Pick of the production Yachts

[DaddaTony]

Hi All,

Just about to retire and buy a manageable boat for wife and I for cruising up and down the east coast primarily just day hopping so no extended off shore stuff. Of the Jeanneau's, Hanse, Bavaria's Beneteau's, Catalina's, Hunter's etc blah blah blah.

For a 36' - 39' what would be considered the better stronger built from 2000 builds to current date?

What's the preferences out there. Really only considering shaft drive also.

[robert sailor]

In my opinion for your stated use any of your choices would do you just fine. Shop for a boat that rings your bells and one that's in the best condition. Good luck, shopping is half the fun.

[UNCIVILIZED]

My $0.02
When you get enamored with those broad open spaces & nice furniture down below (with squared edges & corners) in many of the new designs. Have your mate push you across such expanses & into said furniture as forcefully as possible. It helps weed out the poorly designed & styled boats pretty quickly

[RainDog]

If I understand what you are asking (of the brands you listed, which is the "best"), then I agree with robert: brand makes little difference.

Look for the boat that already has all the upgrades and equipment you want. If you buy a boat and add $50k of upgrades and spares, it will be worth about what you paid for it. That works to your advantage as a buyer. But something that already has everything you need.

This sounds basic, but it really is not. You need to know what you need. Most boats on the used market do not have tons of spares and all the equipment you need to cruise. Make of list of what you need in a spreadsheet, and then use that spreadsheet to determine how much "value add" a boat has. You will save 10's of thousands that way. That is far more important than brand in determining what boat is best for you.

[DaddaTony]

Thanks RainDog sound advice. I have generated wish list now trolling "Yacht for Sail"

[UNCIVILIZED]

Listen to RainDog on this. And also, newer doesn't mean better, necessarily. Sometimes quite the opposite. Especially when lighter construction = more cyclical flexing, which equals shorter lifespan.

You might read this http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2248772

And this http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2206710

[DaddaTony]

Appreciate the feedback! One of my must haves is ease of manoeuvrability. When the bride goes landlubber I sail a hell of a lot single handed. Heading out of a pen quite easy. Handling once at sea not much of a drama been doing that for more than 4o years too. Putting an older heavy 3/4 keel back on the dock in blustery conditions especially anything with a bowsprit like I have now can be battle stations for others pen users
I am a lover of old world and there are a heap of goodies out there, I just need to find a boat that will fit this criteria, the rest will fall into place. I could not agree more on the strength of build of the new lighter displacement boats. What I have now inches compared to millimetres in hull thickness. That's why the strength question was mainly around hull. I should have been more specific. Thanks again.

[MarkJ]

There's a difficulty in these threads.

You need to do your own research. You will only get peoples biased opinions here.

You say you have experience, so you are in a good position to go boat hunting


We can't do it for you

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Tony.

[danstanford]

Originally Posted by DaddaTony

Appreciate the feedback! One of my must haves is ease of manoeuvrability. When the bride goes landlubber I sail a hell of a lot single handed. Heading out of a pen quite easy.

I suggest you try them out for handling. We just bought a Beneteau 323 and I cannot believe how well she handles around the dock. She draws 5' and has a pretty big rudder which may be the difference but I have been shocked at how easy she is to handle. I was in the habit of kind of sliding a little sideways as I curved into the pen but the first few times I ended up 18" away from the dock instead of sliding in to bump. She backs better than the other boats I have had from a stop and so handing is way easier. When putting her away I had to back into the slip to put the bow to windward for removing the sails and then without even thinking about difficulty I drove her out into the fairway and spun her around and drove into the slip so I didn't have to move the electrical connection. This is my 4th boat from 25 feet to 38 feet and by far the easiest to handle. Dan

[Tetepare]

Do you want the open, spacious design (Beneteau, Jeanneau, Catalina, Hunter) or a sailing boat (Cape Dory, Robinhood, Hinkley, etc.)?? That's where to start.

All things considered I'd say Cape Dory 36, but I personally want a more open boat (Beneteau 430).

Dollar for dollar you can't go wrong with the Catalina 36- basic, sails OK, priced right. The good thing about Catalinas is one phone call gets you the part you need overnight- good luck on that with just about any other boat mfg.

Another of my favorites is the Niagara 35. Pretty tough boat, prices are low right now.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by DaddaTony

Hi All,

Just about to retire and buy a manageable boat for wife and I for cruising up and down the east coast primarily just day hopping so no extended off shore stuff. Of the Jeanneau's, Hanse, Bavaria's Beneteau's, Catalina's, Hunter's etc blah blah blah.

For a 36' - 39' what would be considered the better stronger built from 2000 builds to current date?

What's the preferences out there. Really only considering shaft drive also.

If you're just cruising down the east coast, then worrying about which of those brands is "the better stronger built" is not worth your time. They are all essentially comparable.

As Raindog said, look for the best equipped, best maintained, most lightly used boat at the right price that you can. While that may seem like a bit of a mythical unicorn, it's not. Those are essentially commodity boats and you'll have quite a few to choose from. One will come along that is the better value and patience waiting for it coupled with being ready to act quickly when you see it will serve you well.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Do you want the open, spacious design (Beneteau, Jeanneau, Catalina, Hunter) or a sailing boat (Cape Dory, Robinhood, Hinkley, etc.)?? That's where to start.
...

That's a good one. Do you mean that modern spacious designs, if well designed, cannot sail much better than a Cape Dory, a Robinhood or an old Hinckley?

Maybe you should look to the new Hinkley and wonder why it is so different from the old ones and so spacious.




There is a clue for you: The new Hinckley is a performance cruiser, and being spacious has nothing to do with sailing less well, quite the contrary, it is a consequence of a better hull shape to sail well on most circumstances. And by the way, the old Hinckley were also performance cruisers...from another time, very slow compared with the new one (both 50/52ft).

[bjymd]

I have been told that there was a pivotal point in the building of production boats that occurred around 2005 and accelerated with the slump in 2008. Boats prior to 2005 are said to be of a better build quality. For what it is worth. I am not an expert. Do not forget to look in the BVI for a used ex charter boat where you will get MUCH more for your money and not pay sales tax.

[Cheechako]

For your cruise buy what you like. But buy one that will fit under a 65 ft bridge and has not too much draft!
If you want a more sturdy boat buy something like an Island Packet etc. Of the other production boats you mention, I'm not sure I can pick one over the other. Particular models may mean more than brand.
My biased opinion goes like this:
I have managed some charter boats.
-We had a Catalina 42 hit a rock while motoring at 5-5.5 knots. It made it back to base with a cracked hull, loose engine bed, and some cabinetry broken from the hull.
-In my long fin keel boat I hit rock and submerged objects about 3 times. The only issue was a scrape on the keel.
But realistically, your cruise just needs a well kept boat.