Acapulco 40 Owners ?

[Yachtbuilder]

Greetings Sapphir 3,

I was the builder of the Acapulco 40 Sailboats. I didn't know there was one out there with a tiller. Just for your information I used the Yacht Specialties Wheel Steering setup and they are not at all difficult to install. The rudder stock on these boats is solid S.S (not tubing) and hopefully yours has a keyway where the steering quadrant will go. If not, you will need to have a hole drilled (just a dimple, say 1/4" into the rudder stock) to take a take strong setscrew to lock the quadrant in place. Use locktite on the threads.

My advice is to have a shipwright at a good yard to it.

These are fine boats and I wish I would have kept mine (and now this old dog is done with boats). Here is an FYI for anyone on the Forum who is thinking of owning one of these boats: There are two for sale at very good prices and both can be seen at Brookings Harbor in the Southern tip of Oregon. One is the very well known ORIANA, which did a 20 year circumnavigation and is loaded with equipment. The owner is Ed Atkin and he is even an older dog than me, which is the sole reason it is for sale. I have a great photo of ORIANA under sail in the Tasman Sea. The other A-40, Wind Chime, is newer, has never done any real cruising and was built alongside my last one. It is being sold for unforeseen health reasons or it would not be for sale either. Two good opportunities here for anyone wanting one of these elegant, comfortable cruising boats.

Fair winds and following seas!

Garry Powell
Port Ludlow, Washington

[Sapphir3]

Garry,
Thank you for responding to me. The Acapulco 40 is a boat in its own class. Everybody I have ever taken out love her. Her name is Sapphire. Through the years, people asked me many questions, but there is not a lot of the detailed history to respond with. I believe I was told that Acapulco Yachts was a finishing company that purchased the upper and lower portions of the boat from Islander Yachts , whom had the hull and topside molds. At that point individual people or professional builders finished them out. I will look for more info when I go down to the boat and look thru all of the paperwork I received when I bought her to see what else I can tell you.

From what I remember, the original owner bought the two portions and finished her out himself. He did this in Costa Mesa Ca. I believe. Seems like he was at it a few years as some of the paper work says the hull was made in 1972 and the boat completed in 1976. The people who finished her out did exemplary work similar to a cabinet maker from all solid wood , much of which is still nicely varnished. He outfitted her with a Isuzu diesel engine, that was never imported to the US, but rather used extensively in Asia in farm machinery. He made all the modifications and positioned the engine right in the center of the salon. Apparently he did not need the salon to double as bunks and fitted her out with a standard 2 person bunk in the Vee berth and one adult sized berth just down the companionway. As I have had to replace some engine parts I have learned that the block and engine is what is referred to as a refrigerant engine that reside on hundreds of thousands if not millions of trucks that deliver or transit cold storage items. A stroke of luck as there are many mfgs of the block and engines now, Kubota, Mercedes, Isuzu and others.

I bought her in Texas from a live aboard who was the second owner. The first owners( I think a man and his wife) sailed her for 5 years in the pacific. All of the original customs papers and charts were still aboard when I purchased her. I heard they sailed thru the Panama canal, stopped in Houston Texas, took up square dancing and walked away like Odysseus.

Rick Stark

[Glassdog]

Readings Acapulco Fanzz, in late September I Purchased the 1979 boat “wind chime“ in Brookings Oregon from an owner who had loved her well for 25 years. I had been looking for at least two years in the minute I stepped a board Wind chime I knew I had found my boat. I had been looking for a cutter rig offshore boat that was strong and capable with good tankage/Indian/refrigeration as well as a great cockpit and I found it all in the Acapulco 40. He is still in Oregon but I will Bring herself to Ventura California next summer.

There is no heavy lifting on this boat, everything has been kept up well, the interior is absolutely gorgeous and believe it or not she has an Oak sole throughout that is absolutely beautiful. She has the original standing rigging which needs to be changed out after 40 years but it still looks great, and thankfully she has never been painted and The gel coat is an excellent condition, excepting the non-skid areas which have some crazing. My plan is to work on her for about six months in Ventura, then live aboard for about a year and after that I plan to shove off And enjoy my retirement. I am hoping to have a chat with gary Powell One of these days as well. As soon as I figure out how I will post some pictures.

I originally went to Brookings to look at Oriana and was disappointed to find her in hey neglected state, but lo and behold on the next finger over was Windchime, And the rest is history. I’m happy to chat with any other owners about their boat and hope I will hear from some of you, cheers.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Glassdog.

[Glassdog]

Thanks Gordon

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by Yachtbuilder

Greetings Sapphir 3,

I was the builder of the Acapulco 40 Sailboats. I didn't know there was one out there with a tiller. Just for your information I used the Yacht Specialties Wheel Steering setup and they are not at all difficult to install. The rudder stock on these boats is solid S.S (not tubing) and hopefully yours has a keyway where the steering quadrant will go. If not, you will need to have a hole drilled (just a dimple, say 1/4" into the rudder stock) to take a take strong setscrew to lock the quadrant in place. Use locktite on the threads.

My advice is to have a shipwright at a good yard to it.

