Down to 4 Boats...Please Help Me Decide...

[donradcliffe]

What you should be looking for is an old guy who loves his boat, but physically can't sail anymore. The boat will be loved and well maintained, and the guy is looking for someone who will give the boat a good home. If he likes you, he will clean out all the sailing gear in his garage and give it to you for nothing.

They are out there.

[nofacey]

Landfall 42 - decent build, good sailor; and length = speed at sea. From the pics, looks to be dirty on outside, good shape on inside, especially the engine

[Wild_At_Heart]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I owned a Landfall 42 for several years. Mine was a center cockpit though and equipped with a Westerbeke, which I think is the original engine.
Mine also had the rod rigging, and while reputed to be good stuff, I didn't care for it, 'cuz it's hard to grip when wet.
I took mine to the B'mas several times and with a 5'6" draft I could pretty much go where I wanted.
Being a '76 model you will likely have to throw some money at it, but for the price, hard to beat imo.
The Landfall is a C&C manufacturer, I believe based in Canada. They built sturdy boats with a good reputation.
Get a good survey on it. Due it's age, finding insurance will likely be a challenge.
The Landfall 38 is basically the small brother of the 42, less space, etc. I've been on one. Go for the 42.
Bristol also make a good boat, but a centerboard is an invitation to problems.
Based on price, etc, I'd give the nod to the Landfall 42.

This is the way I'm leaning.

[Wild_At_Heart]

Originally Posted by Greg K

None of the above. Too big for full-time single handing (especially in ports) and not particularly quality build as the prices suggest.

For what's it's worth, i single handed across the Atlantic west to east on a 1979 Cape Dory 36 and can't praise that boat enough. Just a bit under the size you're looking for, but a notch or two better in build quality IMHO. And the ride she'll give you in those big seas... priceless.

Thanks for the suggestion. I checked out the Cape Dory, but it was much slower than the Landfalls (about 30-40 seconds per mile slower). This would add at minimum 2 extra days of passage on an Atlantic crossing.

The Landfall 42 has similar disp./length and comfort ratios to the Cape Dory 36. The extra length will help with ride comfort and speed as well.

[Wild_At_Heart]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

What you should be looking for is an old guy who loves his boat, but physically can't sail anymore. The boat will be loved and well maintained, and the guy is looking for someone who will give the boat a good home. If he likes you, he will clean out all the sailing gear in his garage and give it to you for nothing.

They are out there.

I've found a couple of these. The problem I've seen with these fellas are that they are very proud of their boats which translates to them being firm on price.

[5BTM]

Originally Posted by Wild_At_Heart

I've found a couple of these. The problem I've seen with these fellas are that they are very proud of their boats which translates to them being firm on price.

Me too, not only inflexible on price but also of opinion everything they touched is gold while in reality it was garbage.

They do know how to change lightbulbs, though.
Upgrade wiring, not so much.

My choice would be a boat closest to factory original.

[abroadreachtrvl]

Don't forget about the Tartans. T37, T40, and T42 are in your price range and have similar quality and performance to the C&C Landfall. They are also racer/cruisers but a little more on the cruiser than the C&C Landfall.

[Wild_At_Heart]

Originally Posted by abroadreachtrvl

Don't forget about the Tartans. T37, T40, and T42 are in your price range and have similar quality and performance to the C&C Landfall. They are also racer/cruisers but a little more on the cruiser than the C&C Landfall.

Tartans are for sure fast. This one looks nice. Not a cutter rig and a centerboarder, but nice all the same...

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/197...an-37-8338212/

This one needs a bit of work, but cheap...

https://www.boats.com/sailing-boats/...an-37-9121227/

Nice boats, but I'm going to stick with a non-centerboard, cutter-rigged design though.

[Greg K]

Originally Posted by Wild_At_Heart

Thanks for the suggestion. I checked out the Cape Dory, but it was much slower than the Landfalls (about 30-40 seconds per mile slower). This would add at minimum 2 extra days of passage on an Atlantic crossing.

The Landfall 42 has similar disp./length and comfort ratios to the Cape Dory 36. The extra length will help with ride comfort and speed as well.

So, you think that for a solo sailor on a multi-week ocean passage arriving a couple days earlier or later is a serious priority of concern, rather than, let's say, getting some decent rest at night by reefing before nightfall and purposely slowing the boat down so that in the middle of the night when the wind kicks up all you have to do is put in a couple rolls in the jib, have a look around and go back to bed?

[MicHughV]

My particular Landfall 42 ...also a 70's vintage was previously owned by a gentleman that threw tons of money at it. The boat was his " hobby" and every single part of the boat had been replaced, rebuilt, etc, etc. It was in "better than new" condition when I got it and was my home for several years.

