Oyster 43

[msoneji]

Oyster 43
I am looking at a Oyster 43 that is a spartan racing sloop. I don't see much information around on the boat. I wanted to reach out to the vast membership of this forum to find any and all information on this boat.

Here is some brief notes on the boat that I am looking at:

Boat: 1983 Oyster 43
Length: 43
Beam: 14'
Draft 8.5'
Mast: 60' - triple spreaders
Steering: Tiller

I can get rig details from SAILBOAT RIG DIMENSIONS OFFICIAL WEBSITE, but I want to get the boat reviews and what owners and users think of the boat. Any and all pictures of the boats from inside and outside will greatly help.

My goal is to do intercoastal cruising and graduate to bluewater sailing in 3-5 years which this boat can handle easily. I am on the west coast and the 8.5' draft will not be a problem per se.

Thanks!

[GordMay]

➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...els-36602.html

[msoneji]

Thanks Gord.

I am hoping we will get some replies and info from actual Oyster 43 owners. I am also hoping to see some pictures.

Cheers for now.

[Kindle]

I wish you well in connecting with other 43 owners. In the mean time, we had an excellent response from Oyster. They sent us a nice letter and all of the original brochures and advertising information for our model. (and a catalog including such things as china and towels monogramed with the Oyster logo -who knew!)

[Doodles]

This the one ....1983 OYSTER sailboat for sale in Outside United States

[msoneji]

It is. But it is really spartan. No wooden cabinets, no interior, no sails, small engine, tiller, bottom condition unknown...What do you think? Somehow it seems to be slightly different shape than the other O43s I am seeing...Then again...it may just be my impression.

Therefore I want to see pictures of other O43s of that time frame.

[sestina]

The Trini boat looks like an Oyster 41. She's an old IOR one tonner designed by Steven Jones. The Oyster 435 is a cruiser designed by Holman and Pye. Very different boat. I doubt the racer ever had bone china on board!

[DannySt]

checkout oyster brokerage

[Sharkman]

Originally Posted by msoneji

It is. But it is really spartan. No wooden cabinets, no interior, no sails, small engine, tiller, bottom condition unknown...What do you think? Somehow it seems to be slightly different shape than the other O43s I am seeing...Then again...it may just be my impression.

Therefore I want to see pictures of other O43s of that time frame.

The 43 was indeed a Stephen Jones design, and was available in a number of formats - comfortable cruiser/racer to stripped out Grand Prix version such as one of Richard Matthews's Oystercatchers, or the Irish Admirals Cup boat Stormbird. It would look like the one on offer is one of the latter so she should have some history.

She's probably been raced very hard, so she would need a thorough survey, and most especially the big fractional rig.

They were very quick boats in their time, and were good downwind for an IOR boat. I raced on one of the smaller versions, and she was a very good boat.

[msoneji]

Thanks for the great information Sharkman.

Are there any Oyster 43 Grand Prix version owners on this forum? I'd love to hear from them.

Thanks.

[Sharkman]

I doubt you'll find anyone with a GP Oyster 43 on here - there were only a few of the stripped out versions built, and, in fact, there weren't an awful lot of the cruisier variants either.

There were three GP 43's that I know of: Oystercatcher X (I think it was X), Storm Bird and Black Topic. The first two both were raced in the States, the latter very successfully. The third was in the UK Admiral's Cup team. I'd say there's a good chance the boat you are looking at is one of these three.

Old stripped out IOR boats can be had very cheaply, but converting them into a cruising home might prove prohibitively expensive. The Oyster 43 was certainly one of nicer IOR boats from that era, but it's a big rig, and they were originally designed for a big crew of musclebound types.....

Good luck with your search!

[Joli]

The biggest problem with converting this design into a cruiser will be the rig. Being a frac you will have to contend with setting the (not smallish) runners to avoid a gravity storm. No big deal with a full crew but tough when sailing short handed.

Good luck though.

[tsakai]

I own a Oyster 43 hull no.9 built in 1985. 43 is a stretched version of 41 and came in various forms as they were semi custom boats.
My boat has wheel steering, triple spreader masthead rig with cruising interior and Kevlar hull.
I have seen double spreader fractional rig with tiller steering version which had stripped down below. Also double spreader masthead version was available.
She is built to high standard and sails very well especially heavy air upwind.

[daddle]

At $35k she could be a good deal for the right motivated buyer. Be prepared for a ton of worn out gear. Cynically add up the costs. She probably has 40 winches in need of maintenance. Too bad she's a goofy IOR hull...but that doesn't really matter for a cruiser.

It can be a big advantage to NOT have a hull full of worn-out, obsolete, poorly installed cruising amenities. Focus on the hull, rig and rudder. Any of those less than perfect: she should be free.

Pretty cool fractional rig. Runners are not a big deal to tend to on most boats.

[tsakai]

I think the price can vary depending on condition. The original Volvo MD17D produces 28hp which was a bit under power for cruising.
There were not many fractional versions were launched and all of them had inline spreaders with runners which were pain during heave air jibe.