bayfield 25 sailboat

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Bayfield 25, how seaworthy?

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I've got a nice little Bayfield 25 and im wondering how seaworthy the boat is. It seems pretty solidly built. It is a full keel with the rudder attached on the back of the keel with the prop in a cutout in the keel. The boat has a running Yanmar 1GM diesel, but i know i need to clean or replace the fuel tank as its been setting for 3 years. Id like to take this boat to Bermuda if it can handle it.  

I should preface this by saying I've sailed alongside and past these boats, but not on one.... I think they are tough little boats, but I'm not sure they were truly meant to be offshore cruisers. Easy to handle, certainly, but motion could be uncomfortable esp in the Gulf Stream, and it wouldn't be a quick trip. Her shallow draft will advantageous in certain areas, obviously, but not necessarily at sea. A dash across to the Bahamas? Probably, with the right weather window.... Bermuda I'm not so sure.....  

I know the draft is going to help me alot around my home port (Charleston SC). I want to take a sailing trip to Bermuda within the next couple of years and i figured this boat would be able to do it.  

Hell, people have done longer, rougher trips on lesser boats, I suppose.... It will likely as not come down to your own tolerance and abilities assuming the boat itself is otherwise sound and well-prepped.  

The boat is about to undergo a refit for the few things that it needs. Im going to remove the roller furling on the headsail so i can hank on smaller jibs. The main has 2 reef points in it and one is kinda high. The boat has wheel steering on it, so im thinking a belowdecks autopilot system for it. From what ive found out about the boat is should be able to do the trip to Bermuda.  

Oh yea, the other major thing i wanted to find out is can the boat be beached? Could i take it and anchor over a sandbar, wait for the tide to go out and clean the bottom? Would it get any damage?  

There have been a couple discussions in the past few weeks about going offshore in small boats that you might want to look at, but in a general sense, anecdotally its easy to find stories of people going offshore in boats that are less seaworthy than the Bayfield 25. But if you read enough, you find that historically lots of small boat sailors went missing, or needed rescue and historically the small boat sailors that took off on offshore voyages were generally very experienced seamen. When you ask about sailing a Bayfield 25 to Bermuda, its all about risk management and how much risk you personally are willing to take, and how good a sailor you are, and how expeienced you are in handling the Bayfield in heavy going. To me, a Bayfield 25 would be an extremely poor choice for this kind of trip. These were boats that were optimized to get a lot of room on a small boat, rather than as a good sailing, offshore comfortable design. For example compare the Bayfield to something like a Folkboat with an equal displacement and length but 4 foot draft vs the Bayfields 2'11 draft and 2300 lb ballast vs the Bayfields' 1450 lbs, and the Folkboat's 7'6 beam vs the Bayfields' 8 foot. So, comparatively speaking, the Bayfield with its extremely low ballast to displacement ratio, extremely shallow draft, wide beam carried to its full ends, and corky motion, it would be very tough boat to bring through a storm. These boats do not exactly have a good reputation for being well constucted. They are heavy but much of thier weight comes in the form of heavy interior components rather than robust structure or ballast. The Bayfields' high drag and small SA/D would make for a very slow trip to Bermuda, which means that you would need to carry a lot more supplies, than a longer or better designed boat of this displacement. The weight of those supplies would further reduce motion comfort and seaworthiness. The slow passage time would also mean that you would be at sea too long to acurately predict the weather window that you will encounter en-route and that means you higher risk of ending up in foul weather. But again, while the Bayfield 25 would be very close to the bottom of the list of boats that I personally would consider taking to Bermuda, it comes down to how much risk you personally are willing to take. To quote Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, I guess the real question is, "How Lucky do you feel?" Respectfully, Jeff  

