Looking for Some Advice

[BusyB]

Hello,

I am new to this forum - so a bit about myself.....

Over the past 10 years, I have taken courses with the CPS Squadron, Chartered bare boats in the Georgian Bay and Caribbean.

No night sailing experience yet.

I am thinking of buying a sail boat - any advice on make model etc. Looking for something I can spend weekends in comfortably. Looking at a Bavaria, any comments

[jdisarro]

Look at the Lagoon 380 Catamaran

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, BusyB.

[captainKJ]

not enough info,, how much you want to pay, were are you sailing, lakes or ocean or costal???????????

[kumgang]

Originally Posted by captainKJ

not enough info,, how much you want to pay, were are you sailing, lakes or ocean or costal???????????

Agree.

[Cheechako]

I'm thinking the new Gunboat 55 or maybe a Catalina 22...... :>)

[captain58sailin]

Welcome to the forum.

[BusyB]

I would like to sail in the great lakes for a couple of seasons, perhaps even go part way up the Trent-Severn Waterway. I have found a couple of Marinas in Oakville, Mississauga area who have available slips for rent and will allow a 50' monohull.

in 2015 I would like to sail down to the caribbean, perhaps to Grenada.

Two cabins and one head would be adequate as mostly of the time i will be just the two of us as the kids have flown the coop. I am looking at a Bavaria but not sure if I want to spend that much.

[BusyB]

Originally Posted by kumgang

Agree.

Still learning the ways of this forum. I have put some details in the reply

thanks

[BusyB]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I'm thinking the new Gunboat 55 or maybe a Catalina 22...... :>)

Gun Boat 55???

Have to win the lottery first

[Cheechako]

For 2 cabins and one head... you have lots of options. There are some big 30-32 footers out there. generally anything up to 38-40 feet gets you those requirements. All you really get 40-48ft than that is another head... depending of course on the boat. Are you thinking newer rather than older? A boat with little restoration?

[Boracay]

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

We don't really have a focus on the Trent-Severn Waterway, the Great Lakes or the Great Loop so asking your questions on Forums more specific to them would get better replies.

As you can see from the responses so far we don't have enough information to go on.

The main thrust of your question seems to be asking if a new Bavaria with two cabins would be suitable for cruising part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, the Great Lakes and then to go down the east coast to the Caribbean, possibly as far as Grenada. You'd also like to know if taking courses and chartering bareboats over 10 years is enough experience and training.

Looking at Bavarias it would seem that you are considering the 32 or the 36, buying from new.

The short answer could be that yes, a Bavaria 32/36 could be used for all of those areas. The longer answer is that it may not be a good idea.

Going through each area in turn I'd imagine the Trent-Severn Waterway would be best cruised in a small powerboat. A quick look at boats for sale on that waterway indicates they are all powerboats, many are not expensive, so I guess that if you wish to cruise this area then a smaller one would be most practicable - sell it when you've finished. Your experience and traing may be OK, though it looks like you'd need a Canadian powerboat licence.

I only know the Great Lakes by reputation. I seem to recall reports of sudden intense storms. A quick look at boats for sales by a local broker suggests that fast rather heavy powerboats are preferred. Something that gets there and back before the weather changes, but heavy enough to take a fair bit of rough stuff if necessary. If you have some training and experience in the more powerful, faster and heavier powerboats then that may be OK. These boats are more expensive to buy and may be difficult to sell. I don't know what licenses are required.

Traveling down the east coat of the United States can be done by staying inland on the eastern part of the Great Loop or by going outside along the Atlantic Coast. The Bavaria 32/36 may be OK for the inland route, but a smaller trawler type would be far more suitable. I would imagine that the Bavaria 32/36 would be underpowered, too small and too light for the coastal route and more experience in this type of sailing would be a very good idea.

The distances from Florida to Grenada are a large and the area is subject to strong trade winds. I would imaging that the Bavarias would be too light for this part of your plan and could not carry enough supplies. As to which boat would be most suitable I cannot comment, though I'd expect that a specific question on this to our Forum would get an informative response.

