Seeker, a Bayfield 29

[Godot]

I've looked at a couple Bayfield 29s the past week and I'm seriously thinking of putting an offer in on one. Like, maybe tonight.

Mission: Liveaboard (finally), with eventual cruising to points south, including some real offshore Bermuda type sailing. Requirements: standing headroom, seaworthiness, a separate head (I know many of you think I'm silly here...it's not for me, it's for "company"), a double bunk (for the aforementioned "company"), at least one good sea bunk, generally comfortable (life is too short to be miserable), between 28 and 32 feet long.

The Bayfield 29 is probably closer to a 27 footer  because of the bowsprit. No worries, as it feels pretty big inside as a result of eliminating the v-berth. A large chain locker, storage locker, and head live up front. An ideal layout, I think. Well, unless you are trying to use the toilet in a seaway...a bucket in the cockpit might be better for that. There is real headroom, and I don't feel cramped walking through the cabin; yet with a folding table on the centerline, and a keel stepped mast, there appears to be plenty to hold on to. The stowage looks quite adequate. Decent chart table/ice box and two quarter berths (one is a little tight vertically in the foot area for me). Propane un-gimballed two burner stove-top; but no oven. I don't see any easy way to fix that. An OK sized sink and enough galley stowage for a decent set of cooking gear. The upholstery looks OK; but is perhaps a bit dated. I noticed no sign of water intrusion. The boat's owners moved to Ohio and the boat has been neglected a bit, and needs a good cleaning; but I didn't see any obvious failings.

There is a decent sized cockpit with some good storage areas. Tiller and tiller pilot come with the boat. There is a dodger and bimini (not installed at the moment), and possibly a full cockpit enclosure. Condition of canvas is currently a mystery. The companionway does extend a little below seat level; so offshore work suggests keeping the bottom board in and bolted would be prudent. The cockpit drains could be bigger.  The cockpit engine room cover needs a new gasket to keep a flooded cockpit from flooding the engine room, and by extension, the rest of the boat. There is good access to the 15hp Yanmar (I know nothing of diesels, so that will be a learning curve) which is nice.

She is cutter rigged with two roller furling headsails (reportedly yankee cut for good visibility). A storm jib that wraps around a roller reefed jib is included. A moisture meter showed a couple wet spots near one stanchion and near one chainplate; but a hammer didn't indicate any delamination (a surveyor should give me more info). One lower shroud looks like it has been damaged and should probably be replaced. One teak cabintop handrail is broken and needs to be replaced. There is life line netting; but it has seen better days and needs to be removed. The lifelines themselves are more than likely original and could probably use refreshing. All the exterior teak needs stripping and refinishing. I'm not happy with the ground tackle. The cockpit engine room cover needs a new gasket.

Electronics appear limited to a VHF, depth sounder, and wind instruments.

Other gear: Marine A/C

Recently barrier coated (boat was in the water so I didn't see the bottom...it will need to be pulled for survey). Three bladed prop on 15 hp diesel (reported to burn 1/2 gallon/hr at cruising speed).

The numbers: Draft: around 3'6" feet (sweet!). LOA: 29', LWL: 21'9", Beam: 10'2", Displacement: 7,100#, Ballast 3000#
The calculations: CSR: 2.03 (just over the mythical 2.0); Motion Comfort: 23.46; Hull speed: 6.23 Knots

Asking price: $18,900.

Very, very tempted. The CSR makes me pause; but it was never intended on being a be all end all number. This boat is supposed to have been designed for coastal and offshore work and several have done just that. Still, perhaps the Horn is not in my future.

As a small liveaboard I can't come up with a much better compromise. I'm thinking hard on this one. The money will hurt.  :-\

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1982/Bayfield-29-2500222/Georgetown/MD/United-States

[tomwatt]

The only thing I can suggest is to check the condition of the trail boards (?term?) on the bowsprit... apparently they are vulnerable to being damaged by wave action. Otherwise, it has always seemed like a nice enough boat design.
It's a lot of boat for what is effectively a 27-footer.

