Hunter 38 or Beneteau 37

[clapotis2]

I used to sail C&C for a while. Last one was C&C 36 and I sold it.
I would like to buy a new boat and I am not sure if Beneteau 37 is a better choose that Hunter 38.
I love both living space, but I am not sure about sailing performance.
I like a boat can get close to the wind, a little bit nervous, fast and quick response and a boat can move well in a light wind. Spinnaker is a must. I am not a big fan of furling mainsail.
The Beneteau First looks good for performance, but not good for living space.
I tried to compare both specifications and I am just lost.
Il Hunter is more performant that Beneteau.
Clapotis 2.

[sailhog]

Seems like all the newer Beneteaus between 30' and 40' come with in-mast furling. I'm with you -- I don't like it either. Not sure about the Hunters, but they seem to have gone down a similar path in that respect. On the other hand, SailorTJK frequents this board, sails a beneteau with in-mast furling, and loves it. What year are these boats you're looking at?

[tweitz]

I would add that a common concern about the Hunters is the fact that they use a B&R rig with very swept back spreaders. This makes it very tricky to properly trim for off wind performance, since the main will quickly touch the spreaders when one is not closehauled. Like everything else it is a trade off. I also note that, at least a couple of years ago, regular non furling mains were available on all new Beneteaus, though lots of people like the furling (I didn't). As usual, there are also very different opinions on the Hunter arch with the traveler on the arch. No answers, but lots of opinions.

[clapotis2]

About year, I looking for 2005 or newer. About in-mast furling, the main never fit perfectly and we lost at least 5 degrees on close wind. That is a good option for cruising not for sailing.

[doubleeboy]

Have you looked at any of the recent Catalinas? Might be something there for you. Cruisingdad sure loves his.

If you like a boat that points well and is nice down below and quick I would humbly suggest a Dehler 39SQ. Not going to find one for sale at every brokers dock, but I have yet to meet an owner didn't love theirs. Even the shoal draft model like ours points very well.

michael

[donradclife]

Not sure which Beneteau you are looking at, but you can get good performance comparisons by looking at the PHRF rating databases. Try to get both boats rating by the same PHRF comittee, like Southern California, as there are some regionial rating differences.

[gleason99]

I have owned a B-37 for 18 months with a standard mainsail and the performance for a cruising boat is outstanding. Boat likes to hit 8 knots on the gps often. No helm the autopilot will steer in 20 knots upwind with a single reef in the main. Racing friends say it sails like a hevy J-105. maybe not as much storage as a H-38 but it sails very well. i have owned j-29's and Schock 35's and this is the BEST sailing boat inthe cruising Beneteau line. Group Finot knows what they are doing!

[cperry]

I was very inerested with your enthusiasm for the sailing abilty of your B 37. I have just paid a deposit on a boat to be deivered in April. I have not seen or sailed one yet.
Since your post, have you done any racing to compare up and downwind performance with other classes?
How do you rate under IRC?
I have been advised to buy high spec carbon sails to make it really go. What do you think?
Thanks
Chris
Adelaide

[PCP]

Originally Posted by gleason99

I have owned a B-37 for 18 months with a standard mainsail and the performance for a cruising boat is outstanding. Boat likes to hit 8 knots on the gps often. No helm the autopilot will steer in 20 knots upwind with a single reef in the main. Racing friends say it sails like a hevy J-105. maybe not as much storage as a H-38 but it sails very well. i have owned j-29's and Schock 35's and this is the BEST sailing boat inthe cruising Beneteau line. Group Finot knows what they are doing!

I agree. It is not like the other Beneteau (Oceanis), it is a great design.
It will be significantly faster than any similar sized Hunter or Catalina.

If you search on the "interesting sailboats" thread you will find a post about that boat.

Regards

Paulo

[PCP]

Originally Posted by cperry

...
I have been advised to buy high spec carbon sails to make it really go. What do you think?
Thanks
Chris
Adelaide

No, you should not buy pure racing Carbon sails, or you should buy another boat (the First 35 or 40), mostly for racing. Carbon sails are not good for cruising because they degrade quickly with the sun and they cannot be folded without a lot of care, because they "break".

If you like to cruise fast and do some club racing you should have top cruising sails (hybrid sails many times with carbon fiber). The difference is that these ones are more resistant to the sun and are more forgivable in what regards folding.

It seems that one of the best performance cruising sails on the market are the new EPEX sails from Elvstrom.

Elvstrøm Sails - EPEX Technology

But you can find very good performance cruising sails in any top manufacturer, like North Sails.

North Sails: Spectra

Regards

Paulo