Well, the moment has come. We are looking for a new home for our Beloved Irwin 52 Ketch "CIRRUS". We were in the process of restoring this small ship to its former glory when we got an opportunity to buy my Father in Law's world cruiser now that he is retired to the land again. We only need one boat for our family of four plus the dog, so we are passing along to some other couple or family the best opportunity vessel we have found for a reasonable price in our 15 plus years of sailing.Call if you wish to discuss the Vessel Further and Get More Info:William 970 319-4361
Irwin 52s were the best selling sailing vessel ever built over 50 feet long. Over 250 were built, and this one is one of the first generation when they were built like Sherman Tanks to take anything the ocean could throw at them. As you can see from the posted layout options image, this boat is not just another thirty something foot weekend ocean cruiser. The layout of this one is kind of a hybrid of the two styles with a single master cabin aft and Double Vberth Cabin with single crew cabin opposite a port side full size head with shower.The second photo is a sistership image I found online to show how they look sailing. You can find tons of other images online of different layouts and remodeled vessels on both Yachtworld and Sailboatlistings. Recently updated ones typically are selling for between $275,000 to $350,000 as you will see for yourself. Older run down vessels, in slightly better shape than this one typically are selling for $150,000 to $200,000.
This is a proper world cruising yacht with space for everything and room left over. The way we were in the process of restoring it, it would have two full double cabins, one for ourselves and one for friends to come and stay, (a guest bedroom if you will) plus a separate cabin for each of our kids, plus two bathrooms, both with full standing shower and the aft master head with a small shower tub, plus crew berths that could fold out in the main salon to make space for an additional four crew-people for extra help on passages. We were going to have a locker on deck for two motor scooters and kayak/sailboard racks that could be hoisted onto the dock using the boom. The center cockpit has room for 12 to 16 people to sit just around the edge of the cockpit for large summer deck parties at the anchor.
Our plan was to host pot-luck suppers on the boat for all our cruising friends. Irwin 52s are extremely sought after boats. In sailing condition the fair used yacht price is 250K to $350K. You can research this for yourself by looking at the ones for sale all around the world on Yachtworld and Sailboat Listings.
We wanted an Irwin because they are very easy to sail for such a large boat and very stable and comfortable underway. But the best thing about them is the space inside. I have been on passages in several boats between 56 and 65 feet long and the Irwin 52 actually has more usable space inside than any of those boats did other than one of them. The boat that we are getting from my Father in Law is 62 feet long, (ten feet longer) and this Irwin actually has a larger interior in terms of usuable space than the Dewar 62 does.
In twelve years of active looking, this particular vessel was the first Irwin 52 that we located that had a rig, hardware and interior that was priced under $150K . I'm not saying its impossible to find another boat like this one for the same price we are asking or cheaper, but I do know it is very unlikely, and may take you years of searching and waiting. Due to this very rare opportunity we are passing along, it is far more important to us that the boat go to a good home than that we make money quickly. What we are looking for is someone who really actually needs a sailboat this large. That means probably someone who plans to use it for full-time live-aboard cruising with a full family, or someone who needs it as a non-profit research vessel or something like that. We are willing to finance it over 12 months with a significant and fair down payment—in other words $25K down. If you can't find somewhere to scrape together that much money then it is our opinion that you are probably an unrealistic dreamer who will not have the physical abilities, professional life skills and organizational capacity to be a safe cruiser in a vessel this size, and we are probably doing both you and everyone else on the water a favor by not letting you buy the boat. A boat of this scale is a thing much more similar to purchasing a four bedroom house than to boats you may have purchased in the past.
Actually to be literal, this boat really is a kind of floating four bedroom house, the bedrooms just happen to be much smaller because they are sea cabins. But the amount of work to remodel a boat this large and the management, maintenance and sailing skills necessary to operate it safely are no different than purchasing a large house of similar value $300K.
