Duncanson 37 Yachts

[frenchys]

I am looking for any info, specs and or reviews on an Australian designed yacht, the Duncanson 37. Centre cockpit.
Does anybody own or sail one of these boats?
Would greatly appreciate any info, good or bad
cheers
frenchy

[SimonV]

Great boat, one negative was the skeg did/can have issues due to the lack of bracing in the layup causing it to flex under load. As they are getting on in age most have had this problem fixed, but the odd one does turn up it should be the first thing a surveyor will check when hauled out . The aft cockpit is prettier than the CC and is also more liveable. Both mods are easy to sail single handed but is a squirrel down wind.

[frenchys]

thanks for the heads up on the skeg.
Squirrel downwind?
I should imagine it means broaching and rolling?

[SimonV]

Yep, as it rolls to port she will go to starboard and vice vercer. Not alot but it can be a bit annoying on a long trip using the auto pilot going dead down wind, less so when hand stearing as you can anticipate it for shorter legs. Or you can do what I do and tack down wind at an angle where the wind comes over the quarter enough to negate the roll.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Frenchy.

See also JJB’s comments ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...7-a-53869.html

[frenchys]

thanx again for the info. You obviously owned one or have sailed extensively on one.
I did some sailing years ago on an s&s34 called Shanty, built by a mate of mine, Marty. You might know her as elle bache pink lady, jessica watsons boat. Anyway Marty commented that underwater, the hull shape of the s&s was almost identical to the dunc 37.
Shanty did wallow abit downwind. My mate also stated that the dunc was faster on most points of sailing, inc to weather, which was the s&s's strong point
Anyway I am trying o gather as much info about the 37 before I take a look at this 1977 boat offered for sale
cheers

[frenchys]

Hey Simon from goodonya, if you are still interested, how did you pick up the fact that the skeg was flexing?
If i look at one out of the water, the repairs would be hard to pick as it would be faired and painted.
Also how do you find the duncs with osmosis?
cheers
frenchy

[redearth]

Hi Frenchy, I have duncanson 37 currently in Langkawi from Darwin. My sailing experience is limited having only started out down Townsville way. It is a ketch and said to be one of the first. Sailing wise the boat is better than me in rough conditions and doesn't mind 7 knots if the wind is up a bit and sails fairly upright. Anchored with a bit of swell, it tends to be more rolly than the narrower hulls. Hand steering down wind is a bit of an art but our auto pilot seems to cope most of the time.

The problems are mainly the interior. We are renewing the 30 year old fitout which was delaminating because of deck leaks and high humidity in the tropics. The material in the bulk heads all seems to be sound but the veneers are past their use by dates.

Most the toe rail bolts need to be sealed in addition to the other through deck fittings. A small bulkhead on the starboard side was mush because an unsealed toe rail bolt without a nut was pushed into it .

An expensive fault is the propeller shaft. The engine has to be lifted a bit to get the shaft out for renewing the cutlass bearings. The skeg is in the way.

Many of today's cruisers would find the aft cabin small but we find it the best place on the boat to sleep.

Basically I have found the whole experience of working out the boat totally rewarding.

[SimonV]

The one that I saw that flexed was a CC and by grabing the end of the skeg and rocking it you could see an feel definate movement, my mate has the aft cockpit and he was the guy that told me about the problem, he had his fixed and the purchase price was adjusted for the repairs. Most have been fixed as it was a common problem. most good surveyors will check this out. Do not buy without a survey, its money well spent and you will need his report for insurance.

[philocat]

We had a dunc 35 (similar to 37) many moons ago. Crossing the coral sea 400 miles from land we discovered we had water coming in above the skeg area. Not a good look! By using towels as a cofferdam we didnt have to pump afterwards but there were still a few inches of water sloshing around. Turns out the duncs were constructed in two halves and joined at the middle. In our case there was an insubstantial amount of glassed in section over the top of the skeg that let water thru from a leak in one of the rudder pintles from what i remember. Didn't know this was a common problem but dont let that put you off. The dunc were solid. One of a few types that you could confidently use an ex racer as a cruising boat. RE osmosis fwiw. We ground off the gel coat and epoxied the hull in the best of weather conditions possible as we were going to be cruising in tropical waters. Upon selling we noticed a few blisters appearing but didnt establish if that was the top coats or the epoxy. Now got a steely to bounce off the reef.

[Surfshack]

Originally Posted by SimonV

Great boat, one negative was the skeg did/can have issues due to the lack of bracing in the layup causing it to flex under load. As they are getting on in age most have had this problem fixed, but the odd one does turn up it should be the first thing a surveyor will check when hauled out . The aft cockpit is prettier than the CC and is also more liveable. Both mods are easy to sail single handed but is a squirrel down wind.

Rehashing an old thread but here's hoping.

Any more info about that skeg problem? Is the fix as simple as sandblasting the area and adding plenty of additional layers?

What would it take to accept a skeg like this as reinforced enough? No flex at all?

Thanks 😊

[jamielongmire]

I'm just coming to this thread after having exhaustively searched for general information about Duncanson yacht designs and the boat yards that built them but more specifically about the Duncanson 37. I've seen threads, like this one, pertaining to centre and aft cockpit configurations but I have not found the substantive and detailed design and build information I am looking for online.

I am hoping that this post will lead me to a link of a forum or point me to someone or group who has detailed knowledge, design and build specifications of the Duncanson 37