Cheoy Lee Pedrick 47 CC

[lifeofreilly57]

I've recently had an offer accepted on a Cheoy Lee 47 CC Pedrick design, pending a sea trial.
Has anyone out there had experience with this model or similar models in the Cheoy Lee line? It's of 1987 vintage.
Any information would be appreciated, it has been surveyed with no major issues found.
Typical Cheoy Lee issues for this vintage?

[callistov42]

Had a friend who used to have one. We sailed all through the Bahamas and Mexico with them. We would leave at sun up in our Vagabond, they would leave around 9:30. About 1:00 we would see them coming up behind us. Around 3:00 they would pass us and we would wave. About 6:00 we would get into the anchorage and they would be there with hook down, dinghy in the water and sundowners going. Pretty boat!

[lifeofreilly57]

Thanks for the reply. I'm moving from a racer/cruiser that's a joy to sail and didn't want a total lead sled. I've had a Westsail 32 for a short time years ago, and although a fine, hardy boat it needed a stiff breeze to move at all.
I wanted a sea kindly family boat for extended cruising with all the creature comforts that would still move in an average breeze. I think I found just what I'm looking for.
Any information on possible issues is appreciated since I'll be doing the repair/ upgrade work myself.

[ColdEH]

Hi there, how did you make out with that Cheoy Lee, did you buy her ? How did she sail. Always loved those old boats but the teak deck always scared me away .

Regards

[lifeofreilly57]

We have a deposit on her but are waiting to do the sea trial to finalize the sale. The owner is currently prepping her for launch to facilitate the sea trial.
Right now it looks 95% barring any unforeseen issues during sea trials, I would say it's a pretty sure bet that we'l buy this vessel.
I too am a little put off by the teak decks but we have considered that aspect in the whole picture, they were fairly well maintained up to a couple years ago from appearances, if we purchase the boat we will decide which way to go with the teak decks when we haul it in the fall.
Fortunately I have a big enough piece of property that I can store the boat right next to the workshop at my house, this makes it much easier to do any upgrades/ repairs that are needed. My previous 3 boats were all auction boats which required far more help than this one, in comparison the teak decks would be a walk in the park, at the same time I'm pretty cold when it comes to assessing a boat purchase, if it shows any unforeseen major issues I would not hesitate to walk away, I have intimate knowledge of the amount of effort required to do major work.
I'm hoping this works out, as it is a solid, well designed yacht that fits our needs perfectly.
I'll definitely let you know how it goes in about a week or so.
Thanks

[ColdEH]

I wish you luck, the boat sounds great, I think they were stick built boats with tabbed in bulkheads and stringers for hull rigidity, no liners. Those old boats were built in a time when the economics were a little more favorable for that kind of construction.

Those decks can be trouble but if you get her at a good price and she sails well then repairing them or removing them would leave you a great boat.

Now if they built one with a swim platform , say , something like whats on a Hylas , Wow !

Regards

[lifeofreilly57]

Funny you mention the Hylas, every time we hit the bigger boat shows my wife goes right for them, if money were no option we would be talking to them about a new yacht.
Oh, well, the sea trial has been pushed back, it seems the boat yard has been a little behind getting boats commissioned, no problem, we'll reschedule and get it done. I'll let you know how it all works out.

[ColdEH]

Yes , A Hylas would be nice, I always find myself looking at them as well at the boat shows .

Good luck with that sea trial, I think those boats were built like a Hylas , IE stick built. Should be good and stiff.

Regards .

[Cheechako]

I considered a CL Pedrick 41 at one time. I came away from the inspection feeling the boat was a great design but poorly built compared with other Taiwanese boats.... or maybe I should just say "lightly built" compared with those.... still... it's just one opinion on one particular boat at one time in my life.... I would watch for anything plywood and inspect it with an awl looking for soft spots.

[lifeofreilly57]

OK, we made the offer, they accepted, we moved forward to purchase it back at the end of May but unfortunately getting it documented is still in process. It seems the Coast Guard did not have a copy of the letter the bank sends to show the original mortgage was paid off. You would think it would be no problem for a bank to simply look into their files and re-send that letter. WRONG! apparently it takes 2 months or more and several thousand phone calls to get someone at MEGABANK to take the five minutes required to do so, we are still waiting. Despite the efforts of the current owner, the future owner and the broker it's still in limbo, they are happy to say it's paid off, they just can't seem to send the paperwork. Gotta love modern banking.
Anyone who's remortgaged in the last few years will know how hard it is to get anything moving with a large financial institution, and that's when they are actually getting money from you, when there's no profit involved for them the wheels turn very slowly.
Oh well, it will all get done eventually, I just hope I don't end up doing the transport in December, I feel for the broker and the original owner, it has to be extremely frustrating to be hung out to dry for something so simple.
Can't wait to sail her, but I'm going to have to.

[Cheechako]

so the seller has your funds but the title is not cleared? Hope not....

[lifeofreilly57]

No, just the deposit which is in an escrow account held by the broker, who works for a reputable firm.
Having been around the business a long time I never hand over money to an owner until a clear title, or in this case documentation is provided.
The only time I've been hornswaggled for money was in my youth selling a van to a police officer who provided a bad check then refused to make good, fortunately my Uncle was friends with the chief, it didn't work out well for that individual.
It did provide a good life lesson though.

[Thackaringa]

I now own my second Cheoy Lee, a Clipper 42. I bought it in California and sailed it back to Australia in 2011. It is NOT a Taiwanese built boat, it is Hong Kong built by a company that has been continuously building boats for 140 years, they must be doing something right. They were one of the pioneers of building with fibreglass back in the 1960s. They were built to lloyds standards which I must say back then was much stronger that some of the plastic boats I see sailing around today. Back then they believed that fibreglass had to be as thick as timber planks. Most Cheoy Lees were American designs, not modified Chinese junks. My boat is now 43 years old. I have been in big sees with winds of 50 knots that lasted for almost 2 days and the boat did not have a squeak in it. None of by bulkheads or interior furniture moved and all of my internal door would still open and close. I think any Cheoy Lee owner would not like being compared to Taiwanese built boats with maybe exception to the Kelly-Peterson and a small hand full of others. I admit that the original Cheoy Lee teak decks were not very thick and didn't last long but by now most Cheoy Lees have had their decks removed or replaced. Personally I have never had trouble with them and find that they give a nice warmth and feel to a boat. My footing has NEVER slipped on a teak deck. I am not positive of this but I have been told that Cheoy Lees have a solid fibreglass deck covered with mahogany and then teak. Maybe somebody else could shine a bit more light on the subject. There appears to be a lot of unsubstantiated myths out there about Cheoy lees. My advise is to talk to people who own or have owned one, or two. If the boat you are looking at surveys well and gives you a nice warm feeling inside, then I'm sure that you will be very happy with your purchase.

[lifeofreilly57]

Well, it finally happened, the previous owners bank finally sent the last piece of paper required to get the documentation in order,it only took 2 months, I don't envy the amount of aggravation he went through for a single piece of paper.
Now that she's officially ours the rest is up to us, now if I can just get some time scheduled to transport her back to home waters.....
Not a bad problem to have at this point.

[Unkle Toad]

Got to feel nice to get that last piece of paper.. excelnt .. and have fun.