Forbes Cooper 60

Was browsing online and came across a 1996 Forbes Cooper 60. It's not a trawler but has a great layout.
Does anyone on here have a Forbes Cooper of any type.
Looking for general information about these boats, build quality etc.

Thanks in advance!

That's a name I hadn't heard in awhile. In 2009 we were looking to upsize and there was a Forbes Cooper (around 58') at the Seattle Boat Show. It had just had a $75K price reduction so that caught my interest. I was told when I called that this boat was the personal yacht of Mr. Cooper himself.


We drove to Seattle to look at the boat and when the selling broker took us aboard there was a dock crew washing the boat in prep for the show. There were significant water leaks around the windshield panels at the bottom of the wood frames. The wood at the bottom of the windshield panels was wet. That caused some severe blackening of the wood along the bottom of the windshield.


The boat had been modified to put a door from the pilothouse to the side walkway. I noticed it on the stbd side but there may also have been one on the port side. There was water running in at the bottom of the door and flowing across the floor of the pilothouse floor.


At that point we lost interest in the boat and left it. I don't know if the boat sold at the show or not. I wasn't interested enough to keep track of it.

Mike

If that boat was called Island Roamer it was indeed Forbes Cooper's personal boat. Too bad that one wasn't any good.
Cooper got Vancouver started in sail with his production of Catalinas. I have seen reports that he built 1500 27s alone. He also put more Vancouver sailers in the South Pacific than anyone else, with the Maple Leaf series, 42, 48 and longer were all great world cruisers. I had one of his Seabird 37s. A great family boat. Mine was cutter/ketch rigged, so windward performance sucked, but otherwise it was a great boat for the time. Not too fancy, but heavily and competently built. I still carry a picture taken with the rail in the water, all sails up and drawing well, over 24 years after moving to the dark side.
In the 90s Cooper was building Queenship yachts for a while, but sold out and started building the "Forbes Cooper" series of individual yachts. I don't have a good knowledge of how many variations on the theme he produced, but I did see him show up in a different Island Roamer every couple of years. Maybe they were all "his personal boat". I know that he was building into his 80s. At 87(?) now I doubt he is still at it.

In 2006-2010 Forbes Cooper was building the West Coast 46, which is the original Tollycraft 43 mold stretched to make a bigger cockpit. I have seen a few and they are very nicely finished.

Forbes Cooper is still around Cooper Boating - About Us.

We've owned our West Coast 46 for 9 years, it was 3 years old when we bought it. I would echo Keith's evaluation, our boat isn't too fancy, but heavily and competently built. Every trades person and surveyor that has been on her has talked about how well thought out and well built she is.

Forbes Cooper built thousands of boats in B.C. from small sailboats to 100' + powerboats, I think he knew what he was doing.
Lyle

Thank you all for your input. I happened to come across a 46 West Coast online, I like it!

Bajabuzz said:

Was browsing online and came across a 1996 Forbes Cooper 60. It's not a trawler but has a great layout.
Does anyone on here have a Forbes Cooper of any type.
Looking for general information about these boats, build quality etc.

Thanks in advance!

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We have a 1990 Cooper Yachts Prowler if that counts.. It's a 30, but LOA is 34.5.

Currently being repowered, pampered, primped and outfitted with everything we feel will make it a great boat.

Just an update to our Cooper Yachts Prowler, it now does over 40 knots, which is a surprise and even at 33, the fuel economy is not bad for twin v8s. She's in the water and still getting more updates until we are completely destitute, lol..

Coast Wanderer said:

Just an update to our Cooper Yachts Prowler, it now does over 40 knots, which is a surprise and even at 33, the fuel economy is not bad for twin v8s. She's in the water and still getting more updates until we are completely destitute, lol..

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Pics??

South of Heaven said:

Pics??

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Sure, I'll post some after we do our denaming and renaming ceremony, as the name is currently covered with black electricians tape and black garbage bags, so not overly photogenic just now.