And like remodeling any "Handyman Special" house where you are saving $100K or more on the purchase price this vessel needs some sweat equity. Any home you buy that you save a $100K or $200K on the purchase price because it needs a re-model, is going to take several months of skilled labor to restore it and update it. This boat is the same and the skill set is the same. If you can re-model a land house you can re-model a floating house. If you can't re-model a land house, don't expect that restoring a yacht is any different. The carpentry, plumbing and electric skills are nearly exactly the same skill set and the tools are the same. The materials are slightly different and this house has a motor inside, but other than that think of this as a house that badly needs a re-model.
The hull and deck are exceedingly solid and in good condition for age. The rigging and Masts are very good. It needs new lines (ropes) all around and it needs either motor work or a motor re-build (not sure which) plus some restoration and updating to electrical and plumbing systems. Most importantly it needs a lot of detail carpentry laying out and building a new interior. Much of the interior (probably 80%) is fiberglass and teak and definitely re-storable condition. The other 20% is very poor condition moisture damaged plywood and Headliner (ceiling covering) that should be ripped out and replaced with MDO or marine grade plywood, luane plywood and teak edging and corner trim.
The boat is large enough to comfortably live on one side of it and put up a dust curtain and do your carpentry work on the other side of the boat. It is located in probably about the world's friendliest and most affordable do-it-yourself boat yard in north America, with easy access to all the amazing marine resources of the World's Sailing Capital, Annapolis Maryland, just across the Bay Bridge.
This is truly floating real estate. It is a full sized floating home that you can sail on wind power to the most exotic harbors in the world and call them your own home for as long as you decide to stay. This boat needs about the same amount of work to fully restore it as a house would require that needs the bathroom and kitchen re-modeled and new paint and doors on all the bedrooms.
If you don't think you would want to remodel a house to save $200K by investing a year of your time and effort, then this boat is not the one for you either. If you don't have those skills or that much time, then keep saving until you have $300K to spend and buy a vessel this size that is more-or-less ready to sail. If you work a job that pays more than $100K per year, then your time is worth more keeping that job than spending your time re-storing this boat. But if you make less than $100K per year and are efficient with carpentry tools and an orbital sander and paint brush, or can gradually pay someone else with those skills, then you will come out ahead restoring this boat compared to buying a boat this size in ready to sail condition.
It wouldn't be too hard to make this boat ready to at least do basic cruising while you are putting all the finishing touches to the interior and then you could take it somewhere like Key West or the Bahamas to live on it at anchor while the restoration is completed. One benefit to going to the Bahamas, Mexico, Costa Rica, Caribbean or elsewhere to complete the work of all the detail carpentry is that you can hire eager workers very affordably if you don't wish to do everything yourself. The big difference between this boat and a handyman special home in a neighborhood is that America has about 150 million land houses and even more houses exist in other countries.
For seaworthy floating houses (aka yachts) that are this spacious inside and built well enough to actually cruise the world there are only a few thousand in existence in the whole world. The Irwin 52, like I said, was the best-selling yacht ever built bigger than 50 feet long, and their were still only 250 made over the course of about 10 years.
Most other vessels out there sailing, that are built as well as an Irwin 52, and sail as well, and are as large, most of them cost well over $500K, and trying to find one in “run down” condition for a song is probably not going to happen in your lifetime.
Yes sometimes huge Samson Ferro Cement boats come up for sale, or old wooden boats or rusted out steel hull boats, and there are plenty of huge house boats that could never be sailed and stuff like that which is under $100K, but quality sailing vessels this scale, available for under fair-market value are exceedingly rare to find.
I know this because I deal in sailboats full time and spend about 8 months per year in the cruising community, and I am able to find ten 40 foot project boats for every 50 plus foot boat, and even good deals on good 45 foot boats I am lucky if I can find two boats a year that fit my criteria.
In fact, to be accurate, in 15 years of sailing and ten years of dealing in boats, this is the only quality built world cruiser I have ever found in any condition worth restoring that could be purchased for under $70K. All of the others that I have ever dealt with have have price points, after hard bargaining of more than $70K.
