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Dissecting the CSY 37

Peter schmitts cutter tackled bareboating with a dose of tough love..

Photos by Peter Hibbard

Designed by Peter Schmitt, the CSY 37 is the mid-sized boat in the CSY line. Eighty-seven of these raised-deck cutters were built, primarily for the Caribbean bareboat charter trade.

Schmitt has combined some features most often found in traditional boats-the oval stem, raised deck, and semi-clipper bow-with a relatively modern underbody featuring a fairly long fin keel and a skeg-mounted rudder. On paper, the boat looks pretty good. In person, she is rather tubby and high-sided, but that tubbiness means added buoyancy-not such a bad thing to have in a blow.

The CSY 37 most closely resembles the Ericson Cruising 36. The styling of both these boats can best be described as ersatz traditional.

Even with the tall rig and deeper keel options, the CSY 37 is no performance cruiser. In our owner surveys, the people most satisfied with the boats performance had tall rigs, but even they agreed that this was an all-out cruising boat. Unfortunately, with her huge cockpit, she is not an ideal sea boat. Rather, she is a boat designed for a specific purpose, bareboat chartering, a purpose which she serves admirably. To expand her appeal to the general sailing public would be difficult, as CSY discovered. The company went under in 1981, a tough period for many builders.

Most CSY 37s went into charter service, usually on lease-back arrangements. The boats have to be strong and reliable-a week out of service for repairs means lost revenue to the charter operator. That the boats can stand up to this constant use and abuse is a credit to both designer and builder.

Deck Layout

With her raised deck amidships, the CSY 37 has an amazing amount of deck space, giving the on-deck impression of a small ship. There is plenty of space on deck to carry a rigid dinghy. Schmitts own CSY 37 carried a beautiful little dory with a varnished transom as a tender; she fit quite neatly on the starboard side and served as a catchall for fenders and lines.

Deck space is important in boats used extensively in the charter trade. Lounging on deck is the primary charter boat activity. In this category, the CSY 37 gets five stars.

Anchor handling is fairly easy with the stub bowsprit. There is, however, only a single bow cleat. This is a Practical Sailor pet peeve, for it greatly complicates anchoring with two anchors, a common practice for cruising boats. The original anchoring package included a good length of stainless-steel chain, if you encounter this ditch it quick; use galvanized instead.

The boat came with a rugged horizontal electric windlass from the Ideal windlass company. Many of these are still in service and worth repairing, but a more practical option may be to replace it with a manual windlass or a newer model (see PS October 2008 online).

Heavy travelers for both the main and the staysail are located on the main deck. Athwartships control lines should really be used with these to get optimum performance from the sails-essential on a boat that must be tweaked to get a reasonable level of performance on the wind.

The cockpit is huge-undesirable for an offshore boat but good for the charter trade. The large cockpit lockers are well divided and are partitioned from the engine space under the cockpit.

The starboard cockpit locker contains the best battery box installation we have seen on a stock boat of this era.

The port locker contains the optional 110-VAC refrigeration compressor. Unfortunately, its wiring is exposed to the weather when the locker lid is opened. The sound-insulated engine room hatch occupies much of the cockpit sole.

There are four large cockpit scuppers, which are imperative to have with the huge cockpit. The companionway sill should be higher if the boat is to be used offshore. Some owners have commented that water backs up through these scuppers, a problem easily remedied by swapping the hoses, so the port scuppers drain to starboard, and vice versa. A fiberglass seahood, protecting the forward end of the companionway slide, is standard equipment.

Two interior arrangements are available, a two-stateroom, two-head plan, and a single-stateroom, single-head plan. The two-stateroom plan is used primarily in the charter trade. It is really too much interior to try to cram in a 29-foot waterline and designer Schmitt was not particularly proud of it.

The single-stateroom layout is also unconventional. It gives over the forward 40 percent of the interior space to a large cabin with built-in double berth and a huge head compartment in the forepeak. The problem with this arrangement is that should you have guests aboard, they must troop through the owners cabin in order to use the head.

The space given over to the head in the single-stateroom model is almost exactly the same space occupied by the forward cabin in the two-stateroom model. With a single-stateroom layout, interior space might have been better utilized with a conventional layout of sleeping quarters forward with the head and hanging lockers dividing the forward cabin from the main cabin. That said, there is some practical aspect to allocating the least comfortable part of the boat to the toilet and shower, which see infrequent use.

The interior volume of the CSY 37 is huge, thanks to the raised deck. There are many well-thought-out interior details, too many to catalog here. The ice box, for example, is divided into two compartments with separate opening traps. The icebox has a minimum of 4 inches of urethane foam insulation, probably more than any other stock boat on the market of this era.

There are, however, lapses in this good design. Galley countertops in our test boat were covered with a slate-like laminate, difficult to clean and too bumpy for a good work surface. Head counters and some shelves were covered with marble-grained plastic, looking more like a slice out of a multicolored bowling ball than real marble.

The mixture of excellent design details, strange lapses in taste, and irregular execution is difficult to evaluate reasonably. It was pleasing to see, that after years of using teak-grained, mica-covered bulkheads, CSY switched to real oak-faced bulkheads.

As could be expected of a boat designed for the Caribbean charter trade, ventilation of the interior is excellent. There are six opening hatches or skylights in addition to the companionway. Some dorade boxes, however, might be welcome in steamy climates with frequent rain. One could spend a great deal of time analyzing the interior details, primarily because a lot of thought has gone into them. Both of the interior layouts are unusual, and each will have adherents and detractors.

Construction

There are really only two words to describe the construction of the CSY 37: massive overkill. This is a mixed blessing. It means you have a strong, heavy hull. It often also means that you end up with a boat that is under canvassed in light air. Very often, such an approach means a boat that has a fairly low ballast-to-displacement ratio.

Forty percent of the CSY 37s advertised displacement is in the ballast keel. With a 29-foot waterline, the displacement of about 20,000 pounds is average by traditional standards, heavy by modern standards.

The hull is an extraordinarily heavy, solid-glass layup, as is the deck-almost never seen today. No core materials are used anywhere. Without coring such as balsa or Airex, a glass hull can sweat in a cold climate and be excessively warm in a hot, humid climate.

The hull-to-deck joint is simple and effective. The hull and deck flanges, which overlap to form a molded rail, are bedded in 3M 5200 and through bolted with stainless-steel machine screws on 4-inch centers. The ubiquitous 3M 5200 is a tenacious adhesive sealant, and hull-deck leaks do not seem to be an issue with this boat.

