# Coronado 41



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

We are new to sailing and are looking to buy a boat. A Coronado 41 has caught our interest. It is a 1972. I have heard both good and bad about Coronado. Any imput would be appreciated.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

You might do a search as this topic was just discussed in the past few weeks. Here is the broad generalities of that discussion. Any boat this age is likely to have a whole range of issues, old sails, running and standing rigging that is past its useful life span, engine in need of overhaul, out dated deck hardware, keel to hull joint problems, deck core problems, poor electronics, shot uplholstery and deck canvas, and so on. Any combination of these can quickly exceed the value of the boat. 

The Coronados were cheaply built and were more subject to problems than a well built boat. Beyond that, the type of person who buys in inexpensive boat often takes short cuts with outfitting and maintenance as well.

So fair or not these boats have a reputation for having more problems than other boats of that era. That reputation affects resale as well as purchase, so while you can buy them cheaply, you are stuck selling them cheaply. Adding to this problem, they have aesthetics that are an aquired taste that most of us have not bothered to purchase. This further drives down their percieved and resale value. If you make the effort to fix one up, you are less likely to get your money out of the boat than if you were to fix up a better quality boat. 

As to their sailing ability, they appear to have a quick corky motion in a seaway and would not be my first choice for an offshore boat. Because of mediocre ventilation and sailing ability they are not my first choice for a coastal boat either. If you are looking for a cheap liveaboard or you found one that someone carefully fixed up and is selling a bargain, they could make a reasonable live aboard. 

On one of these BB''s there is a guy who spent some time cruising the Bahamas on a 35 and while his review is a little mixed he really found the boat good for that purpose. 

Jeff


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Oh yeah, what ever you do, get the boat surveyed. Pay particular attention to the keel bolts and mast step area.
Jeff


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## rappitysnap (Jan 7, 2002)

if you do a search for coronado sailboats on this site, just about every thread regarding the topic jeffh you seem to have gone out of your way to bash these boats and much of what you say is also not true. while i will agree they are not built to extreme standards but the construction is way heavier than production boats built today and they get the job done. these are good boats that are fully capable of long term cruising my 41 crossed the pacific all the way from the north atlantic, and i always run across coronados in different foreiegn ports in the carribean. i believe you can buy a better 40 footer but it will cost you 4x as much.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Rappitysnap-

Any reason you're foaming at the mouth about a post that is ALMOST EIGHT YEARS OLD? Just curious.


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## rappitysnap (Jan 7, 2002)

just happened to read it now, does it matter if it was 10 years or 10min? thought it was a series of misinformed posts and i had a different opinion on the topic.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*41 Coronado*

Well 10 years or 10 min. I guess I just happen to read this post & darned if the new sailor could be me. My wife & I are looking to buy a sailboat capable of costal crusing our first, as we have been GB owners for many years. We are also looking at a Coronado 41 for size and strength. We have read about Hunters, Ericsons,Newports, Catalinas, Irwin and Columbia Yachts everyone has a good thing to say and seems like a lot of negative comments as well. We just are looking for an honest answer on the structural integrity, safety and sailability of this boat...speed is the LAST item on our list. Most of the boats 10 yrs + old have issues so buying used it is expected to make repairs..this makes the boat your own. Dennis & Terri


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## roland693 (Jan 22, 2004)

I'll not get involved with the pluses and minus of the Coronado 41 here, however, if anyone is interested, please see our website at: S/V M'Lady Kathleen

We outiftted our Coronado 41 ourselves (previous fresh water boat), and have now been four years either on the way, or in the Caribbean. The website has hundreds of Caribbean pictures and tons of text (updated each month).

If anyone has specific questions about a Coronado 41, please feel free to email me directly ([email protected]). There is virtually no portion of our boat that hasn't been worked on, modified, or improved. No one has worked on our boat except ourselves in the 7 years of ownership.

Best regards,
Roland and Kathleen
S/V M'Lady Kathleen
Coronado 41, 1973, Ser. # 7, built in Portsmouth, VA

P.S. The Coronado 41 uses the identical hull to the Columbia 41 (manufactured in the same plant) and has the same sail plan.