I say this only so that if you are thinking you may want a vessel this large, don't let this chance pass you by. Call me, and I can discuss your plans with you and see if perhaps you are the right sort of person to purchase this ship. If you are, then hopefully we can work a deal out on it. Otherwise, perhaps I can steer you towards some other boat that will have a more reasonable chance of filling your needs and requirements and skill levels. I am currently staying on the boat until February 1st. If you are seriously interested, if there is any way that you can travel to Annapolis Maryland while I am here to see it in person, that would be the best thing.
I will show you everything I can about the ship, what needs to be done to bring it back to 100%, how to go about doing that and where to get the stuff you need to do it. I can give you a whole list of books and youtube channels that will cover every aspect of restoring sailboats, from prop shafts to building custom cabinets to the weather station at the top of the mast.
I can all give you a full page list of great insider resources for how to find parts and marine supplies at deep discounts. I am happy to coach the new owner through the process of restoration. I am a full-time cruising consultant and yacht specialist. I will help you understand every aspect of restoring your vessel, the steps to get your boat ready and also how to get yourself ready and get your crew ready to go sailing the world. I will do all this without charging you a dime for my time. I just want to make sure this fine small-ship gets to go to a loving new owner who will actually complete the restoration and take the boat back out onto the ocean where it belongs.
Again Call me if you have any other questions. My phone is a bit finicky lately and sometimes doesn't ring loud enough for me to pick up, but I am happy to chat about your cruising plans and give some free advice, so if you don't reach me on the first try, try again.
William 970 319-4361Below is a pretty unbiased review on these fine small ships:
Review by John Kretschmer for Sailing Magazine November 2008
The Irwin 52 was a trend-setting boat. It was a deck-saloon cruiser before there were deck-saloon cruisers. What's more, the Irwin 52, with more than 250 hulls launched, may be the most popular big boat, 50-foot-plus, ever built. These beamy ketch-rigged cruisers offered no apologies for their motoryacht-like interior accommodations, spacious cockpit, wide side decks and raised bulwarks. It boasts of good performance under power as well as sail. Hmm, come to think of it those features sound awfully familiar? When you take a look at many of today's larger cruising boats, it seems that Ted Irwin was a visionary.Ironically, the Irwin 52 has a better reputation today, 30 years after it was first introduced, than it did when new. Ted Irwin was an enigma in the industry. He was a designer, builder and world-class sailor, and during the early 1980s, his company was the largest privately owned sailboat firm in the country. He sold a lot of boats, especially big boats. Irwin claims to have built more sailboats longer than 50 feet than anyone in the world. Still, despite his consistently innovative designs, his company garnered a reputation for producing cheap boats. Ask sailors who came of age in the 1970s and 1980s what they think of Irwins and they'll likely scowl.However, time has shown that some complaints about Irwin's quality have turned out to be spurious. Older Irwins, especially the larger models, are in high demand on the used market. "If you can find a Series II 52 for a good price, even after totally refitting the boat, you'll make money," said Gene Gammons. Gammons knows of what he speaks. These days he is a yacht broker but previously he was the project manager for the Irwin 52 and his Web site,Irwinyachts site provides a wealth of information about all Irwin models. He worked side-by-side with Irwin for years.Launched in 1976, the Irwin 52 caught the sailing world off guard, suddenly it was possible to own your own small ship. While many 52s were employed as crewed charter boats there is no denying that privately owned models started the shift toward larger cruising boats. First impressions
