After a number of years away from sailing and cruising, I am starting to get
back ... little by little.

Using my past boat ownership experience, three full keel boats. Two were
ok, one was a DOG.

I am looking at different boats on the net. There sure are a lot of boats
for sale.

My criteria: well built ( I don't care how old, just well built ), ocean
worthy, either no engine or a diesel engine [ please don't tell me that a 35
year old Atomic 4 is fine, all you need to do it keep them maintained ], a
conservative design [ I plan on cruising not racing ], and big enough to
sail anywhere but small enough to sail alone.

That is the question; what size? I want to have my family out with me but
if they are busy or don't care to go or if I take off for an extended trip
........... what size sailboat [ I shudder at the term yacht ] would be just
about right for a single hander?

Here are a few of the boats I have looked at over the last few days. A
Pearson 35 [ built late 60's and one built early 70's ], and Albin Ballad
[ built 1976, Sweden? .. 29'something "'s .. not that heavy .. has fin
keel ...spade rudder ?? ... ], and a whole bunch of boats like this.

What do you experts think... if you aren't an expert and have an opinion...
that is even better.

After a summer sailing the Endeavor 32 we bought last year, I would
start looking for another one tomorrow if anything happened to it.
This is from the perspective of a boat designer and a quarter century
of sailing on a wide variety of boats between 7 and 380 feet.

It's primarily a good choice if your budget is limited. We got a very
clean 1980 boat for $15,000 and put about half of that again into
upgrades. For that, we got a boat with full headroom, six berths (at
least for an overnight), open and very woody interior, carries a few
more than it sleeps comfortably on daysails. We got good sails and a
great diesel engine. It's still small enough for easy singlehanding
and managing alone in a tight marina berth.

This is a very middle of the road boat that doesn't stand out in any
particular area but does just about everything you need in cruising
very well. It isn't fast but it isn't slow either. We often sail past
faster boats if they aren't paying close attention to sail trim. I
always feel like we are making good progress on cruising legs. It is a
shoal draft, wide headsail sheeting base, vessel so windward isn't her
best point of sail but beating performance is still way ahead of
traditional vessels and she makes solid progress.

What really endears her to me is the handling. The turning radius is
tight and response quick which makes marinas and tight docking
situations easier. Unlike most boats I've sailed with this kind of
helm response, she can be overpowered and driven down hard in a tight
spot without ever threatening to take charge. There is plenty of helm
force but, when you overcome it, she does what you need her to do.
I'd like slower helm response if we did more long cruising but she is
just right for fun daysailing and shorter trips. A good autopilot
would provide the best of both worlds.

This is not a true blue water boat although they have sailed at least
half way around the world that I know of. They were designed for
island hopping in the Caribbean and have an excellent hot weather
interior with all opening ports. With new ports and some beefing up of
cockpit and other openings, they should be capable of going farther
than most people would want to go.

The detail work is a bit rough in spots, you can see that a lot of
ganja got smoked during the construction but a three quarter inch
solid glass hull makes up for a lot of sins. The decks are stiffened
with plywood glassed under the main lay-up so there is no coring
anywhere to worry about.

If I suddenly had $50,000 to spend on a boat at this point, I would
still look for one of these for about 20 and then have it stripped and
redone soup to nuts. It's a great hull with the comfort and easy
motion of a traditional boat but the responsive handling of a modern
one. If I had $150,000 for a boat and were designing one for custom
construction, it would still look a lot like our E32.

Look for a 1980 - 1982 for the best features.

You can see the story of our boat at:

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/RWL.htm


--

Roger Long

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 16:04:55 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Look for a 1980 - 1982 for the best features.

You can see the story of our boat at:

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/RWL.htm

========================================

Good looking boat Roger, and nice documentation of the purchase and
refurbishment process. It's amazing how all those little things add
up isn't it? The good new is that you are probably now close to new
boat condition and for a whole lot less money than that.

Yes, at least in the areas I've been able to uncover. The decks are
primarily solid glass and the plywood panels have space all the way
around. It would be still be a mess to tear out and replace one but
nothing like dealing with a rotted core. There is less glass over
them and good access to the edges. Not the most weight efficient
construction but these boats will probably be around for a long time
as a result.

--

Roger Long



"Dave" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 16:04:55 GMT, "Roger Long"
said:

The decks are stiffened
with plywood glassed under the main lay-up so there is no coring
anywhere to worry about.

Could you clarify that? Do you mean that there is fiberglass deck
above the
plywood, but no glass below it so that the plywood is accessible
from the
cabin without having to remove any FG?

"Roger Long" wrote in news:wWgtf.47100$XJ5.4425
@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

Yes, at least in the areas I've been able to uncover. The decks are
primarily solid glass and the plywood panels have space all the way
around. It would be still be a mess to tear out and replace one but
nothing like dealing with a rotted core. There is less glass over
them and good access to the edges. Not the most weight efficient
construction but these boats will probably be around for a long time
as a result.

--

Roger Long



Roger, does the 32 leak around the chainplates and toe rails down the
bulkheads, ruining the wood prettys inside? The '82 Endeavour 35, A-
Plan, had a lot of leaks around there we had an awful time with on
Claire's Navie, which belonged to a friend of mine. I sailed her from NC
to Key West and it was, too, a great boat. I'll be sailing on her,
probably, on Sunday with her new owner, another friend. She's called
"Stray Dog" now...

