used_sailboats

Following graduation from California State Polytechnic University, naval architect Carl Schumacher spent four years working as an apprentice with Gary Mull before opening his own shop in Alameda, California, in 1977. He has since designed 37 boats ranging in size from one tonners to 50-foot world cruisers, participated in the design of the front-ruddered Americas Cup boat skippered by Tom Blackaller in the 1987 trials, and most recently designed the Alerion Express boats, which are being constructed at TPI Composites, Inc.

We spoke with several owners of Cheoy Lee 42s and 36s for this article, and among the most seasoned was Kieron OConnell, a two-time owner of Cheoy Lee boats-first an Offshore 31, now a Cheoy Lee Clipper 42. OConnell sailed the 42 from California to Australia. He had this to say about the Cheoy Lee Clipper 42.

Practical Sailor reader Allen Taylor so loved his Cabo Rico 38 that he eventually started working for the company as the marketing director. Now, with his stint at Cabo Rico far behind him, the former marketing director offered this insightful view of the Crealock 38, which he lived on and cruised for several years. Although he still holds the boat in high esteem, he offered this list of potential trouble spots.

Nearly every owner we spoke to about their Alberg 35 had small gripes about the boats performance, cosmetic defects, and outdated equipment. Nevertheless, it was clear that each had great confidence in the hull design and construction, and took pride in the boats enduring classic aesthetics.

As is typical of C&Cs, owners give the boat high marks for quality of construction, and in general, their enthusiasm is justified. The boat does, however, have a potential weak point. Hull: Like most C&Cs, the 40 was built with a balsa-cored hull. The result is a hull that is extremely stiff for its weight, but balsa coring is not without its potential for problems. In the event of delamination or rupture of the hull skin, the balsa coring can absorb moisture. Moisture penetration of the outer laminate could ultimately reach the balsa coring. It is imperative that a balsa-cored hull be carefully examined by a knowledgeable surveyor before purchasing a used boat.

Danish company LM (Lunderskov Mbelfabrik) began as a wood furniture maker in 1940. In the 1950s, the company incorporated the newfangled fiberglass into their furniture, and in 1972, the company built its first fiberglass sailboat, the LM27. Over the next 20 years, it built 3,000 boats in five models, ranging from 24 to 32 feet. All LM models share a similar look-canoe-stern hulls with a pilothouse ahead of a sizable cockpit. All are mast-head rigged sloops, and every owner we talked to said that the boats sailed better than they expected-an experience that we shared on our test sail of the LM32.

Here is a question that has puzzled me for a long time. Many financial institutions offer financing on mature vessels but have a boat age limit of 15 to 20 years. But, if a 1978 classic-plastic boat underwent a major refit in, say 1999, does that make the boat a 1999 in the eyes of the financiers? Id like to hear tales on how others may have gotten around this rule.

In 1985, after nearly a decade of building the popular Sabre 34, Sabre Yachts significantly revamped the design. The resulting boat-beamier, roomier, faster, and more powerful than the original-is usually referred to as the Sabre 34 Mark II. The Mark II, like its predecessor, still hews the performance-cruising line that Sabre established with the introduction of its very first boat, the Sabre 28, in 1971. The Sabre 34 Mark II is not without quirks, but its many positives far outweigh its downsides.

The Gulfstar 36, also called the Gulfstar 36 Auxiliary, was the smallest boat built by Gulfstar Yachts. Gulfstar, which produced 2,500 boats in the 1970s and 1980s, was launched by Vincent Lazzara, one of the early experts in fiberglass boat building. The Gulfstar 36 design is conservatively traditional-it was never called a racer-cruiser, but it was similar to many popular racer-cruisers and coastal cruisers of the time, with modest overhangs, a longish waterline, a moderately long fin keel, and a skeg-hung rudder. The designers are listed as R.C. Lazzara and David Jones.

In the June 2001 issue, Practical Sailor looked at financing boats and recommended that prospective boat buyers “stick with the pros.” We recently set out to see what had changed in boat financing since the 2008 U.S. financial crisis. After interviewing industry experts and related organizations on the state of the marine lending and boating industries, we assumed a boat-buyer’s role and sought financing help from marine loan specialists, large banks, and small lenders. We looked at cash versus financing, borrowing against your home, finance products, rates on boat loans, collateral on the loans, insurance issues, pre-approvals, repossession, and borrower qualifications.