NSW
7 posts
Hi crew . Is anyone able to advise whether the Maruader27 is a good boat to buy for a first boat ? Her name is Jolly Frog ( It won't be if I buy her ) and my requirements are for a boat to do some coastal cruising based around Newcastle/Sydney and beyond . First boat for me but I am ex RAN and did a few seasons off Fremantle in the 90's on the grinders and forecastle .
Glad to meet you all . Last night I was trolling the web for any reviews on the M27 and any and all sail boat info for that matter , as I have been looking around for my first boat . All I could find was a sycophantic sales blurb on how good the M27's are .
The M27 has a fin keel and a fair bit of sail and she weighs a bit over 3000KG . The particular one that I'm looking at (who's name is ridiculously cheesy ) is a 1978 all fibreglass in tidy nick and clean hull with an old Bukh DV10ME but she only has 2 old sails has no frills in the equipment department .
In the search for some 'real' info I stumbled on your site and a topic caught my attention . It is now 6 hours and 4 or 5 coffees later and I'm hooked .
The topic that got me hooked was called Red Witch ... .Check it out . That guy Stuman92 is what it is all about . Whatever "IT" is , I think that Stuman92 is onto it.
Stuman92 has bought an old decrepid trailer sailer and it's even more decrepid trailer . His topic blog unfolds as a go-to-wo (sic; wo-to-go) of the restoration project with photo's and feedback . All the way along he gets support and advise from the old heads on this site and together they all contribute to the greatness of the fantastic dream that he's actualizing . I was riveted . Not for any other reason than how much encouragement and support was being played out as the project evolved . The thing is that there is so many people out there in everyday life that will go out of their way to cut you down and stab you in the back and not even bat an eyelid , and then you stumble onto a mob of sail geeks that force you to recalibrate your opinions of people in general so that you are reminded that there are good people in this world and you mustn't let the bastards wear you down and what we must do is keep searching , follow the dream . Like Stuman92 and the old heads that have climbed onboard .
Well enough of that crap beginning to sound like an asskiss . Anyway , wadda got on the Marauder27 ? This one's cheap .
Thanks in advance and thanks for the great site .
TAS
2446 posts
Hi
A mate of mine bought a Maruader 27 in Sydney a couple of years ago and sailed her back down here to Port Huon at the bottom of Tassie
She is wheel steered and started life as a charter boat back when a 27 footer would have been classed as a decent size boat
He is happy the way she sails and cruises and races her and she does ok in both roles
She originally had a high cut head sail to clear the rails (which are higher than average perhaps because it was a charter boat) and was a bit slow in light winds but he has recently fitted her with a larger, lower cut genoa and she goes a lot better
I you want to talk to him direct and ask him what he thinks of her i can pm you his phone number
Another mate of mine who has sailed on her in open waters said that in rough weather with a following sea there was a couple of inches of water in the cockpit because the cockpit drains are in the transom and water was entering through them
Regards Don
NSW
1000 posts
If you look through the threads here i think it is in morning birds 30ft thread that very boat is discussed.
NSW
7 posts
Thanks donk will see how the sale pans out re getting your M27 mates phone number . Good to know that your mate is happy enough with his M27 and that they go allright in the seas around Port Huon . Yeah someone else mentioned the cockpit drains .
There have been a couple of Roberts 29's and Coronado/Columbia 27's up for grabs too and I was wondering how they sail . Apparently in the Coronado/Columbia 27's there was a difference between the early V's later boats (around the mid 70's) . Some of the Coronado sellers with their C27's on the market here are calling their boats Columbia 27's and when you take a look at the boat it is a early model Coronado 27 that is shorter , thiner , lighter and has less sail than the Columbia that they are being advertising as . It's very confusing to a novice like me .
Between the M27 , the Roberts 29 and the two C27's which one would be considered the better all round boat for coastal cruising and re-sale by most sailors , all things being equal (if that's possible) . Don't want to get caught with a lame o as my first boat if I grow out of it and want to step up to the next level of boat in a couple of years for some big trips . Thanks
NSW
7 posts
Thanks for the lead twodogs will head over there .
NSW
1000 posts
It is very rare you won't loose money on a boat. Best tip.if.you are not sure buy something with all the work done. That way its paid for you knowwhat the boat will get the guy whodid the work has list the money on the upgrades not you. ILiik at what some of us have done to our boats we will never get the money back id be lucky to sell mine for half of what I have spent on her. But my plan is to keep her for at least ten years to get my monies worth. I am probably at even a greater loss then gus like stuman and hg02 as I can't do the work myself so I pay for it. Even guys with expensive new boats like shaggy and jode5 are going to loose heaps when they sell especially if it's depressed market. My advice buy what you want use it as much as possible when you sell take what hit you cop as the price for your enjoyment.
NSW
1322 posts
I have seen that boat and will provide comments when I am in front of a decent size screen. Basically a good boat but with work to be done.
NSW
1322 posts
A few notes on Marauder 27 Jolly Frog.
Most critical, is that I suspect there is a chain plate failure on the starboard side. That sounds awful, but should be a simple repair. The chain plates are U bolts, which commonly fail from crevice corrosion where they pass through the deck. (Common to many boats). In the case of the Marauder, the U bolts are easily accessible, and you could theoretically do them one at a time, if the mooring is not too rough.
The engine looks like it has had good maintenance during its life, however the current owner says that he has not replaced the engine pencil anode since he's had the boat, and this would be another priority maintenance item.
Yet another priority maintenance item is the motor propeller shaft stuffing box (sealing gland). This is leaking at quite a high rate, which is making the electric bilge pump critical. It's not a big job to repack the shaft seal, and you can find videos of people doing this while the boat is afloat, however it could be much safer to do it on the slip. If it were my boat, I would convert to a modern mechanical drip-free seal.
Marauder 27s have wheel steering, which makes fitting a simple autopilot difficult to do, and if you want one, you would have to invest in a more fancy wheel steering version, which is probably over-capitalising the boat.
It seems that the Marauder 27 is a much liked boat, with a very good interior layout, and IMHO a reasonable cockpit layout, and a simple but rugged construction. If you are going to take this boat off-shore, you would need to replace the standing rigging, but this should not be too expensive.
At the price being asked, you can afford to spend some money on the boat, provided it is on key issues like the rigging and motor
These are my personal opinions, and you should make your own judgements.
NSW
1659 posts
I'm of the same mind as Twodogs. Buy the boat, have a heap of fun, and if you lose money when you
trade it in, just cop it sweet. I bought my boat two years ago.....with the help of the guys on the forum
me and Missus have learned how to day sail and have a great day out.
When the time comes to part with her, she won't owe us a thing, even if we have to sell her for next
to nothing.
