Shearwater 39

Description

"Bagheera" is a beautiful example of this traditional Dudley Dix design with her lovely sheer line, clipper bow and champagne glass stern. She is a true "sailor's sailboat," garnering complements wherever she cruises and capable of the most ambitious voyages or exploring the gunkholes of the Bay. Bagheera has crossed the Atlantic twice and is ready to go again. Her bigger sister won Cruising World's "Best Traditional Cruiser" award. (Readers of the magazine will recognized her as a sistership to "Ithaka," featured in the Douglass and Bernadette Bernon's articles and blogs during their multi-year cruise). Despite her classic good looks above decks she is thoroughly modern below the waterline and is a fast, stable and responsive sailor. She is built to be a world voyager. All systems have been completely and lovingly refit over the last five years with no expense spared including installation of a new Yanmar diesel.
Bagheera is only for sale because her owners decided they loved the design so much that they purchased her identical but bigger sister, a Shearwater 45.Those in the market for a superbly constructed and beautiful boat that stands out from crowd of mass produced cookie-cutter cruisers will appreciate her pedigree and impeccable sailing characteristics. ALL systems on the boat have been refit including complete refinishing of the gorgeous interior teak and maple surfaces. Over 60K spent in the last five years. Reduced from $170,000 now that owners have two boats. AN EXCEPTIOANAL VALUE on a on a newly refit vessel that needs nothing to cast off lines to anywhere.
See Dudley Dix website for designers notes.
See Shearwater site on Facebook to talk to other current owners.
Partial Equipment list:
SAILS and RIGGING
Cutter rig -w/ removable staysail stay and running backstays
Sparcraft mast and boom
New Quantum full batten mainsail -w/ "Stakpak" system ('16)
Tides-luff Strong-track low friction luff system -for mainsail ('12)
Doyle 140% (approx.) furling genoa -w/ Schaefer furler
Doyle staysail
Schaefer staysail furler (ready for installation if you don't want a removable stay)
Running rigging refit -including Garhauer blocks ('13)
Selden telescoping whisker pole -mounted on mast -w/ track adjustment
Sparcraft rod boomvang
Radar reflector -on mast
Seven 2-speed winches: 2 Enkes #28 self-tailing primary, 2 Enkes #26 secondary, 2 Lewmar #30 halyard/reef self-tailing -on coachroof, #46 Lewmar self-tailing on mast
10 Spinlock clutch stoppers -on coachroof
New Canvas (12)
ELECTRONICS
Raymarine C-90 chartplotter display ('11) -at helm
Raymarine color chartplotter/radar display -at nav-station
Raymarine radar
Raymarine wind, knot/log, depth instruments
Raymarine 6000 autopilot (refit '10)
Raymarine Sirius satellite marine weather receiver ('11)
Icom M710 SSB transceiver -w/ insulated backstay antenna
Icom M58 VHF transceiver
ENTERTAINMENT
Vizio 22" TV
Direct TV satellite with "follow me" tracking dish and receiver (12')
DVD/Blueray
Stereo/CD - ('12); Fusion speakers in cockpit ('15')
ELECTRICAL
110V shorepower -w/ cord
Fisher-Panda genset <400 hours!
Xantrex Prosine 2.0 inverter/charger -2000W ('11)
Xantrex monitor
Step-down converter 220-110V ('11)
4 group 31 "house" batteries
Engine start battery
ENGINE and MECHANICAL
Yanmar 3JH-5E 39hp diesel auxillary - 489 hours! (new 2011)
Maxprop 3 blade feathering propeller
Fisher-Panda 4kw diesel genset -less than 400 hours!