Jeff_H said: There have been a couple discussions in the past few weeks about going offshore in small boats that you might want to look at, but in a general sense, anecdotally its easy to find stories of people going offshore in boats that are less seaworthy than the Bayfield 25. But if you read enough, you find that historically lots of small boat sailors went missing, or needed rescue and historically the small boat sailors that took off on offshore voyages were generally very experienced seamen. When you ask about sailing a Bayfield 25 to Bermuda, its all about risk management and how much risk you personally are willing to take, and how good a sailor you are, and how expeienced you are in handling the Bayfield in heavy going. To me, a Bayfield 25 would be an extremely poor choice for this kind of trip. These were boats that were optimized to get a lot of room on a small boat, rather than as a good sailing, offshore comfortable design. For example compare the Bayfield to something like a Folkboat with an equal displacement and length but 4 foot draft vs the Bayfields 2'11 draft and 2300 lb ballast vs the Bayfields' 1450 lbs, and the Folkboat's 7'6 beam vs the Bayfields' 8 foot. So, comparatively speaking, the Bayfield with its extremely low ballast to displacement ratio, extremely shallow draft, wide beam carried to its full ends, and corky motion, it would be very tough boat to bring through a storm. These boats do not exactly have a good reputation for being well constucted. They are heavy but much of thier weight comes in the form of heavy interior components rather than robust structure or ballast. The Bayfields' high drag and small SA/D would make for a very slow trip to Bermuda, which means that you would need to carry a lot more supplies, than a longer or better designed boat of this displacement. The weight of those supplies would further reduce motion comfort and seaworthiness. The slow passage time would also mean that you would be at sea too long to acurately predict the weather window that you will encounter en-route and that means you higher risk of ending up in foul weather. But again, while the Bayfield 25 would be very close to the bottom of the list of boats that I personally would consider taking to Bermuda, it comes down to how much risk you personally are willing to take. To quote Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, I guess the real question is, "How Lucky do you feel?" Respectfully, Jeff Click to expand...

bayfied 25 I also have a Bayfield 25 and yes much smaller boats have made it,it is a very solid and exellent crusier and if you did not push and waited for decent wheather you would be fine and if you had some experaince and did not over do it you could wheather a storm I have thought about doing it and I am in Lagoon city on Lake Simcoe north of Toronto  

Johnhr said: I also have a Bayfield 25 and yes much smaller boats have made it,it is a very solid and exellent crusier and if you did not push and waited for decent wheather you would be fine and if you had some experaince and did not over do it you could wheather a storm I have thought about doing it and I am in Lagoon city on Lake Simcoe north of Toronto Click to expand...

We got hit with a squall many years ago on Senaca Lake in NY. I saw a line of white advancing across the lake and, in our yawl of the time, dowsed the main and pulled the mizzen in tight and took it nose on. The wind (55 mph reported at a nearby airport) hit us a minute before the standing wave. A Bayfield 25 singlehander was reaching ahead of us and he was rolled 360º, popped up and was rolled a second time. Anyone can be inattentive - he said he never saw it coming as was below grabbing lunch with a lashed tiller. The only damage was to him - a gash on his forehead - and the contents of the Porta-Pottie discharged into the cabin along with the contents of several galley lockers and many gallons of water that entered the open companionway. Does it prove anything? No. Just that you can't assume the boat . . . any boat . . . knows what to do if you don't. Other boats may have been demasted or certainly had some sail and rigging damage. But some other boats are entertaining enough to sail that you pay attention to sailing instead of just making boring progress. That particulay B25 was the slowest boat on the lake. They are well made but certainly not optimum lake boats. For a trip to Bermuda? Yeah, I'd feel better in something designed for blue water and a Bayfield 25 is that; small but rugged. Personally, I'd be comparing them to Pearson Ariel 26 and Triton 28's (or a Bristol 27) to find an individual boat in good shape with proper gear.  

I agree with Jeff and others about luck playing possibly too much a part of such a trip. As far as careening, see this link for another solution: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance-articles/20077-giving-your-boat-some-legs.html Legs like this have been used on several boats that I know of in that size range, a Vega 27 as well as Atom which is a Triton. Brian  

umm actualy Jeff talked about actual draft, ballast ratio, beam and hull shape, sounds a lot like facts to me not opinons. He suggested that a folkboat had better numbers and they of course are a full keel displacment boat so not sure your second comment holds water. Another poster said, which scares the heck out of me, that a Bayfield 25 did one or two complete rolls in 55 MPH wind ! They can be a fun little boat but they do have their limitations as all boats do.  

More or less correct. The less is that my second comment is still true because as I said "as several of his posts can testify to". The fact that he compared two full keel boats and preferred one over the other does not make my second comment wrong. And in any case the "facts" as you called them - which in this case are just the basic numbers relating to draft, beam and ballast are the facts. What people (not just Jeff_H) do with these numbers are what constitutes the "opinions". In general arm-chair sailors tend to focus more on the numbers - as that is all they have. Been there - done that. All of these numbers and ratios are mainly a help to the yacht designers. I don't know if mere mortals buying a boat should worry that much about it. The really interesting thing is that the Bayfield 25 would seem to have more in common with Jeff_H's preferred type of boat than the Folkboat which is in fact closer to what I would prefer. But that's just MY opinion....  