[Sunset]

Nice looking boat, looks roomy and has a tiller!

[maxiSwede]

pretty boat i you like clipper bow and sprit. I's waterline is qute short so don't expect it to be a fast 29-footer.

I would have someone knowledgeable (since you claim not to be  ;)do a thourough check of the old engine and have it tried at sea. If the engine is not corroded (in-or outside) and well maintained the years aren't to be afraid of. (maybe like us sailors?) but stay away from a rusty, leaking piece of steel OR make an offer as i there were n engine onboard. Repowering is a reality within th next few years most likel sp you'd like to budget for it.

Good luck with it and keep us posted, a?ways interesting to read accounts of the 'getting a new boat project'
;D

[Godot]

It's really more of a 27 footer. Full keel (pretty shoal, too). The engine looks clean. The boat looks pretty good (except for the teak which needs work and a lot of cleaning). I really am a small boat guy.

If they accept the offer, there will be an initial sea trial just me and the broker to make sure it is really what I am looking for, followed by a full survey (including another sea trial). It is not a trivial amount of money to me, so I don't want any surprises. I will have the engine oil sent out for analysis.

This boat is a definite step up in complexity for me. I love the interior. I like the clipper bow. There are a few things I'm not thrilled with; but life is compromise. If the boat is as it appears, with a nominal amount of changes it should be capable of pretty much taking me anywhere I'm likely to want to go. And be a pretty comfortable place to call home at the same time.

But, first, the owners need to decide what to do with my offer.

Getting rid of Godot (Seafarer 24) will be hard. :(

[Travelnik]

It is a beautiful boat with really pretty lines.  :D

You're going to have to change your screen name if you get it though.

It's a big hunk of change, but worth it if you like it. Not all that bad of a price for a home, if you think of it in those terms.

Best wishes on getting your offer accepted!

[marujo_sortudo]

Sounds like you're on the right track.  Best of luck! Cheers, Colin

[Godot]

Alright! It looks like I am now a two boat owner.

Or will be once the process of money, inspections, sea trials, second guessing, surveys, insurance, documentation, etc... goes through.

Assuming no surprises, of course.

[Frank]

Congrats!!!  The 29 truly is a unique, open design that I'm sure will make a wonderful "home" for you. Ya gotta love that shallow draft too! Hope all goes well and you build a ton of great memories aboard!!!

[Tim]

Fun, fun, fun!

[tomwatt]

Congratulations on your new home!
I hope she brings you many wonderful days of gunkholing and gliding through channels where deeper draft vessels dare not venture!

[maxiSwede]

Wow, good news. Hope everything will be just as you wish it to be.  ;D

[Robb]

Excellent choice for a liveaboard! My wife, daughter and I sailed an '88 Bayfield 29c I used to own from Lake Superior to the Bahamas and back. Very comfortable cruiser. Not the fastest boat under sail, but well built and classically nice to look at.

Good luck with your new home.

[Godot]

She passed survey! The must fix list is an easy three items, and the nice to fix list about a dozen (mostly things like sand and refinish teak, paint bottom, replace gate valve, tie up wires,  replace head corrugated hoses, put the deck wash down on its' own circuit breaker, wrap rigging cotter pins to avoid injury, replace outdated fire extinguisher, replace cracked bow light lens, etc...) fairly easy projects. Minor surface blistering on hull; but nothing deep and hull is otherwise solid. Deck is dry. Engine is strong. Rig is fine. Mainsail/jib/staysail are fair; but should give me a few years (I may send them to sailcare this winter). Storm jib and Cruising Spinnaker are in great shape and look new, though the storm jib needs to be modified to work with the roller furling. Knotmeter thought we were doing 9 knots under sail, so either this is a magically fast boat or I have to figure out how to calibrate it.

No deal breakers.

The wallet gets lighter soon...

[maxiSwede]

Good!  Congratulatons! Indeed a positive survey, the 'nice-to-do' stuff is like on all boats, just an ongoing project with the upkeep.  ;D ;D

So, when will you get hold on her?

[Captain Smollett]

Congrats, Adam.  I am looking forward to hearing about your travels.

