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your favorite small cruising (blue water) boat

13K views 46 replies 17 participants last post by  sailing320 
#1 ·
Ok, I know this is a bit a of a redundant question but as the summer is coming to an end I seem to be seeing a lot of good looking deals starting to pop up and when I was back in NYC I heard at the marina a fair amount of boats going up for sail.

I went from being set on a Tartan to just having too many choices.

So I am just curious what everyones small, blue water cruiser is, it needs to be easily single handed and have the ability to sail the world comfortably and safely.

Personally, I sailed a westsail 32 and enjoyed it, the part that made me love it was the stability I felt at sail and just as importantly was the interior comfort, size, and finish.

So with that in mind, what woudl you recomend i start researching heavily and what would be similar interior wise?
 
#45 ·
I loved the Benetau 323; pop is trading his Nordhavn in, paying off the loan and using the equity to buy one. We spent 4 days aboard one, it would be perfect for my little family as a liveaboard / racer / blue water cruiser.

If it is just me and one other person for the blue water, and we aren't planning on hammering through any huge storms, I like my "little" Lancer.

The only thing I don't like about both boats is that you have to sweep and clean like 3 times a day. If you have more than two people aboard it just gets messy so stinking fast!

If I had an unlimited budget, I would go for a 42', but no bigger. I singlehand a lot and it would be almost impossible to bring into port a ship any bigger.
 
#46 ·
sailing320 - I really like the IP's - our neighbor has owned one since like the 70's. It is very stiff, not as "tender" as most sailing boats I've been on with the same 11' (ish) beam. I guess if you're heeling 25 degrees, you're almost in a knockdown condition for other boats.

The woodwork inside was beautiful - I think it was all solid hardwoods. The upper deck and cockpit is laid out exactly like I would want a sailboat to be, I feel very comfortable with her boat, and have made several changes to my own to match it.
 
#47 ·
Lancer28, I will have to say IP customer service is great. My boat is a 2001 which has been discontinuted. A cople times a year a call the factory for a part and they immediatley send it to me. About a month ago, I called them and they mailed me replacement parts at no charge. It is great to have a product that has such good customer service.
 
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