[Cheechako]

Hmmm.... having trouble seeing why a sailboat that doesnt roll over, and motors as fast as a trawler would not be better....? Dont get me wrong, I like trawlers... just sayin'.... bridge issues?

[BusyB]

I found a lot written about the Lagoon 380, right here on this forum. Seems that there are some build quality/Engineering issues that make the reliability of these boats questionable.

I am/was actually looking at the Bavaria 40 and was questioning the re-sale-ability of these boats. "Boracay" has echoed my thoughts on this subject.

Okay, perhaps I was dreaming too hard and so let us leave the Trent - Severn out of my plans. So where do I go from here?

Can I use the Great Lakes to shake down the sail boat and prepare her for the trip to Grenada or is that a fantasy? I think I will stick to a 40 plus foot sail boat, would that be adequate for the two of us? I looked at a Tartan 34 but found it too cosy! I bumped my head a few times. The boat was in excellent condition but too small!

So, a few more pointers would really help me.

Thanks

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by BusyB

I found a lot written about the Lagoon 380, right here on this forum. Seems that there are some build quality/Engineering issues that make the reliability of these boats questionable.

<snip>!

So, a few more pointers would really help me.

Thanks

Someone, who doesn't own a particular model of boat will always come on the forum and tell you its faults. They will then proceed to tell you why their boat is perfect.

Other than a spouse, a boat is the most personal thing you can acquire. With limited experience the variety of boats is daunting. They all do different things better than other different things. Performance, price, comfort, maintenance. Everything is a compromise.

In terms of what seas a boat can handle, the general concensus around here is that the seaman is as big or bigger factor than the boat.

The great lakes is a great place to learn, I am sure. I have friends (teachers) that cruise all summer every year on the lakes.

If you live in a mcmansion there are few boats in a reasonable price range that will feel "roomy." The sweet spot in the market for cruising couples is 36-42 feet. Tons of choice of plastic boats in this area.

For me personally, living in the tropics the long term boat choice will be a cat. It is too bloody hot here to live below decks.. We spend 95% of our time above decks. Cats maximize outdoor living with large after decks and tramps. The salon/galley up provides great views and a more social atmosphere between the galley slaves and the on watch crew.

Of course this and the fact the at same loa you get more boat means cats can be more pricey.

For monos in the sweet spot I recommend you zoom in on Benneteau, Jeanneu, Hunter, Catalina, Bavaria of 36-42 feet. That list happens to be in my priority order as well. None of these are "classics" nor may they have much individual character. However, they are plentiful, well known, available in good shape and if you quit are fairly resellable if you get the right price up front.

The other good thing about these boats is after you get some sailing experience you can pretty easily find places to 3 day charter and try living on them. I have sailed Benne, Jenneau, Hunter and Catalina on charter. A dockmate has a Bavaria 37 but I haven't scored a ride yet...

The Benne - for me the best sailing and best laid out on deck. Interiors are good to excellent
The Jenneau - close second in sailing and deck layout. Interiors equal to Benne
Hunter - I am gonna get spanked by the Hunter crowd but Hunters seem to compromise sailing performance for "livability". In a 3 horse race with equal crews Hunters get spanked more often than not. Well sailed they win on handicap. However, livability is better and the cockpits are for parties. However if priority is living/cruising not racing a good choice
Catalina - Hmmm. I didn't like how the deck and controls were laid out. I felt the boat was less "solid" but that could be an impression not reality. It felt more tender (lateral/heeling stability) than the other three.
Bavaria - all I can say is the cockpit looks nice, the layout seems OK but we (31 feet) always smoke the Bavaria 37 and based strictly on LOA we shouldn't

And to all the B, J, H, C and B owners apologies in advance and no offence meant. One sailors objective/subjective opinion

I use boats.com for my searches although there are others. You can set up a customized search criteria to see what's available near you.