It’s worth noting that Syzygy is cursed with a different, earlier version of the 8,000-lb keel, in which the forward half is lead and the aft half is foam, leading to some cracks where the two meet… something to look out for if you’re thinking of buying a Valiant. Obviously, there are far more specifications that make Syzygy what she is, but this diagram gives a good idea of her basic design. And because all of Syzygy’s running rigging is led to the cockpit, Syzygy is a good boat on which to teach newbies about sailing. With a propane stove and oven, a fridge, sink, and toilet, she can also feed and attend to those people. With a quarter berth, V-berth, and two settees, Syzygy can sleep six people. These bonuses made buying her (for $60,000) much easier. Unlike many old boats, Syzygy was loaded with cruising-worthy equipment: a monitor windvane, a cockpit autopilot, a watermaker, a collapsible dinghy and outboard motor, a hard dodger and bimini, a tow generator, an SSB radio, two 85-watt solar panels, a hot water heater, a diesel forced air heater, four anchors, and a liferaft. Like many 30-year-old sailboats, Syzygy suffers from years of wear, corrosion, and neglect - but nothing that two years of fastidious care can’t repair. As a result, she spent years sitting up on stilts in a dusty work yard in San Carlos, Mexico, before we discovered her online. The third set of owners sailed her down to Mexico to cruise warmer waters, and then abruptly retired in Arizona. Our boat, hull number 201 (making it the 101st Valiant produced out of about 200), was built in 1978 in Bellingham, WA, and spent most of her life in the Pacific Northwest, where her first two owners sailed and chartered her out of Seattle.
They were repaired in 2005, and they have not returned. She’s got a thick fiberglass hull, which, like many Valiants, suffered from unsightly - but no worse - osmotic blisters. This setup can be particularly handy in heavy weather. The boat is a cutter-rigged sloop, meaning it’s got two foresails (a jib and a staysail) like a cutter, and only one centrally-located mast, like a sloop. Valiant 40’s are famous for their solidity, quality, balance, and performance. Designed by Bob Perry (one of the world’s most well-regarded modern boat designers), the Valiant 40 earned many rave reviews and was inducted into the sailboat hall of fame.
She’s 40-feet long and 12.5-feet wide, with a 6.5-foot draft, and a total weight of 22,500 lbs. Our sailboat, named Syzygy, is a Valiant 40, one of the hardiest and smoothest bluewater cruising boats ever built.
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