim and this has paid off in spades...
She has a 42hp Mercedes...easily enough...6.5 cruising speed at 3litres per hour...A superb boat all round.

People who bag Sprays have either never owned on or never sailed on one. I had a 40 foot steel poop deck Spray cutter which hit 8 knots, under sail only, a few times during a friendly - in 18-20 knot wind forward of the beam (check the flag). Could easily get 6 knots in a reasonable 10-15 knot breeze, and she would ghost along in flat water at a few knots with barely a whisper of wind. Here's me on my Spray on Moreton Bay, Queensland - note the low heel angle - another Spray plus. Sprays are excellent cruising boats - just ask a Spray owner! See more on www.slocumspraysociety.asn.au

[Jerry Cox]

Good to hear from another Spray fan. My wife and I have completed our first season in the Med this year and have had such fun. She is so suitable for everything we need. We are starting a charter business here in Greece (Methoni) and spent all last summer taking people out on freebees...for PR...and the response/feedback was wholly positive. Shs is almost unused from new and really looks the part as well as sailing very well. The stability ws commented on all the time as was the smooth running and sailing was perfect for nervous passengers. ..

So all in all...for me .. and for everyone else..the perfect boat.
Cheers..Jerry Cox

[bryan and wendy]

Hi Jerry,
Good luck with the charter business, I hope it works out well for you, and the Roberts continues to perform well.
We eventually did buy a boat, however for resaons too complex to explain here, ended up with a Beneteau 43 which is now based near Bodrum in Turkey, and we have put it on charter with a local company until we are ready to sail full time, which will be this year. So it looks like there will be no round the world sailing for us in the Beneteau, will most likely stick to the med, but never mind-it's a big place! We have entered the EMYR which we are looking forward to.
Is see you are in the north west Aegean, not an area we have visited as yet- limited time to date coupled with the Meltemi-however if we do get up there, it would be good to get together and see what we are missing with the Roberts!
cheers
Bryan

[Albro359]

Roberts reputation is no good to winward and even slow down wind...leeway is a big problem...

I had one....once ....never again !!