Cruising on a classic sailboat (Choy Lee Robb 35)

[boatman61]

On a boat like this the living space is judged by the waterline length.. by me anyway..

[psk125]

Living space is important, but LOD counts too. The Robb offers a lot more room to stretch out, perhaps stow a dinghy on the foredeck, or mount solar panels.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Doesn't scare me. As a kid I cruised on a 26' sailboat with two parents, four kids, and two dogs. No HVAC, no refrigerator, manual pump water. And I loved it.

The Robb35 might not be the most comfortable, but you'll cruise in style.

We had a 22' Bristol and 4 kts avg VMG was a good day. It's 330 NM from Salem Sound to Mt. Desert Island and back. We'd do it in two weeks: Two overnights (first day and last day) and three long days interspersed with a couple of short hops and lot of sitting around charming New England ports eating steamuhz. The key is recovery days after the long ones, as well as accounting for a couple of socked-in days for Maine fog or a stiff sou'westerly on your nose. The OP's dream boat would've looked really good on that trip.

[rmesfo]

Originally Posted by GSouth

Yes, the speed is probably the only thing that has made me slightly hesitant. I think mostly because I dont really know what to expect.
Are these kinds boats really that much slower than something 10 years younger?The sailboat.guide website gives a more than 2knot difference between the robb and something like a miura 31 which has a 27' waterline length vs the robbs 24'.
(and would sell for a similar price here).

Id imagine that a 19 hour difference in passage time on a 400NM trip is something worth thinking about when you have a week or two for it.

Or am I over analyzing it?
Are these numbers a true representation of a real world passage?

https://sailboat.guide/cheoy-lee/robb-35

https://sailboat.guide/nebe/miura-31

You are, and many, many do on this forum, approaching the "paralysis by analysis" phase. Unless you have unlimited funds or time there will be compromises and that is just life. Analyze it, don't made an impulsive decision, and go with your gut. Has worked for me for many, many years but took time and an occasional bad decision to get me to this philosophy.. Good luck! Beautiful boat.

[Jackg]

I had a Cheoy Lee Lion, which is also an Arthur Robb design, 35'. It's just like the Robb but with one foot less beam. Teak hull, just stunning. I sailed her across the Atlantic a couple of times.


Be aware, though, that if there's a teak deck, the Chinese plywood under it tends to delaminate. That's a big job to fix.


With the main and boomed staysail I could tack in and out of marinas like on a Sunfish.



She balanced beautifully and a little tiller pilot took her across oceans.



I averaged about 125 miles/day (24 hours).


She turned heads in every port.

[AiniA]

To the OP, where are you located? What are the prevailing wind conditions during your cruising season.

[GSouth]

Originally Posted by psk125

How do the interiors compare in fit/finish and workable layouts? Do they both have deck-stepped masts? The interiors of the Robbs shown online look nice, and it's certainly the better looking boat.

Fit and finish: there is no comparison between the robb and any locally manufactured boats unless they were built bespoke. They are all basically clad entirely with white melamine or have the little original feature woodwork painted over. From what I could briefly see through the portlight, this boat isnt as nice as some of the really nice internal photos on the internet (its got some white infill panelling with solid wood framing), but it all looks pretty original down to the original anchor shaped vent holes in the panels.

Layout: its got a full lenth in-line galley on the starboard side that I havent seen in any photos of other boats. Its not may favourite layout, especially while sailing, but i think its liveable, and If im really committed, its something I could probably gradually change myself (moving the galley aft and next to the companionway). It doesnt seem less spacious in the beam than an equivalent more modern boat (same beam as the miura), but Ill only be able to judge the total internal space when I get inside it.

Masts: Robb has deck stepped, and Im 80% sure miura has keel stepped.

Originally Posted by Jackg

I had a Cheoy Lee Lion, which is also an Arthur Robb design, 35'. It's just like the Robb but with one foot less beam. Teak hull, just stunning. I sailed her across the Atlantic a couple of times.


Be aware, though, that if there's a teak deck, the Chinese plywood under it tends to delaminate. That's a big job to fix.


With the main and boomed staysail I could tack in and out of marinas like on a Sunfish.



She balanced beautifully and a little tiller pilot took her across oceans.



I averaged about 125 miles/day (24 hours).


She turned heads in every port.

