Old "bluewater" cruiser VS. new Beneteau, Jeanneau etc.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

What do you imagine would have happened in a newish Beneteau?

If the captain was competent, it would have been faster and more comfortable, most likely.

[wholybee]

The first consideration is going to be the condition and preparation of the yacht. An old sturdy yacht is still and old yacht. If it has not been well maintained, then it isn't a good choice.

Newer yacht designs, hull shapes, fin keels, spade rudders, etc. sail better/faster/more comfortably than old heavy full keel boats. If you hit a reef with a newer boat at speed, it's going to be a total loss. With the older boat, it could likely survive. In the hands of a competent sailor, any boat in good shape would easily survive 60+ kts of wind. And any competent sailor would not find themselves in 60 kts of wind. With modern navigation, satellite imagery, etc. you can avoid reefs pretty easily also.

I circumnavigated in a Morgan 382, 38 foot. Encapsulated fin keel, skeg rudder, medium displacement. It's a tough boat, built very solid, safe, etc. It is typical of what many traditionalists (those who don't consider Beneteau, Jeanneau etc. appropriate for bluewater) would consider a good boat for offshore. And it did fine. But when meeting and talking with other owners along the way, sharing stories after a passage, I was slower and less comfortable. In one example, making a passage with a group of boats down the Mozambique channel, notoriously difficult and dangerous, I was getting thrown around the cabin, barely able to function holding on to everything, while a newer boat was playing dress up with their 5 year old daughter on board. And even though we left the previous port at the same time, they arrived in South Africa 2 days before me.

[argonauta1]

As some have advised, get a little experience by crewing, chartering etc. That way you get to see different equipment and do some net working. We took a Beneteau 440 around the world. Many of these vessels were in charter fleets for good reason: they are moderately priced and about as bullet proof as one could hope for. Certainly we found that to be the case. You will find by talking to others and networking like this that something is always broken but our Beneteau 440 proved better than most and we had only a couple of fixable issues. Get the shoal draft option if you can.

[CarlF]

Smaller boats are MUCH less expensive than bigger boats. A 34’-36’ boat is plenty big for a couple. You will want to look for one with enough headroom and bed size but they’re are many our there.

Most buyers underestimate how much they will spend after the purchase - especially getting ready for an ocean crossing. There are always things the surveyor misses. Or stuff that’s too old for a Pacific crossing (rigging, sails, chain plates, plexiglass windows), Other things your insurance company will require. And updating of old electronics. You’ll buy a new anchor and chain (the deep Pacific anchorages require 300’ of chain - something you won’t find on your average Beneteau). The dinghy and outboard will probably need replacing. And you’ll replace the 10 year old foam in the mattresses because it makes your back hurt. Or your partner will hate the cushion colors. . By the time you push off you will have spent $50k-$100k - probably closer to $100k

So on your $125,000k budget don’t spend more than $75k for the boat (assuming it’s in great shape). If it’s in just OK shape don’t spend more than $50k.

It’s very hard to get a quality 40ft boat for this price but pretty easy to find one in the 34-36 area.

Oh - and a boat that seems unusually cheap compared to similiar boats is almost always the most expensive after you buy it.

[RedneckRedcoat]

Your going to get a thousand one different answers to this and there are two camps the “you can’t possibly sail in anything but a full keel” to the “we have no idea what they are talking about with dissing modern boats”

We have a modern boat , a 2002 jeanneau . We bought it for a few reason, 3 cabins, sugar scoop. It’s sailed across the Atlantic on its maiden voyage and its fast.

Yes a full keel is great for headwinds but personally why would you sail in a head wind, I’d wait another day until the wind has calmed down. But we have also seen full keelboats rock like pendulums violently at anchor and every one on board is throwing up when other boats are barely moving.

We are even sailing in a draft of 6.5 feet in the Bahamas , it can be done. We have just clocked 4000 nautical miles and about to add another thousand.

We bought our 40 foot Jeanneau ds for $85 and spent another $50k on solar, water maker, dingy, instruments.

They are a lot tuffer than people give them credit for.

But at the end of the day it what we could afford and what we wanted.

By the way we have friends and buddy boats with catamarans and the main advantage is space but if it’s just you then a monohaul is going to be just as ok.

I personally wouldn’t sail in anything less than a 40 foot boat, Refit it so it can be handled by just one person with all lines coming back to the cockpit.

You have to go look at boats, decide what you want and what you think you will need. Prices are falling right now so you could get a newer boat for cheaper.

