Cabo Rico Yachts, a Costa Rican Yard With a Cult Following

A boat shop inside a car plant

Few yacht builders started in an automobile factory. In the 1960s John Schofield set up a small powerboat operation in one corner of the British Leyland assembly plant outside San José, Costa Rica. By the early 1970s he had switched to sailboats, beginning with the Tiburon 36 designed by William (Bill) Crealock.

That partnership defined the company. In 1977 the Tiburon was developed into the Cabo Rico 38, and for close to three decades the 38 remained the yard's signature product.

Craftsmanship, a Florida office and new owners

Costa Rica gave Schofield two advantages: a supply of good timber and woodworkers with real skill. Cabo Rico interiors earned a reputation for fine joinery, and the finish generally compares well with the Taiwanese cruisers sold in the same era.

To reach American buyers the company opened Cabo Rico USA in Fort Lauderdale in 1983. Four years later Fraser and Edi Smith purchased both the Costa Rican factory and the Florida business. Production stayed modest throughout, and the yard added smaller and larger Crealock designs as well as later models, but none displaced the 38. Factory operations were suspended in 2009, which ended production.

Crealock's influence and the 38

Crealock drew boats for owners who planned to cross oceans, and his work for Cabo Rico shares DNA with the Pacific Seacraft designs he did in California, though the Costa Rican boats lean heavier and more traditional. Our Cabo Rico 38 page covers the hull, rig, accommodation and price range in depth. Its pop culture moment came when Sonny Crockett appeared aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico in the first episode of Miami Vice.

Buying an orphan classic

With the factory closed, every Cabo Rico is a brokerage boat and there is no builder to call. Owners lean on experienced surveyors, fellow owners and yards comfortable with traditional fiberglass and teak construction. Prices swing widely on refit history and equipment rather than year.

Supply is small and the styling has aged well, so good boats keep their value. The 34 and 38 regularly rank among the more searched classic cruisers on US brokerage sites. Plan a survey that goes deeper than usual.

• Moisture under teak decks and around deck fittings.
• The ballast and its encapsulation, watching for rust stains.
• Plywood under the teak cockpit sole.
• Bowsprit, bobstay and stem fitting.