1984 Wauquiez Pretorien

[LF4]

Hello All,

Wow, has it been a year so far. I was tooling around here for a while before I joined the forum in January of 2019. That summer I get my sailing certificate at a local yacht club. We are now in a position to buy our first boat and I found one that I find pretty interesting.

1984 Wauquiez Pretorien

Pros:

• 35 ft means it fits in the local marinas
• It has space for all four of us
• I love the look of the boat
• Cutter to sloop conversion is attractive
• Solar
• Watermaker
• Omar/Hydranet mainsail and furling genoa

Cons:

• Boat age
• Updates are 7-12 years old
• Rear mainstay is in the middle of the rear ladder
• SOME DEFERRED MAINTANANCE!!!! WTF?

I would love to know your opinions and/or experiences with this boat.

Thanks,

Matthew

[AiniA]

I think they are well-built rugged boats. As with all boats of this age it depends on how well it has been looked after. It could be a great buy or a terrible one. A lot depend on the price and what your intended usage is.

[LF4]

Originally Posted by AiniA

I think they are well-built rugged boats. As with all boats of this age it depends on how well it has been looked after. It could be a great buy or a terrible one. A lot depend on the price and what your intended usage is.

Yeah, it will he used on the Delaware river and around the Mid-Atlantic and possibly going to Bermuda if we have the balls to make the trip. Mostly this is a boat for my spouse and the kids to learn about sailing. No lie, I have a lot to learn as well. But in the world of social distancing, a boat seems pretty ideal.

[robert sailor]

The Pretorien 35 is/was a very well built boat. It's a stick built boat not a liner built boat, used to be referred to as the French Swan.
If the boat is in decent shape it can be taken anywhere, Caribbean cruising is nothing for this boat or if your up to it some serious ocean crossing. It has a very well deserved reputation. There is a following on this boat. The location of the main sheet is the second best idea as it screws up a large dodger and bimini but those who love the design make it work. Some had the Volvo sail drive and others had a shaft drive, most prefer the shaft drive. Hopefully the diesel has been changed. Cockpit is on the tight side but workable. The renown sailor Hall Roth chose this boat as his last one and pretty much took it everywhere. Two of my friends each owned one and I've sailed them offshore a couple of times...very well behaved and a good passage maker. If you find a real nice one they are hard to beat for a 35 footer.

[Boatguy30]

I owned one. Draft is quite deep, all hoses, thru hull valves will need replacement of not already done. Many had fairly serious osmosis issues which can leave the hull a bit thin in places depending how was done.

Overall, I bought mine almost 20 years ago for 50k. Would be looking for something newer, faster, shallower, or possibly slower in my case for European canals. TBT

[LF4]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

I owned one. Draft is quite deep, all hoses, thru hull valves will need replacement of not already done. Many had fairly serious osmosis issues which can leave the hull a bit thin in places depending how was done.

Overall, I bought mine almost 20 years ago for 50k. Would be looking for something newer, faster, shallower, or possibly slower in my case for European canals. TBT

The deep draft could be in issue around here. That's an important point.

I will keep it on my list, but also will continue looking.

[Soulseer]

Hey LF4,

Living in the Annapolis area, I recently viewed her (in conjuction with seeing a Tartan 37 nearby). Was somewhat interested in her, as the photos show out, but she was at the upper end of my budget. The original price she was listed at was $49k and so you can see that the price has decreased over time. Some of the biggest issues for me (even though I didn't go onboard - just a hull inspection and talk with a related broker) are:

• She's been on the hard for 2+ years
• Broker mentioned the engine and not knowing how serviceable it was (big possible expense)
• There was separation on the keel which would need to be worked
• And there may have been some leaning issues (with the keel not centered anymore) - it was hard to tell given the angle the boat was propped up on
• A deep keel is an issue in some places around the Chesapeake (and can make dockage more expensive around here)

The broker and I talked about it a bit and generally it was felt that two things were gonna happen - one, the price would take a hit (which might be good for you if you're looking for a bargain) ... I would personnally think something in the lower $30k would be more appropriate, and two - she's gonna need some overhauling and work just to get back up to speed. Oh and that's if the engine is still viable. If the engine is an issue - you'll need some $$$$ set aside for a replacement.