These are fine boats and I wish I would have kept mine (and now this old dog is done with boats). Here is an FYI for anyone on the Forum who is thinking of owning one of these boats: There are two for sale at very good prices and both can be seen at Brookings Harbor in the Southern tip of Oregon. One is the very well known ORIANA, which did a 20 year circumnavigation and is loaded with equipment. The owner is Ed Atkin and he is even an older dog than me, which is the sole reason it is for sale. I have a great photo of ORIANA under sail in the Tasman Sea. The other A-40, Wind Chime, is newer, has never done any real cruising and was built alongside my last one. It is being sold for unforeseen health reasons or it would not be for sale either. Two good opportunities here for anyone wanting one of these elegant, comfortable cruising boats.

Fair winds and following seas!

Garry Powell
Port Ludlow, Washington

Hi Garry,

This has been a most interesting thread. You obviously have built some amazing boats!

I was speaking with Ed Atkin yesterday and he mentioned that ORIANA was sold just a few months ago.

[Yachtbuilder]

Hi everyone!

I have been away from this fine forum for a while, but it is a breath of fresh air to be back on it again and especially to read the comments from owners and prospective owners.

Yeah, both the ORIANA and WINDCHIME recently sold. I still maintain contact with both former owners. FYI, the finest one ever built (the last one I built for myself) if currently for sale in San Diego and was sailed there from Hawaii, where I had kept her. MALULHIA was purchased by a couple from Maui who ended up bringing her back to the "Bristol" condition she was in when I had sold her over there some 35 years ago.

Last I had heard he was selling the boat to go to a larger vessel (expanding family, I believe). It seems he was asking around $100K for it and if I were younger I would buy it back in a New York minute!

By the way, I highly recommend that anyone new to real cruising obtain a copy of Ed Atkin's excellent book, "One Wave at a Time". His and Bernie's 20 year adventure is a testimonial of what a fine cruising vessel these Acapulco 40's really are.

Fair winds & following seas to you all.

Garry Powell
Portland

[derekjean]

Hello Garry,
Great to hear from you. We spoke on the phone several years ago. I just wanted to share a couple photos because today is the day Foot Loose is getting her cabin painted back to the original colour. I haven't spoken with Patricia Crabtree in a number of years, but she was nearing 90. We have resurfaced Foot Loose inside and out and are just about to start rebuilding the cabin interior. We finished bringing her back to a bare hull and decks about two years ago. Great to hear from you. I'm really glad to hear about ORiana going to a new owner. If you're open to hearing from me with some questions, I might have a few as we move forward on the refit. Take good care,
Derek

[Glassdog]

Wow, it looks like you are seriously into a labor of love there. I am the owner of Winchime and I always love seeing and hearing what others are doing to these wonderful boats. I am fortunate that my boat is somewhat of a time capsule, having been well-maintained and protected by being in the Pacific Northwest for the last 25/40 years. The original gelcoat polishes out easily ,And believe it or not I am just getting ready to replace the standing rigging after 40 years, although it still looks great and is all in Stalock. If anybody in this thread would like to read Ed Atkin’s book, I have it and would be happy to lend it to you, it’s a fun read!. Please keep posting pictures of the refit , I will be watching with great interest. Cheers

[Sapphir3]

Greetings Acapulco 40 owners from Southern New England. Glad to see some traffic on the subject.

As I posted earlier, i have an Acapulco 40 and am readying myself to do some upgrades. The first two are fairly simple: replace fuse panel with breaker panel and rewire interior and mast, and add a furling unit for the jib. Hanking on a jib is a buzz killer.

Also would like to swap out the mechanical anchor windlass for an electric version. Likely going to add 2 batteries just to run the thing some where up forward and interconnect with charging system. When I bought the boat there was a large hydraulic windlass on the deck that had a horizontal drum with rope and chain. (Original owner had 600 ft of 1/2 inch steel cable and about 100 feet of rope.) Worked well but was way more than I needed for coastal sailing. Sold it to a Stonington Ct Dragger for his operations. Originally built in Seattle I think. When I first saw it on the boat with the broker in Kemah Texas, I was wondering why someone would use such a thing. His answer was a question...have you ever tried to haul up an anchor in 40 knots of wind from 100 feet down? Happily the answer to that is no.

Lastly, I would like to put a wheel on the boat. I currently have a 6 foot tiller that works well but clogs up the cockpit when sailing with guests. As far as i know, the boat always had a tiller. My boat has a hull hung rudder. The rudder shaft is at an approximate 40 to 45 degree angle from vertical. Not sure what other boats use for steering systems, but hoping to visit an Acapulco 40 in my region or see some pics of how it is done. Don't know if there is an option to attach to the upper end of the rudder shaft where it breaks thru the cockpit floor or all work will be below cockpit. Just getting started on research.

Any suggestions are welcome. My daughter just graduated from college with a mech Eng degree. She says she will help me and will probably take the boat over one day from my wife and I.

All the best

[Glassdog]

Greetings Sapphir3 from beautiful Ventura California. I would like to share some thoughts on your plans with best intent and no judgment. I would keep batteries out of the bow to run the new winless. The previous owner of my boat used welding Cable from the battery bank and my Maxwell 1200 doesn’t miss a beat. Always better to keep weight of the ends of the boat.
My boat has pedestal steering with quadrant and cables/chains, it is all below the aft lazaret and that Will be your least expensive option when you change over to wheel steering. Hydraulic steering is much more complicated and expensive. Please share progress and pictures of your refit as it progresses. Cheers
Acapulco 40 “Windchime”