bruce roberts sailboat review

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What's the deal with Bruce Roberts designs?

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I am looking at a Bruce Roberts 35 center cockpit ketch for sale. Boatplans ROBERTS 35 I would use it as a liveaboard with my girlfriend if I bought it. It seems to have a lot of interior space. It was homebuilt, and I know to get a survey, but I have some experience building small boats and I think I can spot whether it was done in a shoddy manner or not so I'd rather not get thread drift on the homebuilt issue. I have read mixed reviews of Bruce Roberts' boats in general. Some of his designs are outdated. Just looking at the hull shape and numbers this design does not look like a particularly fast or stiff boat to me, and I wouldn't expect that a center cockpit boat would be in the performance category anyway. Since it would be a liveaboard, performance is not my number one concern. But I don't want to own a bathtub either. Does anyone know about this design, or about Bruce Roberts' designs generally? PS I did a forum search and found mixed comments but nothing about his 35 footer.  

As you wish, i'll ignore the variable build quality of Robert's designs and its pretty much obvious he does not have many original ideas but I've known plenty of folks with Robert's designs that have enjoyed a hell of a lot of sea miles.  

Bruce Roberts is very popular in some parts of the world but I am not a fan of his work. It is not so much that I do not like his work per se. I think that for the most part Roberts designs conservative simple boats, but to me they are very dated. I emphasize this is only my opinion and Roberts has sold a bunch of these things so my opinion is not shared by everyone on this.Roberts more modern designs were probably good designs in the 1970's. But not only was the 1970's a low point in yacht design but a lot has happened since then. We understand a lot more seaworthiness, motion comfort, rigs and keel shapes and none of that is reflected in the design of the Roberts 35. But these are not 'traditional' designs either, by which I mean, the design does not evolve from traditional working water craft and so would not be expected to have the virtues that one would expect for a more tradition design either. From your comments I understand that you do not want a tub. I have never sailed one of the 35's. Looking at the numbers these are very heavy boats for their length. It get any performance out of a heavy boat, it takes a very carefully modeled hullform and a lot of sail area, neither of which is present in this case. Given that most of these were hand built, I would suspect that few of these boats will be anywhere near their design weight, ending up instead well over. I strongly believe that weight, in and of itself, has no inherent virtue and is a very serious liability. And when you couple that with the boats very small sail area for its weight, I would expect that this will be by definition a tub. And while you can try to crowd larger overlapping headsails to make up for the dismal standing rig, using low efficiency large overlap headsails will make this a hard boat to sail that by the numbers probably still will not offer reasonable performance. Respectfully, Jeff  

I think Jeff_H is correct. I use to own a Roberts Classic 45 and "heavy" and "non-performance" was a pretty apt description. One advantage from the these designs is that they are often very cheap and therefore if your budget is limited you can get alot of boat for your money, ie get a 35ft boat for the price of a 30ft boat. However you have to be careful that you do not overpay for the boat ( ie it should be a lot cheaper than similar sized boats) and expect the boat to sell cheaply when it's time for you to sell, irrespective of how much time and money you have spent on the boat. Ilenart  

peterchech said: Well I went to see the boat last night, and I was not impressed. First, the exterior of the hull was not fair. It had lots of ripples, like a mediterranean workboat but with glossy awl grip so the lack of fairness was even more apparent. The interior was TERRIBLE. It had less interior space than a 30 footer, the fore and aft cabins were tiny with the bunks raised so far off the floor that you have to slide into the double berths. To be honest, no counting the aft cabin, it had about as much space as my Hunter 25 with headroom. Yes this boat was the definition of a large, heavy bathtub, with little usable space. A coffin-like bathtub with standing headroom. Yup, the earth is just a tiny bit warmer thanks to the fact that I drove an hour each way to see this boat Click to expand...

Don't expect performance out of a boat fully loaded for offshore cruising. A taller rig, may make her a bit tender, while empty, but will work well, once she is fully loaded. Roberts, according to his latest book, was designing skegs to fall off if they hit anything, which sometimes happened. . He has since redesigned them, so check how solidly the skeg is attached, and how easy it would be to reinforce it. I've been told Roberts has nearly zero personal experience in offshore cruising, owning and maintaining a steel boat, so take long someone who has, preferably someone who has owned a steel boat for may decades. Many home built boats are far better built than commercially built ones, especially here in BC, where many commercially built ones have zero epoxy under the spray foam, zero inside welding, with the outside weld mostly ground off. .  

