opinions on tayana 37

[capt lar]

I am planning on purchasing a coastal cruiser for under $100,000.- and the Tayana 37 is a possibility. Because of the short New England season and personal commitments, I do not want to tie up too much money in a boat. Been there - done that - more than once. I will sail single and with crew of one ( unless the lab can be trained to tend lines ) much of the time so ease of handling is important. For that reason, a cutter rig seems desirable. My price range seems to put me in 20 year old boats and while I understand the condition of a specific boat has much to do with previous owners' care, I am concerned about defects or weaknesses inherent to design or construction. Blisters are a concern. I know about teak decks and iron tanks - anything else to worry about with older Tayana ? Any other boats at this price that I should look at ?

[wannasail]

There are generous, very smart sailors here who will hopefully reply to you but in the mean time I can tell you, we have had 2 Tayanas now(lost the 1st one in Hurr Francis). We are learning so our sailing experience is limited but I did much research before buying and have found for our price range, safety/stability/design qualilies, Tayana fit. We have replaced rigging, and look closely at chainplates. Our newest aquisition has had the black iron tanks replaced. I can say that in every ICW marina we have been at (GA to FL only) so many people come up and ask, "is that a Tayana 37", and tell us great stories about having owned one or sailed on one. There is an active Tayana Owners Group at SailNet, here are some links for you.
http://list.sailnet.net/read/?forum=tayana
http://my.boatus.com/forum/default.asp
Nancy

[capt lar]

Thanks for the input. Since you are further south i assume the boat stays in the water most of the time. Any blister issues with either boat ?

[wannasail]

Both our T37's were purchased in Fl, in the water. Both surveys showed the hulls in fine shape, no blisters. In everything I have read and followed, blisters do not seem to be the problem for T-37's.
At the Sailnet site you can join the Tayana Owners Group mail list and post questions for the owners. People do that once in a while that are thinking of buying one and you'll have a great group of people that will give you the good and the bad.

[tennessee]

Sailed and lived aboard a Tayana 37 for two years. Did a little singlehanding and the rest with my wife. Liked it very much. No serious blisters below the waterline, but some very small, hard to see blister-like blemishes above the waterline on the bow. They show up if not kept cleaned. Our surveyor found them. Not a problem, except when selling. My wife a real terror for cleanliness, no bugs, no mildew, and a fresh smell. Kept the boat in perfect condition at all times. Two of the best years of my life. Too bad we had to go back to work.

[wannasail]

Capt Lar, Are you looking to buy a Tayana 37? We are wanting to change coasts and would sell ours. Let me know.

[capt lar]

sure - I will send you an email.

[Richhh]

Black iron tanks are NOT a problem if you keep the water out of them and keep them clean underneath .... free from mud and anchor 'dribblings'. A simple reciruclation/polishing filter with a water knock-out-pot or 'leg' will separate the water from the oil. After all, refineries use black iron for their field storage tanks !!!!!! Black iron is easily repairable. If the black iron tank wasnt maintained, you can cut the top off and install an epoxy fiberglass liner - using a fuel compatible 'tank resin' etc.

Most older Tayana 37s are now uncovering a lot of chainplate base problems - soggly bases that need to be bebuilt. Make SURE the surveyor removes the chainplate base fascia boards and actually LOOKS at the chainplates and bases. If the bases are wet, the the 'non-removable' attachment bolts are subject to crevice corrosion failure.
The chainplates have a design flaw that makes the plate prone to fatigue cracking ... 'beefier' (and polished) plates or changing to external plates is the remedy.

Teak decks on older Ty37 may be a 'problem' if they werent metcullously maintained. Look for a Ty37 without a teak deck.

The bowsprit is made of laminations of teak and an 'asian' mahogany. Rot will be found in the 'mahogany' but not usually visible from the 'outside'.

No two interiors will be the same as they were / are 'semi-custom' and built to the original owners various tastes. For offshore sailing look for one with 'sea berths' or a quarterberth, avoid a 'pullman' berth arrangement. A lot of interiors were oiled .... and now look like 'caves' due to the 'darkening' of the teak and the oxidized oil finish; try to find one with a varnished interior.

Avoid the older boats with wooden spars, from about 1980 onwards they used aluminum spars. Much of the rigging is "Grand Deer" and includes quite dangerous rigging toggle bolts that are NOT forged, but are a machined screwed-together affair .... very dangerous and subject to crevice corrosion failure. Replace with forged toggle bolts.

