The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site

Boréal 47—An Owner’s Experience

Eleven years ago, as we got back into sailing on a 35′ Cape George Cutter, we hatched a plan to cast off the lines and head for the high latitudes.

Our preparations included sailing to meet John and Phyllis to talk “ideal boat”, reading this website, taking a few courses, and stretching ourselves a bit further on our sailing vacations each summer. We also started thinking about a new and bigger boat.

On John’s recommendation, we ended up visiting the Boréal yard in France and going for a sail. Soon after, we hired Colin (saving us a lot of time, money, and hassle) to help us draft our specifications and navigate the process of having a boat built on another continent.

Cast-Offs

Jump ahead a few years, we have cast off from our prior life, and now have 23,000 nautical miles, over the last 21 months, under the keel of Sila, our Boréal 47.


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Alan

Hello Chis & Molly.
First of all I’m a first time commenter so…… We, my partner & I are off to France next month to look in the final stage of making a choice between two yacht makers. Simply your artical is purely inspirational towards our goal for me! I have been following this website for over 12 months now and am finding it invaluable! Good on you for living the dream. Good on you for sharing your story with us. Maybe in in the future we might see you moored in a small cove. Both yacht breeds we are looking at are swing centre boards. One a 48 the other a 52. Wood you be apprehensive about a 52 ( to big ).? It is just that so far anything less than 50 seems a bit cramed. Also took on board about your low freeboard as a big plus!
Best regards Ausi Al

Christopher

Alan – Thanks for your comments and we look forward to crossing paths in a lonley anchorage. Reguarding size – a rather circular debate with benefits and disadvantages on both sides of the equation. For us, we wanted simple boat systems – slab reefing at the mast, no generator, no bow thruster, no powereed winches (except the windlass) and so the high forties in length became the practical maximum for us. Bigger is certianly possible (see Morgans Cloud) but it is not easy to get it right and the cost increase is not linear. – Christopher

John Harries

Hi Alan,

On the size question, there is a lot to that. For example Christopher & Molly’s boat is really a 44 foot boat with a sugar scoop stern added. The key point being that when comparing boat size it’s important to zero in on displacement, not overall length. More in this chapter.

Our own boat at 48,000 pounds is actually double the size of the Boreal 47. The interesting point is that even coming from a much larger boat, Phyllis and I determined that we would be perfectly happy living on a Boreal 44. And in fact, had the boat existed before we did the extensive refit on our boat, we probably would have bought a Boreal 47 instead.

Another interesting point is that to me what one gains with a larger boat has almost nothing to do with additional accommodation. To us the benefits of our boat’s size are speed, fuel range, and better access to equipment (walk in engine room). That must be balanced against cost.

The other interesting thing is that it my experience up to about 25 tons there is very little difference in handling ease with a bigger boat, even though like C&M we have no rig automation. Sure the loads are larger, but that’s at least partially offset by having a larger and more stable platform to work on. Of course that all presupposes good sail handling systems.

Jean-François EEMAN

Hi Alan,
I would curious to know which boats you are considering. If I may ask : Is the Boréal on your short list ?
Will we get the chance to show you step after step how we build a Boréal and what them so different from all other production boats ?

About size :
Good points from Christopher and John.
A few additonal elements :
– On handling : I do agree with John there is no much difference in handling a bigger boat. The first navigations (read harbour manoeuvres) you are a bit impressed by each boat which is the bigger than the one you are used to. But very soon, you adapt.
– Even when comparing two boats of the same size there might be lots of differences in volum inside… For eg. on a Boréal we loose on each side and one the ceiling 8 cm which is the tickness of the insulation… So on a polyester boat of the same width you will win 16 cm, which is a lot…

Jean-François

John Harries

Hi Jean-François,

Good point on the volume losses on aluminium boats. We have the same on out boat from insulation. Also the structural members take up a lot of room in the lockers on our boat, particularly the ring frames that take the rig loads. But to me I think this is a good thing since it stops us from filling the boat up with too much heavy junk!

On handling, I agree. When I first bought my 45 foot boat I was scared of docking her and when I bought our 56 boat I was terrified, but now I actually enjoy handling her in close quarters.

