A lovely timber Storebro Royal Cruiser IV

Bajansailor

Bajansailor

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Further to Little Ship Tom's recent thread here http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267481 about a timber Royal Cruiser 34 for sale on E-bay, I went and dug out the old 1969 catalogue I was given in the early 70's by a family friend (who went and bought a Princess 32 from Marine Projects instead)

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The cost of a timber Royal Cruiser IV De Luxe in 1969, with two Volvo MD29 92 hp inboard diesels on shafts, African Mahogany hull, teak deck, cabin tops and hard-top, S/S fuel & water tanks was Sw Cr 127,500

The galley was only fitted with a cool box and a sink - no stove was supplied, although an Optimus paraffin stove could be supplied as one of the numerous extras for Sw Cr 165, or a Primus gas stove for Sw Cr 360.

Here is a selection from the 'Extras' list :
A pair of reverse gear hydraulic Borg Warner gearboxes was Sw Cr 3,000, a 45 litre electric fridge was Sw Cr 1,485, a Seafarer echo sounder was Sw Cr 850, an electric Simpson Lawrence windlass was 2,980, and a Bendix #14 autopilot was Sw Cr 8,375 (!).

No mention of a VHF radio on the extras list - I guess nobody could afford one in 1969 (were they around then?)

Oh, and they say 'Upon special request the Royal Cruiser IV De Luxe can be supplied with hull of fibreglass at a price of Sw Cr 137,500 - the fibreglass boat was Sw Cr 10,000 more than the wooden boat.
 
My father had a Royal Cruiser 34 , wood with MD 29's then a RC34 wood with MD 32,s ? then an RC 34 in glassfibre with 60 b's. They were very good boats in their day and expensive compared with Fairlines etc. The woodwork and attention to detail was excellent but it was a small boat at 34ft for a forecabin, saloon open backed cockpit and an aft cabin. The last one with the heavy engines although fast felt heavy and did not handle bad weather as well as the first two.



His last boat was an RC 36 flybridge in glassfibre fibre, only a few of these were built and the design was stretched to the RC 40 a much better layout. The 36 was a very good boat.
 
Wonderful boat,but a money pit for the unwary,our climate is not kind to wooden hulls and unless "well heeled",not a boat for the beginner.No mention anywhere of any work ever having been done to the hull.
A job for life :)
 
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small boat at 34ft for a forecabin, saloon open backed cockpit and an aft cabin
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compare to Seamaster 30?

SWMBO and I see a very nice Storebro on the Thames every once in a while. The beautifully varnished upperworks fill us with a mix of lust over the appearance and terror over the work required ot keep them so beautiful. Lovely boats.
 
I am pleased to see that I am not the only one who dresses for dinner when on board.

I gave up on the regimental band during dinner as there was no room for them all.
 
That's really cool. Here's some photos of our own SRC - she was built in 1980, but has the GRP hull. I love them for a number of reasons - especially convenient is the fact that ours has 2 sets of heads/showers with en-suite in the rear cabin.

The boat even has a nice history - it was the test boat for MBM in 1982, and I have the original test report. It was also once owned by a Rear Admiral, who himself seemed to have quite a history - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1577079/Rear-Admiral-Mack-McArdle.html

These pictures were taken in November last year.

Cheers,
Paul

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Unforgettable

I remember when these beauties were still available new...though most of 'em probably aren't much younger than I. When did Storebro stop, or switch moulds, over to something that hasn't caught the eye the same way, since? And, why?!
 
dancrane said:
I remember when these beauties were still available new...though most of 'em probably aren't much younger than I. When did Storebro stop, or switch moulds, over to something that hasn't caught the eye the same way, since? And, why?!
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I suppose when us 'older' folk were young, the flash styled boats of the 60's and 70's were etched into our memories as kids and have always remained there.

Just like the new styles of today, for our own kids. Hope we are not turning into grumpy old men :eek: ;).
 
Grumpy? ME? Yes, probably.

Very likely you're right. I saw a lousy photo of - what I thought was - a not very pretty new Sunseeker, too tall for its length, 36'. The howls, when I dared to criticise! I'll shut up. I love that Storebro though.
 
dancrane said:
I remember when these beauties were still available new...though most of 'em probably aren't much younger than I. When did Storebro stop, or switch moulds, over to something that hasn't caught the eye the same way, since? And, why?!
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I think what happened, was that as the cost of manufacturing a boat from mahogany increased, and the interest in the buying public to pay over the odds for it decreased, Storebros became more and more GRP - at least on the outside.

If you look at the hulls of the earlier (70's) and later (90's), they're of similar design - Bernard Olenski was the hull designer if I recall correctly, and his hulls were used by many marques at the time.

I really like the current Commander series, but they're all too big for me (40ft+), and way too expensive. They were bought by Nimbus a few years ago, and personally I quite like their boats also.

To my mind, it's the lines (they have a shallow air draft, and are nicely proportioned) as well as the wood that makes them "easy on the eye".

Cheers,
Paul
 
Wood floats my boat

That all makes good sense. I like the Nimbus designs, too.

Wood-wise, (aside from their forests) I wonder how the Scandinavians have almost always managed to continue building large numbers of boats that use so much expensive hardwood, yet their quality seems to guarantee a market, even if the boat's price is jaw-droppingly high.

I know Hallberg Rassy, Swan, Sweden Yachts, Nauticat etc are GRP hulls, but so much is wood, it raises the tone from neat to beautiful.

Try this: when you're by a marina or yacht dock, ask a friend who knows zip about boats, to choose their favourite between three, two of which have Treadmaster/Progrip/whatever underfoot, while the other is laid teak. Nine times out of ten, the total non-sailor will pick the one with wood on show, even if they don't know why. It just can't be beat.
 
dancrane said:
Wood-wise, (aside from their forests) I wonder how the Scandinavians have almost always managed to continue building large numbers of boats that use so much expensive hardwood, yet their quality seems to guarantee a market, even if the boat's price is jaw-droppingly high.

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Thanks for all the nice comments, guys. It's people remarking about her that gives me the motivation to keep her looking good.

On the wood front, the interesting thing is that most of wood is not sourced in Scandinavia - I recall that the mahogany is from Brazil, and I doubt as the teak would be sourced locally either. Of course the Scandinavians have a history of quality wooden products (e.g. furniture) and they've always sought quality in their products IMO. There are many aspects of Dragoon's construction where you can see thought and quality applied - I would start sounding like a bore to list them however : - )

But yes, one day I hope to start sailing again, and I would love to get either a Scandinavian or Finnish (technically not Scandinavian) sailing boat.

Cheers,
Paul
 
dragoon said:
But yes, one day I hope to start sailing again, and I would love to get either a Scandinavian or Finnish (technically not Scandinavian) sailing boat.

Cheers,
Paul
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I like the great compromise of the old Nauticat 44 motorsailer, big dry flared bow, proper 120 hp engine, twin station steering and sliding door wheel-house, wouldn't point very high of course, but who wants to tack anyway?
 
Dragoon, your fine vessel is more than cool, she is simply gorgeous!
There certainly is a lot of varnish work to attend to there to keep her in the style that she is so obviously happily accustomed to.

AndieMac, I agree re the Nauticat 44s; I think most were ketch rig, but I did see one here once (I think she was a 44) with a most unusual sloop rig, with the mast very far aft, in similar fashion to a Prout catamaran rig with a huge genoa and tiny mainsail.
 
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