Will retire at age 49 in 3 months and my Wife and I need a live board boat that can World cruise. She wants a boat with alot of room but seaworthy. Center cockpit or rear. Sloop with adjustable fore stay for a storm jib when needed. We like the Hylas 44,47, wauquiez 47, Passport 42, Hans Christian 43, Beneteau 456 first, Slocum 43, J44,Swan 47, Swan 44, Most the boats we want will have a 3 cabin layout ,generator, A/C and heat, Hot and cold running shower stall, We want a boat that can move in light air and handle heavy weather with a decent motion at sea. I am a very skilled wood worker and worked for a year at Aerospatial doing Composite fabrication, making molds, lay-ups vacume bagging, and re-enforcing Coast Guard Helecoptors, I will be retiring from General Motors with 31 years of service. I only have about 40K to put down on a loan for a used yacht. But I am very handy and skilled at alot of trades and I worked in the paint shop at GM for most of my time there. Thanks for your opinions.
All of the boats you listed, with the possible exception of the Beneteau 456, should suit your needs. My choice from your list would likely be the Hans Christian, mostly for aesthetic reasons.
If I were shopping in your price range, I'd also consider these: Crealock 37, Ta Shing Baba 40, Valiant 40, Alden 44, Gozzard 36, Lord Nelson 41.
As you can tell, I prefer the salty, more classic lines over the more modern designs.
What is world cruising? Do you mean circumnavigation? If so, or if you plan to cross oceans, you are correect and are on the right path with most of those boats. If you have not cruised or lived aboard yet, make sure you are realistic about the boat and what you need. THis is a topic spoken on this board and others many times: People buy a blue water boat (what I call a bullet-proof shoe box) because they think they want to go around the world, then realize after the first good storm offshore that they have no interest in spending weeks or or leaving this hemishpere. They are now confined in a tight little boat that can verge on being uncofortable and not the best boat for coastal cruising/cruising in this hemisphere. You get burnt out and dump the cruising dream.
If that is not you and you and your wife are seasoned sailors that have not intention of sticking around here N/S America, read on:
Everyone has their preferences. I am a Hylas fan, followed by Valiant for serious offshore work. I would say Swan and Passport next (and maybe better than the first two), but I have not spent enough time on either to say definitevely. You should add Mason to your list. Good boats.
However, I am not sure how many of those boats you are going to get for under 200k. Maybe a REALLY old one, and very likely one that will need a lot of work.
The Baba's are nice and another to consider as a go-anywhere would be a Tayana 37. The T-37 will not meet your cabin requirement, probably not your generator requirement either. But it meets you money requirement. The Baba only has 2 cabins, but is well made and you could probably get a genny in there. However, with maybe a couple of exceptions (Swan, X, maybe passpot or Hylas... maybe), these boats are traditionally slugs in light air. I find it an oxymoron to have a boat that handles well un light air and handles well in a hard blow. Many of these boats are very heavy and several have full keels. This may make them a great passagemaker but a poor light air.
Others that have sailed swans, X (like giulietta), Passports (like Labatt), or Hylas (like labatt) may know better. I CAN tell you I will sail circles around a valiant, Baba, Tayana, and any boat like that. I have an awesome boat for this hemisphere, but not the best choice to cross oceans in.
I hope that is a start to your search. Again, I hope if you are seriously considering buying a boat to circle the globe, you have considerable experience offshore (both you and wife). If you have not sat in a storm for day(s) before, it has a way of readjusting your cruising aspirations.
ALl the best,
- CD
PS At 140,000... you will be limited on the boats you can get. Also, you will probably have to pay cash for a boat since if you take out a loan for a boat they want you to have insurance and it is VERY difficult to get full coverage insurance to circum.
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John...some of the boats you have on your list are so radically different from each other that I can't begin to tell you what to look for. How you can have a Beneteau and a Hans Christian and a J44 or your list together??...Simply means to me that you don't really know what you want or need other than a boat that meets your budget. You need to think things through a lot more about what you really want in a boat.
John,
I am a little biased in that I own a Slocum 43 and believe she is one of the safest & most comfortable vessel whether underway or dockside. If you have any specific questions about a Slocum 43 reply via this thread.
