Moody vs other higher end brands

[ilenart]

Assume you have checked out this owners site? Well worth the GBP22 for a one year membership. I found it very useful when I was contemplating a Moody 425.

Ilenart

https://moodyowners.org/

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

It's not of course. But that was a Hanse, not a Moody.

The Moody company went bankrupt 15 years or so ago. The name was bought by Hanse to lend some cache to Hanse's fancier but still mass produced boats.

There was never a "faux wood cabinet door" on any real English Moody.

This was circa 1999/2000

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

This was circa 1999/2000

They most definitely did not build fake wood cabinet doors on Moodys in 1999/2000. In that era -- which is the period when my boat was built --- the joinery is all teak veneer panels with sold teak corners and framing.

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Err these just mean you have a documented quality system , it can still be crap, just documented. And neither relate to Boat building ( I “ did” iso 9002)



That’s funny
Aren’t reviews great ...,


Personally I’d say moody are good , not as good as HR,Malo etc better then the Taiwanese US stuff of course

"U.S. stuff"? Hinckley, Shannon, Morris, Pacific Seacraft, good old Westsail, and for you multihull folks Manta catamarans...some of the best built sailboats in the world.
I love HR's, but wouldn't have a teak deck (or Saildrive) if they gave it to me.

[seamaiden]

Hinckley - great sloop, well built, beautiful design. but I only know from sailing a Hinckley in my youth, which was quite a while ago, so I have no knowledge of what a post 1960's - 1970's Hinckley is like. And I don't know that they are even being built any more.

Originally Posted by rmlarson1098

"U.S. stuff"? Hinckley, Shannon, Morris, Pacific Seacraft, good old Westsail, and for you multihull folks Manta catamarans...some of the best built sailboats in the world.
I love HR's, but wouldn't have a teak deck (or Saildrive) if they gave it to me.

[SV Wild Horses]

After owning a 1976 Hinckley 43 for 6 years, after selling her, We looked at Hylas', Oyster's, Morris', Hallberg-Rassy, Deerfoot, Sundeer and even Tayana's. We bought a cutter rigged, 2000 Moody 46!

A Bill Dixon designed, Marine Projects (Plymouth) built boat. Marketed a notch below an Oyster and a notch above a Hylas; having been on and sailed all three, I took the Moody any day. British built, (Sold out to Hanse in 2007), its fit and finish is well within being defined as a "high end boat" compared to production boats.

List your 10 most important requirements; mine were safety, tankage, engine access, cutter rigged, single/double hand capable, walk in shower, walk around berth, swim platform/sugar scoop, semi modern electronics to list a few.....and compare them with competitors and I am sure you will come up with the best boat for you!

I have no doubt our Moody 46 will get us down the eastern seaboard, the Keys, the Bahamas and the Caribbean down to Grenada and back.....again!

[waltknowles]

I'm five years into a 2001 Moody 46 cutter. I've had her in summer charters in the San Juans and Gulf Islands, to feed the budget. My budget for fitting her out for high-latitude all-weather cruising will have come to about 100K USD, but that includes some pricey bits that I had someone else do (30K+ for just a heating system that keeps you warm at anchor in a BC fjord in the middle of December as the water looks like a margarita).


I would not consider any Moody built after 2005, or maybe slightly earlier. The differences in build quality as Moody was going down the tubes are really amazing. My ideal boat might be a mid-90s Moody CC cutter, befiore they started getting sloppy. The Moody branded Hanse's are just that. I might describe them as Peugeots sold at BMW prices (or Bennies sold at HR prices). But if they fit....


So about the 2000-ish Moody's I've crawled into:

• Structural build quality is phenomenal. The floors and stringers look like they'd do quite nicely in a 60' boat and they are built like a cross between fine cabinetry and a skyscraper
• Design is very seakindly. I bought her in So. California, and planned the trip to Seattle to May, when there are still So winds most of the way up the coast. Because of an incompetent mechanic I lost a week or two getting going, and the northerly winds set in. I spent three weeks pounding my way up the coast against both wind and tide--but in a boat that kept asking "when are you going to make me work?" and "if this is the worst you can throw at me .... (35 kt headwinds, 15 seas)" Gave me great confidence that she would handle anything that would be thrown at her--and without complaint.
• Of course, that means she's heavy. Makes for limited sailing up here, but then, she's as fast as most trawlers (8kts+ at 3000 rpm on a 75 hp Yanmar)
• With a boat this old, it's not entirely clear what is the result of repairs by previous owner (and sloppy So. Cal. boat yards), but cabinets are both fine joinery and slapped into the hull with construction adhesive.
• Accommodations are wonderful and well thought out. Engine room is great. Center cockpit lovely.
• Check anything that can move or be forced to move. I just replaced all my keel bolts (OK, 20 years from build), because somebody didn't properly size/install the aft-most bolt on the keel, and let sea water onto the aft bolts.

