Hi all, I''m looking to buy a cruiser for the Chesapeke bay. I have about $100,000 to spend. I''m not planning to race, but I may be interested in cruising down the ICW in the off season.
I''m interested in knowing what everyone''s out there recommends, also knowing that I would prefer something in the 34-40 foot range.
Almost anything except a Benehuntalina. More specifically a pre-owned, high quality performance cruiser about 8-12 years old which will probably be equipped with desirable upgrades such as radar, autopilot, refrigeration, head sail furler, maybe a few anchors and good ground tackle and a relatively good sail inventory. New boats, especially in the 100K range, would normally require an extensive list of additional equipment to make them ready to go the distance. I suggest that you get a recent edition of the "Sounding Magazine" to become familiar with what is on the market.
Hey Denr, give us a break on Benehuntalinas, OK? If a guy is cruising the Chesapeake and the ICW, and is not going seriously offshore, those boats offer a lot of space and enjoyment for the money. One does not need a classic seagoing boat with all monel and stainless steel fittings just enjoy a day or two on the water.
Mass production is not always a bad thing, especially if it puts more people in sailboats by reducing prices.
I would have to say, in my completely unbiased opinion, that you should buy the C&C 37 CB I''m trying to sell <g>. She''s got a centerboard, great for those Chesapeake shallows. At $68K you can still buy some of that Bank of New York stock afterwords.
She''s actually a solid, great sailing boat. There''s a lot of those out there - boats of a certain vintage like C&C, Sabre, some J''s, etc. that you can get for under 100K and have a great sailing experience.
I agree about Denr. I don''t hear much about anything except his negative statements about "benahuntalinas". It would be nice to know the details of his complaints so those of us who are really interested in the negatives and positives of certain boats would have something other than "never buy one". I know that there are good and bad points about almost all boats and manufacturers. Some are safety issues and need to be addressed, but many seem to be what the boat is designed to do and how it will be used by the owner. Those are important factors that are more than just all benahuntalinas are bad.
I didn''t say they were bad boats. I simply stated that I would never own one. I believe that the Benehuntalinas are better suited to day sailing, dock side living and entertaining than they are to cruising the distance. As one example, just look at the "permanent" picnic tables in the cockpits of the bigger Benehuntalinas. I challenge you to find one of these in a J-Boat, Tartan, C&C, Pacific Seacraft, Island Packet, Bristol, Little Harbor, Sabre, Morris, Dehler, Farr, Alden, Swan, Hallberg Rassy or Hinckley. These boats are designed to be sailed. Picnics should be held in a park!
Ignore the negative comments about benahuntalinas - they are the equivalent of someone telling you that you should not buy a fordchevrysler - If you know what you are looking for in a boat you can get excellent value from the production boats - I started sailing over 30 years ago and bought a Beneteau 331 last year - I have sailed it in all conditions and found it to perform extremely well - contrary to previous comment it spends much time away from the dock - no picnic table required.
I believe both sides have valid arguments concerning the Benehuntalinas.
Some of them are better than the others,like First series in beneteau line(40.7 winning a lot of PHFR races)some of them are more suited to coastal sailing or some of them maybe better suited to entertainment dockside..
You generally get what you pay for, this applies to resale values as well.
If you are a sailor in heart, I would suggest get a boat that can move in light airs because this is what you are going to get in the Bay and Intercoastal most of the time in the sailing season.Apart from that any boat that you like will serve the purpose of sailing in the Bay regardless of the builder.
