Considering purchase of Tollycraft 61' PH mid 80's vintage. Any information you could give me about sea handling (I am a coastal cruiser East Coast US and Bahamas), quality of construction, issues to watch out for at survey time, would be appreciated.
Hello and Welcome to YachtForums Aircar Tollycraft represents one of the best constructed and designed production boat lines I've experienced. Mid 80's is when the Tolly factory was streaming along and turning out some of their best sea-craft creations. We regularly utilize our 1977 Tollycraft. I often chat with other Tolly owners. Tollycraft Forum's search feature may enable answer many of your questions. Tollycraft club is another good resource for Tolly research. Good luck in your yacht search. - W.
A well built boat with a great Ed Monk designed hull and can be run by a cruising couple. Sort of an "older gentleman's" cruiser and as such they tend to be well cared for. Tolly had a habit of using different engines throughout a model run that would sometimes make you scratch your head. The 61' had DD671's, 6V92's, 8V92's and some of the last ones built in the 1990's had MTU 8V183's. I would prefer the 8V92's or MTU's. I think the boat would be close to perfect if the cockpit was a couple feet longer and the wheelhouse had a second helm chair.
I recommend you visit website Tollycraft – Classified Tolly Classified Home Page The site’s owner, Gordon Graham, was Tollycraft lead purchasing agent for a couple decades during Tolly’s heyday. Gordon and wife Patsy were personal friends and close neighbors to Mr. Tollefson, to Mr. Tolly’s passing at age 100 this year. Gordon owns or has contact with an enormous amount of Tollycraft printed material and OEM / other mfg’s parts, as well as accurate recollections for providing info on phone; 360.871.8650 (good fellow to chat with – tell him Art from SF Bay Area sent ya). Tollycraft – Classified site is easy to use and various pages hold solid info on yrs/models produced, model stats, Tolly’s for sale, and parts galore. RER’s post in this thread hits the nail on the head: “... great Ed Monk design... gentlemen’s cruiser”. And if I may add; one of the stoutest built boat lines ever produced. If she’s in good shape throughout you can feel secure while underway in sea conditions. – Good luck! W.
+1 on this RER, except I am neither old or a gentleman! I did a lot of research a few years ago as I was going to buy the only 57 Tolly in Australia. Except for the ER which was an owners lack of maintenance, not a design issue, I could not fault this boat and would own it now if not for a brokers decisions to buy it himself. Ed Monk at his best. US build at a high level! Take one in an ocean, very good sea boat! The 61, as you say needs a bigger cockpit for practical use and also to "balance" the look.” They may not be Hatteras, but they have a very strong following. If some US boat builder could get those moulds, update with minor changes, I reckon there would be a market for the 57.
Kafue - You are exactly correct "... they may not be Hatteras..." However, if I could intone, there may be other equally as well designed and constructed boats as Tollycraft - but none better... imho As you mention: "If some US boat builder could get those moulds, update with minor changes, I reckon there would be a market for the 57." I recommend visiting OceanAire Yachts http://oceanaireyachts.com/ They are the most in-tune restoration marine source for Tollycraft and have some molds. I do not know if they have most or all molds. They have been trying to get funds to restart building Tollycraft... with 21st Century upgrades. – W.
Back in the early 2000's Westcoast Custom Yachts Ltd built a few boats from the 43' Tollycraft molds. They built a 46' flybridge trawler and a 46' sedan with cabin aft, no flybridge, kind of looks like a Grand Banks Eastbay SX. There's a couple 46' Westcoasts for sale on Yachtworld. I heard they spent so much money re-tooling the molds that in the end it would have been cheaper to just make new ones. I'm pretty sure some of the larger molds have been used also, but I don't remember who built the boats.
Thanks, RER - Westcoast Custom Yachts are a chip off the Old Block... err Tollycraft. I reviewed Westcoast listings on Yachtworld. Seems to me that Ed Monk's planing hull "Trawler" design, as well as his trademark tri cabin "Monk Look" is simply one of the best... and will remain so. Hard to get better than BEST! I'm pleased to own a real nice Tolly, she's a peach! - W.
Aircar, The Tolly 61 is a nice boat. Another very similar hull is the Nordlund 63. Both are Monk designs and if I remember correctly, Nordlund did the hull tooling for Tolly. I think that both yards built very solid yachts. The biggest difference would likely be that each Nordlund has a custom, designed for the owner interior. Dan
Hi Was wondering if anyone with a 61 or 65 ft Tolly knows where they hid the transformers and fuses for the master and for cabin overhead halogen lighting? Very confused Rich
That and Nordlund is still in business building boats. As for the comment about someone wanting one with the 8v183's. I managed/maintained/ran a boat with those and those motors were THE most costly engines I've ever maintained......I wouldn't touch them with a 10' pole......