Eric, The one truth here is that you don't know much about my preferences at all. I have only have one strong bias, that is towards boats that sail well and by the term 'sail well' I do not simply mean that they are fast. I use that term to mean, are easy to handle, have reasonably comfortable motions, sail reliably in a wide range of conditions and so on. I am very much a fan of traditional sailing craft, by which I mean both cruising boats and working boats that derive from the lessons learned from working water craft. That includes boats that truly have full keels and not some aberation that derives from some racing rule or some marketing gimmick. You are very mistaken when you say that I have a prejudice against full keels. I do not have a blanket prejudice against full keels, but I also have enough experience sailing on a wide variety of boats that have had full keels to understand that they are not the panacea that they are often portrayed to be. I also have spent enough time sailing on boats that have a deeply cut away forefoot and rudder posts located far from the transom to understand that these are not full-keeled boats at all, and that they do not behave like full keeled boats, and frankly, in my experience and opinion, result in compromises that make them far less desirable in most ways than either a more traditional full keel or a well designed fin keel. If I have a prejudice against a keel type, it is what used to be (when I was a kid) referred to as a fin keel with attached rudder, and which by any name is a keel whose bottom approached 50% of the length of the boat and which has an attached rudder. To me, these are the worst of all worlds and in most cases lack the virtues of either a full keel or a fin keel with a detached rudder. And yes, it is also true that I personally like well designed fin keel/ spade rudder boats (whether that rudder post or skeg hung). I use the term 'well-designed' because there are a lot of really poor fin keel/spade rudder designs out there. I frankly prefer fin keel/spade rudders for my own personal boat and consider them better suited for my current needs than a full-keeled boat. I also think that most of the sailors who come on Sailnet are sailing in venues and manners where they would be better served by a boat with either a fin keel/spade rudder or else with a keel/centerboard configuration. (I say 'most' because there are folks on these forums sailing in venues, with specific sailing goals, or with aesthetic preferences that would lean them towards other keel/hull configurations.) Unlike you, who says he is still looking for his first boat, I have owned 17 boats in my life. These include a 1939 Stadel cutter, a design that derived from a 19th century working pilot boat and was as full a keel design as you could imagine, a 1949 Swedish Folkboat, CCA era boats, IOR era boats, MORC boats from a range of periods, and early IMS (MHS) era boats. I have had near unbridled use of dozens of boats in my life, and raced and cruised on perhaps a hundred different classes of boats in my life. You and I are in agreement that what I write is only my opinion and is limited by my own limits of knowledge, but that said my opinion is based on 47 years of comparing the behavior of these many boats that I have sailed on, a whole lot of reading and attending yacht design symposiums over a 48 year period of time, my training as a yacht designer, and my experience working in naval architect and yacht design offices. Throughout all of those experiences, I have carefully studied the behavior of one design feature relative to the other and from that I have formed my opinions, and yes, i know these are soley my opinion and yes I know they reflect the biases that reflect the types of sailing that I personally have done, and perhaps more importantly, often reflect and is limited by the types of sailing that I have not done and have no intention of doing. And despite all of that experience, I know that there are holes in my knowledge, and areas where I am mistaken. I understand that I am very much an amatuer, a dilettante, that there is a lot that I don't know, that I make mistakes, remember things incorrectly, and that there are a whole lot of folks out there who know a whole lot more about these things than I ever will. Like most folks, I come here to share my experiences as a way to return the favor to those people who generously shared knowledge with me along the way, but equally importantly to continue to learn, and one way to learn is to engage in informed and intellectually honest discussion, where dubious opinions can be corrected or clarified, and missing knowledge added to. As to your comment, "that he does not understand yacht design as well he thinks", I suggest that blanket statements like that add little to a discussion. If you think that I have made a mistake in my comments address that mistake. We both might learn from that process. But no one learns anything from baseless ad-hominem comments and I say 'baseless' since you clearly really know very little about how I view my knowledge of yacht design. Which brings me back to the topic at hand, in a general sense you are very right that simply relying on the numbers can be a little or even very misleading. But in this case, getting down to specifics of the boat in question, the numbers are so skewed relative to the norm or even to a well-known benchmark for a small full-keeled offshore cruiser, (the Folkboat) that I think the numbers are very relevant to someone weighing a decision to go offshore on the boat in question. And lastly, when you say, "The really interesting thing is that the Bayfield 25 would seem to have more in common with Jeff_H's preferred type of boat than the Folkboat which is in fact closer to what I would prefer." it shows that you do not understand my viewpoint at all. The types of boats that I prefer includes boats like the Folkboat. They were simple, seaworthy, well mannered little boats that could sail well across a very wide range of conditions. That description and my preferences do not include boats like the smaller Bayfields, which (in my opinion) I generally consider to be charactures of traditional sailing craft, rather than being the kind of well balanced design concept that traditional water craft tend to be. To my eye, and in my opinion, Bayfields, and other character boats of that era and thier ilk, eschew the lessons learned from geniune traditional watercraft which have designs evolved based on hundred of years of experience in harsh environments. Respectfully, Jeff  