Keel construction is unusual. The cast-lead keel is glassed into the hollow keel molding, any voids being filled with fiberglass slurry. This is then glassed over to form a double bottom and to keep the ballast in place. This ballast arrangement is identical in both the shoal and deep-draft versions. The deep-draft boat, however, has a 16-inch deep keel extension filled with about 600 pounds of cast concrete. A few CSY 37s have undergone a do-it-yourself keel-ectomy in which this extension is cut off. The shoal draft boat with less lateral plane will, of course, make more leeway.

The hull is molded in two pieces, then joined in the middle with heavy overlapping layers of mat and roving. This allows some flexibility in hull design, making possible such features as a molded-in rubbing strake and a stern with substantial tumble home.

Installation of hardware is excellent. This is one of the few production boats from this era we have ever seen with through-bolted bronze seacocks. Backing plates are used on deck hardware such as cleats and winches.

The rudder stock is a solid 2-inch round bronze bar. The cast-bronze rudder heel fitting would look more at home on a 60-foot boat than on a 37-footer. The rudder straps are also bronze, rendering the boat immune from the problems with encapsulated 304 stainless steel found in some rudders of this era.

The bow fitting is a massive stainless steel weldment, incorporating an anchor roller, a welded chock, and the headstay chainplate. The edges of the bow chock are not rounded, and could easily chafe an unprotected anchor rode. This bow fitting could double as an effective battering ram. We suspect that the dock boys in the West Indies were pretty wary every time an inexperienced charterer brought one of the CSY charter boats into the slip.

The chainplates are heavy stainless-steel flat bars with load-distributing welded webs through-bolted to the hull. The hull layup is further reinforced in the way of the chainplates, an almost extraneous precaution, given the extreme heaviness of the regular hull layup.

Interior bulkheads are heavy waterproof plywood, attached to the hull with solid and neatly made fillets. Airex pads along the outboard edges of the bulkheads distribute the bulkhead stresses on the inside of the hull, preventing hard spots.

Cabin sole supports are clear fir. The teak-faced cabin sole is screwed to these bearers, with only limited access openings to the bilge. Practical Sailor would prefer that most of the cabin sole be removable, providing access to the bilge spaces in an emergency. CSY appeared to be counting on the massiveness of the hull construction to prevent holing. This conceit could backfire. Remember the Titanic?

Hatches are molded fiberglass with translucent panels. They have good gasketing and good hold-downs, but a short person will have trouble reaching overhead to open the hatches due to the tremendous headroom.

The boats exterior finish is of good stock boat quality. Joinerwork is clean with the exception of an awkward transition from the caprail on top of the raised deck to the sheer-level railcap in the foredeck well.

The molded fiberglass trailboards are shielded below the bow by a somewhat awkward molded glass panel. This became standard after a number of CSY boats lost their trailboards in heavy seas.

Handling Under Power

With such high topsides, the Perkins 4-108 is the smallest engine we would want in the boat. As it is, handling at slow speeds in a crosswind can be tricky. A great deal of practice is required to handle such a high-sided boat under power in a breeze.

The turning radius of the CSY 37 is substantially larger than with a shorter-keeled boat. With her heavy displacement, acceleration is not exactly neck snapping. She should have enough power to get out of tight spots, however.

Handling in reverse is tricky. The boat does not go where you aim it until you learn to use a combination of rudder and bursts of throttle.

Engine access through the large cockpit hatch is good, but the heavy hatch should have a more positive means of holding it in the upright position. If it fell on your head, youd remember it, if you were lucky enough to then remember anything.

To those who have been spoiled by the handling under power of some modern boats, the CSY 37 may be a disappointment.

Handling Under Sail

The CSY 37 was available in two keel configurations, and with two rigs. The four possible combinations offer very different performance characteristics.

Most boats were delivered with the standard short rig. In areas of normally heavy air, such as the West Indies in winter, the normal rig is adequate. In light air with the short rig, the boat is a slug. The engine will come in handy under these circumstances.

Performance is greatly enhanced by the tall rig, which is about 8 feet taller than the standard rig and incorporates two sets of spreaders.

With the chainplates set at the outboard edge of the hull, the sheeting base is excessively wide. Sheeting a genoa in tight enough to go to windward effectively is difficult.

To avoid the necessity for running backstays, the intermediate and after lower shrouds are attached to the deck several feet aft of the mast and the upper shrouds. Unfortunately, when broad reaching, the boom and main fetch up on these shrouds far too soon. This is ironic in a boat whose best point of sail is off the wind.

Our test boat had the tall rig and the shoal-draft keel. This is not the combination we would choose to own. Performance with the tall rig is greatly enhanced. However, the higher sail plan does make the boat more tender, and with the cut-down keel, combines to produce a boat that makes excessive leeway when heeled more than about 20 degrees. We would prefer to combine the tall rig with the deep keel.

Our test boat was overpowered with full main, staysail, and large yankee by gusts of a little over 15 knots over the deck, sailing hard on the wind. She also made substantial leeway. With a reef in, the helm eased, the boat stood up, and leeway was less.

Off the wind, the CSY 37 comes into her own. She is stable, and visions of long tradewind passages instantly come to mind. Under those conditions, she would shine if you had plenty of chafe protection on those aft-leading shrouds.

Halyard winches are mounted on the keel-stepped, painted aluminum mast. The boom does not overhang the cockpit, and has a well-made boom gallows, which provides a good handhold on deck as well as an excellent place to store the boom when at rest, or when sailing under the storm jib alone in heavy weather.

Conclusions

CSY was an unusual company, and the CSY 37 is certainly an unconventional boat. The boat is strongly built-overly built, in fact. The price may seem high, until you consider that this is a well-equipped 20,000-pound boat. Hot and cold pressure water, Edson pedestal steering, and gimballed propane stove were all standard, for example.

CSY boats were probably the strongest production boats ever marketed. They may be ungainly, and not the hottest performers under sail, but they are tough. Thats an important consideration if youre trying to get the most for your money.

Editors note: This review is an updated and expanded version of one first published in 1998.

• Heavy-duty Hull Gets High Praise

• CSY Owners Association
• CSY sailboats Blog

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Take me back to the 70s. So many cool sailboats to choose from. Truly the golden age.

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Interior tour of our 44′ CSY Walk Over sailboat (Photo + Video)

Now that we’ve settled in properly and I finally finished sewing the interior seat cushions , I thought I would snap a few photos (since I just cleaned) of the interior of our sailboat. I also took video as well, so see the end of this post for the video tour.

Our sailboat is a 44′ CSY “walk over”. CSY made the 44′ sailboat with two layouts: a walk thru and a walk over . Since the boat has a center cockpit, this means that in the walk over the cabins below are separated by the cockpit. The walk thru has the aft cabin and main cabin connected by a skinny hallway. Its galley is also situated on the starboard side. The walk over (like ours) does not have this connecting hallway. The cabins are completely separate and the only way to get from one to the other is to “walk over” the cockpit.

