We are flying to Florida this week to look at a couple of boats. We currently own a ’95 Caliber 40 that we have prepared for offshore cruising. Your Encyclopedia and the 2 hour Offshore video have been very helpful in those preparations. Now that we have our 6,000 sq foot home for sale we have decided that a 40 footer may be a bit small for permanent liveaboard for two people, Just the two of us have lived in this monster house for 18 years. We plan to live on our new boat until I am 64 or 65. I just turned 52 and my wife is 44 years old.
Hi Jerry: The first thing I would say is go cruising first with your existing boat. Get a feel for the life style, and how much complexity you want in your life. Since you’ve got the boat ready to go, you can do it now–rather than waiting!
We will be looking at a ’95 Sundeer 60 (PELICAN EXPRESS II). I am trying to find out if that Sundeer 60 was built from the same molds with the same rig as the new 60’s. Do I understand correctly that the 60 was a 56 with a four foot extension on the stern for storage and a bigger swim step?
The Sundeer 56 was actually designed as a 60, and then shortened. The lines of both are very efficient, although the 60 will carry extra weight better, and is, of course, going to be faster.
We are also interested in a Deerfoot 65 (SPURWING) that was built it 1987 by Cen Marine, Sa. The naval architect is listed as A. Lavranos which sounds a lot like Angel Lavranos who I believe built INTERMEZZO II in Cape Town. SPURWING is built in aluminum and is unpainted, just like the first aluminum Sundeer ketch.
Spurwing is NOT a Deerfoot. We had nothing to do with this boat, know nothing of its origin, and the brokers should know better than to try and pawn it off as one of our boats. She may be lovely, and well set up, but since we’ve never seen the boat, nor had anything to do with it, it is hard to express an opinion.
I am a little confused about the Deerfoot boats–we looked at a Deerfoot 50, PRIVATUS, in Seattle last spring. She is a fiberglass boat that was laid up in Port Townsend, WA and finished at Hinckley, or so I am told. The NA on that boat is also listed as A. Lavranos
Privatus was designed by Ulf Roegeberg in Denmark, who did some work for us as well. However, we had nothing to do with her design or construction, and the Deerfoot label is a misapplication. Seems to be the week for counterfeit boats!
Did someone buy the right to the Sundeer name and then design some boats that have a configuration different that the Dashew Deerfoots?
We sold the Sundeer production business two years ago. The folks that bought the business, have the molds and rights to the designs, and have had TPI continue to build the boats for them. Good luck with your search-Regards Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