Jeff and all you fin keel, spade rudder fans might find this of interest and this not my opinion, this is objective observation: The last time I sailed Paloma up to Southern Yachts (a mega-shipyard off of Galveston Bay), for a bottom job and new zincs, a full 60% of the sailboats blocked up on the hard were fin keel/spade rudder boats, with bent rudder posts or separated keels. The biggest batch of bent rudder posts were on big, expensive Beneteaus while most of the separated keels were a variety of fin keelers. One of the separated keels was an Irwin that had hit a submerged object low on the keel and it pulled the keel away from the hull enough that you could put your hand between the hull and the forward edge of the keel. And, as well you might guess, none of the keel-hung or skeg-hung rudder boats were among the disabled. If you like the Bayfield - buy it. The cockpit is kind of small and deep, making it a bit hard to see over the cabin trunk, but it's a sturdy little boat that will take you most places you'll likely go - not quickly, but it will make it there. And, don't worry about the story of the Bayfield 25 that barrel rolled twice in 55 knot winds - there's a whole world of boats in that size range that would not have survived the first roll.  

Agreed and double agreed!!! That's why the boats I've owned over the years have all been encapsulated lead keels some full keeled (a beautiful Bayfield 29 - way too much wood to take care of and an Eastward Ho 24 - a 24 foot boat ought not to displace 7,200 lbs) and the rest have been modified fin and skeg hung rudder boats (like Paloma).  

A no win situation Yep Jeff_H has more experience sailing - as I have stated specifically in other threads. I did not mean to imply that he was an armchair sailor - it was a somewhat badly timed "sidebar" referring to the fact that a lot of people on this forum worry way too much about the numbers relating to yacht design. I also did not mean to attack him personally - as stated in my very first post on this forum I have no doubt he means well. I do apologize if it came across as a personal attack. On the other hand I did not add two "Stick out Tongue" smiley faces as he did at the end of every paragraph on one of his recent posts. Jeff_H considering you are listed as an "Architect" in your biography your experience/training in yacht design surprises me. Especially considering some of your statements. And especially so, considering some of the conclusions you come to regarding boats and stability/full keels etc. Your acknowledgement that you are not - perfect or all knowing about yacht design is also surprising considering how point blank condescending a tone you use to answer peoples questions. But thats life and we should just leave it at that. And we should leave it at that as this is way off topic from what this thread is about. Because this is a no win situation. I think this forum will be a useful tool as I hopefully do purchase my first large sailboat in the near future. But I will not respond on this thread anymore about this matter. I believe private messages are available for this sort of thing. If it needs to be addressed at all - which I don't think it does. Obviously however great a guy Jeff_H is - however much experience he has - his post's rub me the wrong way. I will try to control that before I click "Submit Reply" in the future. thanks, Ericb  

Careening is no big deal if you have the right boat. I have an Islander Bahama 24 that I have careened 4 times. It has 7'8" beam and a full keel with a cutaway forefoot. The rudder is keel-hung. The keel is encapsulated lead in a thick layer of glass. The draft is 3'6". The boat sits at an absurd angle of heel when careened, but on a sloping muddy beach with good tidal range and no wake, I was able to do it without incident. I would careen the Bayfield 25 confidently in a calm harbor. Mind the weather and tides. Fridays and Saturdays are generally bad days for this due to motor boat wakes. Make sure she lies down right side up, this can be done by making a halyard fast to a bulkhead. I am not sure about the laws of careening, I researched them heavily, reading a lot of material and contacting a lot of government agencies, I could not find any info that was meaningful. I would assume that it is illegal, and act accordingly. I do know for sure that the EPA would charge you fines for painting on a tidal beach.  

