S2 9.2A ( 1981) looking to buy one need your help and input

[Allan12754]

Ahoy!

I am seriously looking at buying a 1981 S2- 9.2A
We are a retired couple looking for a safe stable small cruiser that's affordable. I have many years of sailing experience but have been away from it for over 10 years.
We plan on living aboard 2-3 months per year. Is this boat suitable? There isn't much info on the net.What little I have heard is good. The boat I am looking at has a 12hp Yanmar which seems to be underpowered. But the price is right and it is well maintained,but not well equipped with cruising gear. We have plans of heading south to the Bahamas and maybe beyond. With the right gear is the 9.2-A going to fit my needs? The 9.11 is above my budget so hence the 9.2-A. Is she tender in a blow? What about weatherhelm?

Fair winds, Allan email: guestallan@hotmail.com

 

[BobM]

I just bought my 1981 9.2A last year. I made one 180 mile trip to bring her back to Boston from Long Island Sound.

Overall build quality is good...bolted and bonded hull to deck joint...bulkheads are tabbed in place...minimal gelcoat crazing...no blisters on my boat (I did see pervasive tiny gelcoat blisters on the topsides of another 9.2A though). The 12hp yanmar is definitely a underpowered and will be noisy. My 2QM15 (14hp - cruises at 5.5 knots) isn't much better and ideally you should repower if this is a long term thing for you.

Her 5 foot draft might not be ideal for the bahamas either, especially if you find coral with her keel, which is integral to the hull. From an accomadations perspective, she will be tight for 2-3 months in a number of ways. Tankage is small for a liveaboard, especially for the head (I have 12 gallons). Water is 40 gallons (as I recall) and fuel will be roughly 12-18 gallons. She is also unlikely to have a stove, but there are some ways around that. Berths are fine for a 6 footer all around. The stowable table might be an irritant long term as you will have to pull / stow it with each use vs. a folding bulkhead design. Head room is respectable (I am 6 even) for a boat this size.

Rig is sturdy, but if it is 8+ years old you should have a local rigger look at it and consider replacing. I got a quote of 1500-2000 for all 8 shrouds.

Watch for leaky chain plates / rot in the bulkheads. The design, with doublers that will sacraficed first, lends itself to easy repair, but both mine needed repair. Port side had damage to the main bulkhead too that had to be replaced and a new piece scarfed in. This is a problem for many boats though.

Watch for loose engine mounting stringers. This is the one place that S2 engineers took a mental break. There was only minimal tabbing holding the beds in place and the tabs had broken loose in back. The 1 cyl will shake even more than my 2 cyl, so be careful here.

Forward ports typically split and may need replacing. Likewise, the lexan hatches may be badly crazed by UV and aren't inexpensive to replace. My main slider had been replaced at the cost of at least $1000 and the forward hatch I'd estimate at $300.

Tender in a blow? Perhaps, it depends on your definition. We caught 20 knots steady with gusts to perhaps 30 for a few hours. We rolled up the 135 to about 110 and sailed with no reefs in the main no problem. She loves the wind and will sail 20 degrees over, if you like to and is very predictable doing so. The aft traveler makes it easy to dump some wind in a pinch, but can get in the way too. I have inadverdantly pulled the main sheet out of the jamb cleat by sitting on the line.

Everything I have read says that your costs to equip a boat for cruising will likely double the cost if you don't buy a boat that is turn key. To be honest, unless you and your Wife are like two peas in a pod I'd probably try for something 36 feet-ish and pay for something in very good overall condition, especially in the way of recent electronics, rigging and sails.

My 2C.

Bob

 

[Allan12754]

Thanks Bob for the comments!

I too question the Yanmar 12hp or 16hp seems underpowered if encountering strong currents, winds, etc.

You are also correct about tankage, although it is not too har or expensive to add some.

As far as draft I believe the 9.2A came in 4'11" and 3' 11".

I'll watch for leaky chainplates, and loose engine mounts.

