Double settees, fold down table, and cabin heat.

Adorable sink in the master cabin.

Ernie doing some ‘splaining about engines!

The interior of this boat is so well designed if feels like you are on a much larger boat. The master cabin, while not huge, is more than adequate and has room to stand and get dressed. The sink is in the cabin rather than the head, making that area a bit more flexible. What is really amazing is the small second cabin on the port side aft of a settee.  The designer did a great job giving the occupant privacy by equipping the door and wall with removable panels. With the panels inserted, the cabin is completely private. Without them the cabin seems larger.

We left this boat feeling like we’d probably found our boat, but we weren’t entirely sure. I found myself second guessing pretty fast when I found out that there is no refrigeration unit on this boat. I couldn’t believe it. There is an icebox that can be converted, of course, but it just didn’t make sense. I saw it as a sign for things to come, however, and I was proven correct.

After we went to look at a couple more boats, we returned the next day and looked at this one again. We discovered, to our dismay, that the batteries are stationed in one of the lazarettes in the cockpit, open to weather. Mike is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to electrical things. This would have had to be completely redone, and while we certainly expect to do lots of work on whatever boat we buy, we couldn’t find a good place to put those batteries indoors. Mike thought maybe under the kitchen sink, but sheesh!

Then we discovered that the settees, while very attractive, are not comfortable for napping because they are too narrow. Please see the photo illustration. Also, when I sit on them, my feet do not hit the floor. These are small things but make the livability of the boat less desirable. It was then that I noticed that the oven door would not open all the way because there is cabinetry in the way.

Mike, taking the settee for a spin.

There is an area that juts out a bit, just to the right of the waste basket. This blocks the oven door. So much of this boat interior is designed to perfection. It’s hard to understand things like this. Also, strangely in a boat like this, there is no refrigeration. There is place for it, but it is inaccessible. I would have to have monkey arms to reach anything, or stand on a stool. That’s not going to work very well.

Then we found the notebook. Well, actually, it was right there in plain sight, but we noticed it at this point. The notebook had paperwork from the boat, etc, including a rigging assessment done by Brion Toss, our local rigging guru. And we couldn’t find a single thing on the assessment that had been completed on the boat. That does not bode well.

I guess that’s what mom meant when she taught me not to get taken in by a pretty face. This is still a really nice boat and we’d probably work around some of the issues. We’d be able to get the batteries into the safe dryness of the cabin, and we’d be able to complete the items on Brion Toss’ list. I probably could even make the settees a little deeper. But that oven door would always irritate me. Oh well, this boat’s been on the market for quite awhile. We’ll sit on it and see if we change our minds.

Update July 2012: This boat is still for sale. We might look at it again.

Update October 2012: The owner of this boat contacted us and here are a few pieces of information he gave us about the boat: The oven is gimbaled and the owner says that the door opens fine if you release the gimbal. That’s good to know. He also said that the settee opens out into a full size and works well as a sea berth. This was not pointed out to us, either and does make a difference. It doesn’t make my legs any longer. They still wouldn’t hit the floor when I sit on the settee, but that can’t be helped. He also says that many of the things on Brion Toss’ list have been completed, also good to know. This is a sweet, sweet boat and is a proven blue water cruiser. Someone will get themselves a nice boat. I am surprised it is still on the market. I thought it was already sold. Got to say, I’m very surprised by that.