So to sum it up from deep inside the bilges: The difference between a 1990-2000 40-50' Moody and a similarly aged H-R, Oyster, or other high-end sailing marque is how well it was maintained and kept current.


AND the Moody owner's association. It's phenomenal. Worth the price of buying a Moody to get in.


Walt Knowles
Moody 46: Braesail

[nuru05]

Originally Posted by waltknowles

I'm five years into a 2001 Moody 46 cutter. I've had her in summer charters in the San Juans and Gulf Islands, to feed the budget. My budget for fitting her out for high-latitude all-weather cruising will have come to about 100K USD, but that includes some pricey bits that I had someone else do (30K+ for just a heating system that keeps you warm at anchor in a BC fjord in the middle of December as the water looks like a margarita).


I would not consider any Moody built after 2005, or maybe slightly earlier. The differences in build quality as Moody was going down the tubes are really amazing. My ideal boat might be a mid-90s Moody CC cutter, befiore they started getting sloppy. The Moody branded Hanse's are just that. I might describe them as Peugeots sold at BMW prices (or Bennies sold at HR prices). But if they fit....


So about the 2000-ish Moody's I've crawled into:

• Structural build quality is phenomenal. The floors and stringers look like they'd do quite nicely in a 60' boat and they are built like a cross between fine cabinetry and a skyscraper
• Design is very seakindly. I bought her in So. California, and planned the trip to Seattle to May, when there are still So winds most of the way up the coast. Because of an incompetent mechanic I lost a week or two getting going, and the northerly winds set in. I spent three weeks pounding my way up the coast against both wind and tide--but in a boat that kept asking "when are you going to make me work?" and "if this is the worst you can throw at me .... (35 kt headwinds, 15 seas)" Gave me great confidence that she would handle anything that would be thrown at her--and without complaint.
• Of course, that means she's heavy. Makes for limited sailing up here, but then, she's as fast as most trawlers (8kts+ at 3000 rpm on a 75 hp Yanmar)
• With a boat this old, it's not entirely clear what is the result of repairs by previous owner (and sloppy So. Cal. boat yards), but cabinets are both fine joinery and slapped into the hull with construction adhesive.
• Accommodations are wonderful and well thought out. Engine room is great. Center cockpit lovely.
• Check anything that can move or be forced to move. I just replaced all my keel bolts (OK, 20 years from build), because somebody didn't properly size/install the aft-most bolt on the keel, and let sea water onto the aft bolts.

So to sum it up from deep inside the bilges: The difference between a 1990-2000 40-50' Moody and a similarly aged H-R, Oyster, or other high-end sailing marque is how well it was maintained and kept current.


AND the Moody owner's association. It's phenomenal. Worth the price of buying a Moody to get in.


Walt Knowles
Moody 46: Braesail

Wow, this was super helpful. Thanks. A 90's 44 is pretty much where we are looking right now. We like the Hylas 49 a little better but not $100k+ better. We have seen a few 44's for sale in the $100-130k area which would enable us to buy the boat and do a $30k'ish refit while still leaving a couple years worth of cruising expenses in savings.


Random question for everyone; are there any lenders that will finance a boat from the early 90's at a reasonable rate? If I had the option I'd much rather buy another rental with my cash and finance the boat (with a hefty down payment) but the only lenders I've seen that want to finance a boat that old want to either do a 5-8 year loan (which doesn't help much) or want 8+% which is unreasonable.

[Ericson38]

Originally Posted by waltknowles

I'm five years into a 2001 Moody 46 cutter. I've had her in summer charters in the San Juans and Gulf Islands, to feed the budget. My budget for fitting her out for high-latitude all-weather cruising will have come to about 100K USD, but that includes some pricey bits that I had someone else do (30K+ for just a heating system that keeps you warm at anchor in a BC fjord in the middle of December as the water looks like a margarita).


I would not consider any Moody built after 2005, or maybe slightly earlier. The differences in build quality as Moody was going down the tubes are really amazing. My ideal boat might be a mid-90s Moody CC cutter, befiore they started getting sloppy. The Moody branded Hanse's are just that. I might describe them as Peugeots sold at BMW prices (or Bennies sold at HR prices). But if they fit....