Another alternative is making fast to a pier as the tide recedes... this was the typical practice for years, but for some reason has gone out of favor.  

Hi I live in Bermuda,, with the right weather you will be fine, i have seen sailors rock up on much less of a boat,, bayfields are great,, im looking to get one here to purchase,, any change you want to sell yours when you get here lol  

2008 - He's probably been there and back again.... Of course the boat would make it, I lived there and saw a couple of them, one at Ferry Reach the other at Jews bay.  

I know this is a super old thread, but I don't see any point in opening a new one for my simple question. I am wondering if any body can provide details on a Bayfield 25 with regards to real world VMG upwind or any other related information. Relative Course Made good combined with speed made good against the wind would work to. I can manage basic trig. I am trying to determine if I can realistically over come local currents (which are a known factor) under sail with these boats. Even estimates from knowledgeable sailors who haven't sailed these boats but have observed them would be useful. Or, any direction on where I could find this info would be helpful too (short of calling Gizzard yachts). Typical July wind speeds in my neighbourhood are 10-15 knots. The rest of the months are windier.  

Lots of variables here... I've not sailed one of these, but FWIW here's a couple of thoughts... Very shoal draft/shallow low-lift keel, would expect a fair bit of leeway at all times (current or not). Maybe possible that current may have a slightly lesser effect for same reason (less area for current to act on) but the increased leeway is going to be problematic anyhow. If the job description is 'upwind and up current' most of the time, not sure this is the boat for you unless you're in serious 'cruise' mode. Of course, if the currents are tidal (ie reversing during the day) your timing can make a world of difference. However I don't know the tidal influence on the St Lawrence. Certainly the state of the tide affects BC's Fraser river, but it truly only reverses in light runoff conditions.. during spring melts and heavy rains it simply slows down some.  

Faster said: If the job description is 'upwind and up current' most of the time, not sure this is the boat for you unless you're in serious 'cruise' mode. Of course, if the currents are tidal (ie reversing during the day) your timing can make a world of difference. However I don't know the tidal influence on the St Lawrence. Certainly the state of the tide affects BC's Fraser river, but it truly only reverses in light runoff conditions.. during spring melts and heavy rains it simply slows down some. Click to expand...

So are these boats good performers down wind? I'm not a keel boat racer, so I'm kind of bad at interpreting PHRF numbers. When I compare a Bayfield 25, to the other boats on my short list, all within 2' of waterline length, the Bayfield is the second fastest boat. The boats I'm comparing it to are a Tanzer 22, a Catalina 22, a CS22 and a Sirius 21. These boats can all be trailered behind a Santa Fe and can all be purchased in good shape for less than $10k cdn. The Tanzer 22 is by far the fastest, no doubt at least partially due to the fixed fin keel and low profile cabin top. It was showing about 15 seconds faster than the Bayfield. The Sirius 21 and CS 22 were both showing about 6 seconds slower than the Bayfield. The CS 22 had the shortest waterline length of the bunch at 18' but also the highest ballast/displacement ratio at 50%. The Sirius 21 had the highest SA/D at 20.75 and the lowest ballast displacement at only 26%. By far the slowest of the bunch was the Catalina 22 at around 24 seconds slower than the Bayfield with only 12" less waterline length. So is the Bayfield making up the time against these other boats at 90-180 degrees off the wind? Am I using a flawed Handicap numbers? I definitely understand the hydrodynamics behind the low aspect keel and why it shouldn't theoretically provide as much lift, but...? A couple of observations is the Bayfield has a fairly high SA/D for this type of boat at over 20 and is the only one of the bunch with a lead ballast.  

PHRF numbers aside, I have a hard time picturing a B25 sailing faster than a C22, assuming both well-sailed, and esp upwind. But they are 'cute' in their own way and certainly have more headroom than the others, so once again it's down to the compromises you're willing to make vs your priorities..  