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

We don't see a lot of Coronado's in the Great Lakes and I have only surveyed three Coronado 35's and all three had spent their lives in fresh water. All three had rotten deck core, severly corroded chainplates, severly corroded keel bolts and collapsed mast steps.

I don't think Coronado would make the top of my list


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## svthefilthywhore (Mar 29, 2008)

I have had a coronado 41 since 2006 and some things are true in my case. while we have found issues such as keel to hull joint issues and a couple of soft spots in the deck, both were maintenance issues that were ignored by the previous owner. 

if the previous owner had re-bed the deck hardware in anything but silicone the stanchion bases wouldn't have leaked and got the core wet with fresh water. and if the PO had not let fresh water flood the bilge for about a decade I wouldn't have keel bolt issues. both of the issues I knew about when I purchased the vessel and were obvious. 

you may ask "if you knew about those problems, why did you buy it?" because it was a good boat that needed a little bit of work, and she was a good buy for the money. 

the truth is that coronado 41s are heavily built vessels that are not considered blue water boats only for the lack of sufficient water and fuel tanks. mine came from the factory with 40g water and 35g fuel. this makes her a coastal cruiser until I replace the original tanks with larger ones which take up all of the wasted space that went unused. 
I find the cor-41 to be sea kindly while sailing, but when there is no wind she acts like any other boat with a 50% ballast to displacement ratio, this makes her recover from rolling too quickly, but this makes her more stable while sailing. with canvas up she barely feels chop on the beam and rarely reaches 20 degrees heel. under power with the original perkins 4-108, she moves along at about 6.5-7kts while burning about 1 gal per hour, but if you slow things down a bit to 5-5.5 kts she sips along at about 1/2 gal per hour. under sail she moves along efficiently for a vessel of her tonnage, needing only 10kts of wind to achieve her hull speed on a beam reach. while some may think that she has more windage from her flush deck, the truth is that she has little more windage above the waterline than other designs, the diference is that the height of the cabin is the entire width of the boat, not just in the middle. the rig is well designed with a short stout keel stepped mast supported with over-sized mast-head standing rigging. the shroud chainplates are through-deck type bolted to heavy all glass structural members, and fore and back stays through-bolted to the stem and stern. 

while this boat has hull stiffening members, there are very little full height bulkheads, as is seen in modern cruisers. this allows some flexibility in the hull, while maximizing open space. 

while turning this vessel into a world cruiser we will need to make several changes; tanks, upgrade steering to hydraulic, install an autopilot alternate power(solar panels) and more. this is comon to find more work than you think in a boat of this age, but as long as you use her you will get the money out of her. 

I am happy with my coronado 41 and you will be too


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## VetMike (Mar 5, 2011)

I too am looking at a Coronado 41 as a live aboard as well as cruising the Caribbean. My interior tastes are simple; space to live in comfortably and enough amenities that I don't need to go ashore for every little thing. I am concerned, however, as several posts have mentioned leaks in the bilge with some sounding as if they were rather serious as well as keel to hull leaks. Are these common problems with this boat? I absolutely will have it surveyed prior to any consideration of purchasing it and I am handy enough to do a lot of repairs/maintenance myself.


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

I happen to be the owner of an older fiberglass "tank" of the early seventies. Mine happens to be a Morgan, but still an often maligned production. There was a time in 1971 that I would have had a Coronado if I had the credit and borrowing power at 23. Image and status, as well as real world performance, has the result of some vessels costing far less than others. The best buy in real estate is the cheapest house on the block. The best boat is the one that does what you want it to do! Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## svthefilthywhore (Mar 29, 2008)

Vetmike,

there is a possibility of rot in the deck and keel to hull joints in any boat with wood in the deck and a bolt on keel. the real question is that the case with a boat you are looking at.

