Hello

[Dream In Blue]

Hi all! I live aboard a 52 foot Endeavor sloop with my husband, yorkie and two persians. We have been living in the Florida keys for 2 years now working and updating the boat. We returned after a four and a half year travel to the Caribbean and South/Central America. We took our time and we even bought and sold a house in the DR along the way! We loved to stop places that some just passed right by like Cuba (hubby is Canadian, I'm American) Haiti and Rodonda Island! I am a veterinary tech and dive master and my hubby is an engineer. Our long term goals are to cross over into the Pacific but not until we settle the "via Horn or canal" debate! (I say canal...he says the Horn....go figure...) and also we need to refresh husband's business to fund the next trip and boat upgrades. We plan to re-do the caribbean en-route to the Pacific and visit our favorite islands and see the few we missed. Nice to meet everyone!

[scallywag]

Welcome Dream In Blue. I have an acquaintence in Panama. Imagine2 Frolic is using SPOT Messinger. Use search to follow.

[imagine2frolic]

DIB,

Welcome, and I hope you luck with wind is better than ours. We rounded Jamaica from Miami expecting east winds for our sail to Panama. We ended up with southwest at 20-25 knots. Everybody get through life differently. I would rather stay warm than freeze.....but that's just me.......i2f

P.S.,

Hi John

[Boomp]

Every true sailer would love to do the horn....but the canal will be safer I'd love to do it...timing would be everything!

[imagine2frolic]

Originally Posted by Boomp

Every true sailer would love to do the horn....but the canal will be safer I'd love to do it...timing would be everything!

So I guess you sail in blizzards near Mass.? Winter sailing would be great training for you. I don't believe it takes a TRUE SAILOR to want to sail the horn. It just takes someone who is willing to deal with the cold.......i2f

[Dream In Blue]

Originally Posted by scallywag

Welcome Dream In Blue. I have an acquaintence in Panama. Imagine2 Frolic is using SPOT Messinger. Use search to follow.

Bocas?


And, yes...I like WARM! Maybe I will have a change of heart and go for the Horn...I hear Patagonia is beautiful...

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
I've no desire to go round the horn. Just don't need that in my life.
regards

[maxingout]

I hate cold weather, and sailing around Cape Horn would be my worst cold nightmare come true. I am not afraid of doing the Cape Horn trip, but I am not willing to be cold. I lived in Saudi Arabia for 16 years, and I presently am working in Phoenix earning my Freedom Chips. This week the temperature hit 111 degrees Farenheit, and I loved it. Now if someone could figure a way to turn up the heat in the Cape Horn area, I will set sail. If global warming really exists, maybe someday I can make the trip.

I lived for a year in Panama, and I sailed through the Panama Canal. It was an excellent way to get to the Pacific Ocean. I highly recommend the canal to anyone who is allergic to cold weather

[Cyber1]

I am considering purchasing a 52 Endeavor. If I do I will be sailing her from the Florida keys thru the Panama canal then north to San Diego.

Any pro or con regarding the Endeavor?

Any suggestions like time, route etc. involved concerning the trip.

Thanks

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Cyber1

... Any pro or con regarding the Endeavor?...

Goto: Endeavour 52 Sailboat Specifications

In my inexpert opinion, Endeavours promised nicer designs, than their construction delivered.

[bluewaterforme]

Originally Posted by Cyber1

I am considering purchasing a 52 Endeavor. If I do I will be sailing her from the Florida keys thru the Panama canal then north to San Diego.

Any pro or con regarding the Endeavor?

Any suggestions like time, route etc. involved concerning the trip.

Thanks

Hello, I am Dream In Blue's husband. She asked me to reply to your questions.We have lived full time our boat for 9 years.

The Endeavour (not Endeavor) is a great, well built vessel and I am not being bias (not totally). What year is your boat? Ours is actually an E51, she was built only one year (1984) and then they built the 52 and on up. Check the following link for more on the history of the Endeavour.
Endeavour Sailboat Owners Forum
Our boat has a 8' 6" keel and 70' to top of mast from water line. I have not found any totally like her. At any rate, no matter what size they are all built well and I have nothing negative to say about them. Sandy bottom sailors think the draft is a problem, but I do not. She sails close to the wind and thrives in 20 to 30 knot winds. We sail in weather that keeps the majority in port. Not because we are looking for trouble it is just because she is built for true water sailing">blue water sailing and can handle it.

I am an X Navy Marine Engineering Tech/Mech and a Mechanical Engineering Tech and do all of the work on the boat myself. Which besides updating has not been too major. The Borg Warner gear box was rebuilt 5 years ago. The Original Perkins 4.236 Engine has more than 25,000 hours on it and runs like a charm without using oil. I use straight 40 or 50 weight oil in the engine and gear box depending how far south we are. I would most likely switch to 30 weight in colder climates. I rarely ever go above 1800 RPM as the small increase in speed is not worth the extra fuel and maintenance cost.

