1977 Endeavour 32

[Luzern]

Hopefully this is the correct forum to post this message. If not, let me know and I will post in the correct forum.

I am considering purchasing a 1977 Endeavour 32 and will be inspecting it soon. I would appreciate any inputs into particular areas of trouble/ weakness to focus upon.

From what I could gather by online posts I realize it is heavy and prone to a bit of weather helm which doesn't really deter me. Intended use is mostly coastal cruising with an occasional trip once or twice a year into the keys/ Caribbean. I would also appreciate inputs of owners past or present as to the pros and cons of this boat.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[woodster]

Hopefully this is the correct forum to post this message. If not, let me know and I will post in the correct forum.

I am considering purchasing a 1977 Endeavour 32 and will be inspecting it soon. I would appreciate any inputs into particular areas of trouble/ weakness to focus upon.

From what I could gather by on line posts I realize it is heavy and prone to a bit of weather helm which doesn't really deter me. Intended use is mostly coastal cruising with an occasional trip once or twice a year into the keys/ Caribbean. I would also appreciate inputs of owners past or present as to the pros and cons of this boat.

Thanks,

Greg

we have a featured member here that has done a lot of coastal cruising on one and i have never read where he was unhappy with it ...obtw he is also a navel architect as well and in my mind he chose that boat so it must be good

regards

woody

 

[Sumner]

You might want to go here to read owner reviews....

http://www.endeavourowners.com/info.html

...and that site has a lot of Endeavour information. We looked at a 32 and ended up with a 37 and have been happy with her but very limited on the water experience so far :cry:.

The 32 we drove a long ways to look at looked great on the Internet and like a different boat in person as far as condition. Where is the 32 you are going to look at? Our 37 is at Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

 

[trasel]

what engine is on boat? well made, solid and simple...depends on asking price

 

[teebutch]

I had a 1978 32' years ago and loved it I have had it out in the Atlantic is 12-15' seas. Windows leaking was my main problem other than that I loved the boat.

 

[CalebD]

Yes, if the boat still has the plastic Beckson ports in the cabin they are likely toast, or at least leak.
All about maintenance & condition of an older boat like that.
Ok sailor.
Nice interior.

A friend of mine owns I believe a 1980 model E32. Got some blisters happening on the hull.

 

[Sumner]

....A friend of mine owns I believe a 1980 model E32. Got some blisters happening on the hull.

Our 37 had blisters and it turned out to be more expensive that I thought it would be by quite a bit even though we painted the new barrier coat and bottom paint ourselves.

We made the mistake of seeing a repair bill where blister work and barrier paint had be applied and figured from the price of the bill it had been done right. Problem was the barrier paint was only applied to the blister work and not the whole hull so new blisters appeared where there was no barrier paint. We should of had the boat hauled out. Do that for sure. At least that way if the boat has a problem you can still factor the cost into the asking price if you still want the boat.

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

 

[higgs]

I had an Irwin 32 which is the same mold as the Endeavor. It did have a weather helm which I could never correct, but it was a good boat. The Endeavor is better built than the Irwin and I would not hesitate to own the boat again.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

I have some customers who have an Endeavor 32 and they love it, but they had to rebuild the mast step near the keel because it deteriorated. So, I suggest you take a peek at that area. I sailed and Endeavor 34 center cockpit ketch (LOA 37') all over Florida and the Bahamas for quite some time and it was a great boat. Russell Wakefield (now an old man) used to be the Endeavor dealer in south Florida and sold them all over Florida and put them into the Bahamas.

 

[Luzern]

Thank you all for the inputs.

I have taken a first look at the boat. Naturally the posted pictures made it look better than it did close up in person. It needs work (including replacing all the portlights- are there drop in replacements?).

The boat seemed fundamentally sound. For it's age I found very little delamination areas on the deck. Fair amount of gelcoat cracks but nothing that seemed structural.

Things that would need fixing include patching the cracks in the gelcoat and painting the deck. Boat is in the water so I haven't seen the hull yet but will have it pulled if I think I definitely want to attempt to but. I have to presume that it needs some bottom painting. Owner says it has never had blisters, but seeing is believing.

Rigging seemed decent but I'd have it inspected prior to purchasing as well. No broken stands that I could detect from the deck.

Engine is an original Yanmar. It ran well and no smoke in the exhaust. The oil was a bit blacker than I thought it should be, but maybe it just needs changed. Of course at its age and with raw water cooling, it may need replacement sooner rather than later.

The boat is very basic with no significant upgrades to speak about.

It needs all the exterior bright work refinished and some of the interior needs work (cosmetic not structural as far as I can see. Also some leaks in the hatch areas and around a couple of the windows that need to be address.

Anybody have any surveyor recommendations, rigger, and diesel mechanic recommendations in the Miami to Key West area?

Thanks for the inputs and help.

Greg

 

[py26129]

What Yanmar does it have? I had a Paceship 26 wiht a Yanmar YSE8 and the oil in that engine was always blacker than the night, even shortly after an oil change. Tsi despite a new cylinder liner and new rings etc. It was a great and very very dependable engine.

 

[Sumner]

What Yanmar does it have?

That is a good question. Looks like they had a number of different options...

All Endeavour 32s came with diesel engines, but many different engines were used. In the 1975, 76, and 77 models, a 12hp Yanmar (1QM) diesel was standard equipment--fine for flat calms but not enough power to push to windward in any wind or sea. Some boats in the same period were equipped with the Westerbeke L-25 engine, and others with the Yanmar 2QM20 (22hp 2-cyl) which was available in the late 70's. While the bigger Yanmar became standard in 1978, a 3-cylindar Universal diesel of about 24hp was also an option in late model boats...........

Not sure if you followed the link I posted but a pretty good history and info here...

http://www.endeavourowners.com/boats/e32/e32specs.html

...on the same Endeavour site.

