Updated Offshore Cruising Boat List - January 2008

[Cruisingdad]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Blanding... while there are a few models that might be considered Ocean Capable... the brands are not built for extended ocean cruising by their mfrs. and most have significant shortcomings. Our other moderator CD owns a Cat400 and is tech editor for the magazine and agrees with this. The Mahina guy has a few hundred thousand miles of blue water under his belt so any boat on his list is blue water capable for extended cruising. I don't agree with his leaving off my boat either...but I respect his overall knowledge and there is a reason entire brands have been left off his list and every other list of blue water boats. Exactly what are YOUR credentials that you can challenge his judgment on 3 major brands?
BTW...having owned two...I am no Catalina basher. They are great values for the $$ for what most sailors do with their boats. But I'd take my 20 year old Tayana to sea over any brand new Cat any day of the week. On the Chesapeake...I'd take the new Cat.

Boy, how did I miss this post??? Oh well.

- CD

[jheldatksuedu]

I think the Hughes 38 should be on the list, I have to admit I'm a little biased since I've got one. But I was planning to start my circumnavigation in it, till I found the great deal on my custom built 45 steel ketch. It's certainly a blue water boat in my opinion, they have circumnavigated, many are crossing oceans all the time.

[camaraderie]

There is a rather lengthy thread with widely varying opinions on the various incarnations of the Hughes 38 here:
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/buying...star-38-a.html

Given the divergence of opinion it is not surprising that it is not on the list of suitable offshore cruisers...which is not to say it cannot cross oceans.