Any insight or comments? Will be my first Cat.
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Michael,
I owned Obelix for 15 years, a SF 44. I sold her when it came down to my wife or my boat. Still not
sure I made the right choice.
Some 44's had a two part rudder system. That is, the rudder post was made in two parts. Some of these
failed. I would look into that on a boat this old.
I would look at the condition of the engines. Probably pushing 10K hours or so. They can be rebuilt.
Look at the condition of the rigging. The standing rigging can develop failures near the top.
Plan on putting some significant money into renovation before you put yourself or your loved ones
on this boat.
Pete
Michael,
I owned Obelix for 15 years, a SF 44. I sold her when it came down to my wife or my boat. Still not
sure I made the right choice.
Some 44's had a two part rudder system. That is, the rudder post was made in two parts. Some of these
failed. I would look into that on a boat this old.
I would look at the condition of the engines. Probably pushing 10K hours or so. They can be rebuilt.
Look at the condition of the rigging. The standing rigging can develop failures near the top.
Plan on putting some significant money into renovation before you put yourself or your loved ones
on this boat.
Pete
From: saintf...@googlegroups.com <saintf...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Michael Wilson <wocw...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2017 3:20 PM
To: Saint Francis Owners Group
Subject: [Saint Francis OG] Looking at buying a 94 44 Mk2
Any insight or comments? Will be my first Cat.
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Michael,
I agree with the comments of others.
The SD-20 saildrives, while not a weak point, are precisely matched to the engines. There is no overdesign
at max throttle. The saildrive JUST handles the engines output. Most people get in trouble when changing
props. You can't just slap any old prop you like on the saildrive. It is easy to overprop an SD-20, in which
case it will become very warm and start making whining noises. Not good. Prop specs are in the SD-20
service manual, as I remember. I had props precisely cut at Frank & Jimmy's prop shop in Lauderdale,
and had no more problems.
I tried folding props before the fixed. They were Bronze, quite expensive, and lasted for two seasons. I
did not replace them, electing to live with the drag of fixed props.
The steering pulley bearings should be looked at. They are under the aft lazarette. A little bit of contortion
to get too. They are stainless steel on aluminum construction. This combination, in a marine environment,
is problematic. Aluminum turns to something resembling drywall through corrosion. Failure of the
turning pulleys could render the helm useless. This is fixable, so long as you check for problems.
This same concern applies to the anchor windlass. Mine windlass was torn loose completely raising the
anchor in Georgetown. I replaced the factory Lewmar with a Tigress, paying careful attention to Stainless
on Aluminum and had no more problems.
You might have a blister problem if the boat has been in the water for much of it's life. These can be
sanded out and filled by a boatyard.
Look at the Nav instruments. They may rightly be considered to be antiques unless they have been
upgraded. Nav has improved dramatically since your boat was built.
You may be looking at a new trampoline. I had to replace mine shortly after buying Obelix.
If you need to replace galley appliances, be aware that mine were European standard sizes, not
American. European is available, but needs to be ordered specially. You won't walk into Boat Owners
Warehouse and find a dimension correct replacement model.
Look carefully at the fuel tanks. At the least they should be carefully cleaned. Check for signs of corrosion
that could result in a fuel leak. My fuel lines had also hardened significantly, and I ran new lines from the
tank to preclude a fuel leak.
Check the sails for wear. They may have already been replaced, otherwise it will be up to you.
Check the fiberglass gelcoat. Mine had turned to powder before I had the boat painted with Awlgrip.
Check the safety lines for corrosion, and replace if necessary.
These boats are very strong and well built. However, the marine environment is harsh, and everything
has a useful service life.
Hope my additional thoughts help,
Good Luck,
Pete