So, here’s a boat that just made it into my top ten VolksCruiser candidate list…
It’s the Ted Irwin Endeavour 32CB which came from the same mold as the Irwin 32. The main change is that when they refurbed the mold they added a few inches to the length and beam which also added a kiss more headroom at 6’3″.
I’ll be honest and say that the key appeal for me is that it only has a draft of three and a half feet with the board up. This means you can get it in a lot of places other boats can’t. Add legs to the mix and you can dry out upright and take care of business when needful. Throw in that a lot of VolksCruiserish destinations do not favor deep draft boats which makes navigating canals, estuaries, and cheap-seat marinas non-problematic. Still, when you have urgent business to windward the board down draft of 7.83 feet is no bad thing.
As far as livability is concerned it’s roomy, has a lot of stowage, and is more than adequate for a couple living aboard with their needful belongings. Or, to put it into the common vernacular, it’s not a boat you have to camp in.
Performance-wise, I recall the days when the Irwin 32 was the boat to beat and was considered, by many, to be serious competition. Various rule changes have made the Irwin 32/Endeavour 32 less competitive but it’s still an excellent design for cruising.
.Looking around at the various Endeavour 32s for sale I see quite a few good boats going for right around $10K with motors that run and most systems working while fixer-uppers and project boats going for less. I haven’t had a chance to research the current pricing on the Irwin 32s but I expect they’ll be a bit lower and rather interesting. I’ll let you know what I find. out.
Here’s the plan for the Irwin 32 in case you were wondering…
