Expert advice needed on Turkish Gulet

Greetings,
I have "bit" of knowledge wrt. wooden boats in Canadian fresh water. Glassing the hull is a death knell here. I leave it to better minds to comment on glassing a wooden hull in warm salt water.
Peter

turkish gulets

although i am not an expert on gulets, until somebody comes up with in depth knowledge i can add a few comments;

gulets, like any other boat are built at different quality levels and different wood is used in the construction. traditionally the local pine wood will be a common wood used in construction, but this is not a hard wood and do not last long.

i do no think you can cover a traditionally build gulet by glass, however there are builders who built cold molded wood with epoxy and they do cover the hull with glass. indeed, i have a lobster style boat like that. of course the cost and price would be much different than a traditionally built gulet.

traditional gulets are built by artisans, who had not have much technical education and has acquired the art through tradition. in the recent years, this has changed and there are several better quality yards, which build boats with proper technical process. in this context, there are also gulets build in steel.

again, these will all be reflected at the price level of the boat.

lastly i can give you the detail of one of the active brokers in istanbul;

http://www.viramar.com.tr

In addition to the points mentioned, I would like to add just one more:

Gulets only have two or three jib/genoa sails on roller-furlers. They appear to have booms on their mast(s) for main and mizzen sails (that are not used) and their keels do not have significant lateral resistance (Just a traditional bottom with some weight under its hull, no 'keel' like a sloop).

So you can only sail on a reach, broad reach or on a run with these boats. (Reaching is still difficult imho. They tend to heel to leeward quite easily). Basically, only downwind sailing will be possible. Their masts and running gear are not made for heavy loads.

These are generalisations and I could be mistaken in more than a few cases. Did you look up Bodrum Gulets btw?

Please keep in mind the maintenance costs associated for wood boats. Especially after they start to age.

Cheers,

kind of disappointing to read, as it seems these boats are worth little more than minor island hoppers. a shame as they are stunning in my opinion. would you sail one (say a 32-40m) from North carolina to the Carribean?

Hi,

Not sure if they are even built that size.

I looked at a Bodrum Gulet Website and as every boat listed was either in Turkey or Croatia I would say that their cruising area is very limited.

Take one NC to Caribbean?- It would depend a lot on where in Carib and good luck, would you also want to bring it back?

On special orders, they are built in the above-mentioned sizes, but mostly for the Aegean and the Meditarrenean Seas as their cruising grounds. You need sufficient sail power in the Atlantic and the sail plan is not enough for an ocean passage. Some of them are well-built to go offshore but you might have to motor most of the way. Also, I have reservations about their rudders. (Old-fashioned designs).

Of course, it all depends on the builder's skill and I have seen great examples in Turkey but the owner was involved from the drawing to the final delivery stage. They are more than island hoppers but they need larger fuel tanks to make the voyage you have in mind.

I will sail one of course, a 35m Gulet can make that passage but it would be risky to run into foul weather in the Atlantic. I personally, would prefer an Oyster 82, Swan 75 or similar to make that passage over a Gulet anytime.

@K1W1, actually they do make them that size and larger. example M/S Annabella, 47 meters and to my eye completely gorgeous.

i only recently (2 days ago) discovered Gulets, while researching sailing yachts, so i know next to nothing about them, except some of the designs are great eye-candy.

@Vivariva, again my only experience with Turkish built boats is Vicem, which i think are exceptional, i am sold on their "cold-molded" laminate process.

the appeal to me of a Gulet style boat, is the great use of outside spaces. it is truly a great, get there, drop anchor, and play boat. conceptually, i like what they seem to offer.

just a blip on my radar at this point.

btw, thanks for the Oyster and Swan tip.





Mike

fwiw, here is a Gulet i find especially fetching. the feature i like most about this boat is it's use of outdoor space. in spite of it's blue water limitations, it could be an ideal day cruiser, along the US eastern seaboard i call home.

http://www.guletannabella.com/index.html

gulet as a sailing boat

When one is looking for a Gulet, of course, one should realize that they are not built for performance sailing, but rather for leisurely crossings, whether by sail or by engine power. There are great outdoor areas and lots of space in the hull, but this is a trade of for nimble sailing.

In terms of strength and sea worthiness, this is a matter of how and where she is built. Some are built under supervision of naval architects in better equipped shipyards and some are built in open sheds by traditional artisans. Also, the wood that is used during the construction may vary greatly and this of course affects the cost and quality.


I know that there are several gulets crossing the Atlantic for the Caribbean and there are several cruising in the Indian Ocean. So, they are quite capable of making long passages.


I am attaching a fairly good example, which has been built in accordance with the better criteria.

http://www.oceanindependence.com/yacht_forsale.php?id=205

There will be several other good examples for sale, if you visit the sites of well known brokrage firms.

hey Nilo,

thanks for the link to Ecce Navigo, indeed a beautiful Gulet.

i live in Virginia, and would like to cruise up and down the Eastern Seaboard, with an occasional coast hugging cruise to Florida, and from there to the Virgin Islands.

i was/am interested in a 60-70 foot Hatteras to accomplish this, but for some reason just began looking at sailboats (which i have only spent 3-4 hours on, once, 25 years ago). they have really captured my imagination. so my interest in Gulets, for the moment has passed, and i am looking at boats like the Discovery 55, a very well thought out production sailing yacht.

as i am still a few years from retirement, i am in not in a major hurry. lots of time to learn what sailing is about, and spend time on the water with several. a couple three charters for sure.

thanks again for your insights and assistance.

sharing experience on sail yachts

I don't want to sound like the one who has a say for every occasion, but although I am a motor yacht owner, recently we decided to include a sail boat into our stable to enjoy sailing. In this connection we have checked several sailboat builders; like Contest, Malo, Oyster, Swan, CNB 60, Najad and finally decided to go with an XC-45 from X-yachts, which we will take delivery by June. During this process we also had the chance to examine Amel 54, which was in line with your requirement for off shore cruising for long periods. This boat was made really for sailing by 2 and had several nice touches everywhere.

Also, if you have the budget, I strongly suggest to have a look at contest 55, which is a superior build boat and the new design allows easy access from the aft to the cockpit area, which is a good combination of sheltered center cockpit with easy access to the sea.

Good luck with your search.

Nilo,

thanks once again for the thoughtful, informative reply. i believe i have now completely hi-jacked this thread from the OPs orginal intent, and will therefore open a seperate thread. i hope you will find it interesting enough to continue your contribution.

btw congrats on the new edition to your stable, i am sure it will provide many years of adventure and enjoyment!


Mike