The LOANA is a “Del Rey 50”, an ideal live-aboard and offshore cruiser.  Her pilothouse, full keel, and bulletproof design enable her to go anywhere in the world in safety and comfort.  She's a fiberglass ketch designed by Crealock, built by Blue Buoy Yachts of Torrance California.  (Being American-made allows her to be chartered in the U.S.)  After cruising the South Pacific for ten years she was completely rebuilt, overhauled and re-rigged from stem to stern with over 10,000 man-hours plus over $250,000 in materials - details below.  You can certainly find a boat this size for less money, but by the time you bring it to half the level of this boat you will have invested three times the price of this vessel and literally years of your life.  If you truly want to sail the high seas in your lifetime, this is your boat at a bargain price. 

She was set up for cold Alaskan waters where she sailed very comfortably until 2002.  Then she was overhauled and improved with all the modern conveniences and creature comforts for southern latitudes. She was set up to be single handed and to be self sustaining at sea for extended periods of time, with the idea of sailing away to the South Pacific and never looking back.

... but I met and married a farm girl from Asia.  So the Loana is currently moored in Hawaii, ready to sail away on someone else’s romantic South Pacific adventure.  Or, if you choose to live aboard in Waikiki you could have the finest waterfront condo, with the cheapest moorage in one of the choicest locations on the planet.  Or I can deliver her for you, or train you to sail and navigate on some cruises together.  A good portion of my life is invested in this floating home, so I want to see that she ends up in good hands.  I'm a ship captain and work container ships for a living so during one of my vacations I can take you on sea trials, teach you sailing and navigation, or help you move the boat to a new location.  Here are some of the particulars of the vessel.

LIVING QUARTERS

The boat has a comfortable owner’s cabin aft for husband and wife, a forward cabin that sleeps two, a main cabin living area with two bunks adjacent to the dining area and the perfect sea-going galley and nav station, a stand-up engine room with a workshop, tremendous amount of storage lockers for self-sufficiency, and a large beautiful head and shower.  She can sleep up to 8 people if needed by sleeping two more in the pilothouse, but with all the storage space and spare parts aboard she is rigged more for a family of four or a cruising couple circumnavigating the globe.

PILOTHOUSE

She has a pilothouse to protect you from the elements, with soft zippered side windows and doors to open her up in nice weather.  Once you have made an ocean crossing or two you will appreciate this vessel and her seaworthy charms.  The pilothouse not only protects you from the cold wet weather and waves in rough weather, but also provides shade from burning tropical rays. 

BULLETPROOF

In the description below you will occasionally see the term "bullet-proof".  No expense or effort was spared in making this vessel as seaworthy as possible.  Incredibly thick reinforced keel from stem to stern from waterline to waterline for incredible strength.  The foredeck, bow, and chain locker were beefed up with stiffeners and glassed inside and out.  4” thick FRP foredeck to accommodate heavy-duty Maxwell anchor windlass.  6” thick FRP leading bow edge to create “bullet-proof” bow.  I truly believe you could hit an iceberg or a floating ship container with impunity, but then of course you would be patching the dings and repainting.  Heavy-gauge S/S bow pulpit with teak platform and S/S anchor rollers with two stainless steel 48 lb. CQR’s.  You can sit on the bow platform safely surrounded by polished stainless while watching the dolphins play in the bow wave.  There is something about the Loana’s hull shape and bow wave that seems to attract dolphins.

LAYOUT

She has a large aft deck with plenty of clearance beneath the mizzen boom to stand up for fighting fish, or for just relaxing in an easy chair while watching the sails above and the scenery go by.  Heavy-gauge polished stainless safety rails surrounding the aft deck at your thigh level so you can put your entire weight into them while fighting the really big fish as I often did in Alaska.  The mizzen boom works well for hoisting 100 lb + halibut onto the aft deck.  The foredeck is big enough that I regularly carried two large ocean kayaks and a ten-foot hypalon Caribe dingy.  The kayaks, Caribe and 15hp Johnson are included.

