irwin 54

How would you compare the Irwin to the Nautical Development 56? They appear to be very similiar. I have not been able to find out much about the Nautical. thanks.

 

Sorry, I just do not know the Nautical so can not compare/contrats.

 

Irwin54, Do you know much about earlier Irwins? I bought a 1970 38' about 8 months ago, it seems pretty solid,I'd heard horror stories about Irwins with leaky ports,and soft decks, mainly early 80's 34's. Big irwins 43's & larger seem to stay around and hold value so I assume they were put together pretty good. This boat of mine seems to be the only one out there I know of,checked yachtworld several times worldwide and never find another.If you or any other reader knows anything about this boat pls let me know. It's a narrow beam 10'6'', looka a lot like a Hughes or Hinkley 38, but with a centerboard and V drive engine instead of the S&S engine box in the middle of the salon. Thanks, Art.

 

The guy you runs the yachtsmart.net brokerage has an Irwin38. I have an Irwin 44 for sale and we went from Maine to the Bahamas on her and she was a great coastal cruising boat.
The problem with 70-80's Irwins was inconsistent build quality due to high turnover at the yard...hence all the stories you've heard. As a practical matter...most of this stuff was peripheral and has been dealt with by subsequent owners. I invested a bunch in my boat to make her cruise ready and never had any qualms about her for her intended use. You may find more info on the irwin e-mail list here on sailnet OR you can go to
http://www.angelfire.com/fl/irwinsailboats/

 

Hello Irwin54,
I am thinking of buying a 1990 54. Are there any areas that I should take notice of. I know all boats have there, well lets say undesirable areas.Age also has its factor.If you could point me in the right direction of the 54s faults and age factor problems it would be a great help.Also how about sailing 54 pros/cons.
Thanks RJS

 

RJ

This thread is over 2 years old...I havent been here all that long but am here almost every day...I have never seen a post from Irwin54

FWIW there is one in my marina if it ever comes up for sail Im going to buy it....I have the 41 CC Ketch model...I do have a couple issues at port locations and a couple hatches that drip a tiny bit...the only wet deck area the surveyor found was at the mizzen step...all corrected and rebuilt now...I am a huge Irwin fan..They got a bad rep due to the fact that Ted Irwin sold out to cheapskate builders and had to buy the company back again. Once your tarnished in this industry your tarnished..Just as Hunter and Mcgregor are...Irwin worse so only because their not around any more.

The 52' and above are definitely Blue-water boats..never sailed on one so cant help with details...All others were designed for fast ( for their day )coastal cruising and comfort on the hook only.

 

I disagree about the 52 being a blue water boat. They are fine coastal and caribe cruisers and offer wonderful space and value but are no better put together than my 44 was for open ocean sailing. They sail quite well and have a good Perkins engine...but are really marginal for blue water. John Kretchmer agrees: http://www.irwinyachts.com/Centercockpitfiles/Irwin 52 Sailing Mag 05.pdf

As far as I know...Ted Irwin never sold out to anyone. Just filed for bankruptcy. The great and the not so great qualities of the boats built under the Irwin badge are his responsibility.

 

From your own source..

1)Although most cruisers buy an Irwin 52 for the size, they are often pleasantly surprised by the sailing qualities. Under full canvas the 52 moves smartly in light to moderate airs and truly comes alive in the trades. Brett and Donna have averaged 165 miles a day so far while crossing the Pacific. They are currently in Tonga and although they've had some mechanical issues with the boat they are pleased with its performance.
They are also pleased with its heavy weather capability.
"We had to beat to safe harbor in Cuba to avoid Hurricane Ivan," Brett wrote in e-mail, "and it was rugged. Force 9 gusting higher, the boat did well with a deeply reefed main, mizzen and staysail."

2)Construction
The bugaboo with Irwin Yachts is just how well built were they? While some of the smaller models
have not held up well over the years, the bigger boats, built to heavier scantlings, have endured the ravishes of ocean and ownership
pretty well.

3)It boasts of good performance under power as well as sail. Hmm, come to think of it those features sound awfully familiar? When you take a look at many of today's larger cruising boats, it seems that Ted Irwin was a visionary.
Ironically, the Irwin 52 has a better reputation today, 30 years after it was first introduced, than it did when new.

4)Interiors sell boats. It was just as true in the 1970s and 1980s as it is today. And few boats have more inviting interiors than the Irwin 52. Whether or not you want to head offshore in this interior is another question but for coastal cruising and living aboard it is hard to beat. A friendly Australian family recently purchased one of the last Irwin 52s built and moored it behind my house to prepare it for the long crossing home to Sydney.

5)If you are interested in an Irwin 52, don't apologize. The boat has design features that can only be found in new boats costing many times more. The 52 represents a unique blend of living space and underway performance. It may not be the ideal ocean crossing machine but it sure makes living aboard a lot less painful.

The last two views are from the standpoint of wide open saloons not being designed for below deck safty offshore not from inferior construction or not being able to handel it.

I could be mistaken on Ted selling the Co.. I might be getting that mixed up with Shannon...However I know he took a Hiatus at least from it and that's generally agreed upon by most in the industry as to the negative years at the Irwin factory.
I have an email into Gene Gammon right now to set the record straight..

Bottom line ...are there better Blue water boats the the +50 Irwins? you bet there are...dosent make them not so...Haven't read of one falling apart under anyone yet..crossing the big blues...just normal failures like any other boat.. I'd like to read about them if you got them.