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for. I know of the Lion class, found a lot about them in my research.
The plywood decks is noted and something I have also picked up from my research. I think the decks on this boat might have been redone, but this is definately something I will be double and triple checking.
What was your internal layout like?

Originally Posted by AiniA

To the OP, where are you located? What are the prevailing wind conditions during your cruising season.

South Africa. We have strong winds and tough seas. You know that boats built here or that have been here since the 70s or 80s, and that still float are well proven, tough and will keep you safe (fin keels like the miura, sadler 26/32 and lavranos’ included)

We can pretty reliably watch a front coming from about a week away and pick it up for a 3 day sail up or down our coast. They might (and probably will) be stronger than predicted, but are rarely (if ever) weaker. And pretty reliable in terms of time of arrival and wind direction.



Thanks so much for all the feedback so far guys!

[Jackg]

>What was your internal layout like?


L-shaped galley next to companionway and to port side, settee forward of that.


In the middle was a flip-down (from a bulkhead) table.



To starboard a fold-down "chart" table (at least that's what I used it for. A settee, and aft of the settee a cabinet that was mostly open for stowing weather gear">foul weather gear and the like, with a shelf overhead.

[Cheechako]

The old Cheoy's are great looking but they are often ready to fall apart. The terrible plywood used throughout turns rotten readily. Wet or Dry rot. Entire cockpit, cabin sides... etc Thin glass over ply on some.
I was wanting one at one point in my sailing career and literally could not find a good one.... 20-25 years ago!
Unless this is some later build made from complete molds...

[GSouth]

Originally Posted by Jackg

>What was your internal layout like?


L-shaped galley next to companionway and to port side, settee forward of that.


In the middle was a flip-down (from a bulkhead) table.



To starboard a fold-down "chart" table (at least that's what I used it for. A settee, and aft of the settee a cabinet that was mostly open for stowing foul weather gear and the like, with a shelf overhead.

Yes, thats the layout I see most often.
Any chance you could wager a guess at what the internal height of the cabin house and the length of the V-berth was on your lion?
Im about 6'2", and a V-berth I can fit in is very high on my list of needs.

Originally Posted by Cheechako

The old Cheoy's are great looking but they are often ready to fall apart. The terrible plywood used throughout turns rotten readily. Wet or Dry rot. Entire cockpit, cabin sides... etc Thin glass over ply on some.
I was wanting one at one point in my sailing career and literally could not find a good one.... 20-25 years ago!
Unless this is some later build made from complete molds...

This is also good (if sad) feedback, thank you.
I definately plan to get a survey done on any boat i choose to buy, but will keep my eyes peeled for these kinds of things before I set my heart on it.

[Jackg]

>Any chance you could wager a guess at what the internal height of the cabin house and the length of the V-berth was on your lion?


I'm 5' 9" and had no problem. I guess the headroom was about 6'. V-berth was at least 6'.

[GSouth]

Originally Posted by Jackg

>Any chance you could wager a guess at what the internal height of the cabin house and the length of the V-berth was on your lion?


I'm 5' 9" and had no problem. I guess the headroom was about 6'. V-berth was at least 6'.

Thanks.

Why did you let her go if you dont mind me asking?

[Djarraluda]

Aside from previously stated comments on wood etc, I love the Cheoy Lees, sailed a few and spent many a day sailing later 35s in HK and over the South China Sea. Looks lovely and if sound, will be great, the only issue I would note is the shallow draught. at 1.4m for a 35 footer she will be limited in that initial stability, will respond to gusts with a heel first, before accelerating as the waterline length increases and that can get tiring for coastal cruising, great fun for day sailing though.
Roger

[clakiep]

Theese classic design boats are slower in light winds, but often faster in brisk winds and rough seas - speccially beating windward - but of course much wetter on deck.

Capt. Claus - ocean tramp of the eighties

[Dougtiff]

My second boat was a Robb 35, i purchased Her second hand around 1980 in Hongkong, Whistler was Yawl rigged and the first built in Teak for a local business man, in fact she was in the London boat show, the boat had a number of extras like Bronze floors instead of timber, Gold anodized Procter masts, Aires self steering wind vane, ect. We made our first offshore passage South to Singapore where we lived, using celestial for position, the boat sailed beautifully, owned Her for 7 year's, great boat, in fact a Robb 35 (teak) just hauled where I'm at, had a good conversation with the new owner, he really didn't realize what he had just bought, give Her good Sails and watch her go.