Moody Eclipse 33 Moody eclipse

[Jeff Higgins]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy an eclipse, preferably a 33'. Do they suffer from any particular problems? Are there any areas I should take an extra look at?

Or can you point me to previous advice already given.

Any advice gratefully received

Jeff

 

[Stephen Hine]

Hi Jeff
I have owned mine for 4/5 months. I looked to buy for 18 months and missed two good ones during that time.

Now being an owner, the saloon large windows are a weak spot it would seem. I am lucky that at this point I have no leaks, but I can see that previous owners have used fillers to minimise this.
I wish my pocket would allow to have them replaced, maybe even double glazed. They would look great and create much less condensation which is a regular thing as we leave summer behind.

Loving my Eclipse and the feeling of space and light because of these large windows, it is just such a big plus. In port you can watch the world go by almost 360 degrees.
Stand in the galley cooking and look straight up and you can see the sails and the mast to the top. A glass ceiling.

Love the space on the foredeck which is great and so safe when deck working and also for strapping a dingy and perhaps placing a solar panel on the coach roof.

At this early stage I am finding it difficult to find things I dont like or would change, in fact all the areas of the boat that were a draw are far better than I thought now being an owner.
The huge heads/utility room/shower is brill - I love the dry steerage position, especially when under motor - generous cockpit.
Only other small thing is the aft bedroom may not be great for everyone, but it does give full headroom in part, has a seat for getting changed and a sink and taps....oh and mega storage. Actually the bed must nearly be queen size at the head end and water level views out of the aft window, top notch.
I will be doing some upgrading but I couldnt be happier.

Wish you luck in your hunt.

 

[Jeff Higgins]

Hi Stephen,

Many thanks for your informative reply, glad you're enjoying yours. Good ones are a bit like hens teeth to find.
I'll take a good look at the windows.

Jeff

 

[Paul Crickmore]

Hi Stephen,

Many thanks for your informative reply, glad you're enjoying yours. Good ones are a bit like hens teeth to find.
I'll take a good look at the windows.

Jeff

There's a reason why they're difficult to find: we like to keep hold of them !
I find the aft cabin is luxurious for my 6'1" somewhat (unfortunately) generous frame and quite happily relinquish the forepeak 'owners' cabin' to guests. The saloon sleeps two in comfort (some literature suggests it's a single berth). 5 adults is the realistic maximum you'd want aboard. The shower compartment is amazing but it is a shame it drains into the rest of the heads: an opportunity missed in my opinion.

In addition to windows try to find out about the condition of the plywood stringers the chainplates are bolted to. You may not be able to inspect them as they are behind built-in furniture but they can rot if the chainplate deckplate sealant goes.

Check the condition of the mast compression post base. There is some variation in the lumber holes draining the bilge sections towards the centre bilge and the post can sometimes be standing in water.

Inspect how tightly routed the throttle control morse cables from the outer helm are. Mine were too short and curved beyond design spec and over time deformed both the control and the throttle lever, resulting in much expense then replaced and the throttle disassembled itself once the tension was released.

Read other owners' comments on the condition of keel bolts and you'll probably come to the same conclusion I did: they are rarely a cause for concern regardless of what the surface may look like.

Happy hunting!
Paul

 

[Jeff Higgins]

There's a reason why they're difficult to find: we like to keep hold of them !
I find the aft cabin is luxurious for my 6'1" somewhat (unfortunately) generous frame and quite happily relinquish the forepeak 'owners' cabin' to guests. The saloon sleeps two in comfort (some literature suggests it's a single berth). 5 adults is the realistic maximum you'd want aboard. The shower compartment is amazing but it is a shame it drains into the rest of the heads: an opportunity missed in my opinion.

In addition to windows try to find out about the condition of the plywood stringers the chainplates are bolted to. You may not be able to inspect them as they are behind built-in furniture but they can rot if the chainplate deckplate sealant goes.

Check the condition of the mast compression post base. There is some variation in the lumber holes draining the bilge sections towards the centre bilge and the post can sometimes be standing in water.

Inspect how tightly routed the throttle control morse cables from the outer helm are. Mine were too short and curved beyond design spec and over time deformed both the control and the throttle lever, resulting in much expense then replaced and the throttle disassembled itself once the tension was released.

Read other owners' comments on the condition of keel bolts and you'll probably come to the same conclusion I did: they are rarely a cause for concern regardless of what the surface may look like.

Happy hunting!
Paul

Thanks Paul

 

[Andrew J Taylor]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy an eclipse, preferably a 33'. Do they suffer from any particular problems? Are there any areas I should take an extra look at?

Or can you point me to previous advice already given.

Any advice gratefully received

Jeff

Moody Eclipse 33 - Bilge Keel Eclipse 33

I have one too many boats and so I must move Shebah along. She is a bilge keel sailing yacht with a good strong diesel engine. She would make a perfect cruising yacht or even a houseboat. Sadly I don't have the time for her anymore and I would like to see her out sailing next season. More...

www.moodyowners.info

 

[Alex Whatley]

We bought our E33 in August and are very happy so far. All the great points of the design are well covered above, but as others have said, we have found leaking pilothouse windows to be a problem. Beware that the diesel deck fill can get covered with rain water when moored or sea water when sailing, so check the seals are in good shape or you will have water in the fuel. I currently have the tank removed to address the effects of this... Our boat has no shut off on the gas system other than the valve on the bottle, so am also looking to address that with an electic solenoid switched in the galley.

We have the 42hp turbo version of the Volvo Penta 2003 engine, which is great. Only has the original 50A alternator though and we now have 3*115Ah batteriess, so looking to upgrade to 100A unit with external regulation. The issue is that you really need to upgrade all the pullies for that to modern serpentine belts, as a V belt will be taking a lot of grief. You can buy a pulley conversion kit, but at $450 is more expensive than the new alternator! On the subject of electrical loads, the fridge is original, loud and power hungry compared to modern units, but hey - what do you expect in a 30+ year old boat?

 

[Jeff Higgins]

Thanks Alex,
A few more things to add to my list. At least everyone seems happy over all with their E33.
Jeff