I am trying to find information about a Bombay Clipper 31. Does anyone have any resources? They are said to be capable coastal cruisers and some have crossed the Gulf of Mexico, but I can't seem to find any information regarding construction, set up, capabilities or customization. Thanks.
Bombay Clipper 31
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tcase10
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Look here for photos http://www.sailnet.com/forums/orphan-brands/40371-bombay-clipper-31-a.html#post520714 or go to Orphan Brands and scroll til you find Bombay Clipper. Don't be afraid to use the search function too.
Jeff and a plethora of others on Sailnet are far more qualified to answer your questions regarding the choice of a BC for bluewater usage. My understanding is that the BC31 (which I have) has almost all of the attributes one does not want for offshore travel. It has a very large cockpit, very minimal tankage and a very wide middle (11'+ on a 31' vessel) that is not easily driven into high seas. Mine seems very solid and I have little doubt it would tolerate a lot of abuse before any structural failure occurs. There are other larger Bombay models I know nothing about that may be suited for the Big water. I look at the BC31 as an adequate weekender/coastal cruiser with a very large interior for such a short boat.
Jeff and a plethora of others on Sailnet are far more qualified to answer your questions regarding the choice of a BC for bluewater usage. My understanding is that the BC31 (which I have) has almost all of the attributes one does not want for offshore travel. It has a very large cockpit, very minimal tankage and a very wide middle (11'+ on a 31' vessel) that is not easily driven into high seas. Mine seems very solid and I have little doubt it would tolerate a lot of abuse before any structural failure occurs. There are other larger Bombay models I know nothing about that may be suited for the Big water. I look at the BC31 as an adequate weekender/coastal cruiser with a very large interior for such a short boat.
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1979 Bombay Clipper 31 experience
We bought our Bombay Clipper "Dream Catcher" from a local owner in the San Francisco Bay Area last April. We're at the "experienced Beginner" (or "early Intermediate") level and are finding this boat perfect for us.
At the time we bought her, the market price in these parts was around $16K. Our seller was in a hurry and cut that price in half, we got the "best deal on the Bay" that week.
The boat is ideal for cruising in protected waters. SF Bay gets pretty rough; our currents can be very strong and we have to dodge wakes of ferries, huge freighters and lots of power boats. Dream Catcher handles all these well.
Although the full keel definitely costs you something in performance, that 3'6" draft means we get a wider choice of marinas. Our home, the island city of Alameda, has ONE marina on the Bay side whose entrance can be as shallow at six feet. No problem for us, so no hour motoring up the Oakland/Alameda Estuary to reach the Bay.
We just had the boat surveyed, and he was very impressed. He used a wood mallet on every inch of the deck, and found only one small area that it rang a little hollow.
Work done:
Added new Raymarine instruments
Bottom paint
Replaced 3 thru-hull valves
Stepped the mast; replaced pretty much everything on top. Put the wiring in conduit--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED since original wiring was just wrapped and hanging in there.
Added a couple of Zarcor SternPerch transom corner seats from clrmarine.com; a very desirable addition.
Only negatives so far:
1) Ours has a 12HP 2-cylinder Yanmar. A bigger engine would be nice, but this one does move us against the currents, so it's fine. We don't know whether the engine is original.
2) The boat has AWFUL port prop walk in reverse! Be prepared for learning whatever tricks you can, especially if you back out of your slip to starboard. A smaller prop can reduce this, but at an equal loss of power (that we don't have to spare).
3) The forward cabin bunk has an open area where you enter. That makes the person sleeping on that side constantly nervous about rolling over and off the bed! We solved that by adding a plywood platform and foam triangle, basically filling in the space and expanding the bed. Works great.
We have yet to take her out of the Golden Gate to the ocean; we think she's ready but we aren't. Note that the molds for this boat became one of the first Island Packet Yachts, and you know what their reputation is.
I'd be happy to join a correspondence with any Bombay owners! Let's share stories. Pictures of ours are at virtualameda.com/bombay .
Enjoy!
Dave Bloch
Alameda, CA
We bought our Bombay Clipper "Dream Catcher" from a local owner in the San Francisco Bay Area last April. We're at the "experienced Beginner" (or "early Intermediate") level and are finding this boat perfect for us.
At the time we bought her, the market price in these parts was around $16K. Our seller was in a hurry and cut that price in half, we got the "best deal on the Bay" that week.
The boat is ideal for cruising in protected waters. SF Bay gets pretty rough; our currents can be very strong and we have to dodge wakes of ferries, huge freighters and lots of power boats. Dream Catcher handles all these well.
