This message was originally posted on the "Best 34 foot blue water
cruiser" thread. I have created a new thread here to start a new
discussion. All are welcome to participate.

rhys wrote:

How about a Bruce Roberts design?

Hello rhys,

I've seen them advertised, but never sailed one. I always thought they
would be sturdy, but they wouldn't win too many speed awards... but
that's just my completely unfounded and unjustly biased opinion. Does
anybody else have an actual informed opinion? Does anybody have any
actual sailing experience with a Bruce Roberts design?

Bob Whitaker
"Free Spirit"


rhys wrote in message . ..
On 11 Mar 2004 22:53:17 -0800, (Bob Whitaker)
wrote:

Hello,

Been thinking of moving up to the 30-34 foot range, ideally a sailboat
that would provide safety in open waters, extended cruising
situations. Would love to get a Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34, but "The
Admiral" won't let me, and the bank won't either... I would prefer a
project boat (I would actually enjoy it). Heard great things of Cal
34's. What other boats do folks recommend. Goal is extended coastal
cruising, crossing Gulf of Mexico (Corpus Christi, TX to FL), keys,
Bahamas, maybe extended Caribbean cruising.

Bit late in the day, but it just occured to me because I've been
window-shopping: How about a Bruce Roberts design? Many of them are
well-made "kit" boats that arrive assembled but bare, and the "project
boat" guys get in too deep and never finish them. Frequently, you can
get 35 or 37 footers for a song and do the interior yourself.

But you have to be pretty willing to do the work or learn to do the
work.

R.

I was waiting for at least one post in this topic.
Unfortunately nothing appears.
I feel lonely because I'm building 37" Spray by Bruce Roberts.
It is FRP with wheel house, and I hope next year I will be able to get it on
the water.
I've read about Bruce Roberts designs and about Spray in particular tons of
pros and cons.
Any way I love my project and I love my boat.
Adam

"Bob Whitaker" wrote in message
om...
This message was originally posted on the "Best 34 foot blue water
cruiser" thread. I have created a new thread here to start a new
discussion. All are welcome to participate.

rhys wrote:

How about a Bruce Roberts design?

I was waiting for at least one post in this topic.
Unfortunately nothing appears.
I feel lonely because I'm building 37" Spray by Bruce Roberts.
It is FRP with wheel house, and I hope next year I will be able to get it on
the water.
I've read about Bruce Roberts designs and about Spray in particular tons of
pros and cons.
Any way I love my project and I love my boat.
Adam

"Bob Whitaker" wrote in message
om...
This message was originally posted on the "Best 34 foot blue water
cruiser" thread. I have created a new thread here to start a new
discussion. All are welcome to participate.

rhys wrote:

How about a Bruce Roberts design?

I feel lonely because I'm building 37" Spray by Bruce Roberts.

You might be lonely when you're done.
Not much room for guests on a 37-inch boat. :-)

Seriously, good luck. Building your own boat has to be a very special and
satisfying way to get onto the water.

I feel lonely because I'm building 37" Spray by Bruce Roberts.

You might be lonely when you're done.
Not much room for guests on a 37-inch boat. :-)

Seriously, good luck. Building your own boat has to be a very special and
satisfying way to get onto the water.

Hello Adam,

Congratulations on your undertaking! And congratulations if you are
only a year away from getting it in the water! Maybe I should have
posted this question on rec.boats.building. We may have more luck
there... Just out of curiosity can you give us the 10 second overview
of pros and cons? You are one of the most qualified people to give us
this information since you are actually building one.

Thanks,

Bob Whitaker
"Free Spirit"

P.S. By the way, I consider building your own boat one of the "pros"
and not one of the "cons". I can just imagine the immense satisfaction
you will get out of sailing _your_ boat... Not some boat you bought
from some guy, but _YOUR_ boat... one you built yourself! Awesome!


"Adam" wrote in message ...
I was waiting for at least one post in this topic.
Unfortunately nothing appears.
I feel lonely because I'm building 37" Spray by Bruce Roberts.
It is FRP with wheel house, and I hope next year I will be able to get it on
the water.
I've read about Bruce Roberts designs and about Spray in particular tons of
pros and cons.
Any way I love my project and I love my boat.
Adam

"Bob Whitaker" wrote in message
om...
This message was originally posted on the "Best 34 foot blue water
cruiser" thread. I have created a new thread here to start a new
discussion. All are welcome to participate.

rhys wrote:

How about a Bruce Roberts design?

Hello Adam,

Congratulations on your undertaking! And congratulations if you are
only a year away from getting it in the water! Maybe I should have
posted this question on rec.boats.building. We may have more luck
there... Just out of curiosity can you give us the 10 second overview
of pros and cons? You are one of the most qualified people to give us
this information since you are actually building one.

Thanks,

Bob Whitaker
"Free Spirit"

P.S. By the way, I consider building your own boat one of the "pros"
and not one of the "cons". I can just imagine the immense satisfaction
you will get out of sailing _your_ boat... Not some boat you bought
from some guy, but _YOUR_ boat... one you built yourself! Awesome!


