[snaporaz66]

hello everybody,

followed the forums for many years but this is the first time that i post to ask for your help. I am about to change boat. I now i have a j boat. I raced her for the first two years and for the last four i have cruised her extensively in the north east. I am a good sailor and racer and i achieved some good results in my sailing career. Although, still pretty young, now it is time for me to get a cruising boat that i can sail with some level of comfort with my wife (and occasional one or two friends for a weekend). I am not interested in a modern production boat. I don't like the way they look inside and outside. After cruising for four years on a sprit boat, i am happy to exchange speed (even a big chunk of it) for some comfort and seakind motion. I am interested in a fiberglass boat with lots of wood on deck (obviously, i am aware of the extensive work to maintain it). i like old fashioned, yachty, herreshoff-style interiors. I like classic , balanced lines. And great built quality, in he hull and the cabinetry inside.
budget 150-200k
I am narrowing down to Bermuda 40 and Morris Justine. I like the size of the Justine but i am in love with the look of the B40.
I would like to get your opinion and experience. Maybe new suggestions. and i would love to get in touch with owners of the above mentioned boats and listen to their insights.

 

[AlaskaMC]

Beautiful boats!. Lots of alternatives out there without the B40 name though as well. This one came up in another thread recently, A Ted Hood Little Harbor and I was looking at an Alden Caravel as another beauty.

Love the classics. Good luck in your search.

 

[outbound]

Sailed a b40 in Marion to Bermuda several times. Great boat and not draft limited.

 

[andrecas]

No experience with a B40 whatsoever, but aesthetically it's one of my all time favorites. More to the point of your query, Practical Sailor had a review of them a few issues ago. You may want to search for it if you haven't read it yet.

 

[ambianceack]

I have been on a B40 a few times going from the Chesapeake to Southwest Harbor and thought the boat handled just fine. Crossed the Gulf of Maine in a six to ten foot sea and headwind at night and was very confident in the boat even when the other two on board with more experience were seasick due to a diesel fuel spill. I am not a big fan of centerboards though...I sailed a morris double ender years ago and it was a fine sailing boat with excellent craftsmanship...

 

[TomMaine]

An acquaintance in my harbor sold his large 'lobster yacht', to return to sailing.

He tried to buy a Hinckley Pilot 35, and failed. So he 'settled' on a Morris Justine 36.

I know, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me either,... But it shows something about the Hinckley attraction. Owners absolutely love them.

Here's a B40 in 4'.

 

[snaporaz66]

Thank you.
any hinckley owner or morris owner who wants to share their experience? Is Bermuda 40 as wet as some people say? is the interior space more or less the same in the B40 and Justine?

 

[outbound]

Sailed a Morris36 that started in duxbury mass and ended up in man of war cay. Morris is in some ways a simpler boat to sail. She points better and has a more comfortable motion to me. She is small inside when c/w a more modern boat and was cramped with four aboard but I suspect would be a great couples boat. Workmanship was impeccable.

Would also look at the rustler 36 which is my favorite boat of this size. It is still in production which may make service down the line easier believe you a get a use one in the same price range for a newer boat.

 

[snaporaz66]

and what do you think of Cape Dory 36? comparable with the justine in terms of performance, space and quality (even though not quite Morris quality)? And is it worth investing in a Hinckley 40 or is it going to be more trouble (maintaining, more work to sail etc) than it is worth?

 

[TomMaine]

And is it worth investing in a Hinckley 40 or is it going to be more trouble (maintaining, more work to sail etc) than it is worth?

If you're thinking about buying a B40, that is the question.

You'll pay more front for a vintage B40 than any other similar CCA era boat. 2, maybe 3 times as much.

Most of that premium price will be recouped when it comes time to resell.

But a good portion of a B40's value, is in it's current state of maintenance. Most B40's are very well maintained when you consider their age. They look like new!