There's just so much ROOM in the 35 without the table in the middle to
walk by. Very nicely appointed, too....

Our boat sat for six years with the mast up and a shrink wrap job that
didn't keep water off the deck so the chainplates did leak and a three
of interior panels rotted. One replaced, one to go. They come out
easily and replacement is very easy. I re-bedded the chainplates and
they have been tight.

There was some arrested just in time discoloration of the cabin trunk
liner around the ports. This would be a real bear to replace so I'm
glad the former owner got it fixed.

I'm still trying to trace a small leak over the quarter berth but I'm
pretty sure it's coming in around the companionway frame.

No rot or problems that would be hard to deal with. The interior is
also installed in way such that most deck edge leaks will go to the
bilge instead of down the woodwork. I don't see any evidence of them
on this hull though.

More room is always nicer inside but smaller is always easier when you're
horsing a boat around a tight dock alone, singlehanding, or paying the
bills. If you are looking for lowest cost and easiest handling, 32
feet is kind of a magic size. It's the smallest that you can get full
headroom without having a bulky looking boat with a lot of windage or
a deep and very heavy hull. It's the smallest that six overnight bunks
will fit and still have a decent head and galley. It's the smallest
that is tolerable for four over a period of days. It's the smallest in
which most couples would want to live aboard and cruise extensively.

If our budget had been larger, I would have looked at 35 footers but
we were already stretching up from the 27 - 28 foot range. Prices take
a jump out of proportion to other things above 32 feet.

If I suddenly had $40,000 to spend on a boat at this point, I would
put it into this one instead of trying to trade up to something
larger. We would then have a boat in which everything was right
instead of just a larger and roomier collection of problems and
projects.


--

Roger Long

Larry,

I just looked up the 35 on the owner's association web site:

http://www.endeavourowners.com/boats.html

Nice looking boat. It's wider and shallower than the 32, a more
modern design and I'm sure faster for it's length.

I don't expect that it would have the control authority and motion
characteristics that make me love the 32 so much but I'm sure it's a
boat I would like for other reasons.

I see that there is a lot of PVC foam used in the construction. A
number of people have asked if I've had trouble with the foam in my
boat. Since there is none, this may be something the larger and later
Endeavors have a problem with.

There is also a 33 but it doesn't do anything for me. The 33's and
35's go for similar prices. I just looked and, figuring you pay 75
percent of list, the extra 1 - 3 feet of length (I know it's a lot
more increased volume than that indicates) will cost about twice as
much as we paid.

I'm pretty damn happy with what I've got.

--

Roger Long

"Roger Long" wrote in news:mwktf.47122$XJ5.26410
@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

No rot or problems that would be hard to deal with. The interior is
also installed in way such that most deck edge leaks will go to the
bilge instead of down the woodwork. I don't see any evidence of them
on this hull though.


Yeah, this one did leak down to the bilge, but it was constantly wet
behind those wooden panels and it finally made it through them showing
what was going on, hidden from view, behind them. Some kind of stress on
the toe rails kept separating them enough to start the leaking, again.
The new owner finally got the bilge to stay dry, but the boat hasn't been
out in the Atlantic since so hasn't been knocked around by the waves,
yet.

Thanks for the info. 32 is a very nice size. I'm crew on an Amel Sharki
41 (er, ah, 39 if the dockmaster's watching..(c. It's a beautifully-
made, slug-slow ketch. New sails and lots of tuning hasn't fixed her
very experienced captain's awful weather helm I'm usually fighting to
keep her pointed up. The big B&G autopilot just loses control it's so
bad in heavy winds. The Endeavour 35 had more "space", or the feeling of
more space. The Amel is a far better blue water boat with that very deep
center cockpit with hardtop cover. The owner has just installed new
Lexan windscreens to replaced the starred plexiglass. I can almost see
where she's going, now!

Well, we'll sail her on New Year's Day. Weather is forecast to be fine.

"Roger Long" wrote in news:K_ktf.56946$XC4.39049
@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

I'm sure faster for it's length.

I don't expect that it would have the control authority and motion
characteristics that make me love the 32 so much but I'm sure it's a
boat I would like for other reasons.

I see that there is a lot of PVC foam used in the construction. A
number of people have asked if I've had trouble with the foam in my
boat. Since there is none, this may be something the larger and later
Endeavors have a problem with.



Naw...she's not fast. Weighs too much to be fast. The Amel is even
heavier and slower... The Catalinas walk right by both of them. But,
heavier is much more comfortable in the slop. It's a trade.

It would probably help if my captain didn't just HAVE to have every tool
a shipyard would have and two of every part the boat could ever need. I
think there's a spare Perkins 4-108, in tiny bits, stored under the aft
cabin berths....(c;

We don't need an anchor on the Amel. We just heave over half a ton of
chain out of the chain locker forward of the forward watertight bulkhead.

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 22:53:03 -0500, Larry wrote:

New sails and lots of tuning hasn't fixed her
very experienced captain's awful weather helm I'm usually fighting to
keep her pointed up.

======================

This may be old news but here are some possible cures for weather
helm:

Flatter sails - more outhaul, backstay, cunningham and halyard
tension, a bit of mast bend if do able, jib leads further aft. Get a
flattening reef installed in the mainsail.

Reduce sail area and heeling.

Move weight out of the stern to further forward.

Decrease mast rake if any.