The Main Cabin

The main cabin is our main living area. It’s where the galley and primary eating spot is located. Walking forward, there is a full-size shower, separate head and the v-berth.

The Aft Cabin

The aft cabin is our master stateroom. It has a bed, head and navigation table with a large locker under it.

That’s it! That’s the view below the decks on s/v Blue Turtle. Video tour is below.

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2 thoughts on “Interior tour of our 44′ CSY Walk Over sailboat (Photo + Video)”

Hi Guys, love what you’ve done!! I have a 78 walkover and am in the process of overhauling the interior to suit my purposes. Could I ask what timber you used for the changes to the original? Teak is a) hard to source and b) prohibitively expensive, especially in Australia. Thanks Ken

Unfortunately, we didn’t do any of the interior renovation. We bough the boat like it is. I’m not sure what type wood was used. If I can find out from the previous owner, I’ll post here.

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Csy 44 review: walkover or walkthrough.

In 1978, John R “Jack” Van Ost, a retired dentist, introduced to the world the Caribbean Sailing Yachts (CSY) 44. Jack was an entrepreneurial genius who would revolutionize chartering. He was the first to offer boats on a purchase and charter model copied by CYC/Hylas. Purchase and charter means that the buyer of the CSY 44 paid less but allowed CYC to charter the boat for a few years. After those years, they freely owned her. This model eased the overhead of purchasing a new CSY and gave Jack a default charter fleet at the same time. The 44 along with the 37 CSY are Ted Irwin inspired designs officially attributed to Peter Schmitt and Frank Hamlin. Jack dealt directly with purchasers. CSY did not have a dealer network. To accomplish this, they made a soft marketing brochure called “The CSY Guide to Buying A Yacht.” Of course, the guide’s advise was to buy a 44 CSY which many did. It was not bad advise.

First Impressions There was a Vagabond 42 docked at our marina. One time a client was interested in seeing a 42 Vagabond so while not for sale, I thought we could stop by. I hailed the owner and asked, “What can you tell us about a 42 Vagabond.” To my surprise, he said, “Well quite a bit, but this isn’t a Vagabond. This is a 44 CSY.” I felt as foolish as ever. But looking later at photos, the two are closely related designs. The trailboards, raised quarterdeck and teak highlights match. One way I try to tell is by the portholes on the 44 CSY on the forward hull. These brass, circular portholes are a giveaway. The other way is the ketch rig on Vagabond 42’s. Below the waterline, she has a modern hull to contrast with her classic good looks. A skeg hung rudder combines with a longish, cutaway forefoot fin keel. The freeboard rises quickly forward to offset the raised quarterdeck. There is a pilothouse version with a substantial trunk cabin.

Construction CSY made all kinds of claims about quality build techniques. They made their boats Lloyd’s of London certified, used special cradles to protect freshly molded hulls, and so on. In general, this seems to have been varified though CSY 44’s have a homemade kind of feeling. CSY out of Tampa, FL built first class boats. The hull layup is 9 laminations solid fiberglass above the waterline, nearly an inch thick. Jack really wanted to start a chartering business and thought none of the boats were up to the harsh life of a Caribbean bareboat, so he was forced into building CSYs to withstand that punishment. The deck is solid on most while owners rumor that some later ones have cored decks.

The hull deck joint is a raised bulwark like on Cabo Ricos. Dave from the owners association says, “The vertical side of the hull (topside) comes up and then turns inboard at the caprail. The deck runs outboard, up to form the bulwark then outboard over the hull layer and just under the wood caprail. So from top to bottom on top of the bulwark you have the 1″ thick teak caprail, the 1/2″ thick deck fiberglass layer and finally the 1/2″ thick topside fiberglass layer.” CSY then used 5200 and alternating 1/4″ screws/bolts on 4″ centers to combine the 3 layers.

An interesting and not replicated feature was an encapsulated shoal fin keel. Usually, shoal/fin keels mean an external lead ballast. Instead CSY made shoal keels by blocking out part of the mold. On top of that, fin keels were built to later be cutoff. They designed in the expectation that owners in the Southeast would want to later cut-off a deep keeled, 6’6″ draft to the shoal level of 4’11”. Deep keels were solid concrete from 6’6″ to the 4’11” level, then a lead/concrete slurry solidified with resin above the 4’11” line. If a deep drafting owner wanted to go to shoal, they cut-off the concrete, and voila they had a perfectly built shoal draft CSY

These 44’s have large water tankage. One owner explained his choice. “Well what you okay is get a list okay of things you have to have. Then, you take this list and match it as close as you can with a boat, okay? Now high on my list water tankage so I have plenty cruising the Bahamas and the like without worrying about rationing. The CSY 44 has 400 gallons water capacity. Now there were others things, too. But this was an important feature.” The 400 gallons goes along with 100 gallons fuel capacity standard.

What To Look For Both the fuel and water tanks are built in fiberglass. I have heard from owners of tanks blistering and cracking. It is not easy to redo the tanks as they are integral with the hull and support the sole in some places. Cutting them away and sticking in stainless or plastic tanks is a serious job. The hull deck joint is known to leak because the sealant was applied in a thin line and in some places did not make a complete seal. The water seems in through stanchion bases, the chainplates which go through the joint, or any other fastener through the caprail. A post from the owners association notes that finding the leak is difficult because water runs down from the high bow along the joint.

Like a Cabo Rico 38, the 44 comes in many different variations. Her rig could cutter or ketch as well as short or tall. The draft can be shoal or deep. The deck mold could be a pilothouse, raised saloon, or cabintrunk version. They even made fishing boats called the CSY 44 Bottom Line out of the same mold based on the inspiration of an owner who personally outfitted a scrapped hull.

On Deck and Down Below When you talk about CSY 44’s, the first question is whether the boat is a walkover or walkthrough. Walkover means that there is no passageway between the aft stateroom and saloon. You have to “walkover” the cockpit. Walkthroughs have a tunnel like passage. The walkover idea for chartering nicely separated the guests forward and the captain aft. These are cutter rigged, centercockpits. They had clubfoot booms for a self tending jib. The cockpit itself is a nice saloon arrangement with a U-shaped seating to port and a straight seating starboard. The scuppers are large though the companionway sill is average. The main companionway has two slats while the aft companionway is a single piece.

The large athwartship king aft has good light via the piratish aft windows. These windows are usually square while later models when production was running down may have circular ones like the 37. According the owners forum, there may be differences in headroom because of differences in the molds used. I have noted low headroom while others note a 6’8″ friend being able to stand up. I previewed one the other day with 6’6″ headroom. The interior is dark because an imitation walnut Formica The bulkheads and most of the cabinetry are plywood with a thin imitation woodgrain Formica. The Formica makes for a dark interior.

