Why Not The Bayfield ?

[DMF Sailing]

Bayfield 36. She is a beaut, built like a tank, too. All that space below!! Ingenious! That clipper bow, too, arrrr. I'd probably put in a figurehead, if I owned one.

However, the question is "why not", not "why". So

1) It's called Bayfield 36, but it's 41 feet according to the marina where you are docking or mooring, thank$ to that bow$prit.

Hey, but since you are bluewater sailing, marinas aren't your problem.

2) Teak. The DMF Sailing experience has way too many other problems in life to be keeping up that exterior teak. However, when we encounter beautiful boats with lots of upkept teak, we tell the skipper, "Wow, that is a beautiful boat, with all that upkept teak!" And they beam with pride. Everybody wins!!

Of course, you are bluewater sailing, so few will see the teak, save for the flying fish.

3) Lotsa space below comes at the expense of stowage on deck.

Of course, on long passages, I guess what's in the cockpit and what's belowdecks kind of bleeds into one. Wouldn't know.

Hmmm....

This thread has inspired a bored-dmf-sailing-experience poll, which I shall post presently!

[Lady Captin]

Thanks for all for your time, stories and feedback . Its all fun for us to hear about and helps shape our perspective to a small degree .

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by VanIslandGuy

We owned a tall rigged 32c for 10 years and sailed it exclusively on Lake Ontario. We described it as the perfect couples boat for cruising, decent for 2 couples for a weekend, or three couples for a day sail or dinner.

The good....

Very easy boat to sail, quick on a close reach to a run. The cutter rig and smaller sails make it very easy to keep the boat balanced. Sailing a cutter well is a little more challenging than sailing a sloop at times, but ultimately the experience will enhance your sail trim skills.

Deep safe cockpit. In really rough weather you will feel snug and safe.
Lots of handholds above and below decks.

Low side decks made it very easy stepping off onto a dock.

Very dry boat, even when heading close hauled. You never get any pounding or water washing back on the dodger. On nasty weather days, my friends who had C&C's, and other racer cruisers all wanted to sail on my Bayfield as it was always well sorted and dry.

The shallow draft (under 4'), and full keel meant we got into lots of shallow anchorages, and knew that our prop and rudder were well protected from skipper errors. Thankfully we never struck bottom.

The teak interior if well maintained is really beautiful. Same with the teak exterior.

The bad...

Close quarter manoeuvring was far more challenging than any monohull with a fin keel and spade rudder. The helm in reverse is more of a suggestion than an order. You will learn to get comfortable using spring lines, and will likely try to find an outside slip to make life easier.

Storage, and tank space is limited but it is decent for a 32' boat from the 1980s.

The 15hp 2 cylinder yanmar was really noisy. I spent hours using sound foam, adding rubber seals, trying to eliminate noise and vibration. The B32s that had the 3 cylinder option were much quieter. You will sail more as the engine noise is super annoying.

When all the sails are set perfect and you think you're close hauled sailing 35 degrees off the wind ,you are only in reality 50-55 degrees or so because the shallow keel doesn't reduce the leeway as much as a deep keel boat. Upwind passages are slow compared to similar length racer cruisers. However the slow passage will likely not have anyone getting seasick, and the boat won't be pounding into the waves.

The exterior teak looks awesome but takes time to maintain.

Overall we loved the boat and selling it was really hard. (letting it go, not finding a buyer) The boat would be fine to go to the Caribbean and back, or from Vancouver to Mexico. It would be a great stepping stone boat to see if you really love sailing without going broke, and in a boat that is safe and manageable for a single handed or couple sailing.

THIS is an excellent post, VanIsland!

I'm sure it took you some time and it's really balanced and helpful. Well done.

Thanks from a fellow CF Member,
LittleWing77

[OldManMirage]

Yep, always good to see a reply that actually speaks to OP's original question. Lol. Somedays it seems hard to come by !

[Lady Captin]

Yes Indeed Vanislandguy ! Thank you for all the effort and insight, it is so nice when you get a reply that reflects what you are hoping to get back . Honest reflections of real experience combined with generous nature and clear desire to help another !

[VanIslandGuy]

I'm so glad that some found the post helpful. My wife and I had a lot of great times with that boat and it helped us grow as sailors.

[sck5]

I have spent several years cruising the Caribbean and saw numerous Bayfields and Gozzards all of which got there from Canada (at least at some point in their past). Clearly just fine to make it across a real ocean passage.

Dont discount AT ALL the "my wife loves it" factor. You can do every possible thing to make her happy and there will still be some tough moments in any ocean crossing. Every boat is a compromise but your wife's happiness should be very high on your list of must-haves.

Having said that I have one piece of advice that you should not compromise on: GET A GOOD SURVEYOR (and not one suggested by the broker)

[hpaabor]

I agree with Contessa 32 over the Bayfield. Bayfield could survive but I thought I would post this article which does seem to describe the "issues" some might face. Again all boats of this vintage would need to be checked carefully for all things structural.

https://www.canadianyachting.ca/boat...il-boat-review

[boatman61]

The Contessa 32 are still being built today.. unlike the Bayfield's which ended in 1988

[Happ]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

I too don't understand why they say this. A solid Gozzard design.

In 2012 we sailed Neah Bay to San Francisco at same time a Bayfield did the same trip. They went further offshore and arrived San Fran Pier 39 within a few hours of us.

It's a Canadian boat; perhaps some are not familiar with it.

