Oyster 39, what to look for when buying?

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sunsailor

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Hello,
They are an acquired taste but I am tempted to buy one.
I've read how they are strongly built but my concerns are if they suffer excessively from osmosis? Is the hull balsa cored and if so does this cause problems? Having a large teak deck looks like an expensive liability but how long do the decks last? is the wood secured by screws going through the deck which is prone to water leaks into the cabin?
Any advice on what to look for when buying would be greatfully appreciated.

Many thanks
Simon
 
Not familiar with the 39, but I've spent some time sticking my head into various crevices of a 55, also built in early/mid 80s. Superb build quality, very sturdy GRP hull (solid, not cored if I remember correctly, but not sure on that) and a teak interior that was put together with care (and brass screws). The tanks are integral GRP (so the hull forms one wall of the tank). Teak deck is screwed on if original, but unlikely to be original. Do pop off some ceiling panels (they're stuck on with velcro) and take a good long look for signs of water ingress there. The interior teak stood up well to time, but the white plywood panels in the heads suffered. Also leaky deck glands and hatches (Lewmar Ocean).

If you progress to a survey, make sure the surveyor has access to the inside of the deck (those ceiling panels) for moisture readings below the teak deck (caulking cracks and then water gets into the screw holes).

Do keep in mind that Oyster owners (and sometimes brokers) tend to have overblown ideas about the value of their boats and may be difficult to bargain with.
 
We looked at 2 Oyster 39's when we were looking to buy. Certainly they look well built, but I would be more concerned by what modifications or 'upgrades' have been performed by well meaning owners, particularly electrical - as with any large boat of this age. One of the 39's we looked at had obviously suffered from water ingress and the teak inside had suffered considerably. The other 39 was fine, so I guess it's not a fleet issue. I'm pretty sure the 39s are solid GRP - we ended up buying an Oyster 406 of a similar era, and I had to get the boatyard to drill out the hole for a new echo sounder as the hull was too thick for my normal DIY tools to cope with.

I agree with the comment about owners' inflated ideas of value - certainly in our case - but in our experience the broker (Oyster) was much more realistic than the owner.
 
Many thanks. I can't make my mind up if I should get an oyster or it would be more sensible to get a moody. I plan to spend a lot of time living on the boat so I could do with a big-ish one but I would often sail it on my own so a ketch rig would be favourable.
Simon
 
With that age of boat it is the condition that is important, not necessarily the original builder. Advantage with Moodys is that there is usually more choice from sheds to well loved. However there is no reason why an Oyster 39 in good condition won't be satisfactory - the challenge is finding a good one for sale. A teak deck on any boat of this age must be treated with caution unless a recent owner has bitten the bullet and replaced it. You want to avoid being the owner if replacement is needed.
 
For living aboard I think those centre cockpit with internal walkthrough to an aft cabin designs are very good, I think I'll end up with one someday. A good Moody 376 recently went for £35k. If it's the Oyster 39 I think it is you're looking at it's got synthetic teak deck & would be glued on. Some like it others don't but it's expensive. I think it was Oyster 39 Morning Star that was a support boat & stayed out in the '79 Fastnet. Please buy it to stop me lusting after it! There's also the similar but smaller Mariner 35, one or two of those for sale as well...

Edit - It was Oyster 39 "Morningtown" that was a radio relay vessel & stayed out in the '79 Fastnet...
 
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Hi, I was looking at the one for sale in wales. It did mention a new deck in 2008. Are the synthetic decks much longer lasting? The price is listed as either £39k or £49k depending where you look. Any idea which is correct?
If the hull isnt balsa cored and doesn't give much trouble and the new synthetic deck is long lasting it could be a good buy?
 
sunsailor said:
Hi, I was looking at the one for sale in wales. It did mention a new deck in 2008. Are the synthetic decks much longer lasting? The price is listed as either £39k or £49k depending where you look. Any idea which is correct?
If the hull isnt balsa cored and doesn't give much trouble and the new synthetic deck is long lasting it could be a good buy?
Click to expand...

those tek decks are an aquired taste. low maintenance - sure. they tend to look better from a distance though and they look very artificial and a bit like a fake suntan up close. Some buyers could be put off. however if she's 39 grand with some scope to haggle further that's a lot of heavily built boat for the wedge whatever way you look at it.
If you look at other similar boats, don't be put off by the scaremongering of teak decks. mine are 33 years old and still nearly half an inch thick. As long as you don't buy a boat with decks that are in rag order and you stay on top of maintenance its fine.

Again with osmosis, mostly it will depend on how much time she's had ashore each year so it will vary boat to boat rather then 'brand x' is more susceptible than 'brand y'.

have a good look over her to see if she's worth the survey, get a good survey and haggle the price accordingly. if she has osmosis, how bad is it? most boats of that age will have some. I wouldn't worry about it unless the hull is delamintating, but it could be a tool for negotiating the price.

at least with an oyster, you're starting out with a very well made boat.

I still can't abide the looks of the 39 though, personally..... and those galleon style windows look like a weakness. however, as somebody mentioned already, morningtown sat through the worst of what happened in august 79 and came through okay. I believe she even threw a steering cable and was laying beam on to the seas for a good bit of the storm. you can read all about it in the book 'fastnet , force 10'
 
We have an Oyster 35 which is the smaller sister of the 39, the main difference is the 39 has two heads and a slightly larger aft cabin, we also have some mates with a 39 and have sailed together with them. The 39 makes a very good liveaboard but will not win any races or beauty contests, they are well built solid boats that have pretty bullet proof construction. our 35 is 35 years old and we have sailed her fairly extensively including an Atlantic circuit. When we came back we considered selling for a while but then decided that she was worth refitting to update and we are now working towards another period of long distance cruising on Jigsaw.