Engine and Underway The sailing ability will depend on whether the 44 is a shoal or deep draft. The short keel will point 5 degree further offwind according to a admirer from the owners association. But the differences are not that much. He says, “The designer, Peter Schmitt told me personally a year ago that there is very little difference in upwind performance between the two keels and no stability problems with the short keel version.” He goes on to talk about capping his shoal keel to improve the hydrodynamics. It’ll also depend on the rig. CSY 44’s came in tall and short rigs with most as tall rigs. Engine access is through the cockpit sole. Two raised molded hatches hing up.

Conclusion In 1980, they introduced the Cygnet 44, another walkthrough variation. Shortly later in 1981, CSY went out of business. They hit a bad economic period and built too well built of boats. Antigua Yachts tried to revive the 44 in the 1980’s but after 20-30 hulls went out of business. These 44 CSY are old fashioned looking but revolutionary in their day. They ask around $100,000 on the used market. Marill.com and CSYowners.com are two worthwhile resources for more information. The owner group site has a great forum to ask questions on.

One Reply to “CSY 44 Review: Walkover or Walkthrough”

i OWNED A CSY44 WALKTHROUGH 1980 HULL NO. 2 i BOUGHT HER IN VENIZULA AS “MAJI”, AND CHANGED HER NAME TO OL’DOG. WE OWNED HER FOR 9 YEARS AND WOULD STILL BE ABOARD EXCEPT FOR SOME HEALTH PROBLEMS. SHE WAS A TALL RIG, DEEP DRAFT, AND A WONDERFUL SAILING CRAFT AND COMFORTABLE AT ANCHOR/TIED UP. WE REPOWERED FROM A WESTERBEAK W60 TO A PERKINS 4-236 85HP. SHE MOTERED WELL WITH VERY LITTLE FUEL CONSUMPTION, 1.2GPH. SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN A CYGNET IF THE NAME HAD BEEN USED.

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• By Ralph Naranjo
• Updated: July 31, 2002

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The CSY 44 evolved from a desire to build a better charter boat, hard to break, easy to care for, more livable at anchor and more responsive under sail. The result didn’t look anything like the thoroughbreds dominating Antigua Race Week today. Instead, a retro look, starting with the clipper bow and molded-in trailboards, caused many to assume that this might be just another full-keel anachronism dependent on the enhanced trade winds of the Caribbean for any measure of sailing ability. Charterers and new-boat owners were pleasantly surprised.

The CSY 44 turned out to be a ruggedly built mid-cockpit cutter also available in a pilothouse version. The hefty lay-up schedule, moderate sail area and full sections made it as appealing to cruising traditionalists as it was to the charter fleet. Her bulletproof rub rail and a keel and ballast arrangement designed to handle a grounding piqued the interest of many cruisers. The fact that the vessel could be purchased in kit form or as a ready-to-cruise package further widened its appeal.

The CSY 44’s clipper bow, raised deck aft and relatively high freeboard do give her a distinctive look. The smooth curve of the cove band and boot stripe work together to offset the freeboard astern and thus lower the profile of this big, broad-transomed boat. Making a boat spacious below results in some extra windage and water-dragging girth, but in this case the end justifies the means, especially if you want to stow a lot of gear.

On one hand, the designers set out to create a big boat with lots of room below, plenty of waterline length and a good amount of volume for tankage, storage and headroom. On the other hand, tank testing helped make the hull form as efficient as possible. The underbody, characterized by a cut-away forefoot, longish keel and skeg-hung rudder, affords plenty of directional stability and performs reasonably well under sail on and off the wind.

The boat comes in either a shoal- (4’ draft) or deep-keel (6’ draft) version. Long-distance passage makers would probably be better off with the deep-draft version, because the shoal option is virtually the same, with the bottom two feet and 2,000 pounds of ballast keel lopped off, reducing significantly the vesselÕs ultimate righting moment. The shoal-draft model, however, would be a great coastal passage maker, particularly adapted to the Bahamas, Florida Keys and ICW.

The no-nonsense single-spreader cutter rig is well supported by 1×19 wire attached to formidable chain plates. The main is less than 400 square feet and is easy to reef; its long foot makes it a strong driver on and off the wind. The overlapping jib topsail can be roller furled and tips in at just under 500 square feet. It is a high-cut sail, providing good visibility to leeward yet substantial power. Typical of all traditional cutters, the unsung hero of this sailplan is the 200-square-foot inner forestaysail flown from a self-tending club-foot boom.

The Standard Perkins 4-154 has proven a reliable power plant for the prop and a big alternator and/or refrigerator compressor. Capacities of 400 gallons for water and 100 gallons for fuel were an intelligent balance for tropical tradewind cruising where the breeze is constant and water difficult to come by.

Interesting factory options included less water tankage and the addition of an Onan diesel generator, watermaker and air conditioner. Twenty-year-old boats equipped with these original components should be surveyed carefully in order to discern if there is any life left in them, if they have been upgraded, and if not, how costly it would be to do so. Gear such as solid bronze ports, a Paul Luke stove, a tinned wire harness and Edson rack-and-pinion steering are indicators of a boat that’s built to last.

Anybody looking for a rugged, well built, comfortable cruising boat, one decidedly worth renovating, should take a close look at the CSY 44. Hulls that have been ridden hard and put away wet in the charter trade are bargain priced at around $80,000 – $95,000, and they represent a good buy for the handy do-it-yourselfer. A pampered, professionally maintained version that is well equipped and pretty much ready to go, may be priced around $95,000 – $110,000.

CSY 44 Specifications: * LOA: 44’0″ (13.4 m.) * LWL: 36’4″ (11.1 m.) * Beam: 13’4″ (4.1 m.) * Draft (deep): 6’6″ (2.0 m.) * Draft (shoal): 4’11” (1.5 m.) * Ballast (deep): 12,000 lbs. (5,443 kgs.) * Ballast (shoal): 10,000 lbs. (4,536 kgs.) * Disp (deep): 33,000 lbs. (14,969 kgs.) * Disp (shoal): 31,000 lbs. (14,062 kgs.) * Sail area: (100%) 906 sq.ft. (84.2 sq.m.) * Mast above water: 55’0″ (16.8 m.) * Ballast/Disp: .32 (shoal), .36 (deep) * Disp/Length: 288 (shoal), 307 (deep) * SA/Disp: 14.7 (shoal), 14.1 (deep) * Fuel: 100 gal. (379 ltr.) * Water: 400 gal. (1,514 ltr.) * Holding: retrofit * Auxiliary: Perkins 4-154 diesel * Cabin headroom: 6’7″ (2.0 m.) * Designers: Frank Hamlin, Peter Schmitt

The CSY 44 is included in CW ‘s list of the 40 Best Sailboats of All Time. Click here to see the other boats in the list .

