M/V Gizmo For Sale by Panbo senior editor Ben Ellison
Yes, Panbo friends, the time has come. Gizmo is officially on the market as of today, though thankfully not due to health issues, financial distress, or any other problems. I simply decided last fall that the boat deserved a new owner who might use her more than I have in recent years, and that I might deserve a new and different ride. My beloved first mate was a bit sad about the concept — given recent memories like the one above — but she cheerfully perused a couple of spanking new full-planing pocket cruisers just last weekend.
Meanwhile, preparing Gizmo for sale turned out to be quite a smorgasbord of projects, and somewhat to my surprise I’ve enjoyed almost every aspect of the work. Even with the huge storage shed in Rockland still well refrigerated, challenging repairs like mending and reinforcing the forward spray rails broken by travel lift strap stress focused my attention (and, wow, Plexus MA310 was the right adhesive for the job).
It was also gratifying to have the boat’s longtime engine mechanic/technician deem the Volvo Penta good-to-go for many more hours — diagnostic codes and oil analysis included. That was early May, just before we raised the antenna mast from its solar panel rack assisted winter crutch, and then the many remaining projects moved to my happy spot in Camden Inner Harbor.
That’s where I got serious about stripping the boat of extraneous gear and personal effects, and trying to make her workboat-level cosmetics more presentable. I also tested many systems, like the passive air conditioning, and put the galley to work on a summer dinner for six featuring lobsters caught from Gizmo Junior. I told the lads “you’re yachting now” and they may have believed me.
While still at work on a few projects, I am ready to share a listing that hopefully gives a prospective buyer lots of Gizmo detail, warts and all. She is, for instance, balsa-cored even below the waterline, though after 15 years of my abuse, I’m ever more confident that the builders did it right.
The listing folder also includes a photo series illustrating Gizmo’s fuel efficiency and wake size at various cruising RPMs, a spreadsheet listing what’s on her dual NMEA 2000 networks, and some interesting system shots (like that new Victron Cerbo power overview showing amps instead of watts, alternator included).
I also included some origin detail from owner #1, a Canadian engineer with lots of offshore sailing experience who wanted to cruise the East Coast with the safety of a fishing boat and the joiner work of a Hinckley. This owner #4 has long appreciated his work with the designer and builders. And note that “Gizmo” is optional, as that is at least the third name, with no bad luck detected.
Even if Gizmo is not the boat for you, I’d appreciate feedback about the listing materials. What’s missing? What needs more detail? Or maybe you know someone who’d like to be the next owner/operator of this handsome and unique Duffy 37 (in exchange for $275,000)? The search begins.
Duffy 37 Gizmo listing folder (on Dropbox)
PS 9/3: If you have trouble seeing all the docs and photos on the Dropbox site — which should not require you to log in — please try pasting this wild-looking link into your browser (and thanks in advance for letting me know if that doesn’t work for you):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/lci24sbfy5a12csyxvklx/AFz0LwVE5EBrkV73T_tpfSY?rlkey=2bwx5xpn7tv4gdkkmrb6fxw7n&st=zmbxrubh&dl=0
Also, here are the current listing document PDFs:
Duffy 37 Gizmo Listing 9-3-2024
