# 29 Gulf Island Sloop



## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Hello,
I am a new member to SailNet. I am currently involved in the purchase of a 1966 Gulf Island 29 sloop. I have been a sailboater for over 30 years but 2 years ago fell off the wagon and sold my Alberg 30 for a Bayliner 32 Explorer powerboat. The idea was to have a bit more room and comfort while boating in the Pacific Northwest. The room and comfort certainly worked out, especially in early spring during sometimes miserable conditions. But..... I missed my Alberg terribly and became discontented with power. One day a couple of months back while strolling a dock looking at sailboats, I came across a delightful Gulf Island 29 named WRINKLES. Very similar to the Alberg 30 in appearance, sometimes gets mistaken for a Pearson. A tad narrower than the Alberg but built just as tough with identical hull lines. I sailed my Alberg from Vancouver Island to Hawaii and back and have seen a brief reference to a Gulf Island 29 making the same journey. It was a SailNet post but a very old one. I have searched elsewhere for information about the Gulf Island 29 but have found hardly any reference to them. I know that they were a Derek Cove design and that they were built in Vancouver at Chine Boat yards at least between 1966 and 1974 but I do not have any other information. If anyone can help with further information on this fine old make and model of boat I would be much obliged.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

I've seen a few of these around... they are indeed similar to the A30 - the easiest way to distinguish them at a distance is the number of ports in the house forward (the Alberg has two, the GI 29 only one)

Bill Wolferstan, well known for his seminal cruising guides (published by PY back in the 80s) used one for his explorations as he put his books together.

Beyond that I can't help you much, I expect that she will behave very similarly to what you're used to.. and will certainly sail better than your B32!!


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Thank you for that, it's a start!


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

Since you're looking around here, you might want to check out the Pacific 30 as well. Very similar size, looks etc. but more of a fin keel - an early style one with soft garboards (large garboard radius??) and fairly long. Internal ballast I believe. They were designed by Ray Richards. They were built on the Island as well. I've seen a few and they are nice looking boats with what looks like good build quality.


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Thanks for your message but the Gulf Island 29 is a done deal. I take delivery of Wrinkles on March 1st.


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## dacap06 (Feb 2, 2008)

Qualicum said:


> Thanks for your message but the Gulf Island 29 is a done deal. I take delivery of Wrinkles on March 1st.


Well, then, congrats on your purchase! I hope you have a great time sailing her. Good luck with your search for further information on Gulf 29s.

Tom


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## neverknow (Feb 2, 2011)

My BUC Used boat price guide does not list it at all. Kind of curios given it has every boat ever made in it?????

My Mauch's sailboat guides don't have it either.

Are you sure of the info?

is this the boat?

1975 Custom Gulf Island 29 - Boats.com


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## neverknow (Feb 2, 2011)

If it is/was custom built my guides will not show it.


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

The boat you show is identical to mine except for the hard dodger. The mystery thickens!

When I say identical, I mean on the outside, not at all on the interior.


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## neverknow (Feb 2, 2011)

Qualicum said:


> The boat you show is identical to mine except for the hard dodger. The mystery thickens!
> 
> When I say identical, I mean on the outside, not at all on the interior.


From what I see in the guides those are custom built by owners, not production by a company?


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

These may well have been sold as hull & deck kits.. but I suspect a few would have been finished by the builder. Not too sure how many were actually made, but I'd guess not more than a couple of dozen judging by how common they aren't, even around here.


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

You could well be right about this but considering the production span - at least 1966 to 1974 for sure, it is strange more information is not available. I cannot even find out any information about Chine Boatyards but I have heard of Derek Cove before - at least his name rings a bell.


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Looks like that could be the case. Thanks for checking your guides.


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## GulfIslanderEric (Nov 3, 2011)

Hello!

I am a proud owner of a 1968 Gulf Island 29, which I bought a couple of years ago (my first "big" boat!). When I bought her, the broker gave me a photo-copy of an old magazine article about the Gulf Island boats that featured Bill Wolferstan's Tumbo (an older version with a transom mounted rudder). I can't remember which magazine the article came from, maybe Pacific Yachting???. But she's a great solid boat, definitely very similar the the Alberg/Triton models. I am planning on spending this upcoming summer on her sailing down from Wrangell, AK to Puget Sound, hopefully via the "outside" inside passage. Hope to see you and 'Wrinkles' around.

Eric


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Hello Eric!

Good to hear from you. I am going to try and track down the Bill Wolferstan article you mention. Is your Gulf Island custom finished? I would be interested to know. What is her name? If my plans go according to schedule I will be leaving Deep Bay around May 10th for a trip up north to explore some of the area north of Cape Caution. Depending on when you will be travelling we could well cross paths.


