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Updated Offshore Cruising Boat List - January 2008

308K views 218 replies 117 participants last post by  amandacian 
#1 ·
I have the updated boat list from Mahina Expeditions. The last list was dated2002 posted on the website and this is the new revised (January 2008) list. I will see if I can upload here as it is not yet available on the site.

I get an invalid file..can someone direct me how to update. It is a simple doc file.

Thanks
 
#86 ·
Contessas are fairly well regarded as bluewater capable pocket cruisers... The reason Sadlers are probably a bit rare here is that they generally didn't come over from England, since people could buy the Contessas made up in Canada for less money and have the boat come a much shorter distance.

BTW, Contessa 32s are still in limited production in England AFAIK.
 
#85 ·
Here are some sites referencing contessas.

Bigoceans | Tiny Boat · Blog Archive
Home » Bigoceans | Tiny Boat

James Baldwin's Pocket Bluewater Cruising Boat List - SailNet Community
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruising/48099-james-baldwins-pocket-bluewater-cruising-boat-list.html

Please recomend a blue water cruiser for around 10K - SailNet Community
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruising/45113-please-recomend-blue-water-cruiser-around-10k.html

Contessa 26 twice around the world engine less - SailNet Community
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruising/42183-contessa-26-twice-around-world-engine-less.html
 
#89 ·
Did anyone look at the spreadsheet I put up?
Is it useful to help find a cruising boat based on the Mahina, Ted Brewer and Johns Boat Stuff lists?

The one piece of data I haven't been able to figure out yet is Roll Acceleration, which requires Roll Angle. Where does one get that data on boats?

(7) ROLL ACCELERATION = (6.28/T)^2*RADIUS*(ROLL ANGLE*3.14/180)/32.2 Units of G's, where "T" is the ROLL PERIOD. From Marchaj's book, SEAWORTHINESS, THE FORGOTTEN FACTOR, chapter 4, "Boat Motions in a Seaway". The author presents a graph of roll acceleration Vs four physiological states; Imperceptible, Tolerable, Threshold of Malaise, and Intolerable. Malaise starts at .1 G, Intolerable begins at .18 G. Spending much time under these levels of acceleration reduces physical effectiveness and decision making ability through sleep deprivation. The radius term assumes an off center berth located 1.5 feet inboard from the maximum beam. The roll angle is 10 degrees. G levels above .06 are considered undesirable for offshore cruising conditions. Several light weight, large beam designs have G levels above .4, definitely "intolerable" for any length of time. The ROLL PERIOD is calculated from the equation: T = 6.28*( I /(82.43*LWL*(.82*beam)^3))^.5 , and has dimensions of seconds. The roll period is based on the moment of inertia, I, waterline length, and beam. The term (.82*beam) has been substituted for the waterline beam due to lack of data. The general rule of thumb is that boats with periods less than 4 seconds are stiff and periods greater than 8 seconds are tender. The MOMENT OF INERTIA is calculated from the equation: I = (disp^1.744 )/35.5 , and has dimensions of lb.ft.^2. An empirical term used by SNAME for analysis of the 1987 Fastnet race. The moment of inertia is very sensitive to the distance items are from the center of gravity. A heavy rig can greatly increase I, with little impact on displacement.
Low Cost Cruising Boats
 
#92 ·
Hi Guys

- I may be slightly baised here, but i think that the Skye51 deserves a bit more of a write up than similiar 'apperance to swans', as i personally think its a fantastic blue water cruising boat, with a thoughtfull layout both above and below decks, good tankage, storage and sea berths - whats more its strongly built, and for its class fast.

I spent a fair amount of time choosing a blue water cruiser, so much that i took a skye51 on a test sail across the pacific, and i was impressed.

I have some experince sailing the skye51 'blue water' and its dealt admirably with everything thrown its way.

Dan

btw does anyone have more information on the deck problems?
 
#93 ·
Blue Water Boat List - Endeavour

Hello

We are looking at the Endeavour 40 as a possible next boat for our family cruising (We presently have a Pearson 365 Ketch). In reviewing your list we noticed the absence of the Endeavours (but the inclusion of our existing P365). Is there any particular reason that the Endeavour is not recommended for Blue water cruising?
Thanks for the help
 
#95 · (Edited)
Not sure why I decided to read this now

But I have to say, some of the boats on the list are pretty, shall we say, surprising.

J32? Pearson 365, 422 and 424?