our coronado 41 was neglected for more than ten years before I bought it. the keel was painted with rustolium spray paint and there was standing water in what should have been a dry part of the bilge. the top nuts on the keel bolts were not installed correctly and were in standing water causing corrosion at the threads under the top nuts... luckily the previous owner never put a wrench to the bottom nuts and the threads were fine. I smacked the keel bolts with a hammer and every one sang me a tune. you should do this too. 
if the boat you are looking at has any leaks in the deck, you may have rot. the extent of the rot can be discovered by using a hard tappy kind of device (handle of a wood hammer) and start where you know the core is good and move into suspect areas (around deck hardware) if the sound goes from a sharp sound to a dull sound, you have bad core..... I found bad core on my boat around a few stanchions, but it was minor and was easily removed and filled with thickened epoxy. this method is ok for a few square inches, but if it is a few square feet the deck should be opened up and the core replaced.

I know of no other places there would be leaks, the shaft log is solid, the rudder bearing is a huge mound of fiberglass and prop shaft strut should be ok as long as it hasn't had a line wrapped around it and yanked off (pretty easy to discover). 

the down points to a coronado 41 is the size of the tanks, 40gal water, 35 gal fuel, and not built with a holding tank. these things are something to overcome. for water, I have installed a dock water fitting in the bow that supplies us with unending water as long as we are connected and we carry a couple of jerry jugs while cruising puget sound. 50 gallons last the two of us about 5-6 days. the fuel we haven't found to inconvenient since we have stayed inside puget sound... with a fuel burn of less than 1gal/hr and time to transit puget sound from end to end being less than 24 hrs we are usually in range of a fuel dock.

good luck


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## skylol (Jul 17, 2011)

VetMike said:


> I too am looking at a Coronado 41 as a live aboard as well as cruising the Caribbean. My interior tastes are simple; space to live in comfortably and enough amenities that I don't need to go ashore for every little thing. I am concerned, however, as several posts have mentioned leaks in the bilge with some sounding as if they were rather serious as well as keel to hull leaks. Are these common problems with this boat? I absolutely will have it surveyed prior to any consideration of purchasing it and I am handy enough to do a lot of repairs/maintenance myself.


Hi Mike, I have this boat but any problems about leaks in the bilge the only problem is about a bad core but I think that every boat hav his history. If you want I have found one coronado on sale in italy vendo Coronado 41 - Coronado Yachts :: SailingTheWeb

Lorenzo


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

Those 80,000 euros for the 1975 Coronado 41 are $113,000+. You find old 41 Coronados in the best expected shape here in the US for about half this price! Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## jefjan (Oct 16, 2003)

I have had my Coronado 41 for 5 years now, I stole her for $16,500. 
I really do love this boat, been sailing the Lake of the Ozark the whole time, while upgrading her systems. I live on board every weekend and sometimes the whole summer. There is a lot of space on board and the queen size bed in the aft berth is just fantastic.
I have replaced the wiring, fuse panel and water system completely, currently updating the sailing hardware on deck.
There are some soft spots on the deck where previous owners neglected her, keel bolts are good, check them annually and I keep the bilge nice and dry.
The perkins 4.108 Diesel engine keeps clanking along, no issues so far, I replace the impeller every 2 years, change the oil annually and other minor maintenance.
Personally I think the Coronado's have gotten a bad rap. They are great boats for the price and how old they are.
No matter what boat you buy, get a good survey done and expect to do some repairs and refits


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## Seth Farwell (Feb 21, 2013)

Having had a Columbia or two (same company)I have fpound them to be solid boats that take a fair amount of abuse, and are pretty much bullet proof, and sail well, although they all had a little more weather helm than I like but can be trimmed out. As far as cosmetics and finish, they are simple and somewhat utilitarian, with a lot of fiberglass inserts and lost space, but again solid. Asfor other comments about maintenance issues, all boats will need attention to things like keel bolts, stuffing boxes, maybe iron tanks, rusty chainplates that literally break off in your hand ( had a Hunter do this a week after a trip up the mast). So in short do your research, find a boat you like, GET A SURVEY prior to purchase and understand that all used items require maintenance. Sometimes previous owners keep records of repairs, or if they are long time owners and the marina has done the work on the boat they have records. Lastly having been on a Coronado 41 center cockpit, it seems to me that having the cockpit sit up as high as it is -and higher yet on the Columbia 41 center cockpit, it would be a somewhat rough ride when the weather got rough from being so high and constant rocking/pitching. Might be a worthwhile trade off for the extra room though.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

