Cal Cruising 35

[Singlehander]

Hello All,

Great site! New to the forum. I have a contract on a 1973 Cal Cruising 35 and would like to hear what others think of this boat. Thanks.

The boat needs repower. It has a 4107 w/ BW V drive. Is a saildrive a viable choice? Richard

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Singlehander,
Welcome aboard!! Good boat. 4-107's a great engine. BW is a great transmission. Have you thought of a rebuild or replace with the a rebuilt?
Regards,
JohnL

[Singlehander]

Aloha,

Gotta get used to what that means again after living cooped up in a high-rise apartment. Yech. While I definitely appreciate the economical merits of buying a boat turn key, a fixer upper is sort of a finance plan to get into a bigger boat. As far as engine replacement, a new Yanmar is not much more than a rebuilt Perkins. Seems to me that a new eng vs. rebuilt is worth the extra 2-3$.

I am extra curious as to peoples opinions on this design, my thoughts are that the 'pilothouse' type cabin with all the windows is a nice and cheery place esp. during live aboard. I also have a great deal of respect for the designer. If anyone knows where to find line drawings the show the underbody outline.

[SkiprJohn]

My friends lived aboard and cruised a Cal 2-46 ketch for years and I believe the quality of the craft to be very good. I helped them do a couple of short channel sails. Although it was very comfortable for four aboard it was 10 feet too long for my liking. It was more a motor sailer. The keel was short and long and the rudder was small. I don't know what the underbody of your 35 is like.
The Perkins is a forever engine. Yanmars are good too but whenever you change engine and drivetrain there are hidden costs in time and money. I know from experience.
The raised cabin with large portlights lets in a lot of light and makes it feel much larger, however, in the tropics it is a greenhouse so you need a lot of ventilation to cool things down. Everything with sailing craft is a compromise.
Good luck in your choice and I hope this helps with your plans.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

whenever you change engine and drivetrain there are hidden costs in time and money. I know from experience.

I would second this. The fitting of a diiferent engine will add up, cos it won't be a straight swap and you would be surprised how much labour is involved and what also needs to be replaced - and also seems prudent to do so when the engine is out.

Having said that, if my Perkins 4107 (now 36 years old) ever stopped majorly I would be very tempted to go for a Japanese replacement.

[SkiprJohn]

Aren't you glad Perkins don't give out? If they are cared for properly they'll go forever.
JohnL

[Sonny]

I have a 1973 Pearson 36 and decided to go with a new Yanmar 3GM30F. I was able to get a good deal on the engine and had the yard install it. I thought I was going to save some money; but I was wrong it wound up costing what the yard had originally quoted me. If you can go with the rebuild and save the extra cash, go for it.