The boat is underpowered for the Bahamas. Add an outboard on the stern for extra power.  

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• Sailboat Guide

Bayfield 25

Bayfield 25 is a 25 ′ 0 ″ / 7.6 m monohull sailboat designed by Ted Gozzard and built by Bayfield Boat Yard Ltd. between 1975 and 1984.

• 2 / 9 Bloomfield, KY, US 1982 Bayfield 25 $14,500 USD View
• 3 / 9 Bloomfield, KY, US 1982 Bayfield 25 $14,500 USD View
• 4 / 9 Bloomfield, KY, US 1982 Bayfield 25 $14,500 USD View
• 5 / 9 Bloomfield, KY, US 1982 Bayfield 25 $14,500 USD View
• 6 / 9 Bloomfield, KY, US 1982 Bayfield 25 $14,500 USD View
• 7 / 9 Bloomfield, KY, US 1982 Bayfield 25 $14,500 USD View
• 8 / 9 Bloomfield, KY, US 1982 Bayfield 25 $14,500 USD View
• 9 / 9 Bloomfield, KY, US 1982 Bayfield 25 $14,500 USD View

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Originally this model was called the BAYFIELD 23. In 1975 it is advertised as the BAYFIELD 23/25. A year later it is called the BAYFIELD 25.

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BAYFIELD 25 Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of BAYFIELD 25. Built by Bayfield Boat Yard Ltd. (CAN) and designed by Ted Gozzard, the boat was first built in 1975. It has a hull type of Long Keel and LOA is 7.62. Its sail area/displacement ratio 16.70. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by Petters, runs on Diesel.

BAYFIELD 25 has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about BAYFIELD 25 and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, rig and sail specs, auxillary power tank, accomodations, contributions, who designed the bayfield 25.

BAYFIELD 25 was designed by Ted Gozzard.

Who builds BAYFIELD 25?

BAYFIELD 25 is built by Bayfield Boat Yard Ltd. (CAN).

When was BAYFIELD 25 first built?

BAYFIELD 25 was first built in 1975.

How long is BAYFIELD 25?

BAYFIELD 25 is 6 m in length.

What is mast height on BAYFIELD 25?

BAYFIELD 25 has a mast height of 7.54 m.

Member Boats at HarborMoor

Bayfield 25

When Madison, Wisconsin, resident Barb Constans and her partner Deb Rohde were preparing to downsize from their Southern Cross 31 Tao they had a few specific criteria: Their new boat needed to be trailerable, offer standing headroom, have a classic look and the versatility required for bluewater sailing (no small feat for a trailerable boat), and it had to have a decent trailer.

With those non-negotiable criteria in mind, they set their sights on just the right pocket cruiser: the Bayfield 25.

Designed by Ted Gozzard and built from 1975 to 1984 at Bayfield Boat Yard in Ontario, Canada, the Bayfield 25 is well known for its 1,500-pound full keel that draws less than 3 feet, shippy-looking miniature bowsprit and comfortable living spaces that provide 6 feet of standing headroom.

"We've been sailing together for 30 years, and we were very clear on what we were looking for," Constans said. "We also wanted a full keel, solid construction, deck-stepped mast and a nice, dependable, inboard diesel engine. The Bayfield 25 had it all."

Constans and Rohde paid $11,200 for the boat they found on Lake Winnebago, a 1982 Bayfield 25 they renamed Zephyr . The name honored their late pet, a cocker spaniel who joined them on a nine-month sabbatical cruise down the East Coast, through the Bahamas and into the Caribbean.

"It's a perfect name," Constans said simply. "It's a warm west wind and the name of a really great boat dog."

The price was midrange for a Bayfield 25 of this vintage: prices can range from $8,000 up to $15,000, depending on the boat's condition and how much work has been done.

Zephyr , the trailer, Yanmar 1GM single-cylinder diesel engine and sails-a main and a roller-furling genoa-were all in good condition, so Constans knew she wasn't facing a major reconstruction project. Yet there was going to be a substantial to-do list anyway.

"This is probably our last boat," she said. "We don't want her to be a project for the rest of our lives, but she needed updating to make her safer and more comfortable for liveaboard cruising."

That fall, the first task was to strip off the standing and running rigging and lifelines, which had never been replaced. Constans went to West Shore Marine in Racine, Wisconsin, for new stays, lifelines, turnbuckles and lifeline latches. She also bought new genoa sheets, and she replaced the mainsheets with line she had in stock at home. The halyards also needed replacing but she was able to use spares from their previous boat.