So about the 2000-ish Moody's I've crawled into:

• Structural build quality is phenomenal. The floors and stringers look like they'd do quite nicely in a 60' boat and they are built like a cross between fine cabinetry and a skyscraper
• Design is very seakindly. I bought her in So. California, and planned the trip to Seattle to May, when there are still So winds most of the way up the coast. Because of an incompetent mechanic I lost a week or two getting going, and the northerly winds set in. I spent three weeks pounding my way up the coast against both wind and tide--but in a boat that kept asking "when are you going to make me work?" and "if this is the worst you can throw at me .... (35 kt headwinds, 15 seas)" Gave me great confidence that she would handle anything that would be thrown at her--and without complaint.
• Of course, that means she's heavy. Makes for limited sailing up here, but then, she's as fast as most trawlers (8kts+ at 3000 rpm on a 75 hp Yanmar)
• With a boat this old, it's not entirely clear what is the result of repairs by previous owner (and sloppy So. Cal. boat yards), but cabinets are both fine joinery and slapped into the hull with construction adhesive.
• Accommodations are wonderful and well thought out. Engine room is great. Center cockpit lovely.
• Check anything that can move or be forced to move. I just replaced all my keel bolts (OK, 20 years from build), because somebody didn't properly size/install the aft-most bolt on the keel, and let sea water onto the aft bolts.

So to sum it up from deep inside the bilges: The difference between a 1990-2000 40-50' Moody and a similarly aged H-R, Oyster, or other high-end sailing marque is how well it was maintained and kept current.


AND the Moody owner's association. It's phenomenal. Worth the price of buying a Moody to get in.


Walt Knowles
Moody 46: Braesail

I have a friend with a 2001 Moody 46. He is in the process of getting his holding tank replaced (fwd). It was originally made of aluminum, and had corroded through. Not a simple job.

[Mickeyrouse]

Originally Posted by seamaiden

Hinckley....And I don't know that they are even being built any more.

Hinckley has become almost a power boat company these days, but they’ll build you a sailboat if you’ve got the cash. And you’ll need some more for your cardiologist when you get the quote on new construction. They would probably build you anything for which they still have tooling.
Every boat they have ever built has been to order, meaning they don’t mass produce boats. Which is why if any two boats are identical as to instrumentation, interior veneers, fabrics, instrumentation, layout, etc. it is a coincidence.
A sailor I have corresponded with claims to have seen the contract on a Southwest 42. It was $2 mil sail away. When they built the 70 footers, it was understood those boats were in the 5-6 mil. range.

Regarding the OP’s original question:
Previous experience is not mentioned. If this is a first boat I can’t help but think that a boat size in the range enquired about would be intimidating for a first-time sailor. That seems to be a set-up for long-lasting unhappy experiences.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by waltknowles

. . . So to sum it up from deep inside the bilges: The difference between a 1990-2000 40-50' Moody and a similarly aged H-R, Oyster, or other high-end sailing marque is how well it was maintained and kept current.

I think there are some differences between all these. Moody structure is much better than H-R (anyway since the Enderlein boats), and equal to or better than Oyster. Oyster structure is probably equally strong, but is crude and heavy. Moody structure is more sophisticated than Oyster. H-R have introduced a lot of mass production techniques (some even have hull liners), and H-R scantlings in general are Baltic Sea oriented; not North Sea oriented like the English boats.



Moody fitout is inferior to both of these, maybe not to a huge degree. Deck gear and rigging is equal to or superior to any of these.


Structure is the strong point of Moody; fitout is the weak point.


But yes -- quality of maintenance will wash out most of these differences.

Originally Posted by waltknowles

. . . AND the Moody owner's association. It's phenomenal. Worth the price of buying a Moody to get in. . .

Yes.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by rmlarson1098

"U.S. stuff"? Hinckley, Shannon, Morris, Pacific Seacraft, good old Westsail, and for you multihull folks Manta catamarans...some of the best built sailboats in the world.

I love HR's, but wouldn't have a teak deck (or Saildrive) if they gave it to me.

I specifically said Taiwanese is stuff

Comparing billon dollar Hinckley’s with anything is rather ridiculous

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Note that not all English Moodys are the same, either -- they were a dominant high end gentleman's yacht brand in the 50's and 60's, with emphasis on motor sailing ketches with exquisite fitouts (some of the most expensive sailboats from the 60's today are those old Primrose-designed raised-salon Moodys).

Like this one, the woodwork is superb.

Moody Halberdier 36 archive details - Yachtsnet Ltd. online UK yacht brokers - yacht brokerage and boat sales

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I specifically said Taiwanese is stuff

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Personally I’d say moody are good , not as good as HR,Malo etc better then the Taiwanese US stuff of course

Um, what is this then?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

Um, what is this then?

Tayana , passport and so forth