Early Crealock 37's vs. PSC 37's

[LLCoolDave]

First off, Happy Holidays. I'm sure most have you have better things to do than read my midnight post leading into Xmas day but I'm feeling inspired. I'm beginning my boat search and stumbled across this Crealock 37.

1982 Cruising Consultants Crealock 37 sailboat for sale in Outside United States

Things I like:

Mainsail and Headsail about 4 years old; unfortunately no other sail inventory that's listed.
4 year old Standing Rigging
1500 hr diesel
2016 watermaker (didn't really want one.)
Tiller steering, climbing around the wheel gets old on passages
2015 windlass
full cockpit enclosure when you want it
auto pilot and a windvane (windvane not installed)
2014 refridgeration
200w solar and 500ah battery bank
Hard dodger (not sure if this is a plus or minus, depends on the cruising grounds)

One of the main things I like is the galley. As you come down the companionway the galley is to starboard in a horseshoe with the stove at the point of the U towards the bow. The sink/refrigeration is to port and storage is starboard. I've been thrown across a galley on ocean passages where you couldn't brace yourself so I like the idea of being able to wedge myself in. I haven't seen this layout on any other Crealock 37.

The other thing that's unusual about this boat is that it has a Volvo Penta with a sail drive. This is the only one I've seen online with this setup. This also entails a completely different skeg/rudder design. Every other PSC listing has the prop between the skeg and the rudder. I've been told that Volvo parts are very expensive to replace.

The boat is listed as a 1982. I've read that PSC bought the molds in 1980 but this boat seems to be different from others listed. It is listed as a Cruising Consultant's boat. Granted, most others listed are 1988 and newer and quite a bit more expensive.

I noticed the pictures include a painted mast and non-painted mast. What's the reason for that? I do like having mast steps which weren't listed.

Overall is there something I'm missing here?
Thanks for any info,

Dave

[Paul Elliott]

I don't know enough to comment on the boat you are looking at, but I have a friend with a Cruising Consultants Crealock 37. He bought the bare hull after Cruising Consultants went belly-up and built out the interior himself. It looks like he used many of the standard Crealock 37 components, but there are things he did differently. So, you may be looking at a semi-custom build, and if so, much will depend on the person who completed the project.

[LLCoolDave]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

I don't know enough to comment on the boat you are looking at, but I have a friend with a Cruising Consultants Crealock 37. He bought the bare hull after Cruising Consultants went belly-up and built out the interior himself. It looks like he used many of the standard Crealock 37 components, but there are things he did differently. So, you may be looking at a semi-custom build, and if so, much will depend on the person who completed the project.

Thanks Paul, It makes sense that CC liquidated the after parts. This could be why the layout is different. Maybe the boat was finished in 1982 but built from parts from 1978-1979. From what I've read PSC has used a GRP liner that put bulkheads and settees in place so a different layout wouldn't be possible with a PSC boat. Just thinking out loud here.

Also looked like I goofed about the unpainted mast. Looks like it's a mounted spinnaker pole. The mast is painted black in all pictures.

[Boatguy30]

Some of the early boats had Volvo saildrives which would be a major negative if not repowered yet. May also have tiller steering which I’d count as a positive.

[Suijin]

I only see pictures of what I assume is a black anodized mast. I think you’re mistaking the spin pole as the mast in one of the pictures...

[LLCoolDave]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I only see pictures of what I assume is a black anodized mast. I think you’re mistaking the spin pole as the mast in one of the pictures...

Yup, realized that looking through the pics again. Any advantages of this type of mast?

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by LLCoolDave

Yup, realized that looking through the pics again. Any advantages of this type of mast?

It keeps the halyards warm!

On the downside, any scratches in the coating are immediately apparent.

[SV Bacchus]

Pretty sweet looking but I am, personally, not fond of saildrives. Getting the price down would make up for it!

[SeaBreeze-1]

Hi LLCoolDave. I had a look at the listing you provided the link for and noticed a couple of thinks to consider:

First off, it's a Sailboatlistings.com ad that was posted in March of 2016. This website is notorious for not removing sold items or stale ads. So, before getting too excited, if you haven't already, check to see that the listing is still active.

The Crealock pedigree is a pretty good one so at the core, it's a pretty good cruising boat. So even if there's a few thing to change or correct, it may be worth it as you can end up with a good boat when your done. Here's what I noticed that you might want to look at closer:

The list of items included seems a bit "Padded". If you read it closely, you'll notice that the list includes things that just about any boat should have anyway. So when looking at the package, look for list items that make you think, "That's a nice add on", A propane system that has been "itimized" by component, isn't what I might consider a unique feature. Also, if it hasn't been operated in a couple of years, it might not even work so could be a hazard/liability.

The anchor package isn't that thrilling. The big CQR and Danforth are OK but the small Danforth is mostly non useable on something like a Crealock 37. You'll likely want to look at one of the new generation anchors as an upgrade to what's there now.

I like mast steps as well and have the folding style. The ones on this boat are the fixed style and while they work well, they impart constant drag and windage on the rig. In a big blow, they can add a lot of heel to the boat; something to consider.