I restored a Columbia 43 - exactly the same build quality, parts etc. The two biggies I found were the keel bolts - steel into iron. They were toast along with the backing floors (also steel) Pics attached. You can replace them in pairs in the water. Not a huge job or all that expensive. My new hardware cost well under a boat buck, drilling and electropolishing included

The other thing was the wiring. While the electrical hardware was good - Danforth and others of the same grade - the actual wiring was insane. The wire for the cabin lights had been moulded into the deck between the top skin and the core.  No chase, no nuthin'. It caused voids, resin pooling etc. - a really, really, really stupid idea.

Most of the rest of the wiring was strung through the bilge - another great idea.

If it hasn't been done, assume a total replacement of the electrical system is required.


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## Gilmo (Oct 7, 2015)

This is my first post on sailnet.com. I have been boating since I was a kid in the 50s' and lived aboard different sailboats for a few years in the past as well. I recently saw an early 70s Coronado 41 for sale on line for a very reasonable price and want to know the most likely problem areas. I saw several posts mention that the decks, mast step, keel attach bolts and floors are potential problem spots (like many other boats). I am handy around boats having worked on and maintained several sail and power boats over the years. The Coronado 41 looks like it would make a nice live aboard and the shoal draft model would make a nice ICW cruiser. Anyone have any other info on them? I look forward to any replys.
Thanks
Gilmo


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

Only two Coronado 41's have sold through Yacht World in the last few years. The second one had all the major work done and looks quite nice inside and out except for the engine which is a bit of a mess.
The second one is much more typical .... an 8k boat that will cost 100k to make right.


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## Osprey2015 (Oct 19, 2015)

Thanks for the thumbnails. And the comment that bolt replacement was doable in the water. I have owned my Coronado 41 for 32 years. Always thought the keel was attached with J Bolts. Tapped two sistered SS bolts in the 90's. Don't have owners manual. Were your bolts tapped or broken J's ??
Best Regards,
Adrian


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

They were tapped. Iron keels always have tapped holes for the bolts because you can't put J-bolts in an iron keel. J-bolts have to go in the molten metal hence they would melt. Lead melts at so much lower a temp than steel that it can be done but iron & steel have essentially the same melting point.


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## Osprey2015 (Oct 19, 2015)

This is great news. The argument you make had been my own thinking for years. The problem is my memory of the owners manual for Hull #23, which clearly showed Jbolts in the keel, for the Coronado 41. Possibly this was a "typical", or sloppy editing, and meant for lead keel constructions; or maybe they had used epoxy in a void cavity for bolting. Met a homeless guy once who claimed to have worked in the Portsmouth yard that built the 41's. He said there was a lot of glass holding that keel in place. You couldn't drop it. My concern is worst case scenario storm and wave forces. (Don't know why they claimed Jbolting. Might find owners manual on board and try to finally resolve this contradiction) Problem is that there is nothing left of the nuts on the forward 3 pair. How did you remove studs, and did you retap with larger bolts??
Capt Pops


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

It is my understanding that Coronado 41's began life as a Columbia 41 (bubble cabin version) and were designed with lead ballast. The few California ones had lead ballast. The east coast ones listed lead ballast as an option, but I have no idea whether any were built that way. 

SS J-bolts were the standard keel bolt attachment method on lead keels, but galvanized steel thru-bolts were the standard on cast iron keels. The thru bolts generally terminated in a pocket that was sealed shut after the nut washer was installed. Some cast iron keels have a flange and the keel is through bolted through that flange using what was essentially a flat head carriage bolt. That type of bolt is an easier bolt to replace, but it is unlikely to be found on a boat this large. 

Drilling and tapping cast iron for a replacement keel bolt is considered bad practice since iron castings tend to be inconsistent in hardness and may contain air spaces. 