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## TravelinJack (Jan 24, 2012)

Hey Qualicum, any chance we could see some pics of Wrinkles?


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Yes there is, I would be glad to show her off, just have to figure out how to post them.


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## TravelinJack (Jan 24, 2012)

*posting pics*

Pretty east to do. Set up an online picture hosting acct, I use Photobucket.com. upload your photos. Once you've done that you can view them in an album. Move your cursor over the picture and a few lines will be highlighted. Click on the bottom one where you see


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## ericra (Oct 10, 2001)

Or upload them straight from your computer.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

ericra said:


> Or upload them straight from your computer.


The attachment feature here doesn't work real well.. a photo hosting site is better and I believe that lurkers (ie non members) can see the images if you go that route..


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## GulfIslanderEric (Nov 3, 2011)

Qualicum said:


> Hello Eric!
> 
> Good to hear from you. I am going to try and track down the Bill Wolferstan article you mention. Is your Gulf Island custom finished? I would be interested to know. What is her name? If my plans go according to schedule I will be leaving Deep Bay around May 10th for a trip up north to explore some of the area north of Cape Caution. Depending on when you will be travelling we could well cross paths.


Mine is the S/V Erica. It is not custom finished except for one of the main cabin berths was converted into a dinette table. We are hoping to start travelling south in May sometime. Maybe we'll see you north of Cape Caution! Beautiful areas!

Eric


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

GulfIslanderEric said:


> Mine is the S/V Erica. It is not custom finished except for one of the main cabin berths was converted into a dinette table. We are hoping to start travelling south in May sometime. Maybe we'll see you north of Cape Caution! Beautiful areas!
> 
> Eric


Thanks for your reply. For your information, I was able to get in touch with Bill Wolferstan and he was able to solve some of the mystery surrounding lack of information on the Gulf Island 29. Bill thinks that only about 6 of them were built at Chine Boat Yards in Vancouver. He does not know at what stage of production they were sold but his had an external transom hung rudder wheras all the others were internal rudders. Bill and his wife Clementian enjoyed "great sailing in Tumbo for 25 years".
My boat also has one of the cabin berths converted into a dinette and I do intend to post some pictures if I ever get the process figured out.

Peers
S/V Wrinkles


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

TravelinJack said:


> Pretty east to do. Set up an online picture hosting acct, I use Photobucket.com. upload your photos. Once you've done that you can view them in an album. Move your cursor over the picture and a few lines will be highlighted. Click on the bottom one where you see and it will automatically copy it. Paste that into your reply on here on its own line and there you have it.[/QUOTE]
> 
> I have all my pictures stored on Picasa. I just spent the weekend trying to figure out how to post them here. I put the relevant pictures in a public web album, copied the link to the album and then pasted it here in response to your message.The link appeared alright but was not clickable. All that was fairly simple to do but in spite of lots of research and many attempts I still was not successful in making it clickable. I am either missing something or I am going to have to try something other than Picasa. If I try Photobucket the problem appears to be transferring the pictures out of Picasa into Photobucket. Will keep at it.


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## GulfIslanderEric (Nov 3, 2011)

Qualicum said:


> Thanks for your reply. For your information, I was able to get in touch with Bill Wolferstan and he was able to solve some of the mystery surrounding lack of information on the Gulf Island 29. Bill thinks that only about 6 of them were built at Chine Boat Yards in Vancouver. He does not know at what stage of production they were sold but his had an external transom hung rudder wheras all the others were internal rudders. Bill and his wife Clementian enjoyed "great sailing in Tumbo for 25 years".
> My boat also has one of the cabin berths converted into a dinette and I do intend to post some pictures if I ever get the process figured out.
> 
> Peers
> S/V Wrinkles


I have a couple of the Wolferstan books, and have always liked the look of his boat with the externally hung rudder. Did he mention where Tumbo is now? If only 6 of these boats where made at Chine Boat Yards, were the rest sold as kits? I found some photos of your Wrinkles on-line and saw that it has two more windows than mine, and also a bigger engine (which I envy, I have a 13 hp Yanmar 2gm, a bit slow). Good Travels!
Eric


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

GulfIslanderEric said:


> I have a couple of the Wolferstan books, and have always liked the look of his boat with the externally hung rudder. Did he mention where Tumbo is now? If only 6 of these boats where made at Chine Boat Yards, were the rest sold as kits? I found some photos of your Wrinkles on-line and saw that it has two more windows than mine, and also a bigger engine (which I envy, I have a 13 hp Yanmar 2gm, a bit slow). Good Travels!
> Eric


That was all the information Bill Wolferstan provided (by way of email). Now here is a stupid question, how did you find the Wrinkles pictures on line? I have not been able to find them on line and had no indication that they had actually been posted anywhere.
Peers


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## GulfIslanderEric (Nov 3, 2011)

Qualicum said:


> That was all the information Bill Wolferstan provided (by way of email). Now here is a stupid question, how did you find the Wrinkles pictures on line? I have not been able to find them on line and had no indication that they had actually been posted anywhere.
> Peers


I found them at

Island Marine Centre - Sailboats

She's listed as a Cove 29.

