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WINDFLOWER -1988 - #198 Total Factory Refit

10K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  karlinD 
#1 ·
I am pleased to report that my Crealock 37 is now ready to leave Washington and the PSC factory after being completely refurbished by the talented staff at Pacific Seacraft.

The lengthy process of removing and reinstalling all hardware/fittings including the thru-hulls, hatches, port lights, top side teak, stanchions, all wiring, all plumbing as well as the engine and transmission was the initial job completed. Since we took WINDFLOWER down to the bare hull, updates to the holding tanks, fuel tank, rudder assembly (converted to tiller steering) were also conducted at this opportunity of a total refit.

Once the hull was completely stripped of all fittings and hardware, a high quality fairing of the underside was performed which resulted in a very smooth and even surface for the new finishes for the hull and top deck. ALEXSEAL was used for the new finish and nonskid additive used for the areas where appropriate on the factory patterned nonskid on top deck. All lockers were removed and new gelcoat was applied in those areas as well as a complete bilge refinishing to "as new" standards.

At the conclusion of these tasks, WINDFLOWER was moved into the production area of the PSC factory and Raul along with his crew from California did what they have done for over ten years, they used all new components and installed everything new leaving only the original teak cabinetry (properly protected while interior fiberglass was refurbished). Corian countertops were installed, AC and refrigeration. New Bowmar hatches were installed with the slide screening and privacy shades. Interior teak upgrades included battens forward and in the quarter berth.

The list of decisions made in the 7 month process at the factory is much too lengthy for posting here but Pacific Seacraft's Steve Brodie, Thumper, Victor and Raul participated in all decisions for this complete and total factory refit and surely any questions you may have about the process and products used to render my former old and tired Crealock into essentially a brand new beauty with polished bronze hardware has been thoroughly examined by PSC and the solutions to whatever project you are contemplating is available by calling the factory.

I can truly report that PSC is being guided by sincere professionals that will go the extra mile in helping you get your Pacific Seacraft in the bristol condition you seek. Kudos to them, they are real professionals that have your agenda as their focus.

Call or email me anytime if I can provide any insight to you on your project. I have extensive photo's of the complete refit but not smart enough to figure out how to post them here but will email to you any specific images you'd like. And, much thanks to those of you that sent to me advice along the way. I am delighted to be amongst this PSC Community.

Karlin
PSC 37- 198
WINDFLOWER
 
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#2 ·
KArlin,

Thanks for that great report, and congrats on your "new" boat.:)

What year is your Crealock 37?

For a while now I have been wondering if PSC ought not to carve out a little niche market in refurbing their own boats. Many of their current models have been in production for 25+ years now and while the hull, deck, rigs, and interiors remain sound, there's no denying that components do wear out and gelcoat takes some licks from the sun and docks.

Did you get the impression that PSC is interested in taking on more of these projects? Or were they reluctant?
 
#9 ·
For a while now I have been wondering if PSC ought not to carve out a little niche market in refurbing their own boats..
Hi John,
When we were at the factory a month ago there was a 34 in the shop ready for a re-fit and by the original owner. I can't recall the date of the boat, early/mid 80's? Although the re-fit was not planned to be as extensive as Windflower, it was to be major. Some items I recall were all new exterior teak, new gel coat and a total upgrade of interior systems. There was also a Fisher 34 Pilothouse in the shop for a major re-fit. Last year they restored a 40 that survived a hurricane in Texas. She was refaired and gelcoated, most of the exterior teak was replaced also, she looked like a new boat. It looks like the word may be getting around.
 
#3 ·
Good morning John.

WINDFLOWER is a 1988. Interestingly, she is one of the few hulls that was produced with an inner core.

In my addressing my desires, I sought a bronze edition with the oval port lights. Call it a thing of passion.

Steve Brodie was very receptive of the refit and during the time WINDFLOWER was at the factory, a couple of other "old ladies" were at the factory getting various updates. I think Steve is very aware of the moribund market for new boats and by providing the updating service to PSC owners, they learn the areas that have needed improving. During the slow times, the revenue must also be a real plus.

PSC is in the business of taking care of our boats. Hooray!
 
#4 ·
Thank you Karlin, congratulations on the upgrade. I'm very interesting in learning more about the results.

JP,
I think some of us PSC owners would be interested in seeing as many of the refit photos as Karlin may be willing to upload so we can get a better idea of whether that's something we might be interested in doing in the future. If he is willing to do this, is there a way Karlin could farily easily upload a set of photos to the gallery and then link to them from here, or would he need to post the photos to an external site instead and then create a hyperlink to that?
 
#5 ·
MC1,

I agree, it would be nice to see photos of Karlin's project if he has them.

There are various ways to show photos, but in my opinion the preferable approach is to host them at Flickr or similar and then paste them right here into the thread via the "insert image" button in the compose window (it's the little yellow button with the mountain range and moon/sun in the sky). When you press that button, a pop-up dialogue box appears, into which you paste the link to the photo (from the photo hosting website) and viola it appears in the thread.

PSC would be smart to document these projects and post them on their website -- it would be good marketing.
 
#6 ·
Great post/report... must feel good to have start out with your boat all 'new' again....

Not that it's any of our business, but I'm thinking that, like a major home renovation, more money may have gone into the 'refit' than the original purchase.....
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the comment.