The 8-horsepower Yanmar didn't need refurbishing, but Constans decided that future maintenance and trouble-shooting would be made easier if they had service and parts manuals for it. So she approached Torresen Marine of Muskegon, Michigan, which provided the documentation.

"You can change the oil, filters and impellers yourself, and at the very least, you can figure out what the problem might be before you call a diesel mechanic," Constans advised. "It's good to have drawings that are specific to your engine, especially if the mechanic is used to working on cars."

Then, in spring 2012, Constans embarked on the bulk of the retrofit. She anticipated two to three weeks of work; it ended up taking six.

First, she replaced the winches, since self-tailing models would make it easier to sail shorthanded. She purchased two new Lewmar 16ST winches on sale from West Marine and installed them herself.

"I definitely learned a lot," she said with a chuckle. "The new winches didn't match our old winch holes, and it was an interesting and difficult process to set them properly and drill straight down. There was a lot of measuring and drilling, and it took much longer than I thought.

"It's worth it to look for expensive items on sale," she added. "I do a lot of shopping before we buy anything."

After that, Constans addressed the lighting belowdecks. She replaced all but one interior light, added two new halogen Aqua Signal reading lights in the V-berth and mounted a small kerosene swing lamp on the wall in the main cabin.

Constans soon found herself rewiring all of the boat's living spaces. Zephyr's wiring was old, and it wasn't tinned. So she replaced the wires with ABYC standard yacht wire.

"I was lucky, because I had a lot of electrical supplies from rewiring our previous boats, and I didn't have to replace the panel, which can be costly," she said. "Predicting what a rewiring job will cost is difficult, because it depends on the size of the boat and how many feet you need."

Next, Constans replaced the stationary, crazed portlights with two stainless steel opening models from Port Townsend, Washington-based Newfound Metals.

"Newfound Metals was so great," Constans said. "They have a YouTube how-to installation video, and they talked to me a bunch of times. Even so, it was significantly more work than I expected. Imagine trying to hold a sliding, heavy porthole in place on a thin sidewall and drilling! I had to buy clamps and screws to hold everything in place.

"I was dealing with templates, and it was tough to find the right lengths of metric screws because you've got to match stainless with stainless and not just buy any old screw from the hardware store," she continued. "This was one of the most complicated projects I've ever done. If you're going to do it, have a partner, and avoid 90-degree days! Butyl tape melts more than you'd think."

Because Constans and Rohde are frequently on the hook, Zephyr 's anchor was a critical feature. The boat came with a Bruce, but Constans opted for a 25-pound CQR with bow roller; she kept the Bruce as a backup.

"The CQR is a nice working anchor," she observed. "It's held everywhere. But I suppose sailors tend to stick with what makes them comfortable."

After cutting blocks of wood to serve as backing plates, Constans placed the anchor mount farther out on the bowsprit. That way, the CQR could sit on one side with the Bruce on the other.

Constans then turned her attention to Zephyr 's lead-acid batteries, replacing them with two AGM Group 27 batteries. She purchased battery boxes as well.

She also added a new LinkLITE battery monitor, similar to the one she and Rohde once had on Tao .

"It's disconcerting to not know the condition of the dedicated starting battery and house battery," Constans explained. "Being able to keep track of that was important. But space is at a premium, and it was challenging to decide where to mount the monitor and bus bar, and then figure out the wiring."

Next came the galley. Zephyr came with a two-burner, fixed-position stove, which Constans removed. Instead, she added a Coleman one-burner propane stove and a Forespar swing stove. And she purchased a Whale telescoping faucet, which has an on/off switch at the nozzle.

Then, Constans replaced the boat's bow and stern lights, as well as the mast light, with Aqua Signal Series 25 non-LEDs.

Finally, Constans addressed safety issues. The existing compass had a bubble in the oil, indicating a gasket failure, so she replaced it with a Plastimo Contest through-read model, which is viewable from the cockpit or down below.

"A friend helped me make the interior and exterior wood mounting rings, as the hole was a bit too big," she noted.