Propane system (refit '11)
2 manual bilge pumps
Automatic electric bilge pump
Raritan Marine-Elegance electric head with one touch control panel
DECK and OTHER EQUIPMENT
Stunning gloss-varnished teak brightwork --including classic butterfly hatch
Custom teak/Thiokol decking -on cockpit sole, seats and coaming
Varnished spruce bowsprit -with solid SS bobstay and whisker-stays
Dodger -w/ SS frame (canvas replaced '12)
Bimini -w/SS frame ('12)
2 varnished teak dorade boxes forward -w/ chromed bronze cowls ('14)
2 chromed bronze cowls on fiberglass dorade boxes, aft
Padeyes --for harness and jacklines
Cockpit cushions
Other protective canvas: for bowsprit, handrails, pedestal, hatches
Custom designed stern rail -w/ built in "rail seats"
Outboard bracket on stern rail
Teak/SS boom gallows -supports bimini and dodger
Whitlock pedestal -w/ "rack-& pinion" 36" wheel steering
Emergency tiller
Swim ladder
Docklines and fenders
LIFERAFT
Plastimo liferaft ('10) (Needs cert)
GROUND TACKLE
CQR with 250' 3/8 chain
Bruce anchor -w/ 300' nylon rode
Lewmar V-3 electric anchor windlass -w/ up/down switches and remote ('11)
Raw water deck/anchor washdown ('14)
Dual anchor/chain lockers; Dual bow rollers
Teak samson post; Oversized 14" polished, cast-aluminum mooring cleat
Vessel is listed on sailboat listings dot com and other venues.
Vessel is in St. Leonard, MD and can be shown by appointment.
Vessel is insured for $180,000 through BoatU.S. based current assessed market value of $190,000 - ($450,000 estimated "replacement" value). This boat is a bargain and priced for quick sale!
The following is from a 2011 review at SAYACHTBLOG:
The Ultimate Cruiser
The ultimate cruiser should have a (1) traditional soul and good looks, (2) easily handled, (3) comfortable at sea, (4) safe as a house, (5) great to live in (6) affordable (7) fast! - not necessarily in that order. My definition of course, but if you agree then the Shearwater 39 is one of the best examples around.
Traditional Soul and Good looks!
Sailboat Cruising is undoubtedly a romantic pursuit! Spice islands, parties abroad, storms, adventure and sheer bliss in the warm climes. Why do this in a slab-sided boat, or a tupperware for that matter?
Easily handled
The Shearwater 39 has a cutter rig (sloop cutter) - a proper cutter rig, which not only looks good - it makes the sails smaller and easy to handle. This also reduces the loads on the winches and rig, making her safer and stronger, with great options for reduced sail in storm conditions. The moderate keel and skeg-hung rudder make her quite responsive and manouevrable, and the flat deck surfaces are easy to move on. The moderate beam and and moderate keel (with rudder well aft) make sure she will track well too. With the usual amenities of a stack pack, roller furlers, and an autohelm, she is easily shorthanded by a cruising couple. A cruising asymmetrical on a furler or with a snuffer is normal.
Comfortable at Sea
Fine clipper bow, moderate wineglass sections, moderate displacement/length, good flare in the bows, excellent weight distribution - you don't get really much better in a cruising hull. Add the deep aft cockpit - the only other parameter that can increase comfort is size, but at 39' and > 9 tons you are already rubbing shoulders with the big guys. Shearwaters tend to be reassuringly stiff and stay reasonably level, good qualities for passagemaking. Its the sort of boat one would agree to sail "back from Rio" as I have heard more than once in the bar.
Safe as a House
Let's not forget the Skipper and the Builder have equal responsibilities in the safety department. But design-wise - you need a boat with a good stability curve, a fair bit of overall mass ideally, a safe cockpit, manageable rig, and decent steering. Additionally, good buoyancy in the ends, and a secure galley station. Tick them all.
Great to Live in
The Shearwater has a cavernous interior - really big for a 39-er. The layout is conventional and simple, with the usual Dix idea of having the engine under the galley counter. In a 39' boat this works very well for many reasons (engine acess, weight distribution, prop-shaft angle, secure galley area), while not intruding in any way. The cockpit is economical in size for a 39-er, but ideal for its intended purpose as a passagemaker, and a liveaboard boat, where one wants to optimise the sailing aspect and accommodations below. It places everything at the hand of the skipper, and is ideal for singlehanding. It is more than adequate for a small party in harbour (been to several!). The Shearwater was originally designed to have a tiller - and I guess thats what I'd have - but nearly all now have wheels. The tiller folds away in harbour, is trouble free and simple, and looks good, while the wheel takes less strength to handle, and appears to be expected now in boats this size . . .?
