Shawn Wright
Registered Guest
Hello,
I am located near Victoria, Canada, and Moodys are not common here - I have seen only a few in our years of cruising the BC coast, and know of one 376 in our cruising club. A friend recently told us of a 1985 Moody 47 ("Divershun" from Southampton) in the storage yard in Puerto Penasco, Mexico that has been sitting since covid, but was apparently in good condition 5 years ago. It appears the boat was sold in 2019 in Mexico, moved to the yard, and has not moved since.
I have read as much as I can find online about this model, and it appears only 31 were built, and they were semi-custom, with several layout options. I also understand the hull is solid glass below the waterline, but may be balsa-cored above, as are the decks. The mast appears to be deck-stepped, and this example has a conventional slab-reefed mainsail with single manual headsail furler, so no hydraulics. The design appears to be a shallow, round-bilge with bolt-on lead keel, semi-balanced partial skeg rudder. I understand the tankage is usually plastic or aluminum, with water below the settees and fuel below the aft bunk, so these should be simple to inspect.
An old listing for the vessel in 2019 (1985 Moody Moody 47 sailboat for sale in Outside United States (https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/77373)) states it has a Land Rover 80HP diesel with 2500 hrs and a 4.5kVA genset.
I am mainly interested in any known weaknesses on this design, and any things to pay special attention to when a boat has sat for 5 years in the tropics. These are items which come to mind as a start:
-keel bolts/studs - are they SS or bronze?
-hull-deck & aluminum toerail - is the joint glassed over, or just bolted & sealed? Is it prone to leaks?
-fixed portlights in the cabin sides - are they glued or bolted, and are they prone to leaks? Glass or plastic?
-are the deck fittings well sealed against core-intrusion from the factory?
-any issues with the skeg or rudder? I know it is come for 40 year old rudders to have water intrusion/corrosion issues if the framework is stainless.
Thanks!
I am located near Victoria, Canada, and Moodys are not common here - I have seen only a few in our years of cruising the BC coast, and know of one 376 in our cruising club. A friend recently told us of a 1985 Moody 47 ("Divershun" from Southampton) in the storage yard in Puerto Penasco, Mexico that has been sitting since covid, but was apparently in good condition 5 years ago. It appears the boat was sold in 2019 in Mexico, moved to the yard, and has not moved since.
I have read as much as I can find online about this model, and it appears only 31 were built, and they were semi-custom, with several layout options. I also understand the hull is solid glass below the waterline, but may be balsa-cored above, as are the decks. The mast appears to be deck-stepped, and this example has a conventional slab-reefed mainsail with single manual headsail furler, so no hydraulics. The design appears to be a shallow, round-bilge with bolt-on lead keel, semi-balanced partial skeg rudder. I understand the tankage is usually plastic or aluminum, with water below the settees and fuel below the aft bunk, so these should be simple to inspect.
An old listing for the vessel in 2019 (1985 Moody Moody 47 sailboat for sale in Outside United States (https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/77373)) states it has a Land Rover 80HP diesel with 2500 hrs and a 4.5kVA genset.
I am mainly interested in any known weaknesses on this design, and any things to pay special attention to when a boat has sat for 5 years in the tropics. These are items which come to mind as a start:
-keel bolts/studs - are they SS or bronze?
-hull-deck & aluminum toerail - is the joint glassed over, or just bolted & sealed? Is it prone to leaks?
-fixed portlights in the cabin sides - are they glued or bolted, and are they prone to leaks? Glass or plastic?
-are the deck fittings well sealed against core-intrusion from the factory?
-any issues with the skeg or rudder? I know it is come for 40 year old rudders to have water intrusion/corrosion issues if the framework is stainless.
Thanks!