Peterson Formosa 46

[canuckiwis]

Hi All

My wife and I are early in the stages of downsizing to move aboard.. just one small detail remains...no boat! We are looking at a few Peterson 44s, a Huntingford designed SeaMaid 45, but are particularly enthused about a Peterson Formosa 46. Can anyone tell me what these designs are like for long term living aboard, design quirks to be aware of when inspecting, seaworthiness in a storm, etc etc? We are going to be cruising most of the time with our pets (2 spaniels and a cat) so need something 'roomy' and comfortable (sure, that's what we all want isn't it?? -oh yeah, I forgot to say "and cheap' too??!!!" )

Cheers..... Dan

[redbopeep]

Welcome to the Cruiser Log, Dan,

I have no direct experience with the Peterson Formosa 46. If you haven't been to the owners' group, you might check out this site: http://www.kp44.org/

What is your own boating background and what kind of sailing experience do you have? Where are you now and where do you intend to go (initially and ultimately) for your cruising grounds? Where you intend to sail and your own experience will point you in the direction the the right boat for you and your crew. If you don't have a lot of sailing experience, you might wish to charter a few first to learn what you like and don't like in a cruising boat.

Looking forward to hearing about your own sailing background, too

[canuckiwis]

Well we are an oddly matched couple in terms of sailing experience. She has owned 4 yachts from 24 up to 50 ft and done lots of coastal racing and cruising in northern NZ, not offshore but in very wild conditions; he has sailed exactly 5 times, but have spent much time in deep sea biological research (a marine biologist by training and trade) and fishing boats. We intend to purchase as soon as we find the right boat (have been looking for 6 mo) and live aboard for a year or more, until he gets a bit of sail-time under his belt, then head offshore. He will continue to work remotely and the intent is to build some blue-water environmental research/consulting into the routine, to help pay for fuel and repairs (for both the organic and inorganic components of the system).

The boat we aspire to must be roomy below and on deck, preferably centre cockpit with a boarding platform (for working), davits (him: for hauling samples; her: for stowing dinghy), running seawater (him: for washing down samples; her: for washing down self and deck) and external stowage (him.... well, you get the idea...)

Cheers!

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by canuckiwis

Well we are an oddly matched couple in terms of sailing experience. She has owned 4 yachts from 24 up to 50 ft and done lots of coastal racing and cruising in northern NZ, not offshore but in very wild conditions; he has sailed exactly 5 times, but have spent much time in deep sea biological research (a marine biologist by training and trade) and fishing boats. We intend to purchase as soon as we find the right boat (have been looking for 6 mo) and live aboard for a year or more, until he gets a bit of sail-time under his belt, then head offshore. He will continue to work remotely and the intent is to build some blue-water environmental research/consulting into the routine, to help pay for fuel and repairs (for both the organic and inorganic components of the system).

The boat we aspire to must be roomy below and on deck, preferably centre cockpit with a boarding platform (for working), davits (him: for hauling samples; her: for stowing dinghy), running seawater (him: for washing down samples; her: for washing down self and deck) and external stowage (him.... well, you get the idea...)

Cheers!

Ah, all kinds of reasons for a roomy and very usable boat. And, likely no worries as one of you has some sailing experience to have an opinion about how the boat sails

Given your situation, I'd seriously consider looking a little bit bigger at the 70's era Formosa ketches of 51-55 ft size. CT's and the like as well. Have you considered these? 'm not sure if their 54' is actually 54' or perhaps more like 48 plus a bowsprit...dunno...well anyway...For example, this boat is sitting right next to our boat's mooring. It's our next door neighbor, so to speak . Well, the fellow is likely asking too much for it--probably should be in the 170's or so (I've been told and its been on the market since 2006 when prices were much higher) but still, take a look. Those CT's are built like tanks and can carry alot of people and stuff. Center Cockpit, etc. Being careful of deck core condition and all, you can probably find one for less than 200K that is in fine shape. Might want to take a look

Warm regards,

Brenda

[roverhi]

I briefly looked at at the Peterson 44-46 when I began looking. From what I could find, the boats seem to be an excellent sailor for such a heavy roomy boat. The cutter rig is truly useful and SA/Disp ratio will give it decent light wind performance. The negatives were age related issues. The water tanks are under the soul and need a bit of furniture removal to R&R if you want to maximize the tankage. The Peterson's didn't suffer from some of the ills of the CT and other Taiwan boats like copious leaks and poor rigging and stainless hardware.

