Wauquiez Pretorian 35

[thomm225]

I found one of these boats on line that is just awesome. (and expensive) So I did some research and found that they are fast and well made but may have blister problems due to the resins used etc.

Is this true? Also, can someone give me more negatives so I will back off because this boat is ........ well, it's all that! And it has a PHRF of around 132. Not that I'll be racing much anymore, but it may help when running from weather.

[roverhi]

Wauquiez was an excellent builder who built above average quality boats. Good designs and strongly built. As far as blisters, don't know. Any boat can have them and all built with polyester resin will get some over time. Pull it an look at the bottom, you may be pleasantly surprized at the lack of blisters.

[barnakiel]

It is not due to resin used. It is a French boat. Blisters only if she spent lifetime in water, which is not done here unless she is in the Med.

Good quality but definitely light and bit twitchy. Nice boat for the club race course.

b.

[Teranodon]

I'm thinking about buying a boat of this type/size/price, but I plan to sail in an area (BC) where a dodger is a must. The positioning of the traveler on the Pretorien kind of rules it out. Otherwise - looks like a pretty slick boat.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Teranodon

I'm thinking about buying a boat of this type/size/price, but I plan to sail in an area (BC) where a dodger is a must. The positioning of the traveler on the Pretorien kind of rules it out. Otherwise - looks like a pretty slick boat.

The this one does have a dodger:

View Boat Photos - YachtWorld.com

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

It is not due to resin used. It is a French boat. Blisters only if she spent lifetime in water, which is not done here unless she is in the Med.

Good quality but definitely light and bit twitchy. Nice boat for the club race course.

b.

It's on the Mahina list of good Offshore Cruising Boats. I was going by this review concerning resins.

BoatUS - Boat Reviews - Wauquiez Pretorien 35

[cpa]

My 70 y/o dad has one. I love it. He loves it. Everyone who sails her loves it. If I were looking for a +/- 35 foot sailboat for cruising, It would be the only boat on my list. He traded down from a Wauquiez C49, so we have a bit of experiance with the builder and can say nothing but praise for the boats. Also never a blister on either one.

[Seagull111]

Nice looking boat. Seems like the epoxy bottom in 96 might have sorted any blister problems. She looks like a fast cruiser.

[cpa]

My negatives on the boat:
Many P35s have saildrives. (I have a saildrive as well)
Volvo diesel
Tankage is not great.
Cost.

I feel for those scared of older Volvo diesels, the Volvo 2003/saildrive can be addressed with a Beta 35/Seaprop 60 lol. He had his Volvo rebuilt and it cost about 2/3 as much as a new Beta/drive, which I guess is the risk of rebuilding vs repowering.

My Dad sails mostly with one of his 3 sons or alone, so the 66g of water is not too bad. Also he carries 30 gallons of diesel in jerry cans.

He sailed Mexico for a few months last season with my older brother and is heading over to the Bahamas this winter. I will help him get to Nassau and then he will mostly sail alone.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by thomm225

It's on the Mahina list of good Offshore Cruising Boats. I was going by this review concerning resins.

BoatUS - Boat Reviews - Wauquiez Pretorien 35

All boats of that time were built from the same resin.

I would pay extra attention to:

- IOR influenced, (think handling)
- balsa cored decks, (think water ingress)

Walk on the one you like and inspect thoroughly. Different samples of same design can vary wildly depending on how they were used and what level of maintenance they received.

If the deck or cabin top are balsa cored, avoid boats with extra gear added by overzealous owners. Not all understand how to make a proper epoxy plug/bed.

BTW Our friends who rtwed in a bigger boat, now have 'downgraded' to a Centurion 32. Their boat is as good a cruiser as one can get. If I were to judge other Wauquiez' builds by this one, I would say a hell of a boat.

b.

[LJH]

Originally Posted by Teranodon

I'm thinking about buying a boat of this type/size/price, but I plan to sail in an area (BC) where a dodger is a must. The positioning of the traveler on the Pretorien kind of rules it out. Otherwise - looks like a pretty slick boat.

Check out this Pretorian, they sailed around BC before heading into the Pacific. SV Estrellita 5.10b

[robert sailor]

The Pretorien 35 is an excellent boat with a high level of finish. As others have said the main sheet location makes for a very small dodger, tankage is on the small side and the sail drives are worth less than ones with a conventional shaft. Its not really a very good race boat as it doesn't point up to weather all that well, plenty fine for cruising but not great for racing, does its best work reaching. If its got the original little green engine then its probably due for replacement.
That and the Niagara 35 are probably the best all around offshore cruisers in that size range, an excellent choice if you find one that has been babied. Selling prices vary but the nicer well equipped ones start around $60,000.

[LJH]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I found one of these boats on line that is just awesome. (and expensive) So I did some research and found that they are fast and well made but may have blister problems due to the resins used etc.

Is this true? Also, can someone give me more negatives so I will back off because this boat is ........ well, it's all that! And it has a PHRF of around 132. Not that I'll be racing much anymore, but it may help when running from weather.

I have an 1984 Wauquiez - very well built boats, no blister issues. There is a Wauquiez Owners Yahoo Group if you want some first hand info!
Yahoo! Groups

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by LJH

I have an 1984 Wauquiez - very well built boats, no blister issues. There is a Wauquiez Owners Yahoo Group if you want some first hand info!
Yahoo! Groups

I have a 1981 Wauquiez Gladiteur 33' build quality is outstanding. Sails really well especially in heavy air. Very sea kindly motion. Cuts thru waves instead of pounding. Downwind sails a dream. Have to agree on the tankage and the dodger. I replaced the green engine with a Beta and am really happy with performance under power.

Hal Roth sailed his Pretorian all over the place.

[Cheechako]

I'm a big Wauquiez fan. Dont know of any particular blister problems related to the builder.