As per liveaboard size...yeah we are 2 peas in a pod . I have owned 30' to 41' in the past. I want something that is easy to single-hand. We spend little time down below anyway. Mainly to sleep and use the head. Unless the weather is bad we cook our meals/eat and spend a lot of time in the cockpit.

I don't want or need a 36' boat. But I agree a well equipeed 30-34' boat is what we are after.

Thanks, Allan

 

[BobM]

Allan,

From a tankage prosepctive, you can get a water maker, which will go a long way to alleviate the fresh water problem, but you should consider how a relatively small holding tank will impact what you want to do. There just isn't a lot of space on the 9.2 to add a big holding tank and later boat went to a bulkhead mounted table eliminating the space where mine is currently located (they elimnated the bench across the port bulkhead). My tank is 12 gallons and fills that space. Perhaps you can just discharge in most locations you will be, or go with a composting head, but I just wanted to raise it as a consideration for you. I think I have traded posts with you on the yahoo group as well (s2tripleplay).

 

["SevenSundays"]

The stock freshwater tankage for my 1979 9.2/c is 38 gallons. Fuel tankage is 18 gallons. I added 2 13 gallon freshwater bladder tanks under each settee, giving me 64 gallons of freshwater tankage. (not counting the 5 gallons in the waterheater) Plenty for a 30 footer.

A 9.2 would work just fine for your intended use, and by and large you will find the build quality much better than brands C&H.

Good luck in your search.......

 

[Rick19354]

Here is my two-cents regarding the original post...

Is the 9.2A suitable for 2-3 months? Much depends on your requirements and necessities. For many, it's fine -- for others, I suspect not so. For me, it's not a big issue as 30 feet is plenty of space for two people (and two small dogs) in our case. We're heading to the keys for two months this summer, and plan on anchoring out the majority of time with the occasional treat at a marina along the way.

The 12 hp Yanmar might be worth considering, as experience has taught me much of cruising is motoring. Again, it's a choice of how far, how fast, and what kind of negotiations are you willing to do with wind and tide (down here it's current!). Not in a rush? Then the 12 may be fine. My brother lived 18 years on a piver trimaran with no engine, so he would get a kick out of this discussion.

The Bahamas are fine with a 4'11" draft. Some anchorages will be a little further out, but no concerns for passages on and off the banks. The pointing trade-off of the 9.2 is worth it in that compromise. Weather helm is limited and very predictable and easily controlled by sail area and good traveler use. She can be pretty well balanced, actually, but it's a learning curve. Heel is evident to about 20 degrees, and then she sits well and steady. She's unlike many hunters and catalina's (at least later designs) in that she really is not that beamy when compared to others -- hence the heel but a good ballast to weight ratio holds her steady at about 20 degrees.

All construction areas, minus the engine tabbing, are very sound. Glass work is very good. The engine issue is addressed on other threads, but check carefully around the engine bedding as it simply was not a good design. Later models appear to be beefed up in this department, but the tabbing can still be suspect. Like any old boat, check for water intrusion where appropriate (and there are many places to look carefully).

Regarding tankage, I have about 35 in a bladder under the starboard settee and another 35 bladder under the v-berth (with 5 in the hot water heater). With careful use, it's plenty for moderate cruising. I keep a few jerry jugs at the ready, so nearly 100 gallons for two people.

All in all, I'd say we are very happy with the direction we took. It's not uncommon for me to take her out alone on a Saturday afternoon. That's when I appreciate the "compact" size of the 9.2. Otherwise, with a good dodger and bimini to increase living space, she's a good fit for cruising, as well.

Feel free to ask any questions and good luck in the search.

Rick

 

[Houston Jim]

I agree with Rok

Rok is right on with his comments. I previously owned a Catalina 30 and agree that the S2 9.2A is a vastly superior boat. For any sailing south of the Chesapeak Bay, I suggest a bimini. When I moved to Texas many years ago, I sailed for one year without one. Since that time I have either bought boats with a bimini or added one ASAP. On 2 Thumbs Up, the bimini extends from over the hatchway to the main sheet, about 7 or 8 feet.