That high level of maintenance is expensive-either out of pocket or in DIY time(if the owner is capable-which is rare). If you don't keep it up, you'll lose a good chunk of value.

 

[capecodda]

Our current boat is a Morris Ocean 38 we had built, which is really an extended 36. To build this boat Morris needed to cleanup an mold they hadn't used in 10 or more years. No one wants boat like this anymore, just strange people like us.

I looked hard at B40's when we made this decision. In my mind, the B40 is one of the best looking boats ever built. So I don't for a second think a B40 is a mistake. In fact, I like the yawls the best...they look perfect to me. One of my friends compares it to a Triumph with spoked wheels...you either love it or not. We love it.

Both the Morris and the Hinkley are small in side by today's standards, but I think the Morris is a little more user friendly with the small space. For example, I couldn't find a B40 with a Nav station where I didn't hit my head when seated. On the other hand, pilot berths work great if you have offshore plans.

At the time, Hinkley was all about building picnic boats, and Morris was all about building sail boats...and a new boat to our specs won the battle as did a fine team of folks at Morris who have become great friends.

I think you'd be happy with either boat. Feel free to PM me if I can help.

 

[MooGroc]

We love our Morris Justine. It seems like a perfect couple boat to us. We love the secure cockpit, bulwarks, quality construction and balanced handling. Might be tight for 4.

We're not super experienced sailors so we don't have a lot to compare it to, but feel free to ask specific questions.

The Block Island sure is beautiful.

 

[Westsailforever]

SOUTHERN CROSS - W42

Maybe a little to big ?

Here is something a little smaller.
http://www.westsail.com/forsale/sabai.htm

 

[petmac]

Mk III modified sloop, dinette, nav station. Seaworthy. Seakindly. Highly recommend.

 

[snaporaz66]

Thank you very much capecodda, MY36 and petmac.
Would you mind to contact me with a message as i would like to ask you a few more questions. Unfortunately, i dont have enough posts to send you a message.

 

[snaporaz66]

what wind speed do you start sailing and stop motoring (both Justine and b40)?
and on a beautiful day with 15 knots on a broad reach...what is an average boat speed?

 

[capecodda]

That's a sail dependent question. When we built the 38, we moved the rig forward and built fractional. Where we sail, the afternoon SW is 15-20 pretty reliably, and a 100 percent jib with a relatively big main works well. For light wind, the fractional allows for a code zero flown forward of the jib. We can sail in low single digit winds with the code zero. These are fun sails, can be rigged to roll and pack up in snake format like a sock.

MY36 I believe is mast head with the option of a big overlapping genny. Maybe MY36 can comment on that which would be more relevant to your question.

 

[snaporaz66]

that is a smart sailplan. I have the same in my jboat and i think it is the best way to go. But i will have to get used to the big genoa, as the justine and the B40 have big headsails.
Although one can always have a 105% jib even if the boat is rigged on top of mast.....
I am curious to hear from MY36 and petmac about their sailing experience.
Also: how does your morris handle under power in reverse? the propeller is enclosed between skeg and rudder, correct?

 

[capecodda]

Yep, it's got some substantial prop walk...you can master it with some work. Every boat I've owned with a prop in an aperture had this attribute.

 

[Shockwave]

A 105 is fine for most for most sailing, if it's blowing 4 knots most people will motor, if it's blowing 10 a full main and number 3 gets you 85/90% of what a number one will give you. We typically sail with a 3, with 10 true over the deck we top out at 10 or so upwind, with the 1 were about 11. For cruising we're happy to give up a knot for easier sail handling

that is a smart sailplan. I

have the same in my jboat and i think it is the best way to go. But i will have to get used to the big genoa, as the justine and the B40 have big headsails.
Although one can always have a 105% jib even if the boat is rigged on top of mast.....
I am curious to hear from MY36 and petmac about their sailing experience.
Also: how does your morris handle under power in reverse? the propeller is enclosed between skeg and rudder, correct?