$75-100K to spend. Hunter 450, 460, Beneteau?

[zstine]

there are dozens of manufacturers and boats in that price range. Personally, I feel 45ft is a lot of boat to be single handing all the time. my family of 4 cruised for 1.5yrs on a 1975 Tartan 41 and had enough space, though it was limited. That 41ft was a lot of boat to single hand. not so much to sail alone, but getting on/off the dock alone with a cross wind is iffy when nobody's there to help fend off.

I would not discount a boat for age. there are many 1980's boats that if maintained well, would be preferred over a 2010 boat that was in charter or something. And keep in mind that you picked two brands that are cheap production boats that tend to break. my experience chartering Hunters was never positive. they didn't sail well and had annoying design issues... like front loading freezer that when defrosting leaked water all over the floor and I hated the traveler over the Bimini with dinghy sized hardware that broke twice in a week.

We don't really know you plans. anchor out often? then you want a Vberth cabin. Or are you going to be in marinas mostly? then you want A/C and an aft cabin is fine. Going to the Bahamas for months? you'll want a watermaker or large tanks and solar. Just sailing weekends and the occasional week? then you can don't need to worry about tankage and solar...etc.

check out sailboatlistings.com and see what's in FL at that price.

[sinnerman]

You may want to look at the blogs of people lliving on boats (liveaboards) being forced out of the marinas, especially in Florida. It si getting worse as big corporations are buying up the marinas.

[KiminAK]

Originally Posted by Captrico

Yes, very nice boat. 3 cabins not exactly what i want, but looks strong. I hear alot of usedboats in La Pez, Mexico. Wonder why?

I don't know about La Paz, but here in San Carlos, monohulls sell dirt cheap. I know of 3 good boats that are for sale right now, one is a screaming good deal, but they are smaller than you want 34-36 ft. But all of them better than a hunter or beneteau, IMHO.

And you could sail the Sea of Cortez, then go through the canal back to Florida.

[Captrico]

Originally Posted by zstine

there are dozens of manufacturers and boats in that price range. Personally, I feel 45ft is a lot of boat to be single handing all the time. my family of 4 cruised for 1.5yrs on a 1975 Tartan 41 and had enough space, though it was limited. That 41ft was a lot of boat to single hand. not so much to sail alone, but getting on/off the dock alone with a cross wind is iffy when nobody's there to help fend off.

I would not discount a boat for age. there are many 1980's boats that if maintained well, would be preferred over a 2010 boat that was in charter or something. And keep in mind that you picked two brands that are cheap production boats that tend to break. my experience chartering Hunters was never positive. they didn't sail well and had annoying design issues... like front loading freezer that when defrosting leaked water all over the floor and I hated the traveler over the Bimini with dinghy sized hardware that broke twice in a week.

We don't really know you plans. anchor out often? then you want a Vberth cabin. Or are you going to be in marinas mostly? then you want A/C and an aft cabin is fine. Going to the Bahamas for months? you'll want a watermaker or large tanks and solar. Just sailing weekends and the occasional week? then you can don't need to worry about tankage and solar...etc.

check out sailboatlistings.com and see what's in FL at that price.

Thanks! Yes good points there. I didnt think about the V berth and being on the hook. Would get stuffy in an aft in the tropics. As for location and all that Im still not sure. Marinas are great and everything, but can be expensive for all of the conveniences. I did it for a few months in Ft Myers city dock, and was paying $600 mo. plus elec. for a 31ft. Problem there is the transient homeless have access to the slips and i had my bike stolen off the boat one night. Ended up going to the river off channel and docking at the boat ramp dock daily. Was a bit of a pain. Depending on where i end up buying the boat i will just make my way hither and tither until i find a place to settle in a bit. I have no firm commitments to any one place but it needs to be mild to warm all year. I was thinking Cali or Florida for looking for the boat, and make my way from that point. I dont expect i would be a marina resident for long, maybe just for short stays for maintenance and planning and whatnot. Definitely i want a self sufficient set up, so solar, water, inverter , dinghy, starlink?