The Irwin 52 has plenty of freeboard and a moderate sheer accentuated by a rakish bowsprit. The raised aft deck irked purists, who still existed in the 1970s, but provided plenty of headroom for the luxurious aft cabin, and along with the wide cove stripe, became something of a 52 trademark. It does take some getting used to when navigating the big step on deck, especially in the dark with lumpy seas. The cabintrunk includes large side and forward facing ports that flood the interior with light. I remember the dire warnings we experts issued about taking "big windows" offshore. Today most sailors can't get enough of the deck-saloon concept.Although Irwin knew that he had to build cruising boats if he wanted to stay in business, his heart was always in performance boats. The 52 sports a generous rig with more than 1,350 square feet of working sailing area. The underbody is refined with a cutaway long keel and a partially balanced rudder. The 52 moves under sail. Indeed, with its long 44-foot waterline it reaches along at 8 knots steadily. I have logged a lot of miles delivering 52s and I am always impressed with how well they sail. Although it is not particularly close winded, the Irwin 52 is a much better performer than other big cruising designs of the period, including the clipper bow designs of Bill Garden and blunt bowed Out Island series by Charlie Morgan. Most 52s were centerboards with a board-up draft of 5 feet, 6 inches. The original air draft of 67 feet made the Intracoastal a no-fly zone, although you may well find the boat you're considering has had the rig shortened to less than 65 feet. Construction
The bugaboo with Irwin Yachts is just how well built were they? While some of the smaller models have not held up well over the years, the bigger boats, built to heavier scantlings, have endured the ravishes of ocean and ownership pretty well. The construction of the 52 evolved over the years. Early boats had solid glass hulls while later boats, after the Series II was introduced in 1982, had Klegecell coring from the waterline up. All models featured plywood cored decks. And while plywood is not the best material for this purpose because it is heavy and prone to rot, Irwin mitigated the latter issue at least by using four-inch squares saturated with resin. The box joint of the hull and deck includes the wide bulwark and a handsome teak caprail.Early models were classic production boats using three massive interior pans. These molded units were tabbed to the hull. As with any large secondary bonding, there is the potential for problems, and it limits access to the hull. Also, these pans restricted the interior options-the layout was the layout and you either took it or left it. The Series II boats featured all wood interior construction with bulkheads and facings fiberglassed directly to the hull, which allowed customized plans. What to look for
The key to making a smart purchase of an Irwin 52 is to know just what model you're looking at. Series II boats, which were substantially upgraded and are easier to retrofit, were introduced in 1982. This is not always reflected in the price of used 52s. It seems as if owners and brokers just look at other boats on the market and price theirs accordingly. This can work to the advantage of the savvy shopper. Also, don't confuse the 52 with the 54, which is quite easy to do because they are basically the same boat. The 54 replaced the 52 in 1988 and typically costs significantly more.In addition to typical age-related issues, one problem common to most 52s was the iron maststep. It was down low, in the bilge, and over the years it corroded. This is a well-known problem and may have been addressed by previous owners. Also be wary of delaminated floors around the mast, which were glassed-over wood. These members were often used to mount new gear, from watermakers to air conditioning compressors, and if the holes drilled for fasteners were not well sealed they were prone to delamination. Other problems may include leaking chainplates, spars in need of repainting, and spider cracks and delamination on deck. Also, 52s were manufactured during the pox period, and most boats will have had a blister repair job or two somewhere in their past. On deck
The Irwin 52 cockpit transformed center-cockpit design. Unlike most center cockpits of the time, it was large, comfortable and not just squeezed into the space above the engine room or distorted to allow for headroom in the pass-through to the aft cabin. You can sleep comfortably on either side. Sitting at the wheel it seems like you are looking downhill at the bow, the visibility is terrific but you do feel a bit exposed-you can really feel the freeboard. Early boats came with Barlow or Barient winches. The midboom mainsheet included a triangular arrangement on deck designed to displace the mainsail loads in lieu of a traveler but it was not wildly efficient. On a boat I delivered we ripped two of the mainsheet blocks out of the deck. Sail controls may or may not be led aft, and most boats on the used market have conventional spars with slab reefing.The wide side decks and substantial bulwarks are great features of the Irwin 52. The stanchions are tall but only adequately supported. Early boats had the pulpits screwed to the teak caprail, later boats had them through-bolted. Handrails on the trunkhouse are the perfect height to be useful. The aft deck features huge lazerettes. "This is the place for bikes, sails, awnings and other gear that cruisers need but have no place to store," Gammons said. Forward, the bowsprit houses double anchor rollers and there is a large chain locker forward. Hawsepipes through the bulwark enclose mooring lines, although on early models in particular, the deck hardware was a bit undersized, especially for a 44,000-pound boat. Down below