Yes, it was expensive and I spent considerable time due to my passion for the bronze and a more "classic" looking boat than the new version. I did save a few bucks from the cost of new but my motivator was the product desired at the end of the day. If I had ordered the boat new, it would have had a price tag of at least $50K more than the fully optioned new 37 current pricing from PSC.
 
#8 ·
Karlin,
Congrats on your new boat. My wife and I were fortunate enough to see your Windflower at the factory a month ago and she truely looks like a new boat. The exterior had been completed and she looked absolutely amazing, nice windlass. I could not believe that the tiller steering was not original equipment. At the time the interior was completely apart, it's hard to believe the boat is ready to go.
Where is your home port?
 
#12 ·
Congrats Karlin!

She looks amazing and I know she'll be sweet to sail.

I hope to get by there for a quick look before she ships out.
 
#14 ·
I had the pleasure of seeing Windflower too. What a great setup now with the rounded, bronze ports! What are some of the advantages and disadvantages you saw that swayed you over to tiller steering? More cockpit area?

Will you be keeping her in the Washington area any?

Alan
Kon Jen-Al
#374
 
#18 ·
WIND FLOWER arrived at my warehouse just a couple of days before the holidays and since then has basically been getting visits from varnish pro's, Brian the very insightful surveyor, rigging experts and a few of my friends. Victor Hudson from the PSC factory visited last week to attend to a couple of very minor to-do's. Vic spent a couple of days at the ranch and I did shoot a couple of photo's while he was here and have updated

Windflower at the Factory pictures by kkdtrader - Photobucket

to include two new shots. The first shows WIND FLOWER lettering completed with Vic focused on his task and the other shows Vic feeding donkeys at my ranch.

Alan - Sorry for the delay in responding, my sailing plans could bring me back to your area but for now it is aiming for the Exuma and south. Your area is certainly a beautiful location and a run up the coast would be fun. You certainly have an envious resource with David at Carolina Wind - wish he was in my backyard.

Karlin
"PSC 37 - 198"
 
#26 ·
Upadated Photos!

Hoping that all the Pacific Seacraft friends in Little Washington and other related Irene areas are safe and escape any problems.

If you need any details regarding the installations shown in the photos, let me know.

Karlin

Windflower
Kon Jeni-Al made it safely through the storm tied up at Carolina Wind in Washington...thanks to the great care Jules showed her. By the time I showed up Friday afternoon to check on her, he had already doubled up on the lines and all that remained to do was put in an extra spring line. Their marina is situated in such a way that NE winds from hurricanes are blocked by structures. Someone posted a picture on the internet during the height of the storm that shows the pier completely under water, but mine, and several others' boats easily riding it out. Thanks again to Jules and David Norwood. I understand several boats that were moored became casualties of other boats that broke free during the storm. Sounds like more than one wound up against a bridge. All reports aren't in yet.
Alan
 
#22 ·
Good morning Erika.

Since I have wanted a 37 with a tiller for about 30 years the decision to go with a tiller was made years ago. Tiller vs. wheel seems to be a comparable debate to the manual steering or power steering in a fine sports car. When I am not catching a nice breeze and holding the tiller, there are additional benefits to having the tiller: I really like the cockpit being open without the pedestal in the middle of the cockpit. One of the photos I posted shows the custom SS auto-tiller bracket which reverses the tiller towards the stern so that the cockpit is unobstructed underway while motoring or sailing on a long tack in a light breeze. I love it and wouldn't have it any other way! Incidently, it was the favored steering option for the original design of Bill Crealock.

There are surely many owners that wouldn't consider a tiller, not yacht-t enough or not as auto-pilot friendly as the wheel along with other valid reasons.

For me, I like the tiller!

Good luck in making your decision.

Karlin
 
#23 ·
Thanks, being a woman I was wondering if The tiller might manhandle me in rough weather. what have you observed in heavy seas? I have quite a few sea miles and have learned to distrust hydraulic and cable steering, thankfully the captain has the same distrust :).
The largest vessel I have sailed with a tiller is a west sail 32. At times i was hard pressed to keep the tiller where I wanted it, especially when she was over powered, or in running seas, or if a wave slaps the rudder ( npt a fan of WS, found them to be very uncomfortable). Anyways, we also thought to just buy a whole new rudder from ps rather than have Rain Dogs current rudder shaft welded, do you have any opinion on that?
Thanks,
Erika
 
#24 ·
Erika,

In a heavy blow you might end up reefing earlier, there's no doubt the tiller can be challenging. You should talk to Thumper at the factory, they have had a wave of wheel to tiller projects and can share with you all their knowledge. The 34 is actually more difficult than the 37 to convert.

Karlin
 
#27 ·
Alan,

Nice to hear from you. The Norwood's clearly have their focus on taking care of their customers. They are a real asset to the NC boating community and Pacific Seacraft. I had considered taking Windflower to Little Washington for hurricane season and ended up hauling her instead and putting her in a safe warehouse on my farm instead. I am feeling pretty proud of that decision right now even though it sounds like minimum problems resulting from Irene.

Since my tiller removed all under-deck mechanisms, I am looking to install a 3.5 Kw Next Generation deisel genset in the newly created space at the rear of the engine in Windflower and if I do the job, I will post photos. With the genset, I can run heat or AC while on the hook and use 2/10ths (draws from deisel tank for the Yanmar)of a gallon per hour of useage. The blender would use less!

Karlin
 
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