Also if...

It needs work (including replacing all the portlights- are there drop in replacements?).

.... that needs to be done you should check out pricing for them and also check to see if you feel comfortable doing the work yourself. It can be a job especially if the old ones were put in with 5200. It was one item that had been addressed on our boat and I was glad that it had been done. I found that all the work I've done has taken a fair amount longer than I anticipated and I'm fairly handy.

I'm not trying to discourage you as a 32 was on our list and we like our 37 a lot, but these issues are going to have to be resolved on any boat of that age,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

 

[Stu Jackson]

...It needs work (including replacing all the portlights- are there drop in replacements?).

Greg, if the portlights are Becksons, yes, they are still in business. I have eight of them on my boat, have replaced three. Easy. Here's the tool:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3241.0.html

Please read the links, too.

Good luck. We sailed one on our first BVI bareboat trip in 1986. Great boat.

 

[Luzern]

Sumner,

I read most everything on the Endeavor owners site which in part prompted me to go take a look at the boat. I appreciate the effort to post the link.

For you and others commenting about the engine, it is the 2 cylinder Yanmar. I can't imagine that the one cylinder Yanmar was effective for such a displacement. If it had that one I'd for sure have to factor in repowering.

Greg

 

[Luzern]

Stu,

thanks for that link. I especially like the window puller. I'm sure that must avoid some frustration. I followed the links about the official process for replacing the windows and the reality of it.

Its like most jobs on a boat that one thinks is a 1 hour job but turns into a 4 hour job and requires you to closely related to an octopus to be able to reach/ hold all the associated parts at one time!

Greg

 

[Luzern]

Barnacle Bill,

thanks for this input. I didn't notice anything at the base of the compression post, but I also didn't sound that area or inspect it too closely. Is there a wooden beam directly under the post? From what I saw it looked like the post was on fiberglass, but the glass could have covered a wooden beam underneath.

Your comment is interesting because one of the few areas on the cabin deck that sounded like it might be delaminated was beside the mast. It was a very small area, about as long as the mast base (4-6 inches long and perhaps 3 inches or so out from the mast.) It also looked like the fiberglass very slightly dipped in right at the junction of the mast, but maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. The starboard side of the cabin deck at the mast was sound and didn't seem to have the dip. When I say dip, it might have been all of 1/16 of an inch, perhaps less.

Do you know the details of how this area was repaired? I would presume it requires stepping the mast, removing the compression post and cutting away the area of glass and wood that deteriorated, replace wooden cross member and reglassing. I'm not trying to suggest it is a walk in the park, but was there something in the repair that might not be immediately apparent and requiring expert effort?

Greg

 

[higgs]

All Important is what are they asking for this boat? Is the price worth the work that goes into it. I am in your area and would love to go look at the boat with you. I am not an expert, but I do know about boats after being an owner and having always repaired my boats myself for 40 years.

 

[Luzern]

Hi Higgs,

thank you for the offer, but better be careful as I may take you up on it! It's a 5 hr drive from Cape Coral, so I want to be reasonably certain I will make an offer on it before doing that drive again. I am in the process of trying to determine what some of the repairs might cost be.

The engineer in me wants to do all the repair work myself (although going up the mast always sets off the self preservation alarms!) but the sailor in me wants it done sooner. I travel a lot so my diy repairs will take quite a while. My approach at this point is get rough estimates for the major items and use that as a basis to determine if an offer is warranted. Since we are new to the SWFL area I really don't know which yards do good work. If you have recommendations that would be helpful. In particular would be a welding shop that can do some railing repair.

I would also like to get your thoughts on what some of the repairs might take if one does it themselves. Since I may get to a point of negotiating on this boat, I'd rather have that communication more privately. May I PM you about some of my concerns?

 

[Sumner]

... Since we are new to the SWFL area I really don't know which yards do good work. If you have recommendations that would be helpful....

Finding yards where you can do your own work is getting harder. Finding one where you can stay on the boat overnight in the yard is harder yet.

We have our boat at Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage....

http://www.charlotteharborboatstorage.com/

....and they allow both. Not real close to Cape Coral but not that far and you could drive up and work on the boat for a day or two and stay on her overnight to avoid driving back and forth. A number of area residents do that. The yard is inland so offers some hurricane protection. You go through a lock and 8 miles of fresh water to get to the yard.

They have a simple club hose with baths and showers. We really like the place and have spent almost 6 months in the yard at this point...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/new to yard-pics-2.html

...... Great owners and their rates are as low as anyone. There are a number of contractors that come and go that work in the yard.

Right next door is All American where you can also work on your boat, but have to be out of the yard by 8 pm which only works if you live fairly close to the yard.

Not sure how you decided on the 32 and how many boats you have looked at but I think one mistake we might of made was getting to fixated on one boat and it might of been better to of looked at more before making a final decision. We had only looked at 2 boats before buying the one we did. On the flip side it appears there are some that look at boat after boat and can never come to a decision ,

Good luck,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

 

[Luzern]

Sumner,

thanks for the input. As far as I can tell my choices for a diy yard are the one you mention and one way up the river in the general area of Alma. Neither are close ( 1hr drive or so to either).

I am not fixated on the Endeavour and have looked at some Hunters and Irwins so far. I will consider others as well. It seemed that Endeavour owners were generally pleased and the boats seem to be more or less well constructed for the boats of that time. The particular boat I looked at seemed to have been better maintained in the pictures and from discussions with the owner than was evident in person.

I'm trying to determine if the cost to make it shipshape is reasonable relative to a boat that is already well maintained. Of course ideal would be a boat that is repowered, rerigged, no delamination and brand new sails with every high end electronic gizmo known to man, but I haven't found that yet for my budget!