Bluewater yachts?

I just picked up a 1980 Bluewater Yacht 40' sport sedan. I am having the same problem getting any factory/build information. Any tips

Realizing this is a very old thread I'm resurrecting here but my husband and I just purchased an old 1982 Bluewater..the same model as above, the flybridge sedan cruiser. I think other models have a more shallow draft.
We fell in love with this boat when we saw it. The current owners live on it and have really updated the interior very nicely and beautifully refinished all of the interior teak.
Anyway, this is my first post here...looking for other Bluewater owners.

Hi Leigh - Welcome to YF. I find it remarkable that a 1982 Bluewater is still afloat and in good condition. I am sure owner history is a significant factor as is on all boats. Out of curiosity, how many engine hours? Did you have her surveyed? Do you plan on cruising? Are you experienced buyers/owners?

Congratulations and hoping you enjoy your new yacht.

Judy

Hi Judy, I'll answer what I know. The engines have right at 1000 hours on them. They started right up and ran fine during our sea trial.
The current owner has meticulous records for all the time he's owned the boat. From what I understand when he purchased it, it had been pretty much neglected for several years. He did a lot of work to it. He and his wife currently liveaboard.
We opted not to have it surveyed. The current owner had one done last year during a haul out for valuation purposes. Of course we didn't expect to find much of anything on it and we didn't... It noted a few soft spots on the deck which we checked out and will repair at some point but they're small and not bad at all. There are a few spots as well on the hard cover over the cockpit. Hubby wants to address that first as he feels that is more critical than the other.
Being from South Louisiana, we've had boats on and off our whole lives, but we've personally never had anything of this type or size. We have a lot to learn but are not naive at all to what we're getting into.
As for what we plan to do with her, we will mainly just be piddling around in the river and lake. Once we learn her and get comfortable operating everything we may venture out a little farther...but I'm talking only as far as the MS coast and possibly AL coast.
Mainly just going to be a camp on water to get away on weekends.
We won't actually take possession of her until my husband returns from a business trip to Singapore in a few weeks. So, in the meantime I'm just reading everything I can to get learned up.
It's funny though, when we first started looking about a year ago, we had no idea what we wanted. We figured when we saw it, we'd know. I started out thinking I wanted a newer boat with a more modern interior. We were looking more at sportfisher type boats. But when we went look at this one, we just fell in love.
I know a lot of people think they are ugly boats, but I don't care about that. It floats, it doesn't leak, it runs, and has the space we're looking for.
We're not buying it to compete with all the million dollar boats on the river.

Thanks for filling us in. Any time spent on a boat is better than time at home. Enjoy!

I hope we and our "red headed stepchild" of a boat will be welcome here...lol.

My origin post opening line was welcome to YF! We're a very friendly group here generally knowledgable and opinionated, but all with the intent of being encouraging and helpful.

That picture you posted prompted me to look up at some of the earlier boats and they are very different from some of their later designs which were most housebotish. In fact, in that picture, the BW looks much better than the chlorox bottle seen next to it

But hey, I also like some of the larger bayliner pilothouse so...

Well, it's kinda like taking a selfie...you only show your good side. Lol

Here's her profile...

I ve seen worst, much worst. . Not bad looking actually, much better than the later house boats they built and agsain much better looking than the chlorox bottle next to you in the first pic. The hull shape, sheer, and freeboard is anything but housebotish

As a woman, I let my hubby worry about the technical and mechanical stuff...and I worry about the pretty stuff....lol
I think her interior is beautiful.

Pascal, I have a couple of questions maybe you can help me with?
What is the best way to remove canvas bleed? The current owner washes her frequently but hasn't waxed her in some time. There are black streaks from the canvas bleeding. I think I need to get that clean before waxing.
And secondly, the aluminum window frames are ugly. They look...well...old. Which they are. Can I sand them down a bit and paint them? Would I need to use some sort of primer first? What kind of paint would I use?

Thanks in advance....can you tell I'm excited!

For black streaks I use Roll Off. It s a whit bottle spray found at west and other stores and does really good with black streaks, scuff marks, etc...

Another cleaner I alsways keep on board is FSR. It s blue gel that does wonder on some fiberglass stains including the brownish stains you get near the waterline, especially the ICW mustache or rust stains from and anchor chain

Alum window frames are a pita. When the paint start bulling They need to be stripped, etched, primed and repainted (Awlgrip).

Thank you very much!

Yes, Rolloff works well....spray it on and brush it around lightly and let it sit a few mins, then scrub it. You may also have to cleaner wax or lightly compound the black streaks out if the boat hasn't been waxed in a long time.

I've found that I don't even use FSR anymore. It used to be really good and in the last 5 years seems like it's lost it's effectiveness......

I have been looking at Whitcraft boats for 10 years. When the refit cost, upgrade work, time, effort were totaled, it was not worth the effort as a fulltime live aboard on Lake Erie, Erie Islands area. The exact boat you have is what I came to want, and Bluewater built it. Stylish, not a "JUNGLE GYM" to get around in, decent enough speed, gas engines for easy maintenance, split fuel costs among "weekend buddies" make it easy to use as a floating motorhome to Put In Bay and the Lake Erie Islands. Entertaining was top on the list, comfort, ease of operation. And most of all, I CAN AFFORD IT!

Leigh,
Just joining this forum...we have a 52' Bluewater on the Tchefuncte river. Had it 10 years.
Love the boat. Good luck with yours
Regards,
Steve

Hi everyone - New here also, and just purchased 53' Bluewater - 1980's model but has been totally refitted. Had it surveyed, and the surveyor actually noted on the report that this boat was in better condition than most that are only 10 years old. Just looking for other owners, as I'm sure I'll have questions as time goes on.

Hi all, I'm with Leigh and I have a prop question I'm hoping some fellow Bluewater owners can answer. Since we purchased the boat, we have not been able to achieve OEM stated max rpm's or speed. I suspect the props are not the right size/pitch match for the boat. We had her hauled out yesterday for cleaning, bottom job, and a host of other stuff. Lol. In looking at the props I can see where they are nicked, warped, and had previously been patched at least twice before. So I am planning to just go ahead and replace them. My question is what is the correct size/pitch prop for this boat to achieve desired 18 knot cruise speed. Boat is 1982 Bluewater 47 ft. Twin crusader 454 engines, 350 HP each. Transmission is velvet drives 1.91:1 ratio. Boat weight is estimated at ~35,000 pounds. Overall beam is 15 feet. I need to go to the yard today and measure water line length and beam. But in the meantime I figured I would ask my question here.