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The CSY 44 (Walk Through) Sailboat Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The CSY 44 (Walk-Through), a heavy displacement cruising yacht, was designed by Peter Schmitt & Frank Hamlin and built in the USA by CSY Yacht Corp.

Published Specification for the CSY 44 (Walk Through)

Underwater Profile:  Fin keel with skeg-hung rudder

Hull Material:  GRP (Fiberglass)

Length Overall:  44'0" (13.4m)

Waterline Length:  36'0" (11.0m)

Beam:  13'3" (4.0m)

Draft:  6'6" (2.0m),  Shoal Draft version  5'0" (1.5m)

Rig Type:  Cutter *

Displacement:  37,000lb (16,783kg)

Designer:  Peter Schmitt & Frank Hamlin

Builder:  CSY Yacht Corp. (Caribbean Sailing Yachts)

Year First Built:  1978

Number Built:  40

* A few were produced with a ketch rig

Published Design Ratios for the CSY 44 (Walk Through)

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio:  14.0

• Less than 16 would be considered under-powered;
• 16 to 20 would indicate reasonably good performance;
• Over 20 suggests relatively high performance.

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio:  32.4

• Under 40: less stiff, less powerful
• Over 40: stiffer, more powerful

3. Displacement/Length Ratio:  354

• Under 100: Ultralight
• 100 to 200: Light
• 200 to 275: Moderate
• 275 to 350: Heavy
• Over 350: Ultraheavy

4. Comfort Ratio:  47.7

• Under 20 indicates a lightweight racing boat
• 20 to 30 indicates a coastal cruiser
• 30 to 40 indicates a moderate offshore cruising boat
• 40 to 50 indicates a heavy offshore boat
• Over 50 indicates an extremely heavy offshore boat

5. Capsize Screening Formula:   1.6

• Under 2.0 (the lower the better): Better suited for ocean passages
• Over 2.0: Less suited for ocean passages

read more about these Key Performance Indicators...

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the CSY 44 (Walk Through)

1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 14.0 suggests that the CSY 44 (Walk Through) will need a stiff breeze to get her going. In light conditions, unless you've got plenty of time on your hands, motor-sailing may be the way to go.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 32.4 means that the CSY 44 (Walk Through) will have a tendency to heel excessively in a gust, and she'll need to be reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze. 

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 354, tells us the CSY 44 (Walk Through) is firmly in the ultra-heavy displacement category. Load her up as much as you like and her performance will be hardly affected. Few if any sailboats are built to this displacement category these days - but they remain popular with some long-distance sailors.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 47.7 suggests that crew comfort of a CSY 44 (Walk Through) in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a heavy bluewater cruising boat. Pitching and rolling will be well damped - your cup of coffee on the salon table stands a reasonable chance of staying there in most conditions.

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.6 tells us that a CSY 44 (Walk Through) would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0. 

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Compared to a CSY 44

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My wife and I are currently shopping for a bit larger living space than our current Columbia 29. Shes beamy, but we have ambitions of the ICW and Caribbean. We have friends with a '78 CSY that I am very much in love with, but they seem to be running in the 75-100k range in great shape. Can anyone recommend something similar in nature with maybe a tad more affordable price tag? Hoping not to open the discussion of personal preference, rather similar in capabilities. Thanks All!  

Yes, well, thats the plan. We are only on the '29 to get our sea legs and learn the ins and outs of living in a small space. Would you recommend this(or any) Catalina for Blue Water?  

Blue water? I'm confused here .. I thought it was about living space? Although the CSY looks fairly capable for offshore work. (not that I'm and expert) Since almost every discussion about the ICW is about draft and shoaling your choices may change allot if it's about tripping to the islands. Catalina's are not a blue water boats but have huge living spaces.  

blue water boat list available at Mahina Expedition - Selecting A Boat for Offshore Cruising  

I know a couple who sailed a Catalina 25 with a swing keel from France to Key West. I have a lot of offshore/extremely rough water experience with a deep draft CSY44. I also had that boat on the ICW from Virginia to Florida It's all about the operator in my opinion.  

The CSY 44 is a bit of a cult boat and I nearly bought one myself. Pluses are built like a brick outhouse and have big water tanks. They make great cruising homes. Most of the deep keel variants have a concrete lower section to the keel which can be removed. There is a fairly active owners group here CSY Owners Forum :: Topics in Swap Meet (1/6) and there is a CSY 44 for sale at 39k there. Ones that are turnkey with the chain plates replaced and a new engine do indeed go for around $100k. Ones with original engines and needing a refit 35 to 40k. Sherry and Dave on the CSY 44 Soggy Paws are on a circumnavigation and their web site includes a wealth of info on the care and maintenance of a CSY 44. S/V Soggy Paws - CSY 44 - Circumnavigate with Dave and Sherry McCampbell I finished up buying something lighter. But a tall stick deep draft CSY 44 with new external chain plates would have sorely tempted me.  

TQA-All great points, and even furthers my confusion. I just cant seem to find something as capable (or as close to) the CSY 44 under that 75k mark. For many reasons we would prefer a cc although I am willing to keep my options open for the right boat and at the right price. Are there any comparable models you would recommend?  

Keep in mind the CSY 44 was a purpose built boat. It was built for the charter trade. There was one goal in it's design, to give as much space below as possible. Mostly made for inexperienced sailors to not get into too much trouble, and little concern given to sailing performance. They were designed to be delivered to the islands, and sailed there, so they are not built as a particularly seaworthy boat. It is not any more seaworthy than most other boats of the same age and size. So Irwin, Endeavor and others will be very similar. There are boats that may give less space below but be better sailors, and far more seaworthy such as the Kelly Peterson 44 and 46, the Formosa 46, Bristol, Pearson, older Valiant, lots of them. While the CSY is a nice boat, it really was designed as a truck. Besides that the sailing you are describing is the definition of coastal cruising. Yes, you have a weather window to watch to get to the islands once there you will rarely be out of sight of land. So why bother with driving a truck when a nice sedan would be more comfortable, and suit your purposes better in the end. I would not count out a production boat either. There are thousands of Hunter/Catalina/Beneteau sailboats in the islands. They did not get shipped there. Heck your present boat would do it well, at least until have a few guests! There is a reason why boats like the CSY are not made anymore. It has been found that building thick hulls does not really make them any more seaworthy, just heavier. Hurts sailing performance was well. I would try to charter one of them to see how you like sailing them.  