Marc Dacey

I went from being a non-sailor to buying a 33 footer, the docking and indeed the handling of which gave me pause. I actually learned to sail on a 27-footer on race nights…my own boat seemed huge. But my father-in-law, a lifelong sailor himself and a boat designer, pointed out that 10 meters of boat reacted more slowly than a smaller, more tender vessel, and if I dinged the hull a bit in the process, I was less likely to do damage, or at least less damage. So it came to pass.

With the 16 tonne steel boat we also have, however, I am very conscious that mistakes are far more likely to damage other boats and infrastructure than ourselves (paint and pounding out the odd dent are the remedies there), so I’ve put in hours in close maneuvering under engine to learn the boat’s tendencies in terms of prop walk, windage and stopping distance. Boat handling is not a static thing: if you don’t seek out all conditions in which you might find yourself in a tight spot, including ones that call for springs and warps (I hardly ever see the use of a warp, even when it’s called for), you are courting trouble.

Neil McCubbin

90% of your review applies also to our Garcia Passoa 47.
We think it is a great boat, and can easily support your enthusiasm for the Boreal.
We have seen a couple of Boreal’s and are very impressed with them.
Boreal’s hard dodger-cum-pilothouse is great. Wish we had one.
Concerning you paint problem, it would have bee much better to leave the gunwales and all the complex parts of the deck unpainted, as you did with the topsides. We painted our decks almost as one sticks on Treadmaster, that is with a margin about 25mm wide round everything on deck that is not flat. You can see some boat photos on our web site at http://www.mccubbin.ca
Our deck paint started to need significant maintenance after 6 years. It is relatively easy to grind off the bad parts since all are flat and easily accessible to disk or orbital sanders.
It is only a matter of time till paint on aluminum blisters.
One VERY important point is avoid paint on chain plates. I have seen some horrible and rapid corrosion on painted chain plates due to action between the SS toggles on the turnbuckles and the alu. Our unpainted ones are un-corroded after 10 years sailing.
Our experience suggests that most of the features of you Boreal are great. Agreed on the advantages of the centreboard, and jealous of your double glazing. Our foam insulation is excellent, and trouble free, as yours should be.
I prefer our traditional staysail over the self tacker, but that is a matter of choice. Having some kind of a staysail so that the jib can be rolled up all the way in heavy weather gives a well balanced, low, sailplan.

Boreal has lead ballast. Garcia talked us out of it because if the hull is holed (tough to do, but we did it once) the chemical action between the aluminum, salt water and the painted cast iron that Garcia uses is quite minor. I know from tests that aluminum suffers rapidly when in contact with lead and sea-water. In a flat bottomed boat like the Boreal or our Garcia the higher density of lead lowers the centre of gravity by only a few inches.

John Harries

Hi Neil,

Lots of great thoughts, thanks.

Re your concern about chainplates. We have painted chainplates and have no problems after 25 years. The secret is to put the pins in with plenty of Tefgel.

Having said that, I completely agree that a paint set up such as yours with no paint on edges or complex assemblies makes the most sense for an aluminium boat.

Jean-François EEMAN

Hi Neil,
Thank you for your enthusiam for a Boréal.

I’m sure you are very happy with your Milvina and we can understand that. If her position on your site is correct (North of Scotland) then you’ll cross tracks with some other Boréal. The closest to you must by “Sir Ernest” who is co-owned by the Whitebread veteran, Hervé Perrin.

As you say a lot on a boat is matter of choice and compromise but concerning ballast some objective elements have to be restored.

1) The density of lead is 11.340 kilo/cubic m. That is almost the double of cast iron which is +/-6.800 kilo/cunbic m.
That means that you only need (a bit more than) half of the space to “place” your lead ballast.
That means that you can easily place much more of your ballast close to the gravity point of your boat.
It means your ballast is far less spread “all around.”
That makes a difference in gravity but also in movements in heavy seas.
The impact can not be underestimated…

2) Previous point compares two monolithic ballasts.
Very often shipbuilders who do use cast iron ballast moreover do it piling up “blocks” (pig iron).
That process with intersection between the blocks implies an additional loss of density. (pretty often up to 20 %)

No need to say that lead is much more expensive than cast iron…
No need to say that monolithic ballasts are much more complicate and expensive to make than cast iron pigs…

That is generally speaking.

