Moody vs other higher end brands

[nuru05]

So the wife and I are starting to get to the point of seriously looking for a boat. We plan to move aboard with our daughter sometime next winter/spring. We have a healthy budget but obviously the more we spend the more time we will have to take off to work each year (we are both nurses so we plan to travel nurse a few months a year).

Recently the Moody's have caught our eye. We love the design of the moody 44 and it might be beating out the previous leader of the Hylas 49 in our minds. The thing that is surprising to us is how much cheaper it is than a lot of other "higher end" boats. It seems like there are a number of Moody 44's <$120k that look to be in pretty good shape. If we can pick one up for that price and get away with only putting another $20-30k into it we would be able to cruise for several years before having to work at all because our previous budget was $250k.


What are your guys' thoughts on them? We are planning to live aboard and cruise at least 9 months a year. We are primarily looking for the older heavier built boats preferably with a center cockpit because safety is key to us.

[sailorboy1]

I never thought of Moody as a "high end" boat really. But I have always thought of them as just fine boats for most.

If you like and is in your price range get one and save the $$$ for more tiki hut visits

[nuru05]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I never thought of Moody as a "high end" boat really. But I have always thought of them as just fine boats for most.

If you like and is in your price range get one and save the $$$ for more tiki hut visits

My understanding is that they were on par with like a Hylas or Tayana for build quality. Which I would consider "high end" compared to like a Jeanneau/bene or Bavaria. Am I mistaken?

[boatman61]

Bill Dixon designed some great boats for Moody and they were a very good yard.. Angus Primrose was their other designer.
The 44 is a Bill Dixon design.
If it's been well looked after it's a great boat.
From a review..

The Moody 44 is an excellent family passagemaker, capable of being sailed safely and efficiently from summer to winter cruising grounds with all the accouterments of a floating home. With not too great an expenditure, it could be converted to a pure passagemaker, but crossing oceans was not the intent of Astral's owner. The 44 is built of hand-laid fiberglass to the toughest international boat-building standards BS 5750 and ISO 9002. Isophthalic gelcoat and resins are used to combat osmosis below the waterline. Top-hat structural members are glassed into the midships sections of the hull, and tray moldings are bonded into bow and stern sections. Her solid decks and coachroof are balsa-cored for light weight and great strength. All components, accessories and cabinetry are solid and dependable

[goboatingnow]

The 44 is built of hand-laid fiberglass to the toughest international boat-building standards BS 5750 and ISO 9002.

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)

Her solid decks and coachroof are balsa-cored for light weight and great strength

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

[nuru05]

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

So if I'm choosing between something like a Jeanneau 45ds or a Moody 44 is the moody going to be a significant step up even being 10+ years older for the same price?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by nuru05

So if I'm choosing between something like a Jeanneau 45ds or a Moody 44 is the moody going to be a significant step up even being 10+ years older for the same price?

Now that’s a good question

I looked at several older Moody’s recently but bought a younger big 4 plastic boat

It’s a call, the deck gear , winches , clutches , engine , steering on all these boats tend to be the same collection of makes. Gear gets old , Gear gets tired

So buying older can expose you to more gear that’s either life expired or nearly so.

My view is sometimes it’s worth it and sometimes it isn’t. For example the 45DS is a nicely screwed together boat, I’ve delivered a few. If she meets your sailing needs etc , then it’s a fine choice

Going back into the past simply to afford a “brand” can be a close call an€ can go very wrong . I was looking a older moody 45 ( I think ) a few Months ago, everything was tired , lots weren’t working right , it was a money pit

[S/V Illusion]

What you’re asking is purely personal opinion so take the comments you get as nothing more.
All I can add is that we faced a similar choice years ago between a Moody and Hylas and chose the latter. Nothing inherently wrong with either. We liked sailing the Moody but for a live-aboard, the choice seemed clear to us. And a comparably size Beneteau/Jenneau doesn’t compare in any context.

[nuru05]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Now that’s a good question

I looked at several older Moody’s recently but bought a younger big 4 plastic boat

It’s a call, the deck gear , winches , clutches , engine , steering on all these boats tend to be the same collection of makes. Gear gets old , Gear gets tired

So buying older can expose you to more gear that’s either life expired or nearly so.

My view is sometimes it’s worth it and sometimes it isn’t. For example the 45DS is a nicely screwed together boat, I’ve delivered a few. If she meets your sailing needs etc , then it’s a fine choice

Going back into the past simply to afford a “brand” can be a close call an€ can go very wrong . I was looking a older moody 45 ( I think ) a few Months ago, everything was tired , lots weren’t working right , it was a money pit

So would you consider a 45ds to be an appropriate boat for full time cruising with plans for several crossings and fairly regular offshore?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by nuru05

So would you consider a 45ds to be an appropriate boat for full time cruising with plans for several crossings and fairly regular offshore?