I will admit I have always put the threshold of the 54 as being the Blue water starting point for Irwin..as it was the replacement of the 52 and is definitely built heaver yet...But I would take a 52 just about anywhere I believe.

 

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one Still...I was referring to his rating of 2.5 stars out of 5 for construction and the same for re-fit-ability.

When you read a REVIEW that says. It may not be the ideal ocean crossing machine but it sure makes living aboard a lot less painful.
You know what the author really means...it is NOT a good choice for offshore cruising. No reviewer ever comes right out and says stuff!

I'd agree with you that the 54 and the over 60' stuff is better.
Anyway...I'm not buying one so if you want to dream of one go right ahead.
Gene G. used to post all the time on the Irwin Mail list when I was an owner and is definitely the most knowledgeable guy on the planet about the boats history. I will be happy to accept his version of Irwin history whatever it is.

Pls. understand...I am not an Irwin basher. We loved ours, it sailed great, motored great and took us all up an down the East Coast and Bahamas in a pretty safe and trouble free manner. I am just stating my opinion abut blue-water and the 52.

 

NO ruffled feathers here my friend..and you know I value your opinions...just thought Id joust with you a bit on this one.

Nope the 52 isn't my dream boat or like to buy list however the 54 is on my would like to own someday list... as far as dreams here is a picture of one of them..yep it's an Irwin all 65' of her...and as stated elsewhere before, your brand in the 58 is another..

Cheers Mate..

 

I like the Irwin with the hot tub on deck myself!

Lazy Bones 68 ft Irwin Ketch a 1st Class charter Vacation in Caribbean waters

 

I have a new dream......

 

Sorry as pointed out that i have been remiss in "checking in".
Have owned many boats and sailed many miles, transatlantic, Panama Canal, Med, North Sea, Baltic but none of those on our Irwin 54. I am also a Maritime graduate and 10 year live aboard. Enough of the resume, back to opinions.

We are very happy with the Irwin 54. While fit and finish may not be perfect, she is relatively well laid up(yards often comment on robust lay up, she weighs in at 58K). Her design is what she is, weight low, ample tankage low but the big belly gives you little foil for upwind lift.

She feels great and is very comfortable. Has handled nasty conditions very well. If you need a vessel that must be able to claw off shore, she is not for you. Outside of that, a great fit. My 88 54 has logged a ton of successful miles throughout the Atlantic, Caribbean and South America.

FWIW, we have lived aboard (not cruising) for ten years but chose to come ashore as our 3 children entered school. At this point we have a 51 Shannon (great sailer, beautifully built but just smaller) and 54 Irwin in our posession. The Shannon is for sale.

If we were planning a world cruise, we would keep the Shannon. Coastal cruising, Caribbean, etc the Irwin gives you so much more.

Let comments fly!

 

Irwin54...no arguments here at all. You quite well understand the limitations and advantages of your boat and are using it to its' intended purpose.

Still...did you ever hear back from Gene G. about the history?

 

Camaraderie, that was stillraining that had a request into Gene. I suspect he has gotten his answers. Gene has always been very helpful. As a matter of fact, Ted Irwin is still active and a good source for replacement parts, rudders, etc.

 

I know this thread is old, but I feel compelled to respond... There are larger Irwins all over the world, they didn't ride there on the back of container ships. Irwin built thousands of yachts, over 300 where built over 50' and fifty 65's were built. With some reinforcement and upgrading the 65 makes an awesome globe trotter, I can't speak to the 54, but there are similar pointing issues. Cutter rigged Ketches don't generally sail well to windward anyway. I read somewhere on here where some one said they didn't sail well- they have obviously never sailed a 65, because they are remarkably fast boats, off the wind they are exceptional. Thinking about it I have 620 gallons of fuel so I can point as high as I want with the Iron sail and cross great distances under power. Water tank is 920 gallons. Our boat has seen some significant modification to be fair, but has circled the globe twice and I would feel well cared for on any ocean in the world.

 

Hey I am seriously considering the 54 or the 65 Irwin. I would love any assistance you can give in making the decision. I am attracted to the bigger Irwin BUT one issue is that the draw is shallow and the displacement high. so i fear the bigger boat will roll and heel and not track well. All the 65s and 68s Im looking at don't have the center board anymore.. in fact most IRwins I look at don't have the centerboard option. SO if I take on the big boy, what do I need to do to make her blue water friendly? what did you do to yours?

 

with the wind on the beam, I haven't met a boat I don't just love

 

I love my irwin its half the size fo your guys at a 28 but mine isnt bad only 2 soft spots that i know of and they wont be hard to fix

 

Something I forgot to mention, the 65 as originally designed needs no modification to circle the globe safely, but as these are all fairly old boats now, I think there are things that should be done and that we did. On ours... The mast step was replaced, all rigging was replaced, the mizzen mast deck stepped was reinforced with an additional cross member, the hull deck joint was reinforced (not necessary when new, but could be and issue with a 30 plus year old boat, Salon windows were replaced and reinforced, all deck hatches replaced, and all ports where replaced with stainless ports. The originals all leaked after years use... the old plastic is not safe for blue water use. Feel free to PM me and I can email you an extensive and detailed list of the refit. We need to replace all our chain plates, with any luck this year...