Wind River represents a great opportunity for someone to head offshore immediately in a proven Bob Perry Valiant Esprit, fully updated in the last two years.
Under the previous owners, hull# 136 (then named Thistle) sailed from the Pacific Northwest to New Zealand and back, plus two round trip circumnavigations of Moresby Island in Haida Gwaii combined with three full circumnavigations of Vancouver Island.
The current owners recognized the excellent capabilities and care taken with the Esprit, and purchased her in 2021 for a long term cruise. They completely updated the boat and prepped it for serious cruising and renamed her Wind River. Circumstances changed for these owners and the cruise had to be cancelled.
The boat spent its early life in Maine. When the previous owners bought it in 1993, they shipped it to the Valiant factory in Texas, where builder and Valiant Yachts owner Rich Worstell oversaw a refit, bringing it up to the current standards. It was then shipped to the Pacific Northwest.
Bob Perry “drew the boat for myself. It’s the boat I wanted.” He owned hull number 1, Ricky Nelson, for three years on Puget Sound. On the heels of the Valiant 40, the Esprit quickly established a reputation as a good all-around performer and a seaworthy passagemaker.
Because Bob Perry designed it for himself, two of the interior highlights are 6’7” headroom and a spacious galley. The quality interior joinery provides a warm and comfortable feel. Lockers and floorboards are all securely fastened for comfort at sea.
| Name of vessel | Wind River |
| Model | Valiant Esprit 37 |
| Year | 1980 |
| Builder | Valiant Yachts |
| Designer | Bob Perry |
| Price | $110,000 USD |
| Location | Seattle, WA |
| Length (feet) | 37 |
| Beam (feet) | 11.5 |
| Draft (feet) | 5.8 |
| Displacement (pounds) | 17000 |
| Ballast (pounds) | 6700 |
| Engine model | Volvo MD 2040 |
| Engine horsepower | 40 |
| Engine hours | |
| Fuel tank capacity (gallons) | 40 |
| Water tank capacity (gallons) | 130 |
| Holding tank capacity (gallons) | 20 |
Accommodations
Starting forward, the V-berth features 6’8” berths with a seat between that serves as a good step-up point. The hull sides throughout the boat are lined with teak. Shelves are to port and starboard with removable rails. There is a locker with shelves to starboard and a hanging locker just aft of it. To port there are four drawers, providing plenty of storage for personal gear.
Moving aft to port, the head has a separate shower stall with a seat, rare for a boat of this size and vintage. The keel-stepped mast nestles unobtrusively next to the fold-down table.
The main salon features an L-shaped dinette to port, plus cabinetry and a settee to starboard. For extra accessible storage space during passagemaking, Wind River has a divider that holds gear inside the “L.” There are hinged leeboards both to port and starboard, lying flat under the cushions when not being used. Lockers line both hull sides.
The U-shaped galley is to port, with generous storage in lockers for dishes and dry goods. An approximately 10 cubic foot refrigerator is on the aft side of the galley, while the sink and dry goods lockers are on the forward side. Every inch of space is used, including three drawers facing inboard and a small locker tucked in the aft outboard corner of the galley. The navigation station is to starboard along with the 6’5” quarterberth
Wallas 30 Dt diesel heater, forced airducts in V-berth and main salon
Gas Systems Regal 2 4-burner gimbaled propane
Wind River is equipped for offshore with self-steering gear, solar panels, and an intermediate stay with runners, among a full complement of cruising gear.stove with oven
(13) Marinebeam LED interior red/white dome lights
PYI floor anchors for 6 cabin sole bilge-access boards
Hinged teak leeboards in settee berths and quarter berth, canvas lee cloths in V-berth-port, starboard, and centerline
Saltwater foot pump in galley
Fresh water foot pumps in galley and head
Adler Barber Super ColdMachine CU-200 refrigeration (2022)
(12) teak retaining fiddles for shelves and other storage
130 gallons fresh water in 2 stainless tanks, 65-gallons each, with removable inspection ports.
Double galley sinks
Seagull IV fresh water filter in galley
Pressure water to head, shower, and galley with accumulator tank
Raritan PHII head with 20-gallon holding tank and Y-valve
New sanitary plumbing (2022)
6-gallon hot water heater (engine or shore power)
Katydyn PowerSurvivor 40D Watermaker (2022)
Separate shower stall in head
Shower sump pump discharge over board with strainer
Salt water washdown pump with deck hose access
50-foot fresh water hose
20-lb propane tank in cockpit lazarette with overboard drain
Xintex S2-A propane detector/solenoid access panel in galley
(3) Fixed mount bilge pumps(3), all with separate through hull discharges (no T- junctions)
Rule 2000 electric bilge pump with float switch
One manual bilge pump in cabin
Electronics and Navigation
Autohelm ST5000 autopilot integrated with Sea-Talk navigation instruments
9.5” NavPod SystemPod at helm
NMEA 2000 backbone (2022)
Raymarine SeaTalk NG Converter
Raymarine Quantum 2 Q24D CHIRP wifi radome
Vesper Marine XB-6000 AIS transponder (2022)
Raymarine Axiom 7 MFD at helm (2022)
Raymarine i50 multi-data, wind, depth and speed (2023)
Raymarine ST 60 autopilot control mounted in pedestal pod
Standard Horizon GX-2100 VHF fixed mount with AIS at navigation station
West Marine submersible handheld VHF radio
Electrical
Ampere Time 12V 300AH Lithium LiFePO4 Battery (2022)
2 Renogy 100-watt Solar Panel & controller (2022)
Renogy 50 Amp DC dual input multi-stage charger (2022)
One 70-amp Volvo alternators
One flooded group 27 starting battery (2022)
Original Sam Dick Industries electrical panel with 18 DC circuits and 7 AC circuits
Cole-Hersee battery bank selector switch
Protech 1240i Plus AC battery charger
120-watt solar panel welded to dodger top, with charging voltage regulator 200-watt Whisper inverter
Cigarette lighter DC plugs in cockpit and navigation station
Guest model 260 12-volt searchlight
30-amp SmartPlug AC inlet in cockpit with galvanic isolator
50’ shore power cord
Extension cord and shore power adapters
Mechanical
As part of the preparation for offshore voyaging, Wind River’s Volvo was pulled out of the boat in 2022, thoroughly examined and painted, and reinstalled with new seals.