My CSY44 was a walkover...That means obviously you are walking over an enormous engine space to get to the aft cabin... Just one thought.. We added a very nice dodger then a smaller one over the aft cabin hatch just to keep the rain out. We sailed often but did not live aboard..I think if I were to live on a 44WO full time I would insist on a full cockpit enclosure. As a live aboard will you be in port more than you sail? Will you make any great ocean journeys with this next boat? Will you live/cruise in an area where you will require heat? There are so many comfortable/suitable live aboards on the market I think it comes down to what you intend to do with the boat besides sleep and eat. A cruising boat available in the 75k plus range might be ready to cruise A boat available for less will need so many essentials you won't ever get there. If you can endure the austere that's quite different. The CSY points that have been made are valid Somewhat....My chainplates were not exterior and they were not in need of replacement. My water tanks were removed and smaller modular tanks were installed. I did have to replace many items on the boat Including the fuel tanks and that was labor intensive and costly. If the holding tanks are original you will have to remove them with a saw. Good luck in your search! I always love the hunt for the next boat!  

Excellent. This is the kind of advice I am looking for. I do realize they are built a bit as a "truck." I've nothing against the production boats but I suppose my fear is they wont hold up over time. We plan on living aboard for several years, and yes, most definitely looking to sail the Caribbean, but possibly as far north as the Great Lakes and south as Central America. I am not ruling out a trip across the pond either. I think the main question was what else besides the CSY would be an option, but without the 75k+ price tag. Maybe I am trying to accomplish too much with too little budget. However I do have friends living aboard and sailing ICW and the islands in a 37ft Gulfstar, and they paid less than 40k. You definitely gave me a few other options to start looking at and I appreciate it.  

I think your budget is bit tight for the boat you want, especially if you want something that could cross the ocean of your choice. I think I would be looking more in the 35 to 40 foot range. Most of the boats that would be possibilities either have been updated (more expensive) or need upgrading (which is your money of course). Ideal is to find a boat that was upgraded for cruising and the not cruised for some reason. If centre cockpit is a must a sleeper might be a mid 80s Moody (one model is a 345 I think). We ran into a Canadian one in Grenada and a British one in South Africa that is now back in Wales after a circumnavigation. Might be a bit light in tankage but decent sailing performance. If you could go aft cockpit there are many more possibilities.  

I personally don't like center cockpits for the most part ascetically, but may wind up with one some day. I am currently looking for a live-aboard, and have been looking at blue water boats as well. I don't need one right away but Hawaii is calling me, as I have family there. But on the other hand you can get a lot more boat for your money with a production boat. Personally I have a Sail area to displacement limit of about 16 as anything less is unacceptable light wind performance for me, that is really the only "number" I look at. Look up some posts by Cruising Dad here, he just sold his 40 foot Catalina that he has lived on for years with his wife and two kids. But I think he is currently searching for a catamaran. Here is a good discussion on some "traditional looking" boats. Sounds like that is kind of what you are looking for. http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-...570-we-have-fallen-cheoy-lee-40-offshore.html Some nice boats in that thread.  

My New Bombay trading Company Explorer 44 was in your price range and had had a recent major refit so was cruise ready when I bought it. So they are out there. But it is a rear cockpit. I like the analogy of a CSY 44 being a truck. But they are quite a pretty truck and if you hit a reef the reef usually loses. Other boats that I looked at and liked with center cockpits were Endeavor 42&43 The Hunter Passage 42 I really liked the aft cabin with its center line queen. Much better than the CSY. Another boat I liked was the Bene Idylle 43 . There are lots out there that will do the job.  

For inexpensive and large boats for ICW and Caribbean the Endeavors are good candidates as are the Morgan OI/Classics and both, in my opinion (read opinion) are better values than the CSY 44 if you are looking for large comfortable skinny water trucks that have been there done that many times.  

you may be interested on this CSY 44. This excellent sailboat has a new Yanmar Motor, New Electricity Installation, GPS, Plotter, Radar, VLU, VHF, and many sailing equipments, autopilot, etc.. It has new sails, and it is in excellent conditions. It is ready to sail and liveaboard. It also has a Bonaire flag, which is very convenient (No costs), and a very convenient fridge, cooking, two bedrooms , two bathrooms, plenty of space. contact me at xpfenech (at) gmail (dot) com  

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Review of CSY 33

Basic specs..

The CSY 33 is equipped with a finn keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a long keel.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.52 - 1.62 meter (4.99 - 5.29 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The boat is typically equipped with a Westerbeke diesel engine at 30.0 hp (22 kW), which gives a max speed about 5.2 knots.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 151 liters (39 US gallons, 33 imperial gallons).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for CSY 33 is 1.77, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.7 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for CSY 33 is about 171 kg/cm, alternatively 957 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 171 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 957 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 28m 2 (301 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for CSY 33 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

CSY Sailboats: Then and Now

Caribbean Sailing Yachts or CSY, designed, built and marketed 3 strong, well thought out-classic designed hulls and planned on a 4th. CSY became an instant success, practical for use in the Blue Water environment yet offering everything a more casual sailor needed, at an affordable price. This site will offer historical and present information; from Original, to upgrades and modifications, on all 3 hull sizes. (44,37,33)

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Please help, tuesday, march 12, 2019, the author has sold his memory rose. csy pilothouse ketch-highly modified for world cruising.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Pilothouse csy 44.

Monday, January 05, 2015

"jazz", a csy 37' class act .

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Index csy 44 , csy 37, csy 33 -- right side of this page., csy pilothouse ketch memory rose: highly modified, monday, april 14, 2014, csy 33 search by prior owner, sunday, october 14, 2012, hard top for songbird.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Csy 44 pilothouse (ketch).

Thursday, January 19, 2012

When csy closed, antigua began...and now some trivia., search this blog.

• Antigua 44's (2)
• BOTTOMLINER-Comercial Fishing Version of 44' (1)
• Cap Rail replacement (1)
• Chain Plates (2)
• CSY 44 Pilothouse (3)
• CSY Good Guy (1)
• Cutwater Fitting (1)
• Drive trains: Coordinating engine to prop ratios (1)
• Food For Thought (6)
• General (8)
• Hard Tops and Dodgers (2)
• Hose solutions from the Auto field (1)
• Kalua Cup winner is CSY (2)
• Keel Cutting (2)
• Memory Rose (1)
• Owner's Corner (4)
• Pilothouse versions (2)
• Projects (25)
• Rudders (2)
• Seacocks (1)
• Silverman Collection (1)
• Solar for Cruising (1)
• Steering alert for ANY boat (1)
• Storage (1)
• Swim Platforms (1)
• Ventilation/moisture control (1)
• Walk -Though 44 (2)
• Water Faucets (1)
• Winch Disassembly (1)
• Work Bench addition (1)

• Author's vessel: Pilothouse CSY, S.V. Memory Rose- the full blog.
• Bottom Line 44- the inventor
• CSY discussion list from 1999-2002
• CSY discussion list from 2002 to present
• CSYowners.com
• Carl's Sailing Calculator
• Charters: S.V. Footloose, a CSY Walk Over in Bahamas
• Charters: S.V. Independence, a CSY Pilothouse in USVI
• Custom Teak Marine Woodwork
• Incredible Hull Project and Insights
• Living Aboard
• Living Aboard, a CSY owner's story
• Petersen Marine
• http://www.living-aboard.com

CSY Brochure

Memory Rose, Pilothouse Ketch, #2

37' Enchantress

Hope you enjoyed the visit to "CSY Sailboats: Then and Now"

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• Sailboat Guide

CSY 33 is a 33 ′ 0 ″ / 10.1 m monohull sailboat designed by Peter Schmitt and built by CSY (Caribbean Sailing Yachts) between 1978 and 1981.