Interiors sell boats. It was just as true in the 1970s and 1980s as it is today. And few boats have more inviting interiors than the Irwin 52. Whether or not you want to head offshore in this interior is another question but for coastal cruising and living aboard it is hard to beat. A friendly Australian family recently purchased one of the last Irwin 52s built and moored it behind my house to prepare it for the long crossing home to Sydney. "The three-cabin layout is perfect for the kids," Donna said. "I like all the room to work on and add new systems," Brett told me, adding with a laugh, "Of course all that room means you can spend a lot of money too."As mentioned earlier, models prior to 1982 all featured the same plan. This includes a drop-down galley to starboard, a large nav station to port and a palatial saloon. The aft cabin has an athwartship double and private head and shower. Forward, there is a large V-berth, a quarter cabin with upper and under berths and a second large head. There is no shortage of elbowroom. Series II models often used the same basic plan, however changes included island berths in both fore and aft cabins and different uses of the quarter cabin.Decadent features like a stand-up fridge and freezer, ample counter space in the galley, including a breakfast bar with built-in stools, air conditioning, generator, hanging lockers that are sized like closets, and a full shower with enough tankage to make long, hot showers possible, make the 52 a good choice for those having a hard time downsizing from the land life to boat life. Engine
Most 52s came standard with the Perkins 4-236 85-horsepower diesel. These workhorse engines are well respected by industry pros. They are reliable, relatively easy to work on, and although they've been long out of production, parts are still widely available. The engine is located beneath the saloon cabin sole, and access is terrific. This position also makes repowering an easier proposition. Most center-cockpit models have the engine squirreled away under the cockpit. You need to take a hard look at the mechanical systems in any 52 you are considering. Items like a 7.5 KW Onan generator, LectraSan macerator system and old watermakers seem alluring but in reality they add little value and much aggravation maintaining, repairing or replacing.Irwin 52s have extensive 12- and 110-volt electrical systems, and if they are original, they will need to be updated. Don't underestimate this job, replacing wiring is time consuming and frustrating, some of the runs are incredibly long. Remember, on pre-1982 boats, access is not very good. Underway
Although most cruisers buy an Irwin 52 for the size, they are often pleasantly surprised by the sailing qualities. Under full canvas the 52 moves smartly in light to moderate airs and truly comes alive in the trades. Brett and Donna have averaged 165 miles a day so far while crossing the Pacific. They are currently in Tonga and although they've had some mechanical issues with the boat they are pleased with its performance. They are also pleased with its heavy weather capability."We had to beat to safe harbor in Cuba to avoid Hurricane Ivan," Brett wrote in e-mail, "and it was rugged. Force 9 gusting higher, the boat did well with a deeply reefed main, mizzen and staysail."The versatile sailplan makes Irwin 52 balanced and it adapts well to autopilots. The mizzen can be used to trim the helm, making the autopilot's task easier. Brett and Donna don't hesitate to fly their cruising chute off the wind, although in typical tradewind conditions they find the 130-percent genoa poled out pulls them along at close to 9 knots without any stress. The 52 handles extremely well under power and with a feathering prop it backs true. I know, not long ago I had to back a 52 out of a long canal for a sea trail, and once I gained momentum it was a piece of cake. Conclusion
If you are interested in an Irwin 52, don't apologize. The boat has design features that can only be found in new boats costing many times more. The 52 represents a unique blend of living space and underway performance. It may not be the ideal ocean crossing machine but it sure makes living aboard a lot less painful. With prices ranging from $125,000 to just over $200,000 it is a lot of boat for the buck.Sellers Note - Prices have apparently gone up a bit on these since this article was written right after the Financial Collapse of 2008.