Volvo MD 2040 D 40hp diesel with 1600 hours (repowered 2005)
Volvo 130-S-A saildrive, 2.47:1 reduction
Max-prop 18″ 3-blade feathering prop(18x11L) (2005)
Single throttle control on pedestal
(2) Racor 500 FGSS primary fuel filters in parallel
Vetus water lift muffler
H2 Out full tank vent system
Engine compartment blower
Engine spares including filters, belts, starter, glow plugs, impeller et. al.
Spare hull, shaft, and prop zincs
36-gallon aluminum fuel tank with 6″ removable access port and companionway gauge
Enclosed storage space for 16 5-gallon jerry jugs secured below decks
Hull and Deck
The hull is solid, hand-laid glass and the deck is balsa-cored for lightness and strength. While osmotic blistering has been a problem in some of these boats, Wind River’s hull was refurbished at the Texas factory in 1993 and then peeled and re-glassed at Northwest Marine Center in 2020.
The deck was fitted with Vetus “Happy Elephant” nonskid in 2016.The side decks are wide and easy to move around on. There are genoa tracks on the side decks and on the cabintop for smaller headsails. The cockpit is comfortable and secure for offshore passages.
CapeHorn wind vane self-steering system with spares
Edson pedestal chain/cable quadrant steering
Yacht Specialties 36” wheel
Emergency tiller with pedestal clearance
RitchieGlobemaster5″ binnacle compass
(2) Lewmar Ocean Series hatches
(6) Hood custom opening ports
(4) Diamond Sea Glaze cabin windows
(4) Dorade deck vents and caps
Original teak companionway boards
Heavy ¾” plexiglass offshore companionway boards
(9) mosquito screens
Vetus “Happy Elephant” non skid tread on deck
Artful Dodger frame, canvas replaced 2022
Detachable cockpit awning, zips to aft edge of dodger
Sunbrella mainsail cover and staysail bag
Manual bilge pump in cockpit
Simpson Lawrence 555 Seatiger two-speed manual windlass
CQR 45-lb plow anchor with swivel
275 feet 5/16″ HT G4 chain in forepeak locker beneath windlass
Nylon three-strand snubber
300 feet 5/8″braided nylon rode
150 feet ½” nylon three strand with 20 feet ¼” chain Fortress FX-16 anchor and swivel
Spare anchor shackles and swivels
Rigging and Sails
The single spreader Spartech mast is extremely well stayed, and has an intermediate forestay and runners for utilizing a double headstay rig or small storm sail when conditions demand. The Tides mainsail track combined with Harken Battcars slide make hoisting and dropping the mainsail a smooth operation. A new suite of Precision Sails were added in 2022 with a previous suite of Hasse sails as spares.
The chainplates were pulled, inspected, polished and reinstalled in 2022 in anticipation of offshore passagemaking.
Spartech mast & boom
Navtec rod rigging (2022)
Harken mechanical backstay adjuster (winch handle fitting)
Mast has separate trysail track to starboard
New gooseneck (2022)
Inner forestay with pelican hook and tension adjuster
Running backstays with 2 padeye positions on each side deck
Telescoping whisker pole mounted on mast track
Steaming light
Deck light
Masthead tricolor light
Anchor light
Tides Marine mainsail track system with Harken Battcars
Mid-deck Lewmar traveler with mainsheet and control lines to cockpit
Mainsail reefing lines and winch at the mast
(4) Preventers, two mid-boom to rail and two boom end to stem
Yacht Tech solid boom vang
(2) Andersen 52ST primary winches
Lewmar 40ST on mast
Lewmar 40 on mast
(2) Barient 21 on cabintop
Barient 23 on cabintop
Lewmar 14 ST for furling line
(5) winch handles
(4) Harken and Schaeffer snatchblocks
Rigging spares including sail repair kit and replacement stay
Precision Sails mainsail with 2 reefs (2022)
Precision Sails 120% furling genoa (2022)
Precision Sails 90% hanked staysail (2022)
Hasse (Port Townsend Sails) fully battened main
Hasse 120% jib
Schaeffer 2100 roller furler
Hasse asymmetric spinnaker with ATN “Snuffer” sleeve
Schattauer storm trysail with wire tack pennant sheeting to quarters with boom and dodger clearance, on separate mast track
Mariner staysail, pistonhanks, sheeted to cockpit
Lazy jacks on mainsail
Miscellaneous and Safety
Flares and emergency smoke signals
Airhorn
LifeSling Horseshoe buoy
MOB pole
(4) adult life vests
Folding stainless boarding ladder (mounts either side)
Emergency rope ladder, rail mount
Davis radar reflector on spreader halyard
Halon fire extinguisher in engine compartment
(3) Conventional fire extinguishers
Carbon monoxide alarm
Smoke alarm
(2) handheld bilge pumps
8’ Achilles LSI 260E hypalon inflatable
Folding grapnel anchor for dinghy
(8) fenders
(8) docklines
West Marine Bosun’s chair
(8) 5-gallon fuel jerry cans, fitted to specific storage areas
West Marine fuel funnel filter