The one and only BIG item that you will want to look at closely is the way the SailDrive is installed. Newer technology has solved many of the issues but the style of Iso Rings in the older versions led to a lot of annoying leaks that were hard to stop. Some never stopped leaking, some seriously and as this might be very dated technology, replacements may not be available. In a serious failure they can sink a boat (they are, after all, a engineered hole in the hull). In some cases, boats have been hauled, had the hole glassed over and repowerd with a shaft drive train to fix the problem. It may be just fine but look at this feature closely.

Any older boat is going to need a seriously close look to decide if it's worth the overhaul to bring it up to snuff. Even paying for a good surveyor isn't a guarantee... ask me how I know. So look at the boat, impartially, and truly decide if the agreed on price plus the upgrade costs are going to give you what you want for the price you're willing to pay. Good luck with this, you could end up with a very good boat once you help get her through her aches and pains.

[YachtBroker]

At the risk Of making the cruising consultants 37 owners mad there is NO comparison to a PAC Seacraft built boat.

The PSC boats were way better built in every way.

I was a PS dealer for 19 years.

[RobTryon]

Coaster was built by Barry Bristol, in Southern California and has a very unique interior. There is some confusion about the transition between the CC boats and the PSC boats. CC had 18 hulls laid up by the power boat builder Chrystaliner. There were six additional boats built by Allejuela Yachts. One of the principles from CC started working at Allejuela, and that's how they got the molds. When PS started building them, they got the molds from Allejuela. They added "100" to the hull numbers, which is why there's a gap in hull numbers. The first 18 hulls were built with sail drives, all of the Allejuela and PS boats had an aperture in the skeg, not a shaft & strut. Barry sailed Coaster in the Singlehanded TransPac a couple times. Last time we saw the boat, a young couple from the Pacific NW were taking it on a cruise to Mexico.

[blueazimuth]

Nice looking vessel, will sail well, has tiller, bulwarks and deck stepped mast, all pluses. Seems well equipped, price seems fair, if you like saildrives, and if everything works.

However, the interior appears to be non professional. Wood finish? If it's varnish, its very poor. If it's oiled, its not my choice. There are water stains in several of the photos - difficult, expensive and time consuming to correct cosmetically and may reflect a general level of maintenance.

Love or hate your Volvos: either way, parts are ridiculously expensive.

Saildrive? No alignment problems and, with a deck stepped mast, potentually a completely dry bilge, another plus. Having said that, I would be very reluctant to buy a sail drive.

Without a significant price reduction, I would pass on this boat. I'd look for a factory boat, with a straight drive, and for sale in the US. Then negotiate.
Good luck

[JPA Cate]

It has been suggested that one cannot have dusty bilges with a keel stepped mast. Simply, that idea is incorrect. It depends on how the mast penetration is sealed, and how the mast drainage is accomplished. Ours drains into the shower sump. I love our dusty bilges! There are some who think that keel stepped masts are superior to deck stepped ones.

Many people like saildrives, and they are a great boon to the builder who wants a less expensive way to put an engine in a boat. However, saildrives are subject to friction losses, dissimilar metals corrosion, and, worst of all, if the engine has to come out to be worked on, very expensive lay days, unless you build a seal that you can install so you can spend your lay days back in the water rather than on the hard while it is worked on. IMO, tractor based diesels, without turbos, and with shaft drives, are a far more reliable setup for a long term cruiser. Ymmv.

Someone above mentioned that Volvo parts are expensive. Had a friend who needed set screws (grub screws) for his Volvo's prop. $20 apiece at Volvo. $1.00 from the nuts and bolts shop. My, oh, my. Volvo's reputation is somewhat sullied by their use of proprietary parts you can only get from them, and at "Maserati" prices. And then, there are the reliability issues. Some folks I've heard call them "Green Death."

Ann

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

It has been suggested that one cannot have dusty bilges with a keel stepped mast. Simply, that idea is incorrect. It depends on how the mast penetration is sealed, and how the mast drainage is accomplished. Ours drains into the shower sump. I love our dusty bilges! There are some who think that keel stepped masts are superior to deck stepped ones.

Many people like saildrives, and they are a great boon to the builder who wants a less expensive way to put an engine in a boat. However, saildrives are subject to friction losses, dissimilar metals corrosion, and, worst of all, if the engine has to come out to be worked on, very expensive lay days, unless you build a seal that you can install so you can spend your lay days back in the water rather than on the hard while it is worked on. IMO, tractor based diesels, without turbos, and with shaft drives, are a far more reliable setup for a long term cruiser. Ymmv.

Someone above mentioned that Volvo parts are expensive. Had a friend who needed set screws (grub screws) for his Volvo's prop. $20 apiece at Volvo. $1.00 from the nuts and bolts shop. My, oh, my. Volvo's reputation is somewhat sullied by their use of proprietary parts you can only get from them, and at "Maserati" prices. And then, there are the reliability issues. Some folks I've heard call them "Green Death."

Ann

Anne...you shouldn't be passing on rumors that are true.

[kenbo]

That Volvo 2030 diesel is a Perkins Perama M30 painted Volvo green. I had one in an 8 tonne Westerly and it was very smooth, quiet and reliable for the 6 years I had the boat. Perkins fitted that engine in quite a range of industrial/farm equipment so basic engine parts should not be too expensive but it's always the marinized bits that need replacing.

Would not be a deal breaker for me. Inspect the sail drive closely and make sure F/R works smoothly and quietly. If you can verify that the zincs have been well maintained that would also be a big plus for the sail drive.

Like what I see about the boat good luck!