1981 Cheoy Lee 35 Perry Prospect

[Cap Morgan]

Hoping I can get some unbiased direction regarding a boat that I am considering purchasing.

Why am I attracted to this boat?
1. I love teak and the classics.
2. I'm not opposed to taking care of teak as I find caring for wood to be very satisfying.
3. This is a 35 footer which makes it a little tight but practically speaking it would not be a live aboard. 35 feet would do for me as I also plan on single handing quite a bit.
4. I also want a blue water boat. Please, I'm not seeking to get into one of those far out discussions regarding the merits of blue water vs. other types of sailboats.
5. The boat has a beautiful custom built hardtop covering the entire cockpit with significant amounts of solar plus space for more. Also has davits.
6. It has all new standing rigging plus all new chain plates.
7. It also has a brand new paint job and anti fouling paint.
8. Was re-powered with a Yanmar 3 cylinder in 2005.
9. Super clean Boat History report.

Now for my concerns:
1. The reason for the new rigging is that it sustained a dismasting in 2015 due to broken chain plates. But, that resulted in brand new chain plates a real plus. The new mast is a furling mast which wasn't in my plans but I thought, can't hurt can it?
2. Although this boat has a clean boat history report turns out from some digging that I did that it had a collision with another boat while on a mooring. When I inquired I was told by the Broker that it was "above the waterline and only surface damage". However when I walked up to the boat I could immediately make out where the damage was on the port side under the new paint. I knocked on the hull in that area and could definitely hear significantly different sounds. The dark blue paint really shows up every imperfection.
3. I somehow thought Cheoy Lees had Keel stepped masts but realized that its deck stepped with a compression post. I really want keel stepped but please feel free to educate me on the pros and cons of deck stepped with compression post.
4.The deck is of course all teak and the Broker claims that its solid fiberglass below that even though Ive read that Cheoy Lees have plywood decks. Plus there are soft spots.
5.Finally, yes finally, the sleeping arrangements are limited to a V birth only as the current owner converted the rear quarter births into storage.

I figured that if the price is right I can replace the deck within my boat buying budget.
I could also reconfigure the interior.
I would also need to replace all instrumentation as everything is shot including the Compass.

I'm just hung up on the hull damage and the deck stepped mast. So here Ladies and gentlemen is my headache in a nutshell.

Would you even consider buying this boat?
What wisdom can you share about this type of mast?
Any insights on acceptable levels of hull damage?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long writeup.

[Don C L]

There must be some CL35 owners out there, but I can only offer what I know from a similar vintage Cheoy Lee 30 (Luders.) I can understand your attraction to this boat, it is beautiful and capable. Somewhere I remember reading some designer saying that was the perfect boat, or at least a great one. My friend has the 30 and it is well built. I would want to see the repair to the hull on the inside, but I doubt that would end up being the deal breaker. The compression post under a deck-stepped mast does not pose any problems as long as the post is solid and has no corrosion and/or rot under it. As far as the deck, that I don't know. My buddy has to use his v-berth for sleeping too, and he is fine with that, but his settees are really too skinny for my tastes. If you can restore the quarter berth, that's a plus IMO. In-mast furling, I don't know, never sailed with one. I am sure if they work flawlessly the owners love them for convenience if not for sail shape. But having seen one on another boat get jammed, I would eye it with suspicion. But hat's just me. Do you know the make of it?
I hope the boat works out for you, they look like great boats!

[Cap Morgan]

Don,

Thanks for the reply. I've actually decided to forego purchasing the boat which isn't easy as its so beautiful and has so much potential. However, as I plan to do some Ocean crossings with whichever boat I purchase I decided that I'd never get to sailing as there is so much that needs to be done to make it right for me. I'm now looking at a Sabre 40 and a 38. From what I've read they seem to be truly well built boats.

On the topic of the Hull damage to the Cheoy Lee you mentioned that you thought it shouldn't be a deal breaker. Can you give me your thoughts on why you feel that way? There are those who say that one should simply walk away from any Hull damage. I'm curious.

[Don C L]

The hull of my friend's 30 is really thick, though I can't tell you exactly the measurement. It is hand laid up and followed Lloyd's specs at the time it was built. Inside you can see the roving layer, though I believe they included mat in between layers of roving. If there had been damage enough to show on the inside, then I would want to check bulkheads, tabbing and hull, to see how it was repaired and I'd look to see how it was glassed on the inside, and to see the extent of the damage. If it did not look like it was repaired well and it is large area (like more than 1'x1') and there are no records of repair, then yeah I'd want to get more info certainly before buying. My friend's boat is a tank that could take a serious hit, I am sure, before it would raise my blood pressure, but busted bulkheads, broken tabbing and poor repairs would surely make me walk away. If there is none of that, and it is just a small area then to me that is not a deal breaker. That's just me.

[Cap Morgan]

Appreciate the response Don. Thanks

[Don C L]

When you say collision, it's hard to know if that means getting t-boned at 7 knots or just a swipe from a boat loose from its mooring. And yes, any flaw on a dark hull will likely be visible unless it was really well repaired.