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Does anyone have any info for me on the Heritage Yacht West Indies 36''? I am looking for pros and cons about it''s structure and long range cruising abilities.
After Charlie Morgan sold Morgan Yachts to pursue an America''s Cup defense, and after his failed America''s Cup attempt, he started Heritage Yachts (named for the 12 meter that he built). Heritage Yachts was a very parallel company to Morgan Yachts in terms of its product lines. Heritage built a one tonner race boat as well as a line of boats that were very similar to the Morgan Out Island series called the West Indies.
The Heritage West Indies 36 had a nicer hull form than its Morgan OI equivilient and was generally thought to be a little better built. These were not really ''offshore'' boats but were aimed at the charter trade. They offered a lot of room for the money, but were only so-so sailors.
One problem with the West Indies series is the use of a steel structure within the hull that has a tendancy to rust out over time and is very hard to get to to repair. They also had encapsulated low density ballast (concrete and iron I beleive) and so should be checked for delamination of the keel from the ballast.
Does Hertage Yachts still exist? Or has Charlie Morgan moved on to another Company? I bought a Morgan 34 kit (SK003) hull and deck from Charlie back in the late 60s. I''m now interested in a 45 to 50 boat to build for retirement.
Does anyone know of a manufacture that will sell hull and deck kits. I''m looking for a 45 to 50 foot. My dad and I bought a Morgan 34 kit back in the 60s. They used to sell kits in the winter when the market was soft.
As far as I know, there are no companies in the US that still offer kit boats in that size range. The last two that I knew of were Seamaster in Ft. Lauderdale and Starratt Jenks on the west coast of Florida. Of the two I thought that the Seamaster 45 was the better boat.
If I were looking to do a kit boat, I would take one of two approaches. If I wanted a traditional or a CCA era design, I would try to find an older boat that is in reasonably good shape and start there. Many of these boats have decent hulls and restorable decks. Much of the hardware may be reuseable as might the mast and steering gear. You are no worse off than a kit but you are starting with an established design and can often buy an older boat than a new hull would cost to build.
On the other hand, if you prefer an more modern design, the hull typically represents a very small portion of the overall cost of material and labor for a boat. Often less than 10% of the overall cost. If you are handy you might be able to use one of the simpler composite constuction methods to build your own hull or have one of the customn boat shops do that for you. If you did your own fairing that could be a reasonably similar cost to purchasing a kit hull and you would end up with a unique product.
I can''t emphasize the importance of purchasing a good design. All to often people settle for some design, kit or derelict because it is cheap and available. As you well know it takes a lot of work, materials and parts to finish a boat (Typically 5 times the cost of the hull and deck if you include something for the value of your labor). An all too often people pour all of this time and money into a bad choice for a boat. I have seen some really beautifully restored clunkers in my day. To me that is the worst kind of tragedy.
To: donrr1-Most of what Jeff said about the Heritage is incorrect. If you will E-mail me I will answer any of your questions directly. I own hull #27 and I am in the process of upgrade and rebuilding. While not perfect, they have alot of good points. hunterpl@flash.net
Prelude is hull number 8 of the West Indies 36, and I can tell you that I have not been disappointed with the way it sails. My board is always in the up position (Florida conditions)and I can point with other boats of this size and don''t give away much. I have found this boat to be much more than was said about it here.
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