Jeff


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## Osprey2015 (Oct 19, 2015)

Understood. It appears that I have same attachment system and arrangement as shown in your thumbnails, with an additional two stainless bolts that were tapped after drilling new holes, between the existing front three pairs of keel bolts, 20 years ago. The plan would be to attempt extraction, if I can get enough metal in a pipe wrench to bite, and turn the bolts out, after soaking with anti seize fluids. Can't imagine though, that any cast iron metal threads would remain for new bolts after 43 years of water and galvanic activity. Have also always been concerned about integrity of the newer bolting. Is there a best path forward from your experience for this predicament? My cargo is my children.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

I would first ascertain if the keel is lead or iron - I was unaware that any but the Mk III Columbia 43's had lead and my comments only apply to iron keels..

Mine came out with the boat out of the water since they were so wasted - didn't want to chance removing anything in the water - yours sound the same or worse. As bad as mine were (see pics) the boat didn't leak a drop and it had motored up from Santa Monica to San Rafael like that

The studs came out quite easily and the threads in the keel only required chasing - I used a bottoming tap to get that little extra bit of thread. I thought the bolts looked kind of skimpy for a 10K Lb keel but upon checking I found they were more than adequate and well within standard engineering practice - many multiples of safety factor re: breaking strength. FWIW, while it was off, the boatyard picked it up and moved it around, flipped it over etc. using only a couple of "grade nothing" bolts to hold the forklift lifting brackets on it.

If I were one of your kids :wink I'd pull the boat, drop the keel, not caring if the nuts sheared off, pull the studs with a stud puller - when the keel is off there is lots of exposed stud to grab - the bottom of the boat was very thick, like 1 1/2" IIRC. Then examine the state of the threads in the keel to see if they can be re-used. If not, I'd go up to the tap drill size that would prep the holes cleanly for bigger studs - whatever that size would be (I suspect 1"). Then re-tap the holes, reinstall new studs, sandblast, epoxy seal and fill & fair the fin while it's off, put it back on with new S/S floors and re-fair the joint on the hull.

That's what I did, minus oversizing the studs. Pics attached

It's a big job in the sense that you're dealing with huge weights and heavy equipment (pro's for that) but it's not difficult or technical - the worst part was fairing the hull joint - a very awkward position in which to do a lot of sanding & filling.


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## Osprey2015 (Oct 19, 2015)

Thanks so much Jeff ! Especially for the "Keel Prepped for Mounting" image. I am Cast Iron. Sand Blasted keel, removing all gelcoat to expose metal in 1996. Found it to be a bad casting with void holes at bottom that had been packed. Treated everything with corrosion inhibitor and recovered with epoxy and faired. Time has probably arrived to do what you have done. You've helped identify the path forward.
Many thanks,
Adrian


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Osprey2015 said:


> Thanks so much Jeff !....


Point of order, Adrian... those were JonB's images, not Jeff's


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## sailingelves (Jun 3, 2016)

Would similar messaging hold true for a 1976 Coronado 30?


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## wallythacker (Jun 10, 2018)

Would everything said about the Coronada 41 keel apply to the Columbia 41 keel?

What's the easiest way to determine if you have a cast iron keel? Would a strong magnet held against the outside of the keel work? Or is the iron too far inside FRP for a magnet to be attracted?

Thanks


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

Both 41's were the same basic boat - just different deck mouldings. Like a Chevy and a Pontiac.

Pretty well any magnet will do but rust bleeds will probably also be a giveaway. :wink

The keel is a bolt on, not inside thick fiberglass.


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## wallythacker (Jun 10, 2018)

SloopJonB said:


> Both 41's were the same basic boat - just different deck mouldings. Like a Chevy and a Pontiac.
> 
> Pretty well any magnet will do but rust bleeds will probably also be a giveaway. :wink
> 
> The keel is a bolt on, not inside thick fiberglass.


I'm looking closely at a 41 Columbia. The few keels bolts I found were shiny and bright. At least the tops were. The keel was the roughest looking thing I've seen on a boat. It looks like an old house with 50 layers of peeling paint.

