Garcia yachts

[lustyd]

Hadn’t heard of these before but a 45 parked next to us last night and it was gorgeous. Solid looking aluminium expedition yacht with a double glazed front door. Has anyone sailed one?

 

[Steve_N]

We had 2 Garcia Explorations visit us in Tayport this year; first an Exploration 52 and then a 45. Then a second Exploration 52, under Swiss flag, passed close by heading North to the West coast. Perhaps there was some kind of owners' meet going on.

Exploration 52
Exploration 45

Sadly not sailed one either.

 

[noelex]

They are very capable yachts. We looked at the factory and the first 45 model before deciding on our Bestevaer.

 

[Minerva]

We were berthed next to a Garcia explorer 65 last winter. It looked a serious bit of kit. Looking at photos online, I suspect it would be just as comfortable than my house!

 

[paulbrown22]

I've been on a few at shows, and remember the very initial concept and list of requirements from Jimmy Cornell when he first came up with the Exploration 45 proposal (100% aluminium construction, single rudder (and prop) protected by a skeg, I thought single wheel and a whole host of other things), but by the time it made it to production the basic hull was taken from the Allures 45 with twin rudders and no real skeg, twin wheels, at least part GRP cabin construction, etc. Very nicely built, but personally the layout didn't do it for me and the price point put it well into (or beyond) the territory of other boats (K&M, Boreal, Alubat, etc).

 

[Roberto]

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[doug748]

Pete Goss had one for a time:

.

 

[laika]

Aren't they about a million quid for the little one? I went on one at Boot about 5 years ago. I seem to recall one woman being treated on the stand for a cut to her leg from the corner of some bit of metal cockpit furniture. I'm sure it's ideal for the well-heeled pinguphile but I might spend that amount of cash slightly differently.

 

[smert]

Had a look at the underside of one at Boot a couple of years ago. Some of the welding around the bow area was dubious looking (full of pits and crevices!)

 

[lustyd]

I've been on a few at shows, and remember the very initial concept and list of requirements from Jimmy Cornell when he first came up with the Exploration 45 proposal (100% aluminium construction, single rudder (and prop) protected by a skeg, I thought single wheel and a whole host of other things), but by the time it made it to production the basic hull was taken from the Allures 45 with twin rudders and no real skeg, twin wheels, at least part GRP cabin construction, etc. Very nicely built, but personally the layout didn't do it for me and the price point put it well into (or beyond) the territory of other boats (K&M, Boreal, Alubat, etc).

Aha then I had heard of them as this was discussed on the forum a while ago

 

[Laser310]

They are pretty nice looking, but supposedly pretty slow in light winds due to being very heavy for their size - even compared to other aluminium boats

there was a new 45 next to me in Port Louis a few weeks ago, and I have to admit to being jealous.

Garcia is owned by Grand Large, which now owns so many builders it is hard to keep track; Allures (another alu builder), RM, Gunboat, Outremer...

The Allures has a GRP deck, which makes it a bit lighter I think.

here is another alu builder making some pretty nice boats:

Yachtbau, Bootsbau für Cruiser, Deckshausyachten, Katamarane, Fahrtenyachten aus ALuminiumkasko

 

[noelex]

The Garcia also has an all fiberglass cabin top (which is quite a proportion of the deck). This is one of the biggest drawbacks of both the Garcia and the Allures-the beauty of an aluminium monocoque structure that is all welded together to become a homogeneous structure is lost. The fibreglass cabin top or deck needs to be glued and bolted to the aluminium structure.

It depends on the details but overall, aluminium is lighter than solid fibreglass and about the same weight as cored fibreglass (exotic layups involving epoxy and carbon can, however, be significantly lighter). The primary reason both Allures and Garcia use fiberglass is that the complex shape of the deck and cabin structure is expensive and labour intensive to construct in aluminium particularly if aesthetically pleasing curves are incorporated. If using aluminium there are a large number of parts that need to be cut, shaped and welded together, popping a fibreglass deck out of mould is much more cost-effective.

Both the Allures and the Garcia are centreboard boats. This has many advantages, but as the keel is unballasted, a reasonable amount of ballast has to be added in the bottom of the hull to ensure adequate stability. As the ballast is higher the weight needs to be greater and the overall weight is high. This is especially true with the taller structure of the Garcia. The Garcia is also built for more rugged conditions (ice, etc.), so I believe the whole construction is a little beefier.

I have sailed an Allures but not a Garcia. A friend owned a Garcia, and his cruising speed was respectable. Downwind the centreboard can be retracted (it adds nothing to the righting moment) minimising drag.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

I don’t get them at all, brutalist styling, external and internal. A lot of money for an ugly boat.

 

[laika]

Did anyone go on the Garcia at Boot in ... I *think* 2020 or maybe 2019? I ask because while the shape and certainly the interior of what I'm seeing in the publicity material and video above looks right I remember the cockpit and deck being very industrial with exposed aluminium ... very landcover defendery ... not the nice decking and grp I see now. Did I just mis-remember, was I seeing a prototype or was it deliberately just not a finished product they brought to Dusseldorf?

 

[Sybarite]

double post

 

[noelex]

Did anyone go on the Garcia at Boot in ... I *think* 2020 or maybe 2019? I ask because while the shape and certainly the interior of what I'm seeing in the publicity material and video above looks right I remember the cockpit and deck being very industrial with exposed aluminium ... very landcover defendery ... not the nice decking and grp I see now. Did I just mis-remember, was I seeing a prototype or was it deliberately just not a finished product they brought to Dusseldorf?

Marine 5083 Alumium does not need any paint for corrosion protection. Therefore, many owners elect for bare aluminium, which requires no maintenance, polishing, waxing, etc. The alternative finishes are paint or vinyl wrap and/or treatments such as cork, teak or fake teak on the deck. Anodising is sometimes used for small parts because it looks nice.

Most aluminium yachts are a mixture of finishes, but the distribution varies depending on the owner’s wishes and goals. For a fair finish, bare alumium is the most expensive. No fillers can be used, so achieving a reasonable cosmetic finish requires great fabrication skill to minimise the distortion produced when welding. Any defect cannot be hidden.

I was last at Boot in 2017. Most Garcia Exploration yachts have been delivered with a painted or cork covered deck and vinyl wrap or bare hull, but larger areas of naturally finished aluminium are likely an option, although I have not seen an example.

The yacht in the video above looks to have a raw aluminium hull and a painted deck (together with a fibreglass cabin top).

 

[noelex]

very landcover defendery ...

Very true .

Any yacht with a raw aluminium hull has an industrial quality, but I also think when done right by the best artisans it also has a beauty, but I am biased.

This is our hull being moved ready for turning the right side up. The second photo shows the internal frames and stringers which also have an intrinsic beauty and reassuring strength to my engineering-based mind.

 

[Laser310]

Any yacht with a raw aluminium hull has an industrial quality, but I also think when done right by the best artisans it also has a beauty, but I am biased.

The Bestevaer is a great looking boat.

 

[geem]

I don’t get them at all, brutalist styling, external and internal. A lot of money for an ugly boat.

I am with you on this one. When i look at them, I see a cross between a motorboat and a yacht. The front window just looks ugly to me.
Out of the water, the under hull welding is very agricultural. I was shocked at how rough the joints in the plates were. It would do nothing for sailing efficiency

 

[wallacebob]

This was visiting Port Edgar in May. Stunning, but I thought the washing line was badly placed.