# Jeff, A Gulf Pilot House?



## windship (May 4, 2002)

Jeff,
I''m starting to look for my next boat.
What do you know about the ''Gulf'' line of pilot houses?
Thanks,
Dennis

P.S.Primarily Jeff but all comments will be welcome.Thanks.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I really have very little direct experience with the Gulf series of pilot house boats. I do know Capital Yachts who built the Gulfs. Capital also built the Newport series and I have a fair amount of exposure to Newports. Capital was a company that tended to buy tooling from other companies when that other company was abandoning a particular design. As a result their designs tended to be pretty dated by the time that they saw production. Capital''s were intended to be very budget oriented and so contained a fair number of cheaply done details and could contain some pretty shoddy workmanship. 

Neither of the two Gulfs that I know of (a 29 or 32) have what it takes to really fit what I would think of as ether a Pilothouse or a motorsailor. By my definition a Pilothouse requires an inside steering station (although I understand that some of the 32''s had an inside steering station as an option) and by my definition a Motorsailor has a larger engine than either of these boats really have. In the parlance of the day, I would call these flush deck, large doghouse boats. 

If I remember correctly the Gulf''s also began life as conventional coastal cruiser hulls that were adapted to a flush deck pilothouse style cruiser. In doing so, the sailing characteristics were compromized as sail area was decreased and windage was increased and the vertical center of gravity raised. 

These have never struck me as being especially robustly constructed boats and I would be worried about the vulnerability of the large windows in the pilothouse. I am not a big fan of the external flange type hull to deck joint on the 32. This is a detail that is especially vulnerable to damage and which is inherently weaker than a more typical inward facing flange at the deck level.

That is all that I can tell you and frankly I am inferring some of the above from my exposure to the Newports. 

Jeff


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## lsu79 (Aug 29, 2001)

You may want to read this guy''s website, he''s been living aboard a 44 for the past 2 years.
http://www.geocities.com/bill_dietrich/RetireSailboat.html


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## windship (May 4, 2002)

Jeff,
Thank you for your reply.
I was thinking about the 29.The 32 has to much keel for even me and I too don''t care for the hull to deck joint you describe.
Thanks,

Dennis


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## Magic_Moments (May 15, 2003)

I have owned a Gulf 29 for the past 3 years.

The hull of a Gulf 29 is the Newport 28 hull with a swimstep bolted to the transom. All Gulf boats had an option of inside steering, but mine does not have it. I carry the remote for my autopilot inside to steer when I am inside.
They achieved the pilothouse by lowering the deck forward of the house. The top of the pilothouse is no higher than the top of the doghouse on a Catalina 30 for example. You will not have standing headroom in your head or V-berth as a result.
The windows give you 360 vision from inside which is nice when you are motoring home on a cold and rainy day and you want to be warm. I use my boat in Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia, so water coming over the boat is not a big concern for me, but I would have strong reservations on taking this boat offshore because the windows on the sides are nowhere close to being secure enough to stop a wave from punching them out. I know people who have made trips from the west coast to Hawaii and back in the 29, but I would not.
I like the boat. It sails well in light air and is very responsive. My boat is a 1985 and has a Universal 25hp M-25xp 3 cylinder diesel. I know earier models had either a 15 or 18hp 2 cylinder.

Here are some stats which may be useful.
LOA 28''8"
LWL 23''6"
disp 7500
beam 9''4"
draft 5''2"
I 36''
P 31''
J 11''10"
Main 160 sq ft
Lapper approx 215 sq ft


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## exterra (Mar 30, 2010)

*Gulf 32 or an Alajuela 33*



Jeff_H said:


> I really have very little direct experience with the Gulf series of pilot house boats. I do know Capital Yachts who built the Gulfs. Capital also built the Newport series and I have a fair amount of exposure to Newports. Capital was a company that tended to buy tooling from other companies when that other company was abandoning a particular design. As a result their designs tended to be pretty dated by the time that they saw production. Capital''s were intended to be very budget oriented and so contained a fair number of cheaply done details and could contain some pretty shoddy workmanship.
> 
> Neither of the two Gulfs that I know of (a 29 or 32) have what it takes to really fit what I would think of as ether a Pilothouse or a motorsailor. By my definition a Pilothouse requires an inside steering station (although I understand that some of the 32''s had an inside steering station as an option) and by my definition a Motorsailor has a larger engine than either of these boats really have. In the parlance of the day, I would call these flush deck, large doghouse boats.
> 
> ...


\

Hello. Given your input on the Gulf 32 Pilothouse how would you compare it with an Alajuela 33. We are narrowing down our next boat purchase!


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

exterra,

While an old thread to pull up..........

where are you located? I'm recalling there is a semi active "Gulf owners" group in Puget sound. As they are popular around here. I'm recalling at least 2 in my marina, 1 I know an owner of a 27' version. I can get the owners group info if you like. Not sure if they have a website, or just an email list that Hawk mentioned getting some info from one time. 

Marty


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## tager (Nov 21, 2008)

There is a 27 gulf pilothouse for sale on the Seattle craigslist right now. Maybe contact that owner for info.


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## jrmdive (Dec 23, 2009)

*Pilothouse*



Magic_Moments said:


> I have owned a Gulf 29 for the past 3 years.
> 
> They achieved the pilothouse by lowering the deck forward of the house. The top of the pilothouse is no higher than the top of the doghouse on a Catalina 30 for example. You will not have standing headroom in your head or V-berth as a result.


I have a Catalina 30 ('84), and the guy in the next slip over has a Gulf 32 pilothouse (which he just put up for sale as he's moved to Colorado for a couple of years to be nearer his grandkids. It's a great boat and very well maintained). His roof is at least 12" taller than mine. I've never really thought about it before, but I definitely look up to his boat (in more ways than one .

JRM


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