Personally I can't see a couple needing more space. Of course, if you are going to be taking a lot of research and laboratory equipment you could end up taking up a cabin with the equipment. You would have another still available for sleeping as well as the main cabin for entertaining.

Apparently the 45 is better than the 44 Petersons. The interior is better laid out. The hull is essentially the same.

Check out http://www.kp44.org/ for more info.

Aloha

Peter O.

[delatbabel]

Hi, I haven't sailed a Peterson 46 but I have sailed Peterson 30, 34, 44, and 48s and they were without exception beautiful boats to sail and all surprisingly roomy and comfortable inside for their size. Performance-wise the 48 blew everything in its class out of the water in both light and choppy conditions, and that was with a torn mainsail foot (so we had to put a reef in to hold the sail together) and a learner crew. I would not hesitate to buy one if I could afford to do so.

Del

[Lighthouse]

A Peterson for sale HERE . This one is truly bluewater ready.

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by Lighthouse

A Peterson for sale HERE . This one is truly bluewater ready.

Yes, that would be a lovely boat to be bluewater cruising

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by roverhi

The Peterson's didn't suffer from some of the ills of the CT and other Taiwan boats like copious leaks and poor rigging and stainless hardware.

I agree that the Peterson's are quite well built and it is fortunate that there is an active owner's group so one could obtain information about the strengths and weaknesses of the type.

However, in regards to most "leaking" that would likely be from the deck and the Taiwan boats we're discussing as well as the Petersons (as far as I know) all have a layup of a cored deck which can and will eventually leak no matter the builder as it is inherent in the design of the deck itself. A few older boats have a deck layup of fore-aft overhead and marine ply with fiberglass over (this is very bullet proof) but these boats are few and if someone has fastened a teck deck over the whole of any deck layup, all bets are off concerning deck longevity and leaks.

And, of course, how the deck and hull are secured together bring the opportunity for more leaks. Its almost an individual boat thing, IMHO, as a boat that has been sailed many ocean miles or sailed hard racing will have experienced significant stresses at the hull to deck interface. No matter how well designed and built the boat, those stresses will eventually open up the hull/deck seam OR they will manifest in other performance degradations relating to hull and deck twist.

Fortunately, many fiberglass boats built during the 1960's and 1970's were overbuilt with very solid hulls and thus we can expect the degradation to manifest primarily as leaking seams along the deck-hull interface and other deck seams (e.g. cabin trunk) as the deck is usually the weak link in construction of the type. By the 1980's manufacturers were more aware of the minimum amount of fiberglass lay up necessary to achieve a good hull and we see lighter weight hulls with similarly good blue water performance--at least early in the boat's life--but we should logically see different signs of stress and load-related degradation later in the boat's life. For example the boat may experience additional twist to the hull even though a heavily reinforced deck/hull seam does not excessively leak. Depending on the keel type and location such hull twist itself can wreak havoc with the hull to keel bedding arrangement.

The bottom line is that "it's always something" in terms of boat condition and degradation of the structure varies from designer and builder.

Regarding rig and rigging--that too seems to be quite individual depending on how the boat was used and maintained. One can assume that many of the boats on the market have not had a rigging overhaul in many years and thus one should carefully inspect the standing and running rigging as well as a spars, chainplates, blocks, winches...all with an eye to the maintenance that will be required of you or the near term replacement of items of questionable condition or age. No matter how "pretty" a rig may seem, if the stainless steel rigging hasn't been replaced in 25 years, for example, you should build the cost of replacement of it into your bid.

The best of luck is finding a well designed and built boat that has been properly maintained and not abused.

Fair winds,

[canuckiwis]

Thank-you to all for your comments- the vendors have withdrawn the yacht from the market. .. the search goes on! .............Cheers

[Trim50]

The one thing I don't like about the Peterson 44 is the location of the shrouds which prevent one from being able to simply walk forward on the deck without swinging under or around the mid-mast shrouds. Otherwise, I like the boat.