Brent Swain said: snip Many home built boats are far better built than commercially built ones, especially here in BC, where many commercially built ones have zero epoxy under the spray foam, zero inside welding, with the outside weld mostly ground off. . Click to expand...

hello. Thanks for this information. I am thinking of buying a GRP Bruce Roberts Classic 45, she looks like a fine boat but I'm rather put off by some of the comments above. is there anyone out there who owns one and can let me know what she is like to sail; speed/stability/response and handling in a big sea. I'm planning on an extended cruise, the 'sell up and sail' option, so keen to get the right boat... thank you  

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A Boat Owner’s Insights – Bruce Roberts 65 Review

In this edition of “A Boat Owner’s Insights,” we get an in-depth look at the 1998 Bruce Roberts New York 65 Steel Cutter currently listed on our Boatshed Seattle website (link below). This is a true expedition charter sailing vessel with ample adventures and nautical miles already under her belt. From the remote northwestern coast of Greenland to the Northwest Passage of North America, she has proven herself capable and fully equipped for safe and comfortable world voyaging.

What inspired you to buy a 65-foot offshore steel sailboat?

We wanted to deliver Alaskan sailing vacations out of Seward, Alaska, and had the opportunity to purchase her there. She is an ideal charter boat – stable and spacious with many system redundancies that make operating in remote areas much more comfortable.

What have you most enjoyed about her?

A few things come to mind. We enjoyed her spacious salon area for relaxing while on anchor. The well laid-out galley, with its ample room for provisions and table wares definitely made it easier to cook meals every day for six guests and three crew! Also, the deck layout with the dodger-style enclosed area above the companion way made it comfortable for passengers to enjoy the scenery while not being in the way of the helm or the running rigging. And we really loved her aesthetic appeal. She has a lot of presence on the water and looks (and sails) great. We were really proud to take her out and show her off. We slept well at night because of the peace of mind allowed by her redundancies – one being the manifolded fuel system, which makes it easy to isolate bad fuel from the delivery side.

What notable destinations has she traveled to?

She was built in Ketchikan, Alaska in 1998, so our visit with her there last summer marked the completion of her circumnavigation of North America, via the Panama Canal and the Northwest Passage. In 2015 she sailed up to 79 degrees north along the west coast of Greenland and completed the Northwest Passage. We met her prior owners in Greenland that year. We sailed her all over the Alaskan coast including Prince William Sound and the Kenai Fjords. Notable destinations and trips include crossing the Gulf of Alaska, going into the ice from Holgate Glacier, and squeezing through the tide-dependent entry of Taz Basin.

What has impressed you most about her performance?

She points well, even in light air, and has a sizeable rudder – she’s more nimble than you would think for a boat that displaces 100,000+ pounds. We sailed her upwind in some pretty narrow channels. As you would expect with an expedition boat, she’s also quite content in stronger winds and bigger seas.

What additions to her are noteworthy compared to similar vessels?

This boat is well-equipped right now to go sailing, with no major outfitting required. We sailed her down from Alaska to the Waterline dock in August. Twin engines make her a standout in her category, for sure. We added a safety skeg per the designer’s specifications in 2017, and this stiffened her up and added more ballast lower down, with no decrease in speed or turning moment. Not all Bruce Roberts designed-boats have this addition.

Why are you listing her with Waterline Boats?

We chose Waterline Boats / Boatshed because of another purchase we made through Boatshed in Port Townsend. The broker, Brian Moretti, worked very hard to answer our questions and make the sale easy and transparent. When we decided to sell our beloved steel cutter, it was a simple decision for us to call up Brian and have him handle the listing. The exposure and foot traffic of the Lake Union location was the clincher for us to keep the boat on the sales dock at Waterline Boats.

For complete listing details on this proven, capable vessel, including 200+ large format photos as well as videos and 360 Virtual Tours, please view our Boatshed presentation here: https://porttownsend.boatshed.com/bruce_roberts_new_york_65-boat-256236.html

Our “A Boat Owner’s Insights” series is just one other method by which Waterline Boats / Boatshed makes the process of buying a boat a more informative and enjoyable one.

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• Sailboat Guide

Bruce Roberts

Born in Victoria Australia Bruce was educated at Eltham High School & studied yacht design through the US based Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology. Bruce entered the marine industry and for several years operated a boat yard in Brisbane where he completed an informal boatbuilding apprenticeship. In 1968 Bruce founded BRUCE ROBERTS INTERNATIONAL YACHT DESIGN in partnership with Andrew Slorach … Andy is still involved in the business. In 1972 Bruce opened his first “International design office” in the USA. Bruce has since designed a huge range of sail and powerboats that have been built in fiberglass, steel, aluminum and wood epoxy. There are over 30,000 of Bruce’s designs in service worldwide.

4 Sailboats designed by Bruce Roberts

Mauritius 43.

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Bruce roberts review.