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)

Also called the CYGNET 33. Shallow and deeper draft models. It’s more than likely, this is based on an earlier design, built for CSY called the CARIB 33 with the same hull but a lower profile coach roof.

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Csy 50 pilot house

The csy 50 pilot house is a 50.08ft masthead sloop designed by lazzara and built in fiberglass by gulfstar yachts since 1986..

The Csy 50 pilot house is a moderate weight sailboat which is slightly under powered. It is very stable / stiff and has an excellent righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a bluewater cruising boat. The fuel capacity is good. There is an excellent water supply range.

Csy 50 pilot house for sale elsewhere on the web:

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A Little About CSY Sailboats

Initially, CSY contracted with other boatbuilders for the manufacture of their vessels, not for private sale, but for use in their company-owned charter business in the Caribbean.  After several unsuccessful attempts to obtain a properly constructed yacht from subcontractors, founder Jack Van Ost decided that the only way he could control the quality of the boats in his fleet was to manufacture them himself.

CSY management refined their designs through client questionnaires and dialogue with charter captains, yacht charter managers and dock masters to compete with rival charter fleets of Morgan Out Islands, Gulfstars and Irwin yachts. The result was a roomy and robust sailboat with emphasis on structural integrity, and designed for the boisterous tradewinds of the Caribbean.  The new boat and sail plan well outperformed other boats of a similar size.  In 1979, a CSY 44 won overall honors in the Kahlua Cup race sponsored by the St. Pete Yacht Club.

In their heyday, CSY turned out one boat each workday, and produced in the neighborhood of 400 vessels, with approximately 185 boats in the charter fleet. CSY Yachts manufactured a few powerboats, but the vast majority were sailboats; a 33-foot, 37-foot and three versions of a 44-foot, a walkover, walkthrough and pilot house.  The walkthrough was added to the line after prospective owners clamoured for an "owner's model" with specific additional features.  The walkthrough and pilot house versions sold at a premium over the walkover model designed for the charter business.

CSY Quality A CSY Advertisement from a Sailing Magazine in about 1978

No part that comes from the mold can be better than the mold itself. It is a truism. And by the same token, no mold can be better than the "plug" from which it was made. Here is the sequence.

From the finished architect's drawing board comes the finished yacht design from which an exact full scale model or "plug" is built. Months go into its preparation. Every mark, every unevenness must be sanded and buffed until a perfectly smooth high gloss finish is achieved. There can only be one criterion in this stage--the best! Hang the cost--for everything that comes after is only as good as what is done now. Then and only then is the mold begun. Over the waxed plug there is created layer upon careful layer of fiberglass to create the mold. To avoid distortion in the final product, each layer must harden and cure for a specific period of time and then carefully be ground and sanded. Then a welded steel framework is glassed into place. Now the mold is ready to begin turning out parts. The more perfect it is, the more perfect will be the parts it produces. In order to carry out this whole process it takes many months and the tender loving care of a very cranky yankee who won't let us stop or hurry up any part of the process until it is exactly right.

When production begins, it is very important to build up the laminates gradually and to allow time for each to set. When they have set, each laminate is ground and sanded smooth before th enext layer is applied. Time and care are the secret. A properly laid up hull cannot be rushed. Time is money. You can layup the same laminate in 2 days or in 5. The difference is quality.

The CSY 44 Mold

The Hull Layup

No mold can be any better than the amount of care and time that is spent to properly clean and wax it between the production of one part and the next one. Too little wax or wax unevenly applied can spell disaster for a new hull or the mold itself! This is another truism and a very important one. The first layer to go into the mold is the gel coat. There are 2 types of gel coat, organic and inorganic. The latter, which CSY uses, is 1/3 more expensive. It dries harder, and it holds its color and high gloss longer. It's so easy for a manufacturer to skimp here, but you won't discover it for at least a couple of years. The gel coat is laid down carefully from 18 to 25 thousandths of an inch thick. If it is too thick it will cure unevenly. If it is too thin, it will 'craze' or 'alligator'. Care and precision are essential, as in every other part of the production of anything, including a boat. Next comes the layering or laminating of the fiberglass in the form of roving and mat carefully rolled out in resin. The right way to create these layers is the slow way. Step by step, layer by layer, with plenty of time between applications for the laminate to set and to be sanded smooth. At the CSY Yacht Corporation, we use twice the number of layers of mat and roving than is recognized by the industry as an "adequate" layup. At the turn of the bilge, our layup approaches two inches. Why so thick? For that once-in-a-lifetime moment when a stronger hull can save the boat--and your life. A hull is the foundation of a boat, the same as it is with a house. A thick hull is a strong foundation which translates into bulkheads, doors and engine beds that don't shift, and always fit. Guidelines set by the Society of Naval Architects consider an acceptable flexural strength for a fiberglass hull to be between 25 and 20 thousand pounds per square inch (psi). CSY's hulls test to an average of almost 36 thousand psi because of the time and care and additional materials that go into the layup.

The Final Check Constant quality control is the most crucial consideration in the process of building a boat to a high standard. Our boats are built on nine stations with four days on each station. At the end of each day, there is a quality inspection to assure everything is being done to our standards. Then when the boat is ready to go out the door, it is held up for an entire day for it's final pre-launch inspection. In the old days, no self-respecting boat builder would ever consider delivering a boat that had not been given a thorough series of in-the-water boat trials. Today the boat buyer is lucky if his boat is even put in the water, let alone sea-tested and checked out before it is delivered to him. At CSY we're old fashioned. Prior to delivery we take every yacht we build through a comprehensive battery of trials, tuning the rigging, checking the sails, inspecting for misalignments and discontinuities. We give the engine a 24 hour check. We take her out for a test run under full sail and under power. When all systems have been checked and rechecked, and the yacht is deemed ready for delivery, the boat is turned over to the owner. At this state, back in the good old days, the owner would conduct his own "Owners Trial" or "Acceptance Trial", taking the boat out, subjecting it to his own scrutiny and returning with any criticisms he had for correction. We welcome this old fashioned concern for excellence and encourage all new owners to conduct their own personal sea trials. It assures us that we are delivering a quality product, and assures you of the same thing.