RIGGING

     This vessel is “over rigged” if such a thing is possible.  Huge stainless steel chain plates are thru-bolted to large backing plates through a very thick hull.  Bulletproof masthead fitting of welded 5/8” marine aluminum.  7/16” S/S forestay with Profurl roller furling, 3/8” S/S main stays, 5/16” stays on mizzen.  Completely re-rigged main & mizzenmast.  Masts stripped bare, etched & painted with Awlgrip primer and topcoat.  Masts rewired.  Installed new spreader lights and remote control searchlight.  New S/S folding mast steps both main and mizzenmasts. 

PROPULSION

      The vessel was re-powered with a new 130 hp John Deere Turbo Diesel, new Twin Disc transmission, larger shaft & bearings, and an adjustable pitch 23” Maxiprop 3-blade feathering prop.  As a result she is extremely maneuverable for a vessel this size and can turn around or stop in her own length.  The engine is in like new condition.  Dello 400 oil changed every 100 hours from installation. Lots of brand-new spare parts aboard, along with the tools and equipment to keep her running for years and years to come.  The feathering Maxiprop added a full knot to her sailing speed!

       Engine Room / Workshop!  Most sailboats have the engine buried under the deck or companionway.  The Loana has a standup engine room with a workshop bench, vise, tool chests, spares drawers, etc.  All of the machinery is visible at a glance and easily accessible, making maintenance a breeze.

GENERATOR

   New Northern Lights 6kw diesel generator in sound enclosure with polished stainless steel articulating mount so the generator can swing away from main engine for easy maintenance.  Generator is just past the break-in point with less than 200 hours.  The genset has enough power to run almost everything on the boat simultaneously while charging the six deep cycle house batteries and the separate starting battery at 150 amps.  Whisper quiet split exhaust system that discharges the exhaust gas above the waterline and the cooling water below the waterline, so your neighbors don’t even know it’s running.

CLIMATE CONTROL

She is rigged for both hot or cold climates with a Dickenson diesel fireplace-heater in the main cabin with S/S heat shielding and insulated exterior bulkheads.   Stainless steel heat exchangers from main engine provide cabin heat when needed in the main cabin, aft cabin, the pilothouse, or all three. 

Two Cruisair air conditioning systems aboard; 17,000 BTU in main cabin and 10,000 BTU in aft cabin.  Additionally, there is a large ionizing air filtration system in the aft cabin, so the air below decks always smells fresh and no mold ever grows anywhere.  The current consumption is low enough to leave running all the time.

POTABLE WATER

New integral fresh water tanks, 220 gal.  The potable hot water tank is plumbed from three different sources: the diesel fireplace, the main engine cooling system, or electric.  You can take hot showers from any of the three sources either at the dock or underway.

 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

   Robust electrical system completely rewired with heavy gauge Ancor Marine (tinned copper) wiring and cables.  Both AC and DC systems have been professionally rewired.  The advantage of American wiring systems for 120 volts is that the cables are twice as large as European or Asian wiring systems using 240 volts.  Converting an Asian or European 220 volt systems for use in the US or Canada will create a serious fire hazard unless the entire AC system is replaced.  New comprehensive M&I circuit breaker panel with myriad of monitoring gauges, including a transformer that can be hooked up to convert any world shore power voltage / cycles to American 120 volt 60 Hz needed to run all the American equipment aboard the Loana (freezer, washer/dryer, air conditioners, microwave, TV's and VCR's, etc.).  Custom spill-proof foam cored FRP battery boxes to accommodate 1000 amp hours of capacity.  Six recent L-16 deep-cycle house batteries in two banks plus one 8-D starting battery on an Echo Charger.  Heart Interface 2500-watt inverter with Link 2000R remote panel and 150 amps 3 stage smart charging.  Two large solar panels on cabin roof.  265-amp Amptech alternator on main engine!  Ever even heard of a 265 amp alternator?  Cuts generator time to nothing if you are using the engine at all during the day.  All charging sources interfaced through Heart smart charging system.  You can monitor every electrical load on the boat and regulate every aspect of the charging system.

FUEL SYSTEM

  New stainless steel fuel tanks, 230 gal.  New sub floors and teak & holly floor in main cabin built while replacing the tanks.  Dual Racor fuel filters.  Built-in 30-gallon reserve fuel system.