There are others that raised an eyebrow, but I know the above three boats fairly well, and though they are perfectly fine boats I wouldn't call them "blue water" by any stretch. And Fountaine Pajot? Again, there's nothing wrong with them, but they are known as the Hunters of the multihull world (no disrespect to Hunters, at all, but if you are going to reject all production boats, how do you include FP?).

I guess it depends on how you define blue water. If it means it can make it from Montauk to Norfolk, maybe a Bermuda trip or something like that, then there are many qualified boats that he left off the list. But if he meant to include only go anywhere, trans-oceanic boats, there are a number on that list that just make no sense to me. Even he says that several of the boats are very light on tankage, just as an example. Not sure what he was trying to accomplish, or what criteria he used. I know from the thread that the idea is whether a boat will hold up to long distance, long term cruising, but there are many boats on that list that, in my view, would be entirely unsuitable. I mean, J44? Great racing, short term cruising boat, but very limited tankage, known problems with wet cores (and that's a cored hull), difficult to sail shorthanded because she's not very forgiving, exposed rudder (that's an objection to many people), etc.

Just my belated 2 cents.
 
#99 ·
Personally I would not go out of sight of land in a boat with a Bolt on keel. Any Blue Water boat should have encapsulated keel. If you happen to run aground on sand you don't lose the keel.

I have sailed a Hunter 42 passage. Nice live aboard and fine day sailor. But NO hand holds, No Sea berths. Can't stay out very long without sleep.
 
#100 · (Edited)
FS...The Fuji 32 was added to the list in post#8 along with a bunch of other overlooked boats.

Snort...ETAP's may not sink but neither does my old Snark. Didn't realize the Snark was a bluewater boat. :D (Note...not criticizing ETAP...just that un-sinkability is not the test of blue water cruising suitability and construction) Maybe the 46 will make Mahina's next list.
 
#101 ·
The Amel's are good boats to. I sailed an Amel 52 from Mexico to Hawaii last spring and would take that boat anywhere. If it had a wind vane on it. The one I sailed didn't have and like normal the Auto pilot died 1,000 miles into a 3,000 kt passage so there was a lot of hand steering for 3 of us of which I ended up doing 2/3 of. I'm not going on a long passage without a wind vane again.
 
#102 ·
FS...actually your post made me look at the original Mahina list only to find that it is not the Amel 36 and 53 that is listed but ALL Amels 36 through 56 feet
Checking other brands for a similar error....I find
BRISTOL 27 through 45
GARCIA 46 through 50+
Hinckley 30 through 64
Little Harbor 42 through 90


Thanks
 
#103 ·
Hey cam,
Have they ever built a 46-foot Snark? I want one!:)
Actually, I think the ETAPs have much to recommend them and I know they're Lloyd's certified, for whatever that's worth.
On another note....Funny, I could have sworn that the Mahina list originally included the Gemini catamaran.
 
#109 ·
Cam-

In the interim, between 2002 and 2008, ChucklesR bought a Gemini... coincidence? I think not. :)
 
#106 ·
"Etap Est Pâté?"
Headline from Belgian Boating World.
Now I know we're all truly screwed.:eek:
I thought that Etap was going to set the trend for "multi" hull contruction (they sandwich one hull inside the other) and that boatbuilders would do three hulls, four, etc...just like multiple razor blades.
Just another sad day for sailing enthusiasts.
 
#110 ·
I have followed these forums for a while, and I cannot help sensing that some members have a reluctance to recognize aluminium boats. It is incomprehensible that for example the Ovni range from Alubat did not appear on the list. I have an Ovni 395 and can vouch for it, sailing from Biscay to north of the Polar Circle, among other trips. The Allures 40 and 44 are supposed to be equally good. My point is this: Ovnis have been produced in numbers of more that 600 (may be out of date) for 30 years, and they go exclusively to blue water sailors. They don't go to "the French", as one member hinted, but to sailors from Scandinavia to Australia. Not that French sailors are to be scoffed at, they are after all without peers among single-handed sailors, and it was the current champion of Vendee Globe who endorsed the Allures. Forgive me for being polemic here, but let us for once go past the somewhat American prejudice that a blue water sailor should be large, heavy, clunky and most important be equipped with a large fridge. When sailing long distances to remote harbors, a boat's agility and general ease - for example with a lifting centerboard - is a major asset.
There - I can sleep better now.
 
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