Eric


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

She looks pretty nice in that pic, Qualicum.. Enjoy!


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## TravelinJack (Jan 24, 2012)

I dig it dude!


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

GulfIslanderEric said:


> I found them at
> 
> Island Marine Centre - Sailboats
> 
> ...


Sure enough, that's my Wrinkles. I am buying her privately and obviously the guy I am buying her from has had her listed at some stage (not now) with islandyachtsales.ca


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## Agri (Dec 5, 2011)

Ressurecting an older thread.

Just curious about how similar your Gulf Islander 29 is to the Alberg 30 you used to have? I'm considering one as well. How do the two compare? The G Islander 29 also looks similar to the Islander 29. Where you ever able to find more info?

Hope your enjoying your summer sailing wrinkles.


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Hi,
When out of the water the Gulf Island 29 has a very similar profile to the Alberg 30. The 1ft difference is quite pronounced, quite a bit less space inside than the Alberg. Having said that the G.I.29 is perhaps just a tad tougher than the Alberg. It's displacement is the same in spite of it's smaller size. The Alberg had absolutely no steerage in reverse whereas the G.I 29 does have some steerage in reverse but not a whole lot. They sail almost identically but the G.I has more weather helm that the Alberg. I recently returned from a 900 nm trip in Wrinkles and I must say I only became more endeared to her. She is lovely to sail, lovely to look at and very comfortable inside. I had lots of room inside because I was alone. She is good for 2 but more than 2 for other than a day trip would be a challenge. Wrinkles sails very well down wind. On one leg of my trip I did 20 nm wing on wing, between anchorages, in 3 hours. It was an awesome sail. Albergs are very soft and heel over very quickly with any kind of wind. Wrinkles still does that but has a little more resistance to it (hope that makes sense) I sailed my Alberg to Hawaii and back and would not hesitate to make the same journey in Wrinkles. I had Wrinkles surveyed and came out with no recommendations - which is a first for me with any boat. I know Albergs are subject to mast compression and have to be fixed correctly to prevent it. I dont believe that could ever happen with the G.I 29 because the mast is directly over a very heavy bulkhead. I was not able to find out any more information but I did hear of one gouing aground on a rocky beach this past April and considering what it went through the damage was minimul. They dragged it off the rocks, ran it to a yard and fixed it quickly. They are tough! If you have any specific questions please ask and I will do my best to answer them.
Peers Pendlebury
(aka: Wrinkles Dad)


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## Agri (Dec 5, 2011)

Thanks for your reply. It sounds like you give them a very resounding endorsement.

The picture posted earlier in this thread looks a little different then the one(s) I'm checking out. Is she at all similar to this boat on the bottom ISLANDER 29 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com? The ad I'm looking at on kijiji for a Gulf Islander shows a boat similar to the one in the link but only one window in the lower part of the cabin as opposed to the two in the Islander and 3? in the previously mentioned photo in this forum.

I'm stuck in the Praries until the end of September so at the moment I'm just hoping it doesn't sell before I get home.


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

A remarkable similarity in appearance, it is hard to believe that they were produced by 2 different designers. The minor differences I can see are the nav lights are aft of the 2 forward windows and not inbetween as on the Islander. The displacement of the Islander is about 1,700 lbs lighter than the Gulf Island and although the picture shows a full keel the specs say a fin keel. I see on the Islander that it has a huge boom and is rigged exactly the same as Wrinkles with the 2 pulleys instead of a traveller. That situation is a bit challenging and I would like to change it but have not figured out just how to do so yet. The main problem is that the tiller is set all the way aft and so has to be operated between those 2 pulleys. On the plus side the tiller does not take any room up in the cockpit but it does have limited side to side movement between the pulleys. When needing more sideways movement I have to raise it up and put it outside the pulleys. The system does not lend itself to a conventional traveller, there is no where to fit one. The Gulf Island was designed by Derek Cove and was manufactured at the Chine Boat Yard in Vancouver (long gone). Are you sure that the specs match the drawings?


