Seeking "Willy's Jeep" of Bluewater Monohulls

[MicHughV]

While multi-hulls is not my thing, I've always been a big Wharram fan, and I think it fits the "Willy's Jeep" criteria to a T.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by TheOldPilot

Apply that mentality to boat ownership, specifically being offshore and solo, being able to maintain any system easily becomes critical (in my opinion). Sure, you might not regularly plan on swapping out a tank - but if a tank springs a leak mid-passage, I want to know I can get at it and resolve the issue without cutting my boat apart in the middle of the ocean.

I recently was looking at the Niagara 35 - very interesting layout that I liked, right in my length range, has some bluewater pedigree, etc. But it has keel bolts, and to inspect the keel bolts you have to remove the holding tank. I'm pretty conservative about maintaining my equipment, and disassembling and hauling out the holding tank each season to conduct the inspection doesn't sound like my idea of a good time.

Re-reading this post I thought I would mention the Hallberg Rassy 35 I had for my cruise to Mexico. Both the fuel (63 gallons) and the water (70 gallons) are integral. This eliminates the concern of failure. The engine is accessible both from the interior and the cockpit via two large opening doors.

[nortonscove]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

In my view taking a complex car and removing all the systems does not make it into a Willys Jeep. All you are doing is removing bits of the boat.

Furlers don’t give trouble. Toilets don’t give trouble ( yes if not maintained ) electrics are reliable etc

Too many people keep ignoring warning signs and keep flogging the relevant system until it breaks. Then they complain or find it too “ complex “ to maintain

You either can maintain it or pay someone to do it. Otherwise it WILL break , probably when you need it most and can’t easily repair it.

A Willys Jeep boat is a Unicorn , short of building one exactly to your specifications. ( and everyone else will probably hate it. )

Ordinary simple boats with simple furling systems , simple straightforward on board systems , are widely available , it’s owners that make things complex.

👍👍👍. What they said.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Ordinary simple boats with simple furling systems , simple straightforward on board systems , are widely available , it’s owners that make things complex.

There's a lot of truth in this.
Boats, over time start to reflect the personal philosophy of their owners.
After some years of additions/subtractions/modifications, etc. the boats that have had many owners tend to reflect a "hodge-podge" of various approaches to the additions/subtractions/modifications that the boat ends-up with.
As such there can be a loss of "continuity" within the systems, and makes it harder for a new owner to see/figure out "What does this do", "Where do these wires go", "Why did they do this",,,,,,, and so forth.
Assuming a reasonable diligence of owners, much of a lack of maintenance or service comes down to access.
In real estate they stress "Location-location-location".
In boats it's "Access-access-access"
A boat can be pretty complex as long as you can "See everything and put both of your hands on it", without hanging upside down.
Boats with engines buried in a deep hole under cabin sole hatches,, no thanks.

[Cyrus Safdari]

Any used boat will have all sorts of issues but when it comes to choosing a boat model based on ease of access the main factor for me was access to the prop shaft log and stuffing box
On some boat designs this is near impossible as originally designed
This was one of my basic safety requirements and a reason I rejected a few models

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Cyrus Safdari

Any used boat will have all sorts of issues but when it comes to choosing a boat model based on ease of access the main factor for me was access to the prop shaft log and stuffing box
On some boat designs this is near impossible as originally designed
This was one of my basic safety requirements and a reason I rejected a few models

Agreed , it’s especially problematic in smaller boats. When I was looking for my Bav36 , I looked at a nice Jeanneau 36i, but the steering quadrant was near inaccessible , what attracted me to the Bav 36 ( of that era ) was the great access to the stern gear , steering etc. A fact , that was proven , as i easily removed the poor wheel pilot and installed a tiller arm and Jefa linear drive in the transom with relative ease.

My neighbours lovely Jeanneau had to have its exhaust water lock replaced , the thing was completely inaccessible , mine is right below an inspection hatch

But nothing’s perfect , while I can access all my tanks , none have shut offs or inspection hatches , I see another winter project !

[Rumrace]

The Amels are just stunning builds.
Goboatin I priced out a boat from my fav French factory. 230,000€ base price but another 160,000€ in stuff which breaks plus freight. Since free trade with Europe that loaded boat has come down 30K

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Cyrus Safdari

Any used boat will have all sorts of issues but when it comes to choosing a boat model based on ease of access the main factor for me was access to the prop shaft log and stuffing box
On some boat designs this is near impossible as originally designed
This was one of my basic safety requirements and a reason I rejected a few models

There's an easy answer to this.

Outboard! (and smaller boat like a Bristol 27 or something from the Atom Voyages Classic Boat List)

I have removed the stuffing box on my boat and the prop, prop shaft, diesel, and gear box, motor mounts, diesel fuel tank, etc.

