I have a 1979 Endeavour 43 CC
Ketch that I have owned for 15+ years now as a
liveaboard. Sailing in the Pacific NW and having been beat up more than once on the west side of
Vancouver Island, I considered this boat totally capable of “blue water” sailing.
Yes, it’s a bit of a Grand Canyon below in a seaway but you have to ask yourself…what percentage of time will you be doing a crossing vs. actually living on your boat. I went for the comfort level and have enjoyed it immensely. Guests often comment on how much space there is for a boat this size. And for its size and weight I’m very happy with its sailing capabilities.
Through the years I’ve gone through the boat with numerous upgrades such as replacing the
deck hatches, replacing all 20 opening portals with stainless/safety glass units and the list goes on and on. Regarding the
aluminum water and fuel tanks sitting in the bilge, dumb idea. Bob Johnson was the
designer who came up with this design. He’s also the
designer responsible for the
Island Packet and their issues with
chain plate access. So, for the second or third owners, etc. of these boats the
maintenance issues fall on them.
Another design issue on the 43, not sure about the 42 is the
mast step. A 4 foot section of a
steel I beam was glassed into the
hull with the
mast stepped on the forward end. I’m curious as to the design theory. The issue of
corrosion comes up with this design. When the time came to address the tank issues the mast step was addressed also.
I ran a beam across the main
saloon through the portals, pulled the floor section up and used a come along to pull the water and then the fuel tank out of the bilge where I then cut them up with a saws all. I found a fabricator that “welds” plastic tanks and had a tank built to my design that would fit through the companion way. That tank sits in the bilge impervious to the
salt water. Cross beams sit above the water tank where two aluminum fuel tanks, again designed to fit through the companion way, sit.
While the tanks were removed and the bilge area was totally open, it was an excellent time to replace the mast step. Removing that rusted steel I beam was a hassle for sure and it probably didn’t need to be replaced but I wasn’t sure until it was off the boat. I know now however that I have a solid mast step.
In replacing the tanks, I
lost 92 gallons of water capacity, down from 200 gallons but I gained 25 gallons of fuel capacity, 175 gallons total now. I also have a 30 gallon an hour
water maker so total capacity is sort of mute.
So that big question of having to deal with Endeavour’s tank issues and/or mast step, yes, it’s a hassle. However, it didn’t cost me 50k since I was willing to put in the sweatectomy. Including pulling the mast I completed that
project for around 8k.
A boat
purchase is a very personal decision. I have no doubt my decision to own this boat is not someone else’s cup of tea. Yes, there are definitely some bad designs out there. Do your homework and give it your best shot. Good luck.