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## Agri (Dec 5, 2011)

I think sailboat data just misslabeled the keel as fin instead of full, or 3/4s. Comparing the pictures in the two ads Island 29, Gulf Island 29 it looks like the one labeled gulf has a more squared off roof at the front of the cabin similar to what I can make out on the front of the boat in the picture near the beginning of this post.

I'm waiting to hear back from the seller but do you know off hand what the LWL is and how much ballast the Gulf carries?


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Sorry no idea what the LWL is, I never measured it and it is not noted in the survey. Neither do I know what the ballast weight is, there is so little information available and it is impossible to know. If you send me a private mesage I will send you pictures of Wrinkles in and out of the water.


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## TomAReid (Jan 18, 2013)

I have a 1967 Gulf Island 29' Sloop (S/V Sophia). I purchased this boat about 12 years ago and lived aboard her in Monterey, California for 3 years. She is a terric boat to sail. With the propper sail configuration I have sailed her in very high wind and seas and felt very comfortable. She is currently located in Hood River, Oregon. If any one would like to know about these boats please let me know. 

I am considering purchasing a larger boat for my family of four. She has a Cape Horn wind vane, Radar, a nice larger dodger and even a diesel cabin heater. 

I am looking for a Cape George 36 with a pilot house.


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## Qualicum (Jan 9, 2012)

Hi, just a couple of questions. What kind of mainsail control do you have? On Wrinkles I do not have a traveler, instead there are 2 blocks, one at each side of the tiller. The way the tiller is set up I do not see any way of changing this to a traveler system. I do not have a boom vang nor any kind of preventer on the boom. There are so few of these boats around that I have not seen any to compare with.Also, have you ever experienced any weather helm on your Sophia?


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## Shawn Wright (Sep 26, 2018)

I know this is a really old thread, but I am looking at a few Gulf Island 29s for sale around Vancouver Island, and noticed there is a boat named "Tumbo" in Cowichan Bay, which may be the one referenced above. I always wondered what kind of boat it was, and it seems to be looking a little sad lately.


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## Shawn Wright (Sep 26, 2018)

A bit more information to augment this thread, as I come across it:

Info on Beaver Glass Hulls, who built the Gulf Island 29 in Richmond BC:
www(dot)nauticapedia.ca/Articles/Vessel_Builders_Beaver_GlassHulls.php

And an article on Bill Wolferstan. I am curious if Tumbo, currently moored in Cowichan Bay, is actually the boat he cruised in while writing his books on the Gulf Islands.
www(dot)victoriaharbourhistory.com/harbour-stories/harbour-creatives/bill-wolferstan

It looks like Erica sold recently, and Infinity is currently for sale. If she had a diesel, I'd be seriously considering her:
www(dot)usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Gulf-Island-29_31807081


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## tomreidatgreenhome (Jan 2, 2019)

I still have my Gulf Island 29 in Hood River and am interested in selling her. 
(541) 370-5261


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## Shawn Wright (Sep 26, 2018)

​


tomreidatgreenhome said:


> I still have my Gulf Island 29 in Hood River and am interested in selling her.
> (541) 370-5261


A bit far from me, but would love to see some photos!


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## tomreidatgreenhome (Jan 2, 2019)

I prefer to text photos can you send me your contact info?


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## Mark MacKenzie (Mar 22, 2020)

Hi , I am throwing my 2 bits in on this very old thread because 10 years after it started there is still very little information out there on the Gulf Island 29. Quite different from the Gulf 29, they do look quite similar to the Alberg 30 from the dock. I wish somebody could get drawings and measurement information to SailboatData, because I would very much like to compare them to similar boats for when the day comes , hopefully in the reasonably near future, when I can seriously consider buying a coastal cruising boat. I like winter or shoulder season sailing and want something that can take a bit of ugliness.

Many years ago I had a pleasant beer with a fellow who was living aboard his in Victoria. He told me the original small production run from the mid-1960s were solid glass- that moment in time before the potential strength of cored hulls was recognised- and the original builders lost money. He showed me an enormously thick plug from where he had installed a through -hull. According to my informant, the moulds were purchased by another builder and the second production run continued into the 1970s with cored hulls.

I have always liked these boats for their obvious sea-kindliness and whenever one comes up for sale, I am generally pretty intrigued. However the few Gulf Island 29s we see for sale on the south coast of BC over the last few years tend to be boats that have been ground down a bit over their lives; those boats where the ad claims "would make a great liveaboard" (yeah- because you don't want to trust your life to it by trying to sail this thrashed and neglected liability). It's not automatic that a 50 year old boat is going to be garbage, but they do tend to be pretty close to the end of their useful life unless they have been continually maintained and upgraded. 

Anyway, I am hoping this might restart a conversation about this small class of interesting west coast sailboats.


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