3) In our case : The Boréal is not flat bottomed.
She has a keel box in which the ballasts are lodged. You can see it on some of Christophers’ pictures.
This does again contribue to centering the weights and lowering the gravity center : less volum concentrated in a lower position.
The ballasts are monolithic, completely incapsulated in a layer of insulating resin which makes sure there is no contact between aluminium and ballast.
(additional adavantage : when you dry out you do not rest on the bottom plate but on a much smaller and much more solid keelbox).

Small (?) differences which can only sum up !

Jean-François EEMAN,
Managing Director Boréal

Christopher

Neil – Thanks for your great comments re paint detailis. As John noted, we too have had great luck with Tef-Gel. Our experience of the boats stability would affirm Jean-François comments, we are amazed how stiff Sila is for a boat with no big mass at the bottom of keel – we have had plenty of hearty gusts and never felt on the verge of being knocked down, etc… – Christopher

John Harries

Hi Neil,

Further to the steel or lead discussion. I’m surprised that Garcia would say that the chances of galvanic action with the aluminum hull are less with steel than lead.

I just looked up the galvanic table and lead is closer to aluminium than either steel or iron. That would seem to indicate that galvanic action would be worse with cast iron not better?

Dirk Jacobsz

Hello Chris and Molly, also Jean- Francois and John.
I am a first time commenter here as well. Firstly Chris Molly Porter and Jack Rabbit, I have followed your journey and loved your site, well done on your travels and what you have accomplished. Thank you Chris for taking time to write this report on Silva. I have so many questions for you but will get to them one day. Jean-Francois and Boreal, man what a boat. I cannot wait to order mine from you. Look out for my email to you. I have followed every Boreal I can, Steve on RC Louise and Vast and finally to John and Phyllis thank you for your site and introducing me to Boreal.

Jean-François EEMAN

Dear Dirk,
Thank you for nice message.
We’ll look out for your mail and we will be happy to welcome you here at the yard .
Meanwhile don’t hesitate to ask all questions you might have.
Two questions : where are you from ? Wha tis your project ?

Jean-François

Jean-François EEMAN

Dirk,
Some other Boréal onwers have a Facebook page on which you can follow them…
We try to relay their information on our facebook page.
An interesting one is Matt Chauvel’s… He is sailing singlehanded with his dog. His last crossing was from Puerto Williams (Chile) to Cape Town with a stopover in Gough Island (!) .

There is also the site of “SIR ERNST”.
http://www.sir-ernst.net/
In French, but if you go to their media page you will find some You Tube movies…
“SIR ERNST” belongs to three co-owners. One of them is Hervé Perrin who raced in the Whitbread and won dual handed the first Québec Saint-Malo race…
Very experienced and nice people !

Enjoy.

Jean-François

Christopher

Dirk – Glad you like the report. I am happy to answer more questions (Jean-François can give you my email or post a comment with your email on our blog) although I might be slow to respond in the coming months. The Boreal Boats really are quite good if not amzing – all depending on what you want to do. – Christopher

Patrick Genovese

Hi Christopher,

Thank you for a very informative article, my admiration and desire for these boats continues to grow.

You made a comment regarding the heat in the doghouse in the tropics, I have a suggestion that may alleviate/solve the issue: Try some UV/Sun protection film. There are various types and grades available but you can expect to cut out up to 75 to 80% of the heat ingress and up to 99% of UV radiation entering via the windows. Many retail outlets use these films to reduce heat (saving on air conditioning cost) and protect merchandise/furniture from fading.

The film is usually self adhesive and totally removable leaving clean glass on removal, so the process is totally reversible. The only gotcha is if the glass has a compound curve as that would make the film very tricky to stick on. which to my eye does not seem to be the case. Some film types produce a mirror effect on the inside when the interior ambient light is much brighter than the outside you want to avoid these types for obvious reasons.

The downside is that the doghouse will be a little darker but not by much.

Best Regards & Fair Winds

Patrick