Although the full keel definitely costs you something in performance, that 3'6" draft means we get a wider choice of marinas. Our home, the island city of Alameda, has ONE marina on the Bay side whose entrance can be as shallow at six feet. No problem for us, so no hour motoring up the Oakland/Alameda Estuary to reach the Bay.
We just had the boat surveyed, and he was very impressed. He used a wood mallet on every inch of the deck, and found only one small area that it rang a little hollow.
Work done:
Added new Raymarine instruments
Bottom paint
Replaced 3 thru-hull valves
Stepped the mast; replaced pretty much everything on top. Put the wiring in conduit--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED since original wiring was just wrapped and hanging in there.
Added a couple of Zarcor SternPerch transom corner seats from clrmarine.com; a very desirable addition.
Only negatives so far:
1) Ours has a 12HP 2-cylinder Yanmar. A bigger engine would be nice, but this one does move us against the currents, so it's fine. We don't know whether the engine is original.
2) The boat has AWFUL port prop walk in reverse! Be prepared for learning whatever tricks you can, especially if you back out of your slip to starboard. A smaller prop can reduce this, but at an equal loss of power (that we don't have to spare).
3) The forward cabin bunk has an open area where you enter. That makes the person sleeping on that side constantly nervous about rolling over and off the bed! We solved that by adding a plywood platform and foam triangle, basically filling in the space and expanding the bed. Works great.
We have yet to take her out of the Golden Gate to the ocean; we think she's ready but we aren't. Note that the molds for this boat became one of the first Island Packet Yachts, and you know what their reputation is.
I'd be happy to join a correspondence with any Bombay owners! Let's share stories. Pictures of ours are at virtualameda.com/bombay .
Enjoy!
Dave Bloch
Alameda, CA
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Love our Bombay, too
All:
Was reading the posts tonight. We've owned a BC31 "Dream Catcher" for a year in San Francisco Bay and really love her. (We call her "the Buick of the Bay") Photos at virtualameda.com/bombay .
Would enjoy sharing more with everyone about our Bombay boats.
(Our improvements: single-lever engine control mounted near top of binnacle; added a second jib fairlead rail aft of the original; added "Sternperch" seats with cup holders to the aft rails (GREAT).)
Thanks!
==Dave Bloch, Alameda, CA
PS: just read the post I submitted a year ago but never heard anything back on. Anybody out there? Would love to hear from you! Email: dave@virtualameda.com
All:
Was reading the posts tonight. We've owned a BC31 "Dream Catcher" for a year in San Francisco Bay and really love her. (We call her "the Buick of the Bay") Photos at virtualameda.com/bombay .
Would enjoy sharing more with everyone about our Bombay boats.
(Our improvements: single-lever engine control mounted near top of binnacle; added a second jib fairlead rail aft of the original; added "Sternperch" seats with cup holders to the aft rails (GREAT).)
Thanks!
==Dave Bloch, Alameda, CA
PS: just read the post I submitted a year ago but never heard anything back on. Anybody out there? Would love to hear from you! Email: dave@virtualameda.com
Hello Bombay Clipper owners
I thought I would post here since it seems to be the most recent BC thread. I've had a 1978 BC for 5 or 6 years and sail on the Chesapeake Bay. I love the boat but the lack of an aft cabin is a little limiting in terms of overnighting with others. Right now my biggest task is doing something about the deck. It's getting that old chalky texture and mildews easily. I've tried cleaning and waxing but that doesn't last long. Does anybody have any suggestions on the best approach to restoring the deck? Thanks.
I thought I would post here since it seems to be the most recent BC thread. I've had a 1978 BC for 5 or 6 years and sail on the Chesapeake Bay. I love the boat but the lack of an aft cabin is a little limiting in terms of overnighting with others. Right now my biggest task is doing something about the deck. It's getting that old chalky texture and mildews easily. I've tried cleaning and waxing but that doesn't last long. Does anybody have any suggestions on the best approach to restoring the deck? Thanks.
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Go For It
THE one thing i know is that back in the late 80's i met a fellow in Jensen Beach at Bailey boat yard whom had home built this same boat ( think he had rented or somehow got hold of a mold ) he had built this boat in the midwest and brought it to Florida with his family of 5-6 and planned on cruising the world. I THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY but last I heard they were in the carib and doing well
The design is not fast but well thought of and the numbers make sense for what you are looking at doing...
Cap. Joseph
THE one thing i know is that back in the late 80's i met a fellow in Jensen Beach at Bailey boat yard whom had home built this same boat ( think he had rented or somehow got hold of a mold ) he had built this boat in the midwest and brought it to Florida with his family of 5-6 and planned on cruising the world. I THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY but last I heard they were in the carib and doing well
The design is not fast but well thought of and the numbers make sense for what you are looking at doing...