The worst boats are home-built, and the best boats are home-built. – Common Saying

Bruce Roberts boats are either extraordinary or awful. Bruce Roberts is an Australian designer who sells his designs directly to the public. Also, he’s sold many to professional builders since 1966 when he and Andrew Slorach opened the first office in Australia. Bruce says, “Over the past 41 years many boats have been built to our plans and branded with the professional builders names … as you know builders come and go … even some of the biggies lately.” Bruce Roberts keeps going strong booked with production and commercial design work until mid 2010.

“We started our design business in 1966.” During the 1970’s and early 1980’s, Bruce and Andrew expanded to the USA and Europe. According to Bruce during this period Fine Lines aka Bruce Roberts International pirated many of the plans while copying a few post 1980 from customer files. Bruce Roberts International claims Bruce Roberts split off in 2000 to form Bruce Roberts Design. It makes sense to me to buy your designs from Bruce because he wrote them. If you buy your plans from Bruce Roberts International, Bruce will not recognize your boat as an authentic Bruce Roberts design. He will not provide support.

No two Bruce Roberts are even closely alike. In Fort Lauderdale, three Bruce Roberts have been around recently. Two are 44 footers, one a 45 foot boat, all asking around $100,000, and all built in the 1980’s. If you think of production boats like Swan you’d find similar styled boats within the same length, age, and price range. But comparing these three you’ll find one with high freeboard, another with long overhangs, and the last with a big bowsprit. They are not related except by name. And beyond design, the builds are wildly different. A professional yard in NY built one with a teak deck and green counter tops, another home-built on Georgian Bay in Canada in beautiful woodwork, and last built in a “Bruce Roberts yard” in South Africa. It is a mixed pot for sure.

If you want to build a Bruce Roberts design, he will provide plans, a kit, or set you up with a builder. Bruce says, “We have many professional builders and yards that have and continue to build our boats … the mix is about 33% professional builders, 33% talented amateurs and 33% I would rather forget!” You can get the builder to partially or completely finish the design. No matter the choice, resale value will be less because of the always questionable build. As the saying goes, either a Bruce Roberts is better quality than a Swan or worse than a Bavaria. No matter, you know you are getting a quality design by Bruce Roberts.

2 Replies to “Bruce Roberts Review”

If you want to see some comments by genuine builders of Bruce Roberts boats then check out this link. these are REAL PEOPLE who have built and sailed Bruce Roberts designed boats and not ghost writes with an axe to grind !! http://www.bruceroberts.com/public/HTML/FEEDBACK.htm

No axe to grind here, and I am a real person too. Thanks for the interview and okaying the article in ’09. I do not think I have changed anything measurably since? Let me know if you would like any changes. I hope this review has and will in the future inspire people to purchase one of your great cruising designs. All my best. Please stop by if you swing through Fort Lauderdale ever.

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Roberts 34 Boat Plan

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Dear Mr Roberts,

I last corresponded with you during March 77 from Gladstone, Australia, having sailed singlehanded half way around the world in my NOR WEST 34 (Roberts 34).

The voyage was completed on 1st May 1978, when I sailed into Lymington Harbour, the total distance 34,000 miles.

No big problems, my engine gave out in Darwin and a few of the Islands I'd intended visiting had to be missed. I sailed non stop Darwin to Durban 6,000 miles in 56 days, when I would have preferred to call at Cocos and Christmas Islands. The odd gale on the way home but nothing to worry about.

I found Solitaire very easy to sail and completed the trip singlehanded.

The only work I have to carry out is to paint, and to fit extra fuel and water tanks for my next voyage, which I'm hoping to make of a longer duration after the shake down cruise.

Since my return I've been asked to write articles, and to be honest I'm not interested.

However, I have been on BBC radio and TV; some very good film was taken of the yacht for this programme. Perhaps you could acquire copies by contacting the BBC.

Many thanks for a first class boat.

Leslie T. Powles

Steel Roberts 34 under construction

Sitting Pretty  

This is an earlier design that still enjoys a great amount of popularity. It has been sailed in the singlehanded Trans-Atlantic race and has been built as a production boat in many parts of the world. It is also the design of choice of English Yachtsman Leslie Powles who has now completed three circumnavigations in his Roberts 34 'Solitaire', the most recent finishing in 1997 after a non stop journey from NZ to England via Cape Horn. (Reproduced at the bottom of this page is a letter that was received in our offices from Leslie on the 25th June, 1978, over 20 years ago!)

This design can be built in multi chine steel or aluminium or in round bilge fibreglass or wood epoxy. It is available as a sloop rig with a fixed keel only.

The study plan package includes sheets from the full construction package, materials lists, sail plan and accommodation layouts.

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• Brand: Bruce Roberts Designs
• Product Code: Roberts 34
• Availability: In Stock

Prices in Australian Dollars (AUD) SP - Study Plans FPP - Full Plan and Patterns

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