A lot of the OEM winches are 'exploding' Barients. The identity is they have a 'plastic' split top flange and have a 'push-button' release inside the winch handle socket. They can fly off the spindle without warning when under high loads. Obviously never go up the mast hanging on a 'push-button' release Barient.

Blister are not a problem. However, if the sun exposed gelcoat hasnt been regularly waxed and buffed, you may find the beginnings of 'microscopic' 'alligatoring' - a precursor of complete gelcoat failure. Take your strong magnifying glass or (Radio Shack) pocket microscope along with you.

A Ty37 is a wonderful and 'seakindly' sailing boat, built like a tank that can carry a huge amount of cruising stores. The higher the wind speed, the bigger the smile. They are a bit 'top-heavy' and have a slow roll period (I power-puke on a boat with a fast roll period). I'd buy another one.

;-)

[GordMay]

Karen Larson wrote an interesting article on the Tayana 37, published in the March/April 2005 Issue of "Good Old Boat" magazine (Issue 41).

Ted Brewer added his comments, and comparisons to the Crealock 38, Hans Christian 38T, & Island Packet .

I've posted Brewer's perspective at:
http://cruisersforum.com/photopost//...php?photo=1556

[Jim H]

I remember reading the Good Old Boat article, and it was good that that company responded to owners' concerns and problems. The bad part was that there were so many (as Richh summarized well). My impression going away was that buying a more recent "edition" could reduce risk in several areas.

The other concern I have is that they don't seem to sell very fast. There's two on the local market I've seen that seem to hang around (one is Hull No. 1), even though the prices seem relatively low ($50k and $65K). They're not project boats, but... Compared to others, there's a lot of teak to care for in the cockpit and on the decks.

If I were going to make that commitment to teak, I'd be tempted by some of the Baba 35s that go for less than $100k. (I was impressed by how much cruising was done in "Sailing the Dream" on a Baba 30.)

There's also a Crealock 37 nearby for $90k that's interesting, if I were lucky enough to have that much to spend.

Let us know how your search goes!

Jim H

[Richhh]

With the modern coating systems Teak isnt really a problem. The more modern two part over two part acrylic/urethane co-polymer systems (Honey Teak, Smith & Co. 5 yr. Clear, etc.) will solve THAT problem nicely. I currently have Honey Teak and am going into my 6th season with only minor repairs on my Ty37. The annual teak maintenance is a quick scuff with a scotchbrite pad and fast lay-down of the 'clear' with a soft 'artist' brush --- about 1/2 days 'work' per year. Whats nice about these products is that they 'almost' look like oil based varnish.

Teak Decks (once restored - ugh) can be protected with mixtures of SPF sunblock and industrial strength "Scotchguard" .... and they will remain looking 'new' for several years. Some of the mega yacht folks use a mixture of 1/3 TeakWonder, 1/3 Semco, 1/3 Olympic carmel deck preservative .... lasts about two years. Scotchguard (fluoro-phosphenes) is no longer being offered in the USA by 3M due to 'grave environmental concerns' so if you plan on such a 'treatment' better do it soon.

Cptn Lar ....
If you hire one of the better known designers as a 'consultant' once you get close to making a choice between a few designs, that money will be well spent.
For example, Bob Perry will be brutally honest about the strengths and weaknesses of his (and others) previous designs and the yards that made them .... what to look for in pre-survey, what's falling apart or not, etc. Most of the 'good guys' do this as a for fee - contract service.
If you are still interested in a Tayana, go to www.TOG.org and go through the email discussion archives and the ftp site for problems, corrections, etc. There are still some 'fragments' of the TOG group discussiosn on the old sailnet site archives.
"Good" boats are sold by word of mouth through the TOG association ... usually quite fast.

hope this helps.

[veda]

selling my tayana 37 in florida. I am a surveyor also and have inspected over 30 of them and know their strength and weakness's
let me know if you want any info.

[Lon1976]

I am close to buy a Tayana 37 in Vallarta in two weeks. Could you let me know what to look for when surveying? Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge.

[Lon1976]

Originally Posted by veda

selling my tayana 37 in florida. I am a surveyor also and have inspected over 30 of them and know their strength and weakness's
let me know if you want any info.

I am close to buy a Tayana 37 in Vallarta in two weeks. Could you let me know what to look for when surveying? Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Lon.