Setup right , she’ll take you wherever you want to go. I’ve done an Atlantic crossing in one

Good hull in a blow , sailed one through a F11 mid Atlantic one November ( however I never want to do that again )

However after sailing long keels , HRs , etc etc I’m not on the side of heavy boats.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by nuru05

So would you consider a 45ds to be an appropriate boat for full time cruising with plans for several crossings and fairly regular offshore?

The Moody 45DS is actually a Hanse by another name.. very nice boat but watch out for the rudder bearings they die fairly quickly and can be missed on a survey.
Boat I delivered UK to Greece had the stbd one die in Portugal and the port side died shortly after I left the boat in Greece.
Owner kicked himself for not changing both while on the hard in Portimao.

[wryanddry]

Well of course I am biased because I own a Moody but here is my input. We did a ton of research before dropping the cash, went to the Annapolis boat show twice, crawled all over "production" boats Hanse, Beneteau, Jenneau, Catalina, Bavaria and the higher end brands, Hallberg Rassey, Malo, Najad, Hylas, Oyster, Discovery, Tayana, Tartan, Swan, Pacific Seacraft etc.. Build quality was immediately apparent, reflected in the price delta of course! However this experience drove us toward a non hull/liner construction with bulkheads tabbed into the hull and a heavier displacement.

Our aspiration was Hallberg Rassey but our budget was Beneteau. We scoured yachtworld for a couple of years before we were in a position to buy. In that time we researched even more boats, discovering older brands not represented at the boat shows, Taswell, TaShing, Mason, Westerly, Moody etc. By the time we were ready to pull the trigger we had our eye on a few vessels, A Westerly Oceanlord, an Oyster 406, a Dufour 39 CC and an Etap 38i. All Center cockpit boats except for the Etap which we liked because of the unsinkable aspect. The Westerly was top of the list but we missed out on the timing. Then a Moody 376 appeared on the listings in our price range which fit the bill. It had recently had 10,000 euros spent on it including new standing rigging, new water heater, new keel bolts, new cylinder head, heat exchanger, oil cooler, exhaust elbow and recent sails plus a good inventory of spares.

We picked this vessel up for 40,000 GBP, spent another 5000 GBP on upgrading the electronics and she is now a capable ocean going vessel.

We chose a center cockpit as we liked the big master cabin this layout delivers, and its a safe dry design which we liked for the kids safety.

Is a Moody the same quality as a HR/Najad/Malo - No absolutely not, is it better quality than a Beneteau, Yes IMHO absolutely. I agree that the equipment on older boats can be tired but servicing a winch is easy and cheap, replacing electronics almost certainly required. Doing all this work will give you an intimate understanding of the vessel and its systems which is invaluable.

My advice would be to go with the cheaper Moody, knowing full well that it won't have the fit and finish of the Rassey, but much better than a Beneteau or similar. Use the money saved to make the vessel your own, upgrading and adding equipment to suit your cruising needs, and having more cash left to cruise longer or further afield, or spending more time in marinas or in restaurants and bars.

The Hylas was the one boat me and the wife agreed on as the best boat for us, just not within our reach :-(

Good luck with your hunt!

[Mark Thurlow]

I am circumnavigating on a Moody, great designs, well built and well equipped with quality materials and craftsmanship.

The Moody Owners Association has a area available to non members to ask pre buy questions and advice. Have a look - most models like the M44 come with a list of things to look for when buying. The lists are not long!

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by nuru05

So would you consider a 45ds to be an appropriate boat for full time cruising with plans for several crossings and fairly regular offshore?

I believe the OP is referring to the Jeanneau 45Ds , as mentioned in his previous question to me

I would not rate the Moody 45DS at all

[seamaiden]

In the 1980's I sailed a Moody sloop (47') off the west coast of Scotland and it was a wonderful boat. She sailed beautifully, handled heavy to rough seas on a daily basis, was very comfortable in all respects. I can't speak to the technical aspects, only for how that sloop sailed. The cabin was comfortable without being designed like an ocean going house, thank god.

Seamaiden

Originally Posted by nuru05

So the wife and I are starting to get to the point of seriously looking for a boat. We plan to move aboard with our daughter sometime next winter/spring. We have a healthy budget but obviously the more we spend the more time we will have to take off to work each year (we are both nurses so we plan to travel nurse a few months a year).

Recently the Moody's have caught our eye. We love the design of the moody 44 and it might be beating out the previous leader of the Hylas 49 in our minds. The thing that is surprising to us is how much cheaper it is than a lot of other "higher end" boats. It seems like there are a number of Moody 44's <$120k that look to be in pretty good shape. If we can pick one up for that price and get away with only putting another $20-30k into it we would be able to cruise for several years before having to work at all because our previous budget was $250k.


What are your guys' thoughts on them? We are planning to live aboard and cruise at least 9 months a year. We are primarily looking for the older heavier built boats preferably with a center cockpit because safety is key to us.