Outboard replacement takes about 2-5 minutes. There's no stuffing box adjustment either anymore as that thruhull is permanently closed.

The rest of the boat even though it's 48 years old is relatively easy to maintain.

The boat also doesn't have keel bolts to worry about.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Rumrace

The Amels are just stunning builds.

Goboatin I priced out a boat from my fav French factory. 230,000€ base price but another 160,000€ in stuff which breaks plus freight. Since free trade with Europe that loaded boat has come down 30K

Not arguing they are not stunning but they are big money for the size. Hard to justify

[Rumrace]

I have a Jeanneau just for a couple years. Has a funky little compartment behind the shower wall where the port quarter birth. It’s pretty large. Has batteries extra water tanks and the rear view of plywood and other sins.
Steering quadrant access got me there are 2 of them. Hope they are not in plywood lol. As it’s getting 7 years old I imagine her flaws will start to show. The engine I had swapped to a bronze one. Access to one looks scary. It’s still shinny brass but apparently one bad ballcock used in salt water. I imagine you have to take apart the washroom wall the vanity and part of the floor. Access is horrible glass cut knuckle cut stuff. But we want 60’ Yacht luxuries in weekenders so we’ve requested all this stuff.
I’d say a big improvement from other Jeanneau is access to the generator and the Air conditioning which quit. The air is at the back of that cave behind the shower.
The parts for the air have arrived time to go crawling. My opinion they don’t winter well.
The generator is more on Onan making life easier for boat builders. Apparently the Onan dude can pick it up and remove it in minutes. Removing rudder to get at cutlass bearing is not a problem cause no rudder there. and access to steering seems okay. I’m sure the stuff which breaks 15-20 years will be near impossible to get at. Just clearing a glogged shower drain took the manual and taking up floor in the cabin
All that crap we see in our basement ceiling stuffed into in a 3” cavity under shower floor. One Jeanneau bash I heard is I have a pathetic shallow bilge. I was not surprised to to see wine and food stowage. So I don’t understand that critique.
It’s not easy access lots of stuff yup things nightmares are based on.

[chris5977]

The easiest to maintain new boat is the Seawind 1160 Lite catamaran. It is a rare offshore capable vessel that uses outboards. Repowering is a DIY one-day project. The fact that the props tilt out of the water under sail reduce drag and keep the saltwater off the propellers.

https://www.seawindcats.com/seawind-...pecifications/

[jalmberg]

Low maintenance on a boat is a myth, I'm afraid. I have a VERY simple boat, but we sail it a lot. When stuff gets used, things break or wear out. I haven't found the magic bullet yet. Let me know if you find it!

[Flagfish]

You bet: Albin Vega. I have one for sale on the classifieds for $15K CAD ($12K USD) that's fully refit and ready to go across oceans for the third time.

The inboard blew so I removed it, mounted a vise and metalworking tools in the engine compartment and can always find a solution when remote.

[malbert73]

Not that I would necessarily buy one- but I went on a new Catalina 425 at a boat show 2 years ago and honestly the fit and finish were well above the Bene/Jeanneau/Bavaria’s at the show
And their attention to access of systems was superb. I sat in the aft storage/berth room and was able to open doors in sequence and while comfortably seated, access all critical systems really easily (stuffing box, genset, steering quadrant, etc)
Early models that are smaller may not have the same access. But with an active owners group and a Catalina parts direct site I think this brand should be on the list

[Happ]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Sure.

They are located on the Atom Voyages website and if maintenance is a problem get a smaller one and put a new 5-6 hp outboard on it. (4 stroke , 25" shaft)

I chose a Bristol 27 about 11 years ago that I paid $2,000 for and put a new 5 hp 4 stroke outboard on it plus new sails, solar, autopilot, computers, etc, etc

(and get rid of the old leaky, smelly diesel) I use that area for storage which right now is several cases of bottles water)

I have still done no structural repairs. No thruhull replacements, no new rigging, no rebedding of deck hardware. Nothing of this nature which new sailors seem to love to do to their new/old boats.

I do plan to replace the rigging though in the next 2-3 years as it may be about 20 plus years old but these older boats have like 8 stays (and as many separate chain plates) as compared to newer ones with 4-6 and half the chain plates or they are attached to bulkheads not fiberglass kness.

Also just noticed in his videos he has a Mantus anchor on the bow of his boat which I just recently bought to see if it can perform as well as my old CQR has done.

https://atomvoyages.com/planning/cla...ers-list-html/

https://atomvoyages.com/videos/

Great links! If you don’t know James actually sailed around the world in 1987 in a Pearson Trident!