In the course of our ownership we have been out in some very significant bad weather, including a F9 in Biscay, and the boat has always stood up to whatever has been thrown at her. They do not go upwind very well and take a bit of a breeze to get them moving but for long distance sailing on a budget they work seem to very well.

As with all old boats you need to look at the systems, engine, rigging etc but depending upon the price you may find that there is capacity to update these and still not brake the bank. The galleon windows have never caused us any problems, even in very big following seas.

The aspect of the boat that has helped her remain well loved within our family is the boats ability to provide a good living environment while sailing steadily downwind in F6/7 for days on end. We have made a number of fairly long passages on Jigsaw and feel confident to continue doing so. The Oyster 39 would not be at her best short tacking up a narrow river, but in offshore conditions I think that for a boat of their ages they work well.

For living in port they are pretty good with a largish cockpit and plenty of nice flat deck to lay around on. They do not handle easily in reverse and take a while to get used for mooring in tight spaces as the high topsides produce a good deal of windage. Support from Oyster is good, even for old boats they will help source spares etc.
 
V1701 said:
For living aboard I think those centre cockpit with internal walkthrough to an aft cabin designs are very good, I think I'll end up with one someday. A good Moody 376 recently went for £35k. If it's the Oyster 39 I think it is you're looking at it's got synthetic teak deck & would be glued on. Some like it others don't but it's expensive. I think it was Oyster 39 Morning Star that was a support boat & stayed out in the '79 Fastnet. Please buy it to stop me lusting after it! There's also the similar but smaller Mariner 35, one or two of those for sale as well...

Edit - It was Oyster 39 "Morningtown" that was a radio relay vessel & stayed out in the '79 Fastnet...
Click to expand...

Morningtown is now Shady Maid and live is Kilrush Marina on the west coast of Ireland. A fantastic boat.
 
Thanks again for the comments.
I'm looking to buy a live aboard in the not too distant future. I need to visit a few marinas to view some of these boats and decide which to go for.
 
We love our Oyster 39. Well made, sea kindly and incredably spacious. Quite difficult to park as tends to go to port when reversing but you should take that as a hint to avoid marinas! That said at 39' we do get in some marinas that would not take bigger boats. She is easy to handle short handed, we have lazyjacks and fully battened main and mizzen which helps a lot. She also heaves to perfectly which is a great boon. We sailed Inverness to Copenhagen in 5 days (including a short stop at Skagen) and the North Sea leg was beating. I have no problem with the speed .

On long passages we typically take a crew of four and it is great that there is loads of chocie of where to sleep depending on conditions.

If you want fast in light wind, light weight, fin and bulb, easy to park boat and don't want to go offshore sailing get a bavie or a bennie!

Once you have decided it is the right boat for you they vary from rather tired and faded examples in the med, fit for some restoration for £35k (or less I supose if it is neglected) to exceptionally well equipped and reengined ones going for more like £70k ready for blue water cruising (as they were intended!).

If you are buying probably avoid teak decks unless replaced (or budget to replace). Have a good look at the engine as you may want to replace it if it is original (unless it is well cared for).

The older ones. like Morningtown, had cable steering. One thing that troubled Rodney in the 1979 Fastnet was the cable kept jumping off. But mine has much more reliable Whitlock rod based steering. Nevertheless look carefully at the condition of the bevel boxes etc on a boat of this age.

Scrutinize the anchor well. I had ours rebuilt as the sub-deck was plywood and had rotted.

The mast foots are aluminium in stainless steel mast steps. Check for corrosion if these have not been properly isolated.

Oysters have a great owners community with our own forum http://www.oyster-owners.com/ (open to owners and very helpful to prospective owners too), and that gives access to wealth of experience. Typically Oyster Owners are long distance cruisers and so spend a lot of time both sailing and fixing their boats. Even though new Oysters are over 50 feet and the owned by millionaires Oyster Marine are supportive and helpful to us owners of older little Oysters, indeed they seem quite proud of how well they last.
 
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sunsailor said:
Hello,
They are an acquired taste but I am tempted to buy one.
I've read how they are strongly built but my concerns are if they suffer excessively from osmosis? Is the hull balsa cored and if so does this cause problems? Having a large teak deck looks like an expensive liability but how long do the decks last? is the wood secured by screws going through the deck which is prone to water leaks into the cabin?
Any advice on what to look for when buying would be greatfully appreciated.

Many thanks
Simon
Click to expand...
Going back to the original question (as I dont think it was all answered )

The hull is solid (and prety thick) GRP the deck is balsa sandwich.

Not seen one with osmosis.

They don't all have teak decks. Having read Clive Sparkes blog about redecking of Sephina ( a slightly bigger Oyster) I am glad mine was not.
 
sunsailor said:
Many thanks for the replies. Its looking like next spring or summer before I get chance to look at buying a boat.
Click to expand...
Well make sure to bookmark the ones you've discovered so far then remember to look them up when you go forward - boats that have been on the market for a while are easier to negotiate on then those fresh on the website IME.

Boo2
 
There is one next to me here in the marina,,, encapsulated keel is a good thing,
Very very thick hull as the owner showed me a section of it after cutting a hole,,,,
They are all ketched so he said....
Good rear state room,,,,,,,,,,,, slightly ugly,
nice fordeck space,,,,
His had no teak, so guess was changed,,,,,,
A nice skeg too,,,,so good for offshore.
: )
 
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