Though I did not cross any oceans in it, I sailed it offshore on many trips to the B'mas, and thought the boat sailed and handled well in all sorts of weather. My trips would be about a week at sea, give or take a day, depending on my route and destination.

As mentioned above, I am not a fan of rod rigging, which is really my only peeve about the boat. Why C&C chose rod rigging, I could not say, but I think the Landfall was perceived to be a " raceboat". My boat even had a hydraulic backstay adjuster.

The interior is well laid out, roomy and functional. Mine, being a center cockpit had two companionways, one going forward, one going to the rear, which I liked as it provide a nice breeze.
I did enter the boat in area offshore races where it performed well, even winning a few here and there.

All in all, it's well constructed. The lead ballast is encapsulated inside the keel, and not bolted on. The rudder is skeg hung for additional protection. These are all things that appealed to me. The engine had plenty of power. My boat was fitted with a maxprop, which I grew to love.
I never had the slightest issue with hull blistering whatsoever.

The draft of 5'6" was a big thing, as my primary goal for the boat was going to the B'mas.

My Landfall 42 was also fitted with a removable inner forestay allowing the use of a staysail if so needed.

For the money posted above, I think it's a good deal, but will caveat that by saying any used boat is going to require an infusion of cash.

[MicHughV]

I note that the listing for Landfall 42 you posted says it has an electrosan toilet.

I had one of these on the forward head. I won't go into the smelly and horrifying details of this edifice that I experienced, but do yourself a really big favor and throw it out. Don't question my rational for this, just throw it out. The boat will not have any holding tanks, due to it's age, but could be retrofitted with a bladder type tank if so required, I'm not sure of the law or requirements here of it they would apply to this vintage boat..

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Wild_At_Heart

Thanks for the suggestion. I checked out the Cape Dory, but it was much slower than the Landfalls (about 30-40 seconds per mile slower). This would add at minimum 2 extra days of passage on an Atlantic crossing.

The Landfall 42 has similar disp./length and comfort ratios to the Cape Dory 36. The extra length will help with ride comfort and speed as well.

Hello, Wild_At_Heart,

I don't know what kind of a sailor you'll turn out to be, but we've a number of friends who sail single handed. For ocean passages, they none of them are concerned with how long it takes. Whatever the boat you choose, once you've got into your rhythm of life at sea, the days flow together pleasantly. The times of concern come when you are planning your arrival at your port of entry, then you have to figure out how to manage your arrival for daylight hours (issues of visibility into the water as well as across it) and enough time to make it to Customs/Immigration/Agriculture inspection (the foodstuffs they'll take off you). Land is where the hard bits are: leaving the safety of open water for the places where the rocky bits are.. One of those friends, one time hove to well offshore, for rest, before sprinting for his port of entry.
We've sailed doublehanded, so I have no personal experience of single-handing. However, I cannot remember how many times we've hove to before entering a new port in coral waters, or spent the 6 hrs. of my off watch slowly reaching out and back on the main alone, waiting for the sun to come up.

For us, yes, faster passages are theoretically valuable--it is an effort to reduce exposure to unexpected bad weather, which does develop; but in the actual experiencing of them, it doesn't matter at all, with one exception. The exception is the unexpected arrival of bad weather, especially out of season. Weather prediction goes out about 3 days with reliable accuracy. The further out you look, the less you can count on it. You can pick the wx you leave in, not so much the wx in which you'll arrive. If fast passages are a priority for you, look at modern design boats with long waterline lengths and minimal overhangs, and fin keels.

Ann

[MicHughV]

Ah, the dreaded night time approach into a foreign harbor or port. So close, yet so far

[Wild_At_Heart]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I note that the listing for Landfall 42 you posted says it has an electrosan toilet.

I had one of these on the forward head. I won't go into the smelly and horrifying details of this edifice that I experienced, but do yourself a really big favor and throw it out. Don't question my rational for this, just throw it out. The boat will not have any holding tanks, due to it's age, but could be retrofitted with a bladder type tank if so required, I'm not sure of the law or requirements here of it they would apply to this vintage boat..

Thanks. Thinking I'll be better off with a composting head. Less mess and hassle.

[MicHughV]

I have no experience with a composting head, so can't opine on that. There have been threads here on this CF that go into detail about the variety of heads available for a sailboat, just do a search and you'll find them.
Seeing as the Landfall is a 70's vintage, the head hoses are bound to be clogged up, and were it me, I'd replace them out of hand. Last thing you need offshore is a malfunctioning head.