The Hardware - Blocks, Spars, and Rigging We have tested hardware from A to Z in all conditions. We never standardize on anything unless it works. We have everybody knocking on our door to sell us their wares. Our laboratory is our charter business. If it works there, we know it will work on your boat. We only buy what we know will work and will last, and that which we have tested. Unlike most other manufacturers, we don't buy because of price. We buy the best, regardless of price. The Steering Edson steering systems are standard aboard all cSY yachts. Edson uses stainless steel chains as a driving mechanism, and then it changes over to wire around sheaves to a quadrant attached to the rudder post. CSY extends the rudder post and machiens the top of it so an emergency tiller can be attached if one of the steering cables should let go. Edson equipment uses steel needle bearings which give a smooth, good "feel" in steering. For the wheel we prefer the Edson smooth, all stainless steel destroyer wheel because it is corrosion proof and trouble-free. But the final and most cruicial step is in the design and the care in the installation of the system.

Storage Good storage can make or break a boat for whoever has the job of keeping things neat below. Here are just some of the storage facilities aboard all CSY yachts. For each one on boat: 12"-18" of linear space in the hanging lockers, 2 large bunk-sized drawers, a private drawer in the head, bunk-side shelves. For keeping things together--dry storage for bedclothes and pillows, instrument, book and chart storage, clothes hampers in each head, extra linen storage, dry shoe storage, tool storage drawer, odds and ends drawer, 4 or 5 galley drawers, space under the sink for storage, a pots and pans locker, dish locker, a glasses and bowls locker, bug and odor-free garbage storage. Spice rack, liquor cabinet, cockpit cubbyholes (for winch handles, etc) Bib, big sail lockers to hold extra sails, fenders, cushions, lines, outboard, anchors, everything. An on-deck 'dirty' locker. A beer cooler next to the helmsman in the cockpit. Vented propane storage (3 month supply). Split anchor rode storage (250' of line plus chain per bin). There is room aboard to store 3 full weeks of provisions (3 weeks of perishables, 3 weeks worth of ice, 3 weeks of frozen food--in a mechanical refrigerator. The list goes on and one. Planning ample storage means a comfortable home afloat.

Ventilation & Dryness Without proper ventilation and dry design, mildew and moisture can make your life miserable. "Proper" ventilation doesn't mean "adequate" ventilation, but super ventilation. There isn't an enclosed space on any of our yachts that can't have both opening ports and one or more overhead hatches in addition to companionways. Count the possibilities for opening hatches and opening ports on any CSY yacht and compare with any yacht you may be contemplating. There is no comparison.

We have stated many times our preference of no walk-through in the mid-cockpit configuration, and have so stated in our book, the CSY Guide to Buying a Yacht, with our reasons.  However, we aren't everybody and everybody should have a choice. Heretofore, we have only offered the alternative. Now we offer the choice of a walk-through model which corrects what we object to the most in a walk-through, an ugly, ungainly boat. Peter Schmitt has managed to come up with a really beautiful design by raising the saloon, minimizing the long climb to and from the cockpit. It also adds the extra dimension of large windows in the saloon, which add the light and airiness rarely found in this configuration. To be sure, some storage and tankage has been sacrificed as in any walk-through. But this is trade for an extra large galley and chart table, and the inside connection of the aft and forward sections of the boat. This is for those who spend a lot of time living inside their boat. The CSY 44 Walk-Through sails well. We know that because she is built on exactly the same proven hull as our other CSY 44 models. She is built to the same heavy specifications as her sister, with bronze ports, bronze hardware below, stainless steel propane stoves, stainless steel hardware on deck, extra-heavy rigging, and the Perkins 4-154 diesel--everything that places a CSY yacht head and shoulders above any other yacht.

CSY Guide to Buying a Yacht

One of the unique ways that CSY sold their high-quality yachts was via educational brochures (as above).  The best one is "CSY Guide to Buying a Yacht".  At 132 pages, it covered everything a prospective buyer should think about when buying a new boat.  Download it here (26 MB)

Bareboat charter pioneer remembered

Jack Van Ost Obituary, May 2006

Jack Van Ost, a New Jersey dentist, father of eight and pioneer in yacht chartering, has died in Sun City Center, Fla., at the age of 83.

Van Ost, founder of Caribbean Sailing Yachts, opened one of the first Caribbean charter bases, operating first out of Red Hook, USVI, then Tortola, BVI a year later. CSY started its first winter charter season in 1967 with 16 Chris-Craft Capri 30s. At its height in 1981, the company was chartering 186 sailboats from bases in the Florida Keys, Roatan in Honduras, the Bahamas, Tortola and St. Vincent in the Grenadines. He introduced many innovations now common in yacht chartering: standardized and easy-to-maintain fleets, boats designed for charter, provisioning, owner lease-back programs, a sailing school, a manual to familiarize customers with boat systems and cruising grounds, and a system for qualifying clients to charter a boat.

"He was the father of the bareboat industry," says Butch Ulmer, president of Ulmer Sails, of City Island, N.Y., who supplied most of CSY's sails. "He was the guy who started it all. It was his vision." Van Ost conceived the idea of a charter fleet made up of identical boats — uniformly maintained and equipped and operated from a base with a marina (and later a small hotel) — after a particularly memorable Bahamas charter.

In 1976 Van Ost and his team designed with Peter Schmitt the CSY 44, a boat Van Ost wanted to be the ultimate cruising boat — tough, fast, comfortable, seaworthy — the culmination of all he'd learned about the demands of cruising. Thirty years later it still is considered one of the great cruising boats, but the design led to a decision that would ultimately sink CSY. Unable to find a builder who could produce a boat of sufficient quality at the price he wanted, Van Ost decided to build the boat himself in Tampa.

CSY quickly became the sixth-largest sailboat builder in the country, building 400 boats from 1977-'81, but Robert Van Ost said a one-two punch of 20-percent interest rates and a half-million-dollar deficit at the outset of the venture dogged it to the end.

Walsh said, too, "We were a bunch of sailors building boats. We needed more bean counters. We sold the first 70 boats for $68,000 [apiece] and they cost $73,000 to build."

CSY Yacht Corp. sucked so much money out of the charter business that it never recovered, Robert Van Ost said. The boat building operation closed in 1981, and 10 years later the charter company closed, handing over its remaining bookings to The Moorings, he said.