I could go on about the boat but you get the point. Like any boat they will look after you if you look after them.

As far as going through the canal to San Diego, that is a rough trip. The wind and current is just not in your favor going from south to north close to the Pacific coast. One of my patent lawyers motored his motor yacht that exact route last year. He said it cost him dearly in fuel and it was a very wet rough trip and was ready to sell it by the time he reach Long Beach. If you have plenty of time you are better off sailing West to NW via the Galapagos and possibly Hawaii and everything in between (not much) then to San Diego. If not carry plenty of fuel and be prepared to motor sail. You may need to use fuel bladders as fuel may be difficult to find at times. You will want to check the pilot charts to determine favorable conditions.

Best of luck and let me know if you have anymore questions.

[bluewaterforme]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Goto: Endeavour 52 Sailboat Specifications

In my inexpert opinion, Endeavours promised nicer designs, than their construction delivered.

I am glad you said "inexpert". Just in case you are confused. The more recent Endevours are Catamarans (Endeavour Catamaran Company) has nothing to do with the original company and design team. (Founder was murdered and company sold).
Anyone that knows anything about Endeavour monohauls also knows that these boats were built like the proverbial brick S-house. I installed a generator a few years back and found that the hull 18 inches above the water line was 2 inches thick. The real teak is more than 3/4" thick on the interior bulkheads. The anchor locker is separated from the forward crews quarters with a 3 inch water tight bulkhead. The forward crews quarters is separated from the main interior with another 3 inch thick water tight bulkhead.
The sturdy construction is reflected in the high resale value of these older boats.
What I don't understand is that if you have an inexpert opinion why give it?

[Cyber1]

How many of gallons diesel would it require. I assume it would only be used from Pananma to San Diego. Idiesel powered)

What about time required.

Thank you for information so far.

I am considering purchasing an Endeavour 52 built in 1989 I beleive.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by bluewaterforme

I am glad you said "inexpert"...
... What I don't understand is that if you have an inexpert opinion why give it?

I have opinions that are born of some experience & knowledge of these boats; but not enough to claim that said opinions are more than casually "informed".
I like Endeavours (mono's), but feel that they're (generally) put together with brute strength, rather than engineered elegance.
I never met an owner yet, who said that "his" boat was a dog.

[bluewaterforme]

Originally Posted by GordMay

I have opinions that are born of some experience & knowledge of these boats; but not enough to claim that said opinions are more than casually "informed".
I like Endeavours (mono's), but feel that they're (generally) put together with brute strength, rather than engineered elegance
I never met an owner yet, who said that "his" boat was a dog.

The Endeavour corporation was created by disgruntled Erwin Engineers to overcome what they considered as cheap short cuts and quality.
I do not know how many boats that you have personally worked on but as a Marine Engineering Tech, I have worked on hundreds if not thousands and from my expert opinion your statement "feel that they're (generally) put together with brute strength, rather than engineered elegance", is Puffery. Personal feelings based on rumor and hearsay have no place in Practical Engineering.

I could go on listing many boats and their positive and negative aspects based on my experience of problems that seem that repeat themselves on various models, but this would take much time.
I can give you an example; I was working on a 80 foot Oyster in Grenada that had on board fires twice from the same cause. (faulty engine start and associated equipment). This was a 6 million dollar yacht. I resolved the problem but not before Anthony Landamore (Landamore builds Oyster Yachts) and the Oyster head Manager came to Grenada personally to defend their product. While tracing the electrical system I looked behind the settee and could see day light coming through the fiberglass of the hull. In order to keep cost down they used as little amount of glass as possible. The Endeavor is over built and like most older yachts has very thick glass hulls. I will take "brute strength" over elegance any time because at the end of the day elegance does not float!

This very same Oyster Yacht (new on a day sail for potential buyers) had suffered from a broken mast, battery-box/ battery damage, and an endless list of electrical/electronic disorders.
The Captain who had worked directly for Oyster said that he would never buy one. My point is, this high end yacht did not have the quality that you would expect. The Endeavour looked pretty damm good to me after that job even though she is worth a fraction of that Oyster.
You name the boat and I can relate a common problem with them and as a result of this experience I know that money can buy me an expensive fancy (elegant) boat but I most likely would not find a boat that I know and have become to trust to bring me home safely.

I never met an owner yet, who said that "his" boat was a dog.[/QUOTE]
I have many times (it was usually the wife that were tired of sinking money into the boat).

Take Care