Bluewater boat comparison

[ramirez]

During the past 30 years of my sailing experience I have heard and read countless conversations regarding the vices and virtues of this or that type of boat. In reality each has it own endearing characteristics as those of the individual who casts their lot onboard as skipper. The real questions are what is a person really looking for in a sailing vessel and what characteristics are desired and which are not. We know the questions, sometimes we have our understanding of our answer. It would be interesting to querry the vessels in the sailing community about their perception of the match between skipper and sailing ship. I am sure such interesting terms as "leaky teaky" and "barn door" have a skipper''s equivalent. ARGH MATEY !

[hansdg]

My wife and I have been looking at a lot of boats for offshore and after much going back and forth we found the Hallberg-Rassy 39 the ideal boat for the two of us, with some occasional guests. Huge engine compartment, be it at the expense of a more roomier head/shower compartment. Lots of storage space, good performance, sturdy, etc. On the downside, the manufacturer does not allow a lot of customization, it is his way or none. I am consoled by the fact that he is an active sailor himself and has over the years perfected the design to what he believes are the best features in terms for safety, comfort and performance.

The favourable Swedisk Kronar - US Dollars exchange rate makes these boats a good value - not as cheap as Beneteau, Hunter, Catalina, etc., but not as outlandish as Swan, Oyster and other prestiguous brands. The 39 should be around $210,000 new and depending on your needs you may have to add another 50,000 to 75,000 to have it fully equipped.

[jon.d]

The perfect blue water boat is the one you have and leave with

But realistically there is a balance between the heavy go no where boats and too light and racey to be sailed without a full crew.

Key factors are $$$$

Look at boats like; Passports, Moodys, Hallberg Rassey, Valiants, Shannons, Taswell, Amel, Westerly etc. they are all different but designed as Passagemakers once you are over 40 feet or so. Sail them and figure out what works for you.

Remeber speed is good as long as you are comfortable. and extra 1/2 to 1 knot average can cut hours if not days off and extended passage.

BTW I just went through this and ended up with a Moody 47 [older 85]

Jon

[halyardz]

With all due respect to hansdg, I love Swedish products, but, my 95 Saab still tips
the cash register at repair time. The true
challenge is not how to spend a quarter of a
million dollars on a blue water cruiser but how to achieve the same results between $60-90k, thus having a few krona left for a good
fisk dinner.

I confess, I do envy most HR owners.