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Mercedes Clipper 32ft design


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Hi,

I'm wondering if someone familiar with the Mercedes Clipper design would be able to share his experience or point of view on this yacht designed by Mick Elmes. There's one at the moment on Trademe but can't find any information on internet. I wonder how does she sail and what's her seaworthiness look like. Any comments / ideas to get more infos would be really much appreciated.

Cheers

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The Mercedes Clippers were designed in the late 1970s, mostly built between 1977 and 1983, but at least two were put in the water around 1990.
About 20 to 25 total seem to have been built.
A fairly well known New Zealand boatbuilder did a survey of one of them around 2016 and commented that (designer Mick Elmes) “... designed nice boats that perform well.” Also that the particular (1990) hull he checked was fair, well finished and he saw no reason to be concerned.
Elmes was reported in 2007 to have thrown away the plans years earlier and couldn’t by then say much about his design details.
Some of the Mercedes Clippers seem to have had reasonable racing records, and for their length they can be fairly spacious and comfortable cruisers.
I guess the boat you refer to is "Improbable". It seems to have a scoop stern which was apparently not in the original design and was probably added later. Most of those boats seem to have 20hp diesels, although there are some with 28's, or even Ford Shibauras with 25's.
Names of some of the Mercedes Clippers, possibly some renamed, are Morning Sky, Misty Clipper, Fame, Chandos, Perspective, Cyrano, Improbable, Windward Clipper, Amanzimtoti, South Seas Clipper. Some I've forgotten and some no doubt I never knew.
The name "Mercedes Clipper" always seemed to me a bit more interesting than something like Beneteau 34, so I conjectured maybe the clipper part refers to the shape of the prow, and the Mercedes part to the fast and comfortable German car, or maybe the designer's girlfriend if she had the same name and the same other attributes as the car.
Enjoy the boat if you buy it. I currently own one and have great times with it.

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I have a friend (I swear I do!) who has owned his Clipper for 30 years.

Has raced it in the (distant) past but just cruises her now. Looks after it very well - 'nurses her along' as he calls it.

She's one of the ones named by Arco above.

I did a Coastal Classic on her 20 odd years ago. Lottsa fun, took a week to get back to Auckland :)

Good all round yacht, usual story - she's old, get a survey............. good luck.

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I'm fairly sure Misty Clipper used to belong to a guy I knew. He really liked it, and it seemed to perform ok. 

From memory they were middle of the bunch of Whangarei keelboats.

I know that they were kicking back relaxing on a stupidly windy Sail Rock race while we were white-knuckling it in Astro.  

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I purchased the Mercedes Clipper “Improbable “ in late January 2021 from Wellington. She had a solid hull but rigging had fraying stays, engine water pump leaking, dodger stuffed, stove, head and saloon table removed and wiring dodgy and no instruments worked. 
Now rerigged, new Raymarine instruments, rewired, replaced head, oven, built saloon table, built radar arch with davits, solar panels etc, hard dodger, moved traveller forward, new alloy toe rails and repainted inside and out. 
I’ll have to replace sails soon but she’s now a solid yacht once more. 
A lot of hours and quite a bit of $ thrown in obviously but I knew that when I bought her. 
We are having a name change shortly to “Rehu Moana” and she now lives in Nelson marina. 
 

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Hello guys'n gals (fellow swabbies?)

I own the former Cyrano.  Externally she has fallen into neglect and in need of some work but that said she is essentially sound.  We have sailed her on the east coast of the NI and to/from and in the Malborough Sounds regularly in the past but work and health issues have put a stay on that. She was set up for cat1 and has some significant investment in add-ons for Cat 1 but I cant recollect if she was actually registered as such.

I'm looking for someone who might be interested in taking her under their wings and getting going again.

Cheers and regards. Robin

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