Cap. Joseph
info on Bombay Clipper history
Since a few posters had asked about the history of the Bombay Clipper, I thought I would post a couple of paragraphs from an interview with Bob Johnson of Island Packet from 2004:
"I was also consulting, doing odd designs, but I really wanted to be an independent designer and builder. I was making a living but knew I had complete knowledge of how to build production boats. I had an opportunity to buy molds for a relatively new boat from Bombay Yachts, a local company that was being liquidated. It was founded by two guys who left Irwin: Ross James and Chris Petty. One was production manager and one was sales manager. I bought the molds for the Bombay Express which Walt Scott had designed for them as a beamy cat sloop. Chris Petty had always liked that kind of boat and was the prime mover behind its creation."
"Chris and Ross left Irwin to start Bombay Yachts, they did a 31-foot Bombay Clipper designed by Walt Scott from scratch then bought a Canadian mold and converted a 44-footer. Their last boat before they went out of business was the Bombay Express, they built 16 or 17, and some were sold as unfinished boats because they were winding down. They didn't go bankrupt, but they had sold out to an investor who passed away, and the business was liquidated. I realized an opportunity was before me and it was a boat I related to, a centerboarder with a barndoor rudder, looking like a Cape Cod catboat with 5-foot 9-inch headroom. This was the parent boat for the IP line, the Island Packet 26."
Since a few posters had asked about the history of the Bombay Clipper, I thought I would post a couple of paragraphs from an interview with Bob Johnson of Island Packet from 2004:
"I was also consulting, doing odd designs, but I really wanted to be an independent designer and builder. I was making a living but knew I had complete knowledge of how to build production boats. I had an opportunity to buy molds for a relatively new boat from Bombay Yachts, a local company that was being liquidated. It was founded by two guys who left Irwin: Ross James and Chris Petty. One was production manager and one was sales manager. I bought the molds for the Bombay Express which Walt Scott had designed for them as a beamy cat sloop. Chris Petty had always liked that kind of boat and was the prime mover behind its creation."
"Chris and Ross left Irwin to start Bombay Yachts, they did a 31-foot Bombay Clipper designed by Walt Scott from scratch then bought a Canadian mold and converted a 44-footer. Their last boat before they went out of business was the Bombay Express, they built 16 or 17, and some were sold as unfinished boats because they were winding down. They didn't go bankrupt, but they had sold out to an investor who passed away, and the business was liquidated. I realized an opportunity was before me and it was a boat I related to, a centerboarder with a barndoor rudder, looking like a Cape Cod catboat with 5-foot 9-inch headroom. This was the parent boat for the IP line, the Island Packet 26."
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Bombay Clipper 31--deck cleaning
Saradog:
I just took a shot at cleaning the deck areas, scrubbing it down and then using 3M Marine Wax with an electric buffer. The areas I did definitely have a bit more sheen than before, but I can't speak to how long it will last.
There's a really good article in this month's issue of Practical Sailor comparing lots of boat waxes/polishes. If you have access to those (many yacht clubs keep a library) you might take a look.
Good luck!
-_Dave
Alameda, CA
PS: you're right about no aft cabin; we see it as a perfect two-person overnight boat.
Saradog:
I just took a shot at cleaning the deck areas, scrubbing it down and then using 3M Marine Wax with an electric buffer. The areas I did definitely have a bit more sheen than before, but I can't speak to how long it will last.
There's a really good article in this month's issue of Practical Sailor comparing lots of boat waxes/polishes. If you have access to those (many yacht clubs keep a library) you might take a look.
Good luck!
-_Dave
Alameda, CA
PS: you're right about no aft cabin; we see it as a perfect two-person overnight boat.
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I have the pilothouse version and can get you sizes tomorrow. Hopefully they are the same as the Clipper. I am curious of those who own late 70s Clippers about hull blisters. Mine is a 1978 that I bought about 3 months ago. A fixer-upper for sure. I am curious of those who have had to haul and repaint their bottoms. How did she look for blisters? Anyone able to comment on fiberglass construction of hull in terms of water intrusion (blisters)? Thanks.
Some of the ports might be the same as the pilothouse. As far as blisters I'm havin a bottom job done right now in Port Aransas on the Texas coast. The previous owner said it was done 6 years ago upon inspection I felt pretty good about the the bottom. Very minor blisters.
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Guys has anyone replaced the forward cabin hatch? if so, any premade models that fit this boat? I need to replace mine. thanks!
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Hi guys, I've owned my Bombay Clipper for 10 years in Panama and I love it every day more as a liveaboard for a single girl it's the best! Has anyone replaced their forward cabin hatch? I'd love to know of a model that I could buy online that fits if anyone has experience with that. Thank you!! Stef from SV Esperanza
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