I have a 1981 Cheoy Lee 41
Ketch. It is not a Perry 41 or an
Offshore 41.
There is a bit of mystery regarding the different Cheoy Lee 41s and info is at this link:
41 Mystery
With regards to the build of the
boat, mine is a 1981 made at their yard in Kowloon,
Hong Kong. The structure of the
hull is thick and strong. The
keel and
bilge is deep and the ballast is completely encapsulated. The
fiberglass tabbing of the bulkheads are still strongly attached, but the floorboards do creak, expecially while underway. The chainplates on my boat may have been replaced and are
stainless steel.
Problems I have encountered: Wooden
mast rot at the base of the main. It was relatively inexpensive and easy to
repair in the yard with a master
carpenter fixing the spruce box and penetrating it with
epoxy. The original
tanks are integral
fiberglass and had a bit of sediment and a small access port with baffles so the entire tank cannot be cleaned. To get around this issue we have particle and activated charcoal filter so the
water is potable and tastes good. Mechanical issues the previous owner encountered were the original
transmission failing and not being able to replace the failed components because they are no longer available.
The
electrical installation was good, but did not use tinned wire throughout. The
electrical panel does not have an adequate
maintenance loop to add new circuits or easy access from the back.
The
deck. Yes, it's a 30 year old build. I looked at a perfectly maintained deck on a Cheoy Lee 41, Miles of View in Santa Barbara. The owner had full
canvas covering and the
teak caulk meticulously maintained. The deck was so perfect. Now there's my Cheoy Lee 41 where the
teak caulk was dried, separated and missing. It required teak replacement or nonskid. The process of replacing damaged teak decks is very expensive and labor intensive. The deck is cored sandwich (at least on my boat) and very strong without the teak planking.
If you have specific questions please
email me or comment on our boat blog at
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