"Adam" wrote in message ...
I was waiting for at least one post in this topic.
Unfortunately nothing appears.
I feel lonely because I'm building 37" Spray by Bruce Roberts.
It is FRP with wheel house, and I hope next year I will be able to get it on
the water.
I've read about Bruce Roberts designs and about Spray in particular tons of
pros and cons.
Any way I love my project and I love my boat.
Adam

"Bob Whitaker" wrote in message
om...
This message was originally posted on the "Best 34 foot blue water
cruiser" thread. I have created a new thread here to start a new
discussion. All are welcome to participate.

rhys wrote:

How about a Bruce Roberts design?

On 6 Apr 2004 20:42:04 -0700, (Bob Whitaker) wrote:

This message was originally posted on the "Best 34 foot blue water
cruiser" thread. I have created a new thread here to start a new
discussion. All are welcome to participate.

rhys wrote:

How about a Bruce Roberts design?

Hello rhys,

I've seen them advertised, but never sailed one. I always thought they
would be sturdy, but they wouldn't win too many speed awards... but
that's just my completely unfounded and unjustly biased opinion. Does
anybody else have an actual informed opinion? Does anybody have any
actual sailing experience with a Bruce Roberts design?

Bob Whitaker
"Free Spirit"


Bob,

I have a Bruce Roberts-Goodson designed Mauritius 43. Her name is
Truelove. That should give you some idea of what I think of her. S/V
Truelove is made of steel. She is a center cockpit, raised poop,
cutter-ketch with cutaway keel. Especially given her displacement and
modest sail area, she sails remarkably well. I have been very pleased
with all aspects of the boat. She is stable, comfortable, strong,
able to carry huge loads, sea kindly, easy to balance under sail,
sails surprisingly well in light air, and can handle very heavy air
with ease.

I have not sailed or even seen any other Bruce Roberts designed boats,
so I cannot offer any information on the 34 or 37. Also, of course,
much depends on how the design is executed.

Hope this was of some use to you.

Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove
lying Sea Gate Marina
Beaufort, NC

On 6 Apr 2004 20:42:04 -0700, (Bob Whitaker) wrote:

This message was originally posted on the "Best 34 foot blue water
cruiser" thread. I have created a new thread here to start a new
discussion. All are welcome to participate.

rhys wrote:

How about a Bruce Roberts design?

Hello rhys,

I've seen them advertised, but never sailed one. I always thought they
would be sturdy, but they wouldn't win too many speed awards... but
that's just my completely unfounded and unjustly biased opinion. Does
anybody else have an actual informed opinion? Does anybody have any
actual sailing experience with a Bruce Roberts design?

Bob Whitaker
"Free Spirit"


Bob,

I have a Bruce Roberts-Goodson designed Mauritius 43. Her name is
Truelove. That should give you some idea of what I think of her. S/V
Truelove is made of steel. She is a center cockpit, raised poop,
cutter-ketch with cutaway keel. Especially given her displacement and
modest sail area, she sails remarkably well. I have been very pleased
with all aspects of the boat. She is stable, comfortable, strong,
able to carry huge loads, sea kindly, easy to balance under sail,
sails surprisingly well in light air, and can handle very heavy air
with ease.

I have not sailed or even seen any other Bruce Roberts designed boats,
so I cannot offer any information on the 34 or 37. Also, of course,
much depends on how the design is executed.

Hope this was of some use to you.

Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove
lying Sea Gate Marina
Beaufort, NC

On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 05:05:55 GMT, (Lee
Huddleston) wrote:

S/V
Truelove is made of steel. She is a center cockpit, raised poop,
cutter-ketch with cutaway keel. Especially given her displacement and
modest sail area, she sails remarkably well. I have been very pleased
with all aspects of the boat. She is stable, comfortable, strong,
able to carry huge loads, sea kindly, easy to balance under sail,
sails surprisingly well in light air, and can handle very heavy air
with ease.

A few Wallstrom-Brewer designs are like this, as well. I am coming to
the conclusion that if you can't afford a Kanter, or kan't afford a
canter (keel, that is), and new Saga 43s aren't in your budget, this
style of passagemaker represents the least number of compromises for
the distance cruiser.

I have heard the arguments for "fast, light displacement" to avoid the
weather, and I like them, mostly, but in terms of cargo, sail-handling
ease and weatherliness, a split rig on a cutaway keel and a skeg-hung
rudder, all in steel or perhaps aluminum, sounds good to me. Added to
that is the consideration that steel is easily repaired pretty well
everywhere in the world. I also notice that the majority of
high-latitude boats seem to be steel ketches or beefy steel cutters.

I will give the fast, light, modern boat the two knots x 24 hrs. in
distance if I have a sense I'll survive not only the storm, but the
full daylight encounter with a coral head in unfamiliar waters, which,
after all, is by far the more likely mishap.

Aside from the hard chine homebuilt versions (I dislike hard chines
for no good reason, but it's a handy way to spot a Roberts design at a
distance!), the Roberts designs generally follow these parameters, and
while they won't win races, they seem to please a large number of
cruisers around the world. Bruce Roberts seems to know what works and
what thoughtful cruisers want, and if you buy into his logic, you can
find some real bargains. Bring a surveyor, however: not to be morbid,
but your best buy will be a Roberts design fastidiously built and left
unfinished by a careful man who died before he could sail away to the
sun. Homebuilt can in fact be better than production, if the builder
has learned how to be careful and has a clear idea of how to build
strongly and soundly.

Now, if you glassed a skeg onto a Shearwater 45 cutter rig, and gave
me $100,000 off, I might change my tune. Those are very beautiful
boats.