[Godot]

The balance has been wired to the escrow fund. I could, in theory, pick the boat up this afternoon; but I'm heading to Massachusetts for a couple days, so I am delaying closing until Monday afternoon (it's a holiday, so I'm working around the broker hours) or Tuesday morning. The current arrangement, though, is the broker will set up the temporary registration as soon as he confirms receipt of funds and by agreement with the previous owner I can take possession immediately. No rush. I still need to find a ride to the marina anyhow, and finish getting insurance and a slip arranged for.

[Oldrig]

Adam,

Sounds good. Bayfields are nice boats. I remember somebody (he knew Gozzard, the designer) saying that some of the earlier models were heavy on the use of resin and so might develop cosmetic cracks (Canadian fibreglass being heavier than American fiberglass at one time), but that's hardly a fault.

You'll enjoy your new boat. Sailer her to Massachusetts some time.

--Joe

[Godot]

Next June I hope to make the trek to Massachusetts. I tried this year in Godot but got turned around by weather.

[Godot]

I'm liking the Bayfield, I really am!

I had her out all weekend. Yesterday in less than ten knots of wind she was indicating over 6 knots on the GPS (over NINE knots on the knot meter...I'm guessing there just might be a calibration issue to be worked out there). Today with the winds gusting over twenty she was easily pushing hull speed. She was initially a handful; but once I got around to putting in a reef on the main, she handled quite easily and was light on the helm.

I'm struggling with tight quarters (read: marina) maneuvering under power. I miss the directional thrust of the outboard. It's going to take some practice to learn how to take advantage of the diesel prop walk, especially with the somewhat tricky layout of my marina.

Roller furling (Schaefer) works great. I haven't tried reefing the head sails as they are already pretty small. But there are two of them. I did depower by pulling in one of the jibs which worked great. Tacking a cutter is a bit more work but I think I'm getting the hang of it. It's not as quick (at least not yet) as Godot, though. Practice, practice, practice.

I'm not a fan of the propane instant water heater. It doesn't seem to work as well as it should, and I really don't like the propane tee fitting under the quarter berth. I think I'll just pull the thing out. Maybe I'll install an electric heater. The boat is raw water cooled, so I'm not sure what would be involved in putting in a heat exchanger. Probably more effort than it's worth. I wouldn't bother; but convenient hot water seems like a good idea for a dockside liveaboard. I may change my mind if the bank account dips too low or if I get particularly lazy. I'm just not that excited about it.

The twenty year old A/C unit works...barely. It might need a cleaning. Or a recharge. Or replacement. One way or another, though, I think I'll keep the A/C. Given how hot this summer was, I'm beginning to think of it as a desirable component for the reduction of misery. Maybe a good vacuuming will bring it back to life.

The Groco toilet need rebuilding, the waste hoses need replacing, and the overboard discharge gate valve needs updating to a real marine seacock. I might take the opportunity to update the system with an electric macerating toilet or a Lavac. I'm undecided which way to go. I'm still considering a composting dry toilet too (especially now that I have a remarkably large and comfortable head with plenty of room). While I don't anticipate showering on board all that often, I may put in a shower sump and pump, too, for those rare occasions instead of letting the shower runoff run into the bilge. Or maybe I'll just decide to never shower aboard.

The insurance company (BoatUS) has pretty much decided to mandate all the "nice to have" recommendations from the surveyor and is requiring an action plan. They can be a pain in the butt.

There are some comfort tweaks to be done; but nothing serious. A good scrubbing, and a lot of teak varnishing (or better yet, oiling) should really pretty her up. There is a fair amount of storage space; but it will take some experimentation to figure out the best use of it.

I'm really pleased. I'm still crying a little bit over the bite to the bank account; but I really believe this was a good decision. s/v Godot is a great sailor; but really isn't big enough for me and my plans. I think the Bayfield ("La Princesa"...current but decidedly temporary name as I really don't want to be known as "The Princess") is big enough and capable enough without being inconveniently and expensively oversized. And she turns heads, too.