Santa Cruz Yachts Review

Summary

Santa Cruz Yachts was founded by Bill Lee, a well known sailor, boat designer, and builder. He started the company in 1971. The company operates out of the Green Cove Springs, Florida area and is now widely successful with a global network of dealers located in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway and Finland, and Turkey. Dealers in the United States are located in: Florida, California, Maryland, Washington, and New York. There are two main models, the SC37 and the SC43. Other models have been made, but these are the only two advertised on the company website at the time of this review. The boats are well known for their racing abilities, both short distance and long distance ocean racing.

Pricing

Since the boats are customized for each buyer, the pricing information is not publicly available to the general public. The best thing to do is contact a local dealer for more information. We were able to determine that base models start out at around $600,000 and exceed over a million dollars.

Pros

• These boats are light, made from balsa wood hulls.
• These boats are highly regarded racing boats.
• These boats have won several awards. The SC52 won the Best Boat of the Year in 1996 according to Sailing World Magazine.

Cons

• Some people think the balsa wood construction isn’t what they need in a boat.
• For a lot of people, paying nearly a million dollars for a sailing boat is too much. These aren’t budget friendly, but financing is available.

Featured Models

There are several models on the market, though there are only two advertised on the manufacturer website: the SC37 and SC43. From other sources we were able to find the following models: SC27, SC40, SC44, SC50, SC52, SC52T, SC53C, SC70, and the Coastal Flyer 61.

Conclusion

For anyone who enjoys sailing and has a considerable budget to work with, purchasing one of these boats may be a good option. Since there is a vast global network of dealers, there is a close dealer for nearly anyone who is interested. Those who cannot afford to purchase brand new should consider looking at used models, which in addition to being available from a dealer, may also be located with other dealers and private individuals. Consider using cheaper features and options to make the boats more affordable. Before shopping for any boat, decide what you need, what you want, and what you are willing to sacrifice.