ISO quickish cruising budget boat

[Funzone]

Hi,

I recently registered but have been reading here for a while. We are in the market for a 30-40 ft boat for family cruising and some occasional racing. I am looking for suggestions, if you have them.

My wife knows how to sail, but does not have a lot of helm time. I have done a lot of racing, on everything from lasers to 50 footers. I have done some solo racing, and solo yacht deliveries. The upper range of our pricing is near 50K. And I would prefer it to be newer than 1978. So what is out there that fits this matrix. Oh and I think we would require an inboard deisel with wheel steering.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[sailingdog]

Look for a 30-35' boat. Lots of them out there. What kind of sailing/cruising would you be looking to do? If you're looking to make bluewater passages, the boats you look at will have to be very different than if you're planning on mostly racking and coastal cruising.

If you're serious about the racing, I'd recommend looking at a one-design. If you're casual about the racing, then PHRF will probably be fine.

[paulk]

I'd look for a J/35, 36, or 37 in good condition first off. If you can find an Express 37 or Frers 33 they would be contenders as well.

[JimsCAL]

With a $50k budget, you have lots of choices. The 30-35 foot range will allow you to get a newer boat in better condition. That's where I would concentrate. J-Boats and C&Cs would be good choices for a balance of performance and cruising.

[Funzone]

Thus far my focus has been on the J's, C&C and Tartan. Express seemed to make a decent boat, but as I recall the 37's were really sleds. Shocks are okay but do not seem to stand the test of time really well. Just wasn't sure if I was missing something that was really competitive from the mid 80's. Also, at this point outside of some phrf action and maybe some solo racing I do not invision us doing any bluewater stuff.