Bruce Roberts Spray 370

[philip17]

I am considering the purchase of a Spray 370 and fitting out for med cruising (mainly Greece/Turkey. I am considering a heavy displacement steel yacht for peace of mind in event of collision damage and general sea handling in adverse conditions. However most of our time will be spent anchored in quiet bays or moored in small harbours.I would be grateful for any input on Spray yachts/steel yachts in general in respect of their suitability for this type of short passage cruising.Upon my retirement in 3 years time It is our intention to spend about 6 -7months a year on the boat for the next 5-10years+ and one of my concerns is that a boat of this displacement and long keel may prove difficult to moor stern-to on a regular basis.Bows-to mooring is prefered but again weighing a suitably sized kedge anchor+chain without some mechanical windlass would be physically difficult

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Mezzanine]

Cant really answer your question at the moment, but in 5 years time your going to be an expert anyway.

Just like most people, look at all the alternatives and then do it your own way
trial and error are great teachers.....

sorry i cant be of more assistance.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

We fitted out our long keel steel cutter from a bare hull and went down to the med for a year. The robustness of steel gives a great sense of security when the weather gets nasty as it does in the med. In fact we encountered the worst weather we have ever endured while cruising in the med mainly because there are no reliable weather forecasts and gales blow up in next to no time. The other major benefit is the load-carrying capacity. Our boat is very heavy so another ton or so of water and fuel doesn't affect the performance but means we can comfortably go for a couple of weeks.

We found mooring stern-to no problem. In fact with our weight and long keel the boat does not tend to be blown about by every gust of wind which probably makes it easier if anything.

I would advise fitting a big engine and prop so that you have proper motoring ability. You're going to be doing a lot of it in the med.

Best of luck!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[philip17]

Many thanks for the words of encouragement. Can I ask what type/size of boat you fitted out for the med and did you develop any magic ideas for recovering a properly sized kedge anchor (without breaking your back) if you went bows-to.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[mickshep]

Friends of ours have a 40' Spray in steel, huge interior, fantastically stable and when we are all scurrying about putting in reefs they heel a couple of degrees and keep ploughing on, on one of their first trips they blew out their main sail as the boat gave no indication of being pressed at all, lovely little ship. good luck. Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

I'll agree with that. The Spray 40 is a magnificent boat for living aboard and in fact a Spray would have been our choice, but when we were looking for a hull the smaller Sprays weren't available. A Steelcraft 30 came up at the right time and the right price (ie. cheap) and had all the attributes we were looking for except that it was a bit small. However, while cruising the med we came across many people who had larger boats which were in fact too much for them to handle comfortably and the effort of going sailing meant that they stayed in port most of the time.

Re: mooring bows-to, in many harbours there are lines anchored to the bottom which you simply pick up and make fast to the stern and take two lines from the bows to the quay. We only moored bows-to when there was a line to pick up. If we needed to use the anchor we always moored stern-to. We saw many boats fitted with contraptions to enable a kedge to be dropped from the stern but they all seemed to be more trouble than they were worth. Mooring stern-to looks a bit daunting at first but it really isn't difficult. I would much rather use the main anchor with plenty of chain and get it well dug-in than rely on a kedge and rope.



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[richardandtracy]

I've got a BR Spray 36. But (& it's a big but), I haven't been persuaded to have an engine at all yet. I still can't decide diesel or petrol, but given how much I use one now, I remain to be convinced whether I need an engine at all.

I've not been to the med in a boat [all that horrible heat..] and have no intention of doing so, so I can't comment on that aspect. However the live-aboard bit will be a doddle. The pilot house version is wonderful for gazing at the neighbours and gives a great cabin below to increase the feeling of light & space.

As for sizing the anchors correctly. Yes they will be heavy, especially if you size the gear to be OK for the Atlantic. Get a windlass for your kedge - the rear cockpit is definitely sturdy enough to take one. Without an engine I tend to kedge a lot, so have a decent sized windlass at the aft end as well as at the bow (cost pennies to make from scratch + some time, I just cast a second one using the same patterns and the machining was pretty basic). Also add davits and a stern ladder as you'll be in & out like a yo-yo.

You're worried about the long keel making steering difficult. Don't be. The Spray is a remarkably well behaved vessel at 0.5 kt as well as 5 kt. You'll adapt to it very quickly, then you'll love it.

Regards

Richard


<hr width=100% size=1>