My Beneteau 38 i had in Keywest was a breeze to sail and i liked the rig alot. I took that boat out solo all the time and had no issues with the thing. The rigging was very easy to handle and i docked that thing quite easily in all weather. I didnt want a cluttered cockpit and complicated boom with traveller up over my head. I like to look forward and see what everything is doing. As for cabins im not too fussed with a fancy queen island bed, as i would be in the salon or cockpit 90% of the time. So those 2 areas need to be the selling points for me. Also i like a nice galley, so L shape has always appealed to me. And 2 cabins. Or 2 and an area for tools and repairs. I think i saw a boat that had a little workshop instead of a 3rd cabin layout. Im a single guy, no kids so i dont need sleeping areas for anyone else.

CarlF in the thread suggested a 38 Island Packet as a good all around boat? I havent been on one but i hear they are solid well respected boats. Expensive i thought? Im not set on any particular brand or model, so im open to other boats. I suppose the best thing would be to get down onto the decks at a yacht broker and just start getting on some of the boats a see which ones feel good. Its not so easy doing it on a PC from the hills in Wales. I

[Captrico]

Originally Posted by sinnerman

You may want to look at the blogs of people lliving on boats (liveaboards) being forced out of the marinas, especially in Florida. It si getting worse as big corporations are buying up the marinas.

Oh really? City marinas? Or private?

[Captrico]

Originally Posted by more

what you want 45 ft with 2 cabin
this is rare to see bavaria 45 vision i think have 3 cabin.

PS more cabin is not any problem. what you want 1 cabin and sleep with tool,spare parts.wher you planing keeping your staff.
my friend say buy 5 cabin always you this bunk cabin easy convert in closet for your belongs. if you short with place you can do nothing. if you have mental problem have 3 rooms,lock door with 2 rest room volai you have 1 room boat

hi, no staff! Just me. Yes i want 1 cabin for sleeping, 1 for storage, maybe guest. But i seen some with small area for working, storage, tool room. I suppose 3 cabin could be converted for that, but i rather 2 nice cabins and 1 small area for tool space. The 3 cabins always look too small, like a cave and dark.

[motion]

IP 38 Everything you are looking for . And more can't go wrong

[MicHughV]

Hunters are known for the friendly price point and voluminous interiors fitted with every convenience known to mankind.
As a liveaboard, they'd be tough to beat, but that is where it stops.

That enormous interior comes at a price, aka, lotsa freeboard, and I mean lotsa.
They are notoriously lousy in an anchorage, as they tend to dance all over the place much like a drunken sailor, with all that windage.
While their models tout B'mas friendly drafts, this too needs to taken with a pinch of salt. That shallow draft comes curtesy of a winged keel, and once you've pegged one of those into the bottom, you'll get a new appreciation of the word "stuck"
Lastly, is Hunter's penchant for the B&R rig, and more often than not an in-mast furling main.
As above, all very cutsy, etc, but all comes at a price. An in-mast furler will jam at the most inappropriate time, and has other faults and foibles.
Not sure why you are so focused on Hunter, but ????

It's a buyer's market at the moment. Do yourself a favor and review the countless boats on Yachtworld for a thorough comparo.

Finally, as pointed out above. Area marina's have been bought out by big conglomerates and dockage, etc, have reached astronomical levels.
In the size range you are looking at, that is easily north of $1,000/month, plus electric, etc.
Lastly, finding boat insurance can be a chore.

One more lastly.....don't assume you'll be able to "liveaboard" will nilly as many marina's have put the kibosh on that, so make sure your marina of choice allows "liveaboards"

Do some homework, before getting all giddy eyed about boat ownership. In your price range you have many options, but also depends on your DIY level.

Experience has shown that your search for a boat and a place to keep it, could take a long time.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Don't forget sales tax, boat survey, insurance, etc, all of which can...and will... take a big bite out of your budget, so set aside 10-15% of your budget for that.

[clamshack]

You mentioned the Beneteau 473. The 393 is also nice, especially if there are just a couple of you or you are going solo. It has a draft of 5ft. There are a lot of them out there.

I would look for a solid hull, with outdated everything. You could probably find one for $75,000. If you then put $20,000 into updates, deferred maintenance and cruising gear you'd be in a good spot.

[MicHughV]

I have the smaller brother to the 473....the Bennie 432.
It's an all around nice boat, your typical French open transom planing hull. It can be had with various keel depths.
Not sure that you can find one for under $100K though. It has it's faults and foibles, but would take it over a Hunter.

With a $100K budget, many options out there. Many !!