Production blue water boats

[capecodphyllis]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Well if you want even faster than the HR you could get one of those Hunter HC-50...Hunter's Child which was designed for fast around the world sailing.
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...g_id=9944&url=

That's around 450,000 more than he was looking to spend. And if he's looking for speed, a cruising cat is the way to go - forget about a monohull.

[camaraderie]

Phyllis...How do you know what Balage wants to spend??? I recommended an even more expensive H-R and all he posted back was that he wanted a faster boat. The HC-50 is about as fast as a blue-water production boat gets unless you want to step up to the Deerfoots. What would YOU suggest that is FASTER and CAPABLE of going around both southern capes AND cheaper in a production catamaran??

[longwaterline]

One thing to keep in mind---less than 10 percent of time is actually spent out on the ocean. By buying a pure blue water cruiser you have spent a lot of extra money for a boat that optimizes sailing capabilities less than 10 percent of the time or put another way it is not a good bet 90 percent of the time. Therefore a good coastal cruiser that can be upgraded for the occasional offshore passage is a better way to go and there are plenty of sailboats that fit into that category. Hal Roth has taken that approach.

[camaraderie]

LWL...a coastal cruiser trying to do a bluewater circumnavigation around both southern capes like Balage wants to do might end up like Mr. Roth did... being rescued by he Chilean navy off the rocks in Antarctica. I understand the theme of upgrading a solid coastal cruiser for occasional blue water...but there is blue water and VERY blue water!!

[CaptKermie]

Camaraderie,
I have noticed on a couple of threads here the recommendation of the Contessa 32 as a blue water boat or blue water/coastal. Out of curiosity I did a google search on it and came up with lots of data, some of which specifically says it was built as a cruiser/racer yet it is being touted as a blue water boat and has been proven as one. Is it just blue water or VERY blue water. The biggest disappointment in the data I found was availability, it is mostly found in Europe with only about 10% of total production in North America and it is extremely rare on the west coast. Too bad, sounds like a nice coastal cruiser that could easily moor in a 30' slip. I always keep my eyes/ears open for my next upgrade from 26' and after reading many of the threads & posts here, it appears that reality restricts me to a 30' slip and a coastal cruiser. I think 33'LOA & LWL of <28' is the max for a 30' slip. I have seen a few good recommendations on this board to consider and even if some are blue water I will never be doing it, prefer to be in sight of land. Pacific Northwest will take me many many seasons to see it all.

[catamount]

At least one Contessa 32 has been around Cape Horn.

Just because a boat is described as a cruiser/racer does not make it un-suitable for VERY blue water.

There are a lot of ocean racing boats (Whitbread and Volvo 60s, Volvo 70s, Open Class 40s, 50s, 60s) that are designed explicity for VERY blue water (i.e. southern ocean sailing).

[camaraderie]

Kermie...despite the racer/cruiser designation...the Contessa is a very well built boat and has blue-water credentials and things blue water cruisers look for like skeg hung rudders and modified cutaway long keels. It would not be considered a racer today but was in its time. It is designed to hold up to very heavy weather but is a bit small and light for the Southern Ocean IMHO. The major drawback as a true bluewater cruiser is the very minimal tankage...no doubt minimized to enhance racing performance. Another 100 gallons total of fuel/water would add about 900 pounds to the boat or close to 10% of displacement which is not insignificant and will lower the waterline and degrade performance. So...I guess I am saying that while the boat can go almost anywhere...she is best cruised on short passages where a couple of extra fuel/water jugs can get you into port after she sails nicely through whatever the weather comes up with! Nice boats...but not as roomy as a Hunter 32!!

[FrankLanger]

There were a number of Contessa boats in Ontario when I was there a few years ago--it wouldn't be terribly expensive to tow/have it trucked to the west coast.
Frank.

[Johnrb]

Here is a past Sailnet article about the Contessa 32 (by John Kretschmer). Gigi made two passages around Cape Horn east to west both times. I believe the boat was most recently sold about three years ago (in Texas I think).

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/buying...ats-story.html

[catamount]

To clarify the point I was trying to make: somebody else's pigeon-holing of a boat as a cruiser, cruiser/racer, racer/cruiser, or racer, does not necessarily say anything about the boat's suitability for blue-water sailing (high lattitude or otherwise).

Better would be to determine whether a boat was designed and built with coastal/inshore sailing or ocean/offshore sailing in mind, regardless of what style of boat it is. There are coastal cruisers and there are ocean cruisers, just as there are inshore racing boats, and offshore racing boats (and sometimes good offshore racers can make reasonable ocean cruisers).

And to reiterate a point that I think has probably already been made in this thread, boats of all descriptions have been sailed around the world (and many of them have been around Cape Horn). My belief is that, usually, it is the sailor -- moreso than the boat -- that determines the success or failure of ANY voyage.