C28, Bluewater Cruiser or Practice Boat?

[grandpiper]

The Compass 28 has a long and venerable history and some of them have circumnavigated our planet, but has their time passed?  Are they a viable option for blue water cruising on a budget?  Granted, that even for a couple, the accommodation down below will be extremely cosy and there isn’t bucket loads of storage space, but this can be said for most boats under 30 feet.  It also goes without saying that any prospective cruising Compass will require lots of work – a new engine, rigging, sails etc all the usual bits and pieces, and if they are still fairly original, they will need all the electronic gadgets and refrigeration etc to be installed. 

 

But apart from all of this, is a 40 year old boat still capable of being considered seaworthy enough to venture out onto the open ocean and sail away to foreign parts of the world?  There are people still cruising about in the 1970’s vintage Westsails and Albergs – and I think this partly due to a dearth of good new cruising boats these days – and the fact they are considerably cheaper than a brand new boat. 

 

I think one of the attractions of a boat such as a Compass is that they are not as complex in their systems as modern boats  - a bit like old Landrovers or VW Beetles.  Not as many things to go wrong and if and when they do go wrong, they are a lot simpler to fix.

 

Are people still using C28s and 29’s for off shore work, or are they just practice boats these days, and only used for coastal cruising until the funds can be raised for something bigger and newer?

 

Cheers

 

Andrew

[Mando C29]

Andrew, We still use our C29 on the open waters off the East Coast of Tasmania and always feel very safe. The design of the full keel (in  my opinion ) gives the boat great stability especially in rough seas. I actually did a reasonable amount of research a while ago into buying a newer boat and was told the same story by more than one person "modern boats are built down to a price not up to a standard" so whilst ours may not have all the mod cons at latest I know I have a very solid boat underneath me!

I recently was a crew member on a Jeanneau 36 ( 4 years old) that we took from St Helens to Melbourne through some atrocious weather and apart from the fact that it had a magnificent auto helm, the rest of it I wouldn't swap for my Compass.

Interested to see what other members think,

Regards,

Maurice Mando C29

[Graeme Lock]

Andrew;

As you’ve noted, the C28 has the design qualities to handle serious
blue water conditions, and you've already wisely addressed the need to
renew the bits like rigging, engine and electrical/electronics that
wear out.

So, since were are no significant design or build issues unique to
C28’s, your query boils down to the structural integrity of well-built
40 year-old FG hulls in general.

As I sail a 39-year old C28 in Bass Strait I share your interest, and
have followed such discussions on other forums. These seem to reach a
consensus that FG hulls retain their strength and seaworthiness if
they were well-designed to start with and are in good condition, with
no delamination, fractures or other structural faults.

To satisfy yourself that this is the case with your hull, you need a
combination of your own knowledge and detailed inspections, plus
assistance from a good shipwright and/or surveyor.

Long story short - a C28 in good nick is a good sound blue-water boat.

Good luck with it, looking forward to hearing of your progress!

Graeme!

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[Maeling]

Well put, remember they were built by wooden boat builders, before they found things could be built lighter and cheaper.  Currently we have C28 Matira returned from an EQUATORIAL circumnavigation and presently in Fiji on her way to Sydney for the 2016 Regatta in late Feb.  We also have a Melbourne C29, solo to the Reef probably on a similar timeframe. If structural problems and osmosis haven't surface by now, I don't think you will see any problems going forward.  That may not be so true of modern boats and the glassed internal ballast is a bonus

Geoff Raebel.

Geoff Raebel

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[grandpiper]

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Thanks for the input guys - it's pretty much as I thought - the Compasses are a sturdy boat and in the end it comes down to the condition of the individual boat.

 

I didn't realise there were still Compasses out there cruising around the world!

 

La Mouette has had osmosis in the past and this has been fixed and there are some blisters that will be fixed when it's slipped again later in the year, but apart from that, it's a pretty solid boat.  It's all old technology aboard, it even had the original 1970's depth sounder mounted on the interior bulkhead, however, it has got radios and an epirb but the epirb is years out of date and the radios are brown from nicotine.  The prior owner was a live-aboard smoker and I am still cleaning that brown nicotine gunk off stuff down below.  At least the smell has gone away now.

 

A new mast and rigging are being assembled as I type - the old mast got broken on my first day out and that was still in the marina!  The current caught me as I was trying not to run down a dinghy and ended up entagled in the anchor gear of a 52' Hatteras - fortunately the cruiser had only minor damage but the anchor bent and pierced my mast.  The insurance is covering the mast and I am covering the new rigging.  But a lot of other stuff needs doing before it's ready for the open ocean.  Replacing the original Yanmar YSE8 won't be cheap even though the original is still OK it is 40 years old and 8 ponies isn't really enough.  

Cheers

Andrew 

[Maeling]

That must have been a fortunate accident, hate to think of the cost of a new mast and rigging - good insurance is a real bonus.

The nicotine, may not be nicotine.  Many of us over the years have found a brown syrup from the headlining that normally drys before it drips.  It would seem to be something in the gap spacing perhaps mixing with condensation and dripping down - we need a chemist.

My 1980's depth sounder still works fine as does the 27.Mhz radio (backup)

Happy Sailing

Geoff Raebel

[grandpiper]

On Saturday, August 15, 2015 at 11:20:42 AM UTC+10, Maeling wrote:

The nicotine, may not be nicotine.  Many of us over the years have found a brown syrup from the headlining that normally drys before it drips.  It would seem to be something in the gap spacing perhaps mixing with condensation and dripping down - we need a chemist.

Aaaah,  the mysterious brown goo dripping down!  There has been a drip of this goo onto the aft dinette cushion, via one of the radio units where the hand held microphone thingy is covered in it.  It's been quite mysterious as we haven't had any rain for a few weeks, but the headling makes sense.  However, I have been cleaning nicotine off stuff and it has that smell.

 

cheers Andrew 

[brett]

If it makes anyone feel any better, my Eastcoast 31 has exactly the same brown goo dripping from the headliner gap that my C28 had.....