My wife and I both regret not taking up this lifestyle sooner. We have been full time liveabords for 2 years and it’s the best thing we have ever done

Good luck with your boat find

[onavegador]

Hi
for solo sailing I would opt for a catamaran. I have some experience with catamarans as I sailed twice around the globe incl. two of the three important capes.


I would not solo sail on a monohull as these are not comfortable because of heeling and rolling.
There are cats available for less than your budget. Look for an older Prout or even Wharams and others.


Mine was a 12m Visiona Catamaran from Germany but this brand is not easy to find as not many have been built.


When you bought your vessel do some weeks or months of coastal sailing and stay at anchor some nights at first, buy and read books about sailing and navigation.
AUDACES FORTUNA JUVAT


Fair winds
James

[Jarpots]

I guess it depends how well maintained the old boat is, and if it has features that cope better with inclement weather and potential groundings - strengthened hull.
Ive met helicopter pilots who say that they would rather buy a well maintained 15 year old machine than an almost new poorly maintained one.
An old boat would force you to become more familiar with its systems as you will have to replace them before you start sailing anywhere. Also it could be argued that older boats are less complicated? Some older products are designed to be repaired rather than replaced - unlike most modern systems. Swings and roundabouts. If on good terms, the previous owner should be a useful source of information about aspects of your boat. Having spent 2.5 years cruising half way round the world, Ive met many Amel owners, some with quite old boats. Also a lot of old (+25 year) aluminium boats. Ive also met a person circumnavigating in a 4m boat!
If you are cruising, you dont sail if the forecast is bad, why spoil the fun. plenty of time to take small steps and learn. Surprisingly, we met many cruisers who didnt know how to sail. before they bought their first boat and seemed to be managing years later!
I could go on, but these are just my opinions.

[pma_foyl]

You "sailed for a week" and you're "not going to rethink" this. You don't understand the most basic differences in boats (as indicated by the original question), and now this is going to be your "lifestyle" ???? Please tell me this is a troll, I'm begging you. Otherwise, I can already tell you, this is NOT for you.

[sailorladd]

I built a 31 foot bilge keeler with keels very similar to yours and I would STRONGLY recommend you reconsider if you were gong on a long distance cruise... you are welcome to message me privately... I wrote a book about my experience and what happened on my first few sails and what I did to rectify this....

[Morris Wilson]

You have already gotten the best advice I have seen on any forum. The main thing is to get to know the systems on any boat you end up getting. You will find the actual sailing to be a distant second. Do local sailing till you get comfortable. Very rarely do people buy their "keeper" first time. As with everything it's a learning (and that's half the fun process. Good luck and have fun. with your budget you can do it; just be careful how you spend it.

[cdcorl]

We own a 2003 Beneteau and my wife and I would not hesitate to take it anywhere. We currently sail the US and Caribbean, but the boat is ready for much more. However, if I were you, I would buy something like a Pacific Seacraft for 80-100k learn how to sail it well, and take your trip. Smaller is better for your situation.

[Morris Wilson]

I should add that I am a survivor of many miscalculated adventures on land sea and air and much of my still being alive at 70 is because of nothing but good luck.

[glanrock]

The 'what is a bluewater boat' discussion again.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by glanrock

The 'what is a bluewater boat' discussion again.

running out of popcorn

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

Question: Am I going to die if I go cruising solo around remote/poorly charted Pacific atolls in a 2001-2008 40 foot Beneteau? Will my mast and keel fall off? Should I be looking at other boats?

Background:

I'm new to sailing and have the goal of crossing the Pacific solo. I particularly want to visit remote and uninhabited atolls and islands to photograph wildlife.

I'd love a catamaran as I like the idea of a shallower draft giving more access to anchorages, however I have a max budget of $125,000 including upgrades so that pretty much limits me to monohulls.

I've been looking at boats in the 40 foot and under range as I get the impression that any bigger gets tricky single handed (not to mention the additional expense).

Where I'm really stuck/confused is whether to go for an old boat or a new one.

Reading about this online, there's a bunch of people saying I should be looking for a 1980's full keeled boat and another bunch of people saying get new (2000's) "plastic" boat with a fin keel and a spade rudder.

I've watched a whole bunch of Youtube channels and I get the impression that people who went for an older boat seem to spend all of their time fixing them. These old boats also look like crap inside.

Some early Beneteaus had serious ballast fin keel attachment issues, after a grounding the keel would push up and seperate the inner hull.
How do I know? We used to have a set-up to lift demaged hulls off the keel in order to repair the damage...it's a costly exercise.
I would not chose a high ratio fin keel for cruising, I also prefer a rudder-skeg configuration.
Nothing wrong with older boats.
Keep it simple
Good luck