Fortuna Island Spirit Boats Review and Specs

Year: 1995  
Manufacturer: St. Martin/St. Maarten, West Indies Office
Price: US$109,000  

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This vessel is ready to go coastal cruising after some upgrades of the electronics.  For the past four years it has been excellent live aboard cruising platform,sailing the Caribbean.The Aero Rig makes it very comfortable for short – handed crew. The unstayed, carbon fiber mast requires no special down wind sails and leaves decks clean for safe movement by crew. Sails can be raised lowered or reefed without needing to turn the boat into the wind. Stack pack allows easy sail dowsing.   “Dolpin” has proven her handling with 3 trans-Atlantic crossings; including placing 1st in the Cape Town to Rio race in 1996. The large cockpit and 10′ by 15′ salon gives a feeling of spaciousness usually found on only larger catamarans.   Among her many features, she has solar panels, ham radio, SSB.  The sailing instruments need attention as the display panels are sun burned and not readable.  The Autohelm GPS plotter is old and needs a new chip.   She does need some TLC, but is sound and sea-worthy, ready to continue cruising.  The owner will consider delivery to anyplace in the US and Caribbean.   The owner just arrived in Florida after a 7 day single-handed trip from Honduras.  Here’s what he had to say:    First, the rig is superb in this situation (one person). It took me between 5 and 10 minutes to reef or to shake one off…  [The rig] is maintenance free and extremely strong. I was seeing on GPS regularly 9-10 knots and on occasion 12-13. She (the boat) was perfect… could not wish for a better farewell journey.     Reviewing the 36-foot Island Spirit By Charles E. Kanter  I think designer Phil Southwell produced an above average catamaran with the Island Spirit. The early model of the Island Spirit I surveyed and sailed was equipped with a Carbo spars Aero rig and was manufactured by Fortuna Yachts, SA. The yacht is designed and equipped for blue water. This is one handsome boat. It is nicely proportioned and looks like it is sailing fast even secured to the dock. I did considerable sailing on this boat. It handled quite well and I was again impressed by the performance of the Aero rig. I am getting more and more familiar with this rig, having sailed on a Hirondelle and a Prout 45 also equipped with an Aero rig. This particular boat, Manx, {now Dolpin} had won its class in the 1996 Capetown to Rio race. It handled quite well, tacked securely, answered the helm without complaint, and I particularly liked the aft head arrangement that allowed engine access through the shower stall. I note that the later models have reverted to the engines under the bunks. The boat has a U-shaped galley-up arrangement, which is very well laid out and quite convenient. I would also prefer to see a double sink. There is room for it in the cabinet. The refrigerator is across the saloon from the galley central, but at least it is away from the heat of the stove. The charter version features four staterooms while the owner’s version features three, with a full owner’s suite in the starboard hull. The saloon table and surround bench is L-shaped rather than the more common U-shape, leaving room for real chairs. This is especially good for those planning on living aboard for considerable lengths of time. The overall ambiance of the saloon is excellent. The clever window treatment eliminates the need for the ubiquitous covers seen on so many cats while not destroying the spectacular panoramic view, one of the most intriguing aspects of a cruising catamaran. I especially like the cockpit treatment and the access to the transoms and the decks via

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Fuel  Hull Material  Hull Shape  Beam  Draft Board/Drive Up  Dry Weight  Max Seating Capacity  Engine Make  Engine Model  Engine Year  Fuel Capacity  Length at Waterline  Length on Deck  Length Overall  Cabin Headroom  Number of Heads  Water Capacity  Number of Berths  Number of Engines

Diesel Fiberglass Catamaran 22 ft 3 in 4 ft 15212 lb 8 Volvo 2020 MD 1995 91 gal 35 ft 9 in 36 ft 36 ft 6 ft 2 120 gal 2 2

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Contact Information

Phone: Fax

+599-544-2798

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