I guess I'll head back to it and have another look at the keel bolts. I'll try to find all of them this time. And I'll take a strong magnet just to be 100% certain what the keel contains.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

wallythacker said:


> I'm looking closely at a 41 Columbia. The few keels bolts I found were shiny and bright. At least the tops were. The keel was the roughest looking thing I've seen on a boat. It looks like an old house with 50 layers of peeling paint.
> 
> I guess I'll head back to it and have another look at the keel bolts. I'll try to find all of them this time. And I'll take a strong magnet just to be 100% certain what the keel contains.


That description makes it almost certain the keel is iron. There should be 5 pairs of keel bolts - 10 total - with channel iron connecting the pairs as backers.

I've attached before & after pictures of the hardware from my Columbia 43 as well as a shot of the bilge after installation - the setup was the same on the 41.

Also a link to a thread about cleaning up and fairing an iron keel. It's a lot of work but not all that expensive or difficult.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/83304-shark-24-keel.html#824351


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## Mike Heidelberger (Mar 18, 2020)

Hi I bought a Coronado 41, what size water n fuel tanks did you go to? Any possible links to purchase the same? Looking to sail the America’s at least and maybe make trip across the pond in the future! 

Thanks


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## JUAN CARLOS (Apr 13, 2020)

Hi

I'm about to buy a corobado 41.
The truth is that I can't find much information about this ship.
If anyone currently has any and can advise me?
Thank you


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## FHER (Jun 18, 2020)

[QUOTE = "JUAN CARLOS, publicación: 2051666754, miembro: 523470"]
Hola

Estoy a punto de comprar un corobado 41.
La verdad es que no puedo encontrar mucha información sobre este barco.
Si alguien tiene alguna actualmente y puede aconsejarme?
Gracias
[/CITAR]
SALUDOS JUAN CARLOS ESTOY EN LA MISMA SITUACIÓN TENGO UNO PERO HAY QUE HACERLE MUCHAS COSAS PARA RESTAURARLO ENCONTRADO ESTAS PUBLICACIONES Y NO ESTOI SEGURO DE SEGUIR ADELANTE CON LA COMPRA EN REALIDAD LO QUE ME PREOCUPA ES EL ESTADO DE LA JARCIA EL PRESUPUES VARADERO EL CASCO PARECE ESTAR ACEPTABLE


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## Osprey2015 (Oct 19, 2015)

boatpoker said:


> We don't see a lot of Coronado's in the Great Lakes and I have only surveyed three Coronado 35's and all three had spent their lives in fresh water. All three had rotten deck core, severly corroded chainplates, severly corroded keel bolts and collapsed mast steps.
> 
> I don't think Coronado would make the top of my list


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## Osprey2015 (Oct 19, 2015)

Is there a repair protocol for the collapsed mast step on a Coronado 41?


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## Bbaskin310 (Oct 3, 2021)

TSOJOURNER said:


> We are new to sailing and are looking to buy a boat. A Coronado 41 has caught our interest. It is a 1972. I have heard both good and bad about Coronado. Any imput would be appreciated.



adding this as the last reviews were dated and as a new owner of a Coronado 41 wanted to refresh. I looked at a ton of boats before buying my boat. I am a talk big guy so the Coronado’s below deck clearance was very attractive, it also has a wide beam and is laid out very well for entertaining. Lastly I was attracted to the flat fore and aft deck areas that are flat and still provide enough clearance below for a6’3” person.

In my hunting I spoke to numerous people and learned very quickly that everyone has an opinion some very educated and others just laymen’s versions but all of them are correct or incorrect depending on what your purpose for the boat is. 

the Coronado 41 with a main and a 130 Genoa will do about 6.7 knots in a 15 knot wind. It will not sail as high in the wind as a racing boat but it does well enough for a cruiser. When researching boats understand your purpose, even with a lot of sail area the hill will only go a certain speed. Applies to every boat.
The Coronado is comfortable, and sails like a 21000 lbs boat. So some will find that sluggish others may find it responsive depending on what you have been on.

in my opinion if you find any 40 year old boat still floating and in good shape I don’t think you have to worry about the cheap build. Do your homework and check the obvious items and then enjoy yourself.


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