Affordable
I guess this is relative! However the Shearwater makes use of simple materials, low rig stresses, smaller winches, transom rudder etc. It offers the accommodation of a much larger boat, due to the cabin roof and cockpit shape. The traditional looks make it very attractive without resorting to high-tech adornments like carbon wheels and fancy rigs - they are essentially semi-corinthian but look like an art classic! Best of all - Shearwaters hold their value very well and are treasured by cruisers all over the world. (The Shearwater brand is famous for the Shearwater 45, which received "Best Traditional Voyager" and "Best Cruising Boat" in the Cruising World Boat of the Year 2001 Awards.
Fast
The traditional topsides hide a very advanced underbody, and the rig and keel are very powerful, on all points of sail. So the Shearwater goes much faster than it looks. It even goes faster than fast-looking boats sometimes. Peter Muzik on Shoestring did a blistering time (10 days) to St Helena a few years ago - in the Governor's Cup race. Dudley explains this better in his own commentary, but my experience is identical - pacing Sheer Tenacity with a DiDi 34, I was very suprised how she moved, and with the comfort and dignity of a battleship.
Shearwaters have any vices? Are they perfect?
This is what I asked Rod Turner Smith after about two years of ownership and one year of cruising, mostly passagemaking.
Rod had this to say: "Justin, a lot earlier in our travels, you asked if I felt that theShearwater was the ideal cruising boat. We have now done just over 4000nm in "Sheer Tenacity" since we left Cape Town last month, and have had time to assess her performanc, and time to learn how best to trim and sail her. The answer is unequivocally YES!! She is an absolute joy, and a real passage maker! Not only is she good on all points of sail, but she is naturally fast, spacious, and better ventilated than any other boat I know. She is also a real "looker", and commented upon wherever you go! A great combination of classical elegance, and efficient yacht design. Her reputation preceeds her, and people from all over the world recognise them, and respect them. Gerfied and Dudley certainly hit the jackpot with this boat, and I cannot believe that only about 25 of each size were built, and.. that we are lucky enough to own one!
So Rod seems more than happy! Having said all that - each boat is designed for a specific purpose, and all are compromises. The Shearwater is the sort of bluewater cruiser you would buy if you want to go places and really sail, including the Southern Ocean if necessary. If you specifically need a large enclosed centre cockpit for very cold climes, or a floating caravan, etc you may want to look a bit more widely. But if the Shearwater meets your needs - look no further! See "LOG OF ITHAKA" for another amazing account of "Ithaka", owned and sailed by Bernadette Bernon, the editor-in-chief of Cruising World for over ten years. When she picked a boat for her own cruising - it was the Shearwater 39. They voted it "Boat of the Year" in 2001 I think."
Dudley Dix Designers Notes:
"My brief for this design was very clear in requiring a yacht of strong traditional appearance above the waterline while having a modern underbody. Gerfried Nebe of Nebe Boats commissioned this design and is now world cruising on his own one. He was strongly influenced by some of the Bruce King designs as well as the Cherubini range of boats and they formed the starting point from which we worked to produce my version of that type of concept. Gerfried is also influenced by his own experience of the very able Miura as a cruising design and some of her features are to be found in this boat.
The final design has a pretty hull with pronounced sheer, a clipper bow with strong flare to the forward sections and a short bowsprit. Her stern is more champagne glass than wine glass in shape with a radiused transom, strong tumblehome in the after sections and transom hung rudder. Her deck configuration features a horseshoe shaped cockpit with plenty of length for sleeping while having a small well for safety offshore combined with a squared off cabin in keeping with her hull style. A powerfull double spreader cutter rig with standing intermediate or running backstays to support the inner forestay provides a versatile sail plan.
The fine entry of the hull combined with the flared clipper bow give good wave penetration for beating while providing a large amount of deck area and a dry ride under most conditions. The U-shaped bow sections reduce pounding when heeled by presenting more curvature for impact with the water than would be the case with V-shaped sections. The V-shaped stern sections combined with skeg mounted rudder right aft and the shallow forefoot provide good downwind control. The keel is a NACA foil and has external bolt-on lead ballast."