John
The last post, concerning the Slocum, sounds like an Idea to me, Ask those that cruise what they have and why they chose that boat, there your getting first hand knowledge of the boats..
A couple things to remember, most of your time, your setting at anchor. and how stable is it at that area.
As for myself, I'm living and cruising on a Beneteau FIRST 42, much like the 456 you mentioned. The price is right, as you can pick one up for 100K or less. The wife and I chose the 42 as we couldnt find a FIRST 38.
We wanted a boat we could both handle, singlehanded if needed, and roomy enough to be comfortable at anchor. We've turned the rear quarter into a pantry with ELF shelving and the forward head into a a water closet, as thats where the watermaker is now and a tool locker. spare parts and such.
Its a fast boat, and very seaworthy as it was built for all-out racing in open ocean events. more than we will ever put it through. Easy to move around, will turn in its own length and a real pleasure to sail.
At anchor, we have had to do a couple inventive features to get the boat to settle in, as to run a line off the anchor chain to the rear winch to point the boat into the swells, but thats the point.. The boat is workable.
I guess the main reason was that I dont like bad weather, and this boat gives me the ability to run my butt of to avoid such weather..If I can keep myself a couple hundred miles below the 564 milibar line, I'll be doing fine.
Check out the books from Lisa Copeland where herself,her husband Andy and three sons traveled around the world on a FIRST 38... He goes into detail why he chose a modern racing hull for cruising.....
In looking at your original posting I see that you failed to select the Norseman 447 CC. THat boat is considered by many as a great boat for a couple with a nice cutter rig, center cockpit and all the stability needed for blue water. I met a couple in Morro Bay just coming off a 7 year run through the south pacific and there boat was everyting I saw as desireable. Currently there are a few available on both the west coast and the eastern seaboard priced in the $200's. You might want to take a look at them.
My Wife is kind of new to sailing but I have grown up sailing on the Great lakes with my father and his friends although mostly in smaller boats (20 - 27 ft range) As far as being commited to ocean crossings - it not a matter of commitment the storms are scary to my wife - but her solution to this is actually going out into storms with experienced crews and facing her fears. As far as boats go I'm caught between a slow stable boat or one that is more a racer-cruiser that can handle bluewater - Like the Waquiez 47. So any suggestions on the ideal cruiser that is fast and stable in heavy weather - Yes we do plan on bluewater crusing but we are not going to get the boat and take off 2 months later - we will cut our teeth on the gulf of Mexico - while we build our confidence up - then little trips etc - looking at being based a good 18 months just getting used to it all before actually cutting the lines.
For your price range, Baba 40 or Tayana 37 would be my preference. They are very traditional and can pretty much go anywhere. They will suck in light winds... you WILL use your motor. Not sure of what exceptions there are in that price range. Some of thosse boats I just do not have a lot of first hand knowledge of, so will give way to others with more knowledgeable.
I will say with though that the gulf is often misscharacterizdd as a great place to cut your teeth. I dare say it can really be a bad place. The seas are not like what you get in the Atlatic and Pacific in a storm. THey do not roll, but tend to build square and break. THere are a lot of dicussions on this, but I can honestly say the worst storm I have EVER been in was in the gulf after a northern came through that was not suppsed to and brght 1000 miles of fetch with it.
Between the hurricanes, the strong northerns, rigs, and shallow water, I find many people get more than they bargained for. Of course, these are just my opinions and there are others with more offshore experience than I have. Just another thought to consider in all these thoughts.
Don't forget my warning on insurance. Getting a policy for the Western Carribean will be difficult at best. Also, if you have not started checking into financing, I would suggest it now. I just spoke with a lady from Essex last weekend and things are tight for them too. They now really like to see 12 months liquidity AFTER the down payment on the boat. You also better not tell them this will be a liveaboard. You will likely need a residence (preferably a house) in addition to the boat. I think if you have great credit and the total note is under 100k, then you get some flexibility on income verification... but lending seems to have gotten tight in the marine market, just like the housing market.
This is what I have been told, so I cannot verify it other than to say it came straight from Essex.
- CD
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