Roger H. Strube, M.D.

REFIT AND UPGRADE MILLENNIUM DRAGON

The Dragon is essentially in a “sail away” condition and would be reliable for several years of near coast and Bahama cruising. The Dragon was hauled for maintenance and repairs at Gulf Marine Ways between March 29th and April 12th 2010. An marine insurance survey was performed prior to the yard starting any work. The replacement value was stated to be $775,000. No structural problems were found. The surveyor made minor recommendations that were completed prior to launch. At that time the bottom was painted, zincs replaced and all through hull fittings re-bedded. Minor engine maintenance including replacement of the saildrive propeller shaft seals was accomplished. Extensive gelcoat repairs of the nicks and bruises in the topsides the Dragon collected over the years were repaired. The Dragon is looking good.

If you are a qualified, serious buyer looking to purchase a fast cruising catamaran in the 44 to 50 foot range, Millennium Dragon may be the boat for you. Please contact Nick Dykert at Denison Marine (Nick Dykert <nick@denisonyachtsales.com>) and arrange to come to Punta Gorda to view the Dragon. If you like what you see, discuss the next steps with Nick. At some point you may consider putting down earnest money with an offer to purchase, contingent upon the results of a marine survey. A prospective buyer should, of course, have Millennium Dragon hauled at the yard of their choice and arrange for this inspection (marine survey). The haul out may cost several hundred dollars and marine surveyors charge between $550 and $700 for a 50 foot boat. The haul out and purchaser’s marine survey will be paid using nonrefundable “earnest money”.

Following the survey the buyer will pay the price in the original offer; re-negotiate the purchase price based on the survey findings; or, walk away from the down payment. If the buyer completes the purchase, the cost of the haul out and survey will be applied to the purchase price for the Dragon. 

For off shore down island, transatlantic or transpacific voyaging or simply completing the restoration of Millennium Dragon to a “like new” condition, upgrades should be considered. A new mainsail, jib and screecher should be considered and new fully integrated electronics purchased and installed. Additional cosmetic improvements could be done at the new owner’s discretion. The following sections will provide reasonably accurate estimates of the cost for such a refit should a new owner consider them.

What will this cost?

Millennium Dragon was built in 1998/1999, commissioned in 2000 and fitting out was completed by September of 2000. Serious off shore sailing began during the winter of 2000/2001 with the first 5 month cruise to the Bahamas. We lived aboard for several years until purchasing a dock with a house attached in Punta Gorda Florida. Kathy and I moved into the house in February of 2002 and have used the Dragon only for short (3 to 6 weeks) cruises since. In the past several years we have only done some day sailing. As a result the original Dave Calvert sails remain serviceable for coastal cruising for the next several years. The electronics were purchase when the boat was being built prior to commissioning. The electronics, although aging, are serviceable. If, however, I or a new owner were planning an extended off shore, down island or transatlantic/transpacific cruise, new sails and electronics should be considered.

I have researched the issue of new sails and the electronics I would put on the boat if I were planning such an extended voyage. The information below will give any prospective buyer a refitting measuring metric benchmark regarding the cost of new sails and new electronics.

The Dragon presently wares racer/cruiser sails that were built by Dave Calvert using a blended cloth designed for cruises who do some racing. They are reasonably durable and have held a very fast shape but are now 10 years old. I would consider replacement with sails made using heavy weight Dacron built with a double layered leach in the main. Mack Sails, a Florida loft, builds these “bullet proof” sails specifically designed for cruising. The cost is significantly less than the high tech racing or racing/cruising sails available. Although they may not be as fast as their higher cost high tech material counterparts, the heavy weight dacron sails have the durability to make up for the disparity. Dacron sails do stretch but the sail maker stated he has taken stretch into consideration when building the sails. The shape resulting from the usual wind pressures experienced under cruising conditions is very efficient. Stowing (“flaking”) a Dacron main in the “rain gutter” boom should be easier than stowing the stiffer high tech racing cloth main. Of course, the “hard top” bimini does make flaking and stowing the mainsail much easier.

The following PDF file is the quote for a new suit of wings for the Dragon. The quote is for main, jib and screecher. Millennium Dragon also has a spinnaker that is in very good condition as it has seen little use over the past 9 years. The quote from Mack Sails totals $12,585.00 and may be reviewed below.

MACK SAILS QUOTE

The above quote for Mack Sails was received based on the original sail measurements provided by Dave Calvert and used to obtain a SW Florida PHRF rating. This document is presented below.

MILLENNIUM DRAGON SAIL MEASUREMENTS