There is an International rating system for just what you are asking. An “A” rating is for boats “Designed and Built” to go over 200 miles or more offshore. A “B” rating is a boat Designed and Built to go up to 200 miles. There are more ratings that go as far as inland lakes. Can you go beyond cross oceans in a non “A” Class Boat? I guess it comes down to your insurance and your comfort in taking risks. Wave Height and Wind Speeds are part of the calculations.

[BoatBumm]

I owned a Bayfield 29 for many years, and while the 29 is certainly not a 36 they share some similarities that might be useful to comment on. All the Bayfields were known for robust construction. But they are older boats now, so inspect carefully.

They are seaworthy boats. I cruised mine extensively in the Great Lakes, sometimes under pretty severe conditions. I twice crossed Lake Ontario diagonally & singlehanded in full gale conditions. Just the staysail up for propulsion, 15 foot waves. I’m not going to say I was comfortable, I wasn’t, but I never felt I was in danger.

The main negative thing I wanted to comment on regarding Bayfields, and I believe that this applies to the 36, is that they’re designed with a very flat bottom compared to most sailboats. I’ve not sailed a 36, but I’ve seen them out of the water and remember thinking that the hull form was similar to my 29, just bigger. That meant that in any sort of head sea she pounds, unpleasantly so. Also slows the progress. And the other unpleasant behavior that leads to is that when anchored, if a beam-on wake comes by from a passing powerboat, the boat rocks side to side much more than other boats. I believe this is known as “the raft effect”.

But when I was down in the Bahamas and Caribbean, I saw a few Bayfields. So they can get you there. I cannot speak to around-the-world voyages.

David Beaupre, a Canadian who wrote the excellent 4 book series about cruising the Caribbean, did so on Quest, a Bayfield 36.

But I also agree with others who have posted in response about boats like the Niagara 35, & the Cabot.

I’m now cruising a Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34, which is how I got down there from Lake Ontario. She’s by far the most seaworthy, best built, and comfortable boat I’ve ever sailed, and I strongly urge you to look at the Pacific Seacraft boats. The factory support for a 30 year old boat has been exceptional when I’ve had questions.

[Pegu Club]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

I really think you two are going to drive yourselves nuts trying to figure out which is going to be your "perfect" boat. And of course you probably already know there is no such animal.

My very best suggestion ? Buy a Cape Dory 30. Just do it now. There's probably one close enough. They have great re-sale value, there are many of them out there, and when you don't want it anymore you can easily sell her.

You have said you plan to spend some time learning as you go. Your Tanzer 22 is not big enough to really show you what you are going to like or not like in a live-aboard cruiser.

All the things that people talk about when it comes to their favorite this or what they don't like about that may or may not apply to you. There simply is no substitute for your own experience. You are not going to know until you know...you know ?

Get a CD30 - or something similar - that's in good shape and that you can sail right now - and go sailing ! All the sailing you can. Spend nights aboard, spend weekends aboard, spend long vacations aboard. Sail away from the dock and stay aboard all the chances you get. Good weather, bad weather. Sail, sail, sail and spend the night. Sail through the night even, taking turns. You just gotta do it !

By the end of a year you will start having real ideas of what you like and don't like, and you will have a way to compare that to other boats. You may even find you like the boat you bought and keep her longer. Who knows ? You will be the ones who know !! And that is what you are lacking now.

And it's that lack that is making you a little anxious. No amount of forum knowledge is going to solve this. You have to find this out on your own.

Go. Do it !

And let us know how you're doing along the way. We'll be here !

This right here is very solid advice.

Fair winds,

[SuW]

I can't do better than the previous writers in this discussion! I like the Bayfields (we own one), but I'd say for a couple, the 32 is small for cruising in for more than a month or two.

They are also pretty old now, so unless they have been well-maintained and upgraded (new engines, new sails, new canvas, new electrical system) a cheap one may be less than a bargain.

The suggestion, that I found implied in a couple of posts, is to buy a boat, of approximately the correct size/price, and give it a try for a while. Depending upon your results, try again. While we might have romantic associations with boats as if they were living things like horses; they are machines, similar to cars, RVs or houses to some extent.

I have known people to travel very far in the Bayfield 29 and 32. There were quite a lot of these made and they were well-built. Many were not maintained well over the 40 years A good one sells for about $20-30K Canadian.

The 36 or especially the 40 were much less common, most that I have seen have been well-maintained, but they were quite a bit more expensive originally and remain so. I have seen prices for these everything from $70K-150K Canadian.

I have a friend who previously owned a Bayfield 36 and cruised extensively in the Caribbean with his wife. After she died, he bought a Bayfield 29 that he singlehands all over the Great Lakes. He is considering sailing to Central America.

[SuW]

p.s. Just a reminder, a 36 footer of similar design to a 32 foot boat has about 4 times the interior volume...!

[seahaul]

We cruise full time on a Bayfield 36, we started last year and circumnavigated Vancouver Island, then down the west coast to California and Ensenada Mexico, La Paz, Mazatlan, down to Barra Navidad, back to La Paz, and up the Sea of Cortez to Puerto Penasco where we recently hauled out. WE have around 5000 nm in her. She isn't fast but we are constantly able to eek more and more out of her. She is comfortable, and great in heavy seas. We have a full enclosure and we were way more comfortable in rough stuff than our friends in a Passport 40.
The cutter rig is outstanding for flexibility and there is a lot of room down below. Only complaint would be that I could use more storage. We have spent a lot of time looking at bigger faster boats, but for the price a Bayfield 36 is hard to beat, often for $100's of thousands more.