A Custom 35ft Ferrocement Finisterre Ketch for Sale

SORRY, NOW SOLD!

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'Sandpiper' my ferrocement Finisterre Ketch is a custom-built, Samson adaptation of the famous Sparkman & Stephens ocean racer 'Finisterre', incorporating Annapolis racer-cruiser innovation and traditional Skipjack lines.

'Sandpiper' under full sail

Built by a NASA engineer at Middle River, Maryland, in 1972, her 12-tonne displacement puts her 5 tonnes lighter than the original wooden hull she was based on. Her strength comes well-tested by extensive cruising, and she has been carefully maintained with five haulouts over the past fifteen years.

Presently docked in New Bern, North Carolina, 'Sandpiper' is fitted-out for liveaboard life in the tropics.

Having never left Chesapeake before 2005, she was campaigned to the Caribbean Islands in 2010-15, and has been found to be ideally suited as a live-aboard cruiser, with good headroom (6' throughout), and airy living quarters.

Double berth in the forecabin on the port side

Her 4ft shoal draft with the (5') centreboard up (9' when down) allows her to explore local creeks, rivers and inlets unavailable to other boats.

We have upgraded the systems for blue-water cruising, and have lived aboard along the US east coast and north west Caribbean destinations. 'Sandpiper' has been lovingly maintained and upgraded throughout our nineteen years of ownership - we have worked on her regularly and have recently finished a comprehensive refit with many upgrades (AIS, Power Bank, etc).

Most of all, we want her to be loved, so we are looking for the right price for the right owner's budget.

Navigation station at the foot of the companionway on the starboard side

Accommodations

Her accommodations are simple. Aft, there’s a navigation station to starboard and an aft pipe-berth.

The galley is to port with a Force 10 safety-rated propane stove, large ice box/fridge, and plenty of space and storage.

Seating around the saloon table

Her main saloon includes port and starboard settees with a table, and pilot/pullman berths port and starboard, and further storage outboard to port and starboard. The head is abaft, to starboard.

The forepeak has a double berth to port, and storage for storm rodes, drogue and chain.

There’s additional storage forward for anchor rodes, etc and further storage (under the cockpit) contains tools and spares, snorkel and fishing gear, as well as comfortable access to transmission, fuel tanks and steering.

Underfloor Engine is easily accessible from front, rear and top.

Pilot berth in the saloon, on the port side

Measurements

Length Overall: 38'0"

Length on Deck: 35'0"

Beam: 11'3"

Draft: 3'11" (9'0" with centreboard down)

Displacement: Net 12 T

Wide side decks give good access to the bow

Ferrocement Hull & Decks

Hull and decks are ferrocement. Marine plywood bulkheads are bolted to ferrocement web frames that are integral to the hull. Fiberglass covered marine plywood cabin and cockpit are bolted to the decks.

Armature 0.225" spring steel rods run longitudinally on 2" centers
0.25" high carbon steel rods run girth-wise on 3" centers
1/4" square mesh, 2 layers inboard, 1 layer outboard
Web Frames rod and mesh tack welded to armature
Engine Bed - ¼" steel plate self-contained custom bed, integral stringers lag-bolted to oak posts welded and glassed to armature.
Portland Cement with pozzolan.

Wheel steering

General

Cabin and Cockpit 3/4" marine plywood covered with fiberglass cloth
Keel-mounted skeg rudder, with lower cutless-style shoe (¼" 316). 316 stainless steel rudder jaws to 2.5" rudder-post, with nylon upper bearing, stern-post sleeved in fibreglass inside galvanized tube
Drop-Keel Centreboard 5'0" - fibreglass on ply with lead and stainless steel structure
Bow pulpit in 316
Mast 43'0" aluminum, deck-stepped, Metalmast Marine
Chainplates 316 SS 1/4" bar stock
Standing Rigging 9/32" SS wire rope with 1/2" SS turnbuckles
2" teak platform and 2 bow rollers integrated (rebuilt 2019)

'Sandpiper' on a broad reach

On Deck

Plath/Simpson Lawrence bronze windlass.
Spare mast-mounted Lewmar halyard winches
Barlow self-tailing sheet winches in cockpit.

'Sandpiper's stern

Sails & Engines

6 sails - working jib, storm jib, 120 Genoa, drifter, main (2 reefs), mizzen (2 reefs), mizzen staysail
Yanmar 3HM35F
Protected Shaft and Propeller: PYI dripless seal on 1¼" 322 stainless shaft, refitted with new donut in 2022.
Mercury 5hp outboard and West Marine Dinghy
(Unfitted) Profurl roller headsail furling

The head is on the portside, aft

Tanks & Sanitation

Diesel - Two fuel tanks holding 40 gallons fuel in total. Three jerry cans with 15 extra gallons.
Propane: Two Aluminium 20lb tanks, with cutoff sensor.
Three water bladders with capacity for 420 litres of water. (extra water storage in jerry cans)
Holding tank 10 gallons, plastic
Jabsco manual head

The navigation station

Communications & Navigation

Self-steering Navico/Raymarine WP5000 Wheel Pilot
(Unfitted) Hasler windvane
Depth/Speed - Raymarine st60 Seatalk with repeater
GPS Garmin 210 plotter
SSB radio ICOM 600 with AT150 Tuner
Radar: Autohelm/Raymarine ST50
ACR Beacon
Standard Horizon GX2150 VHF with AIS
Standard Horizon HX890 Handheld VHF/GPS

The Force 10 two-burner stove with grill and oven

Galley

Force 10 stove in galley two burner with grill and oven.
Force 10 stainless propane grill/barbecue on deck/pushpit.
Large capacity well-insulated ice chest (with 5 amp 12v Cold Machine Refrigeration)

The bow

Ground tackle

Heavy-duty ground tackle (45lb CQR, 35lb Danforth and a Mud/Maxx Anchor,) 200ft ⅜ chain, 200ft of rode, Parachute Drogue/Sea Anchor, and 600ft of storm rode.