In the end, I didn't board her and walked away ... still looking myself, but a lot of what's left on the market in inventory seems to have a decent number of problems.

Just my 2-cents

[Cheechako]

IMO Great boats, well built. One of the best of more modern style boats. Of course the particular one matters.

[DeValency]

While it is basically a well built boat, two issues are probably a show stopper for you:
- draft, sounds too deep for your area and intended use (while be great as a blue ocean cruiser)
- keel separation as mentioned above might be a serious issue.
Most other things are a matter of price and your willingness to invest the time in repairs and refit, considering that the rigging and sails are good - think $20K if the engine is ok, if not, add at least $20K more, meaning the purchase cost can’t be over $15-20K.

[DDabs]

The draft is 6', that shouldn't be a problem at all on the Atlantic coast

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by DDabs

The draft is 6', that shouldn't be a problem at all on the Atlantic coast

Not great for the Delaware Bay or any of the inlets on the Atlantic Coast at least south. Having just done that trip in a 4' draft I would only take it into Ocean City (not a sailboat town!) or the main Chesapeake Bay entrance, and then not again until Morehead City. Those are some long offshore passages without bailouts for someone new to sailing.

[LF4]

Originally Posted by DeValency

While it is basically a well built boat, two issues are probably a show stopper for you:
- draft, sounds too deep for your area and intended use (while be great as a blue ocean cruiser)
- keel separation as mentioned above might be a serious issue.
Most other things are a matter of price and your willingness to invest the time in repairs and refit, considering that the rigging and sails are good - think $20K if the engine is ok, if not, add at least $20K more, meaning the purchase cost can’t be over $15-20K.

Are those numbers if I was to do the work myself or if I were to hire a professional to get things in order?

[tworail]

This is not a good first boat purchase based on the info presented in this thread. Take your money and buy the best equipped and best shape boat you can find in your area in your price range and try and make cabin layouts, gadgets, etc somewhat secondary. It takes one some time to wrap their head around this approach but please consider it. Also get someone knowledgeable from the yacht club to help you navigate some of these issues, I'm sure they would love to help you out.

You do not want anything to do with a boat in this condition as a first timer. It screams money pit, I don't care if the owner was a service manager at a top yard, bla bla. Two fundamental pieces of the puzzle - engine and keel - are in question here. It's also got a Volvo which could be a disaster in the waiting. Think about that seriously for a while and run the numbers on a replacement or look at the many threads about Volvo parts pricing.

If you are married to the design (and you should sail it / use it before purchase so seek out the owners group in your area) and don't think you can live with anything else, save up for one in the best condition possible that has been well looked after by its owner. Get a smaller keelboat in the meantime so you can actually learn the ropes. This boat also doesn't seem like it would be suitable for a sea trial in the present condition. Get a boat that is already in the water!

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by LF4

Are those numbers if I was to do the work myself or if I were to hire a professional to get things in order?

This is based mostly on your own work and project management while hiring the trades to deal with the specific heavy duty elements: engine, keel etc.

Any boat will have tens or more small issues to take care of and if you’re not ready to handle these mostly yourself you better look at a relatively new and very well maintained boat that will cost you at least 4x - yet, like any boat, will require the owner to maintain things regularly.

Welcome to the boat ownership world 🙂

[LF4]

Originally Posted by DeValency

This is based mostly on your own work and project management while hiring the trades to deal with the specific heavy duty elements: engine, keel etc.

Any boat will have tens or more small issues to take care of and if you’re not ready to handle these mostly yourself you better look at a relatively new and very well maintained boat that will cost you at least 4x - yet, like any boat, will require the owner to maintain things regularly.

Welcome to the boat ownership world 🙂

Totally expect labor and ongoing maintenance. Its actually something I miss from my younger days working on cars and an older fixer upper house. I now live in a new construction in the city and do not have a garage to do the work. My next door neighbor is a mechanics garage and its just so convenient to have them do the work for us.

Thanks!