In addition, she bought a large radar reflector to help make Zephyr a bigger target on heavily trafficked waterways, added Tao's Apelco VHF radio with WAM unit, purchased a cockpit speaker so they would be able to hear the VHF and replaced the aging fire extinguisher with a larger, brand-new one.

The foredeck cleats were corroded, so she replaced those with new stainless steel cleats and wood backing plates. And, she added two stainless steel Johnson folding midship cleats along the boat's toerails so they could rig spring lines.

Constans also was determined to address the boat's anchor locker. There was no way to keep it shut.

"We're planning to take her on the Great Lakes, to the Intracoastal Waterway and even across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas," she said. "In the event of a knockdown, I don't want that thing open."

She purchased a big, heavy, stainless steel barrel bolt from Jamestown Distributors. It was expensive, but it did the trick. Constans and Rohde also made several minor improvements including adding small amenities to the head, purchasing egg-crate foam for the V-berth, sewing a new head curtain, sewing winch and tiller covers, sewing sheet bags, using plastic snap-lid containers in the lockers to keep things dry, and adding a 12-volt outlet to the cockpit for the GPS and another down below. They also stripped some of the wood and replaced varnish with Sikkens. Constans estimates that about 90% of the refit was DIY.

There was one exception. Constans hired Select Plastics of Norwalk, Connecticut, to refurbish Zephyr's aging, crazed hatch. The company took the Lexan out, put acrylic in and added new gaskets and holes. And, at Constans's request, they incorporated her old solar vent.

"Over the years, I've learned when I can do something myself and when I need to find skilled labor," Constans said. "That being said, we had a problem with the trailer this fall, so in the spring I'm going to find someone to teach me to repack bearings. "

Constans has a few more things on her list. She'd like to add a mast floodlight for anchoring, a bimini top, a gin pole so she and Rohde can take the mast up and down themselves, a tiller pilot and a fuel pump to replace the existing manual one.

"I'm also thinking of sewing a gennaker," she mused. "I've never tried that."

To get a sense of what a new gennaker would cost, SAILING contacted UK Sailmakers in Annapolis, Maryland. Representative Dave Coughlin said the company would recommend a Matrix-cut Flasher; compared to Tri Radial, Matrix has more panels to allow better shape, performance and tear control. He also recommended Dimension Polyant's Dilon 100, a high-performance, 1.05-ounce-per-yard, ripstop spinnaker fabric that comes in a wide range of colors.

Sail area would come to 490 square feet, based on 165% Spinnaker Maximum Width (SMW). Coughlin said he estimates the price would come to roughly $1,617, which includes the sail and side-launch sail bag.

Opting to take sailmaking off their ambitious DIY list might be a good thing, because Constans and Rohde are looking forward to some serious sailing. Although the pair keep Zephyr at Mazanet Marine on Lake Mendota and enjoy lake sailing, they definitely are planning to cruise big water.

"We have a two-week cruise in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in our sights," Constans said. "Now we have a trailerable boat, so it's very doable."

When asked if she's happy with the Bayfield 25 so far, Constans is enthusiastic.

"She's a great boat," she said. "She's faster than our 31 was, and she can go out in 25 to 30 knots with two reefs in the main; she just jogs right along. She handles waves well. We're really pleased with her."

1982 Bayfield 25 (with trailer): $11,200

Retrofit Projects & Costs:

Replace rigging and lifelines $1,000

Genoa sheets $80

Yanmar 1GM service and parts manuals $165

Winches $1,100

New lighting and wiring $715

Two portlights $1,334

Anchor, anchor mount, bow roller $553

Batteries and battery monitor $760

Galley upgrades $237

Compass $153

Cleats $170

Fabric for curtain, sheet bags, winch covers $100

Misc. improvements $390

Refurbish hatch and add solar vent $371

Retrofit total $7,128

64% of Purchase Price

Grand total $18,328

Bayfield Yacht Owners Yahoo Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/bayfieldyachts/info; Defender, 800-628-8225, www.defender.com; Jamestown Distributors, 800-497-0010, www.jamestowndistributors.com; Newfound Metals, 888-437-5512, www.newfoundmetals.com; Select Plastics, 877-874-3767, www.selectplastics.com; Torresen Marine, 231-759-8596, www.torresen.com; West Marine, 800-262-8464, www.westmarine.com; UK Sailmakers, 718-885-2028 , www.uksailmakers.com; West Shore Marine, 262-632-2724, www.westshoreinc.com

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