Shopping for a Blue Water Cruiser

[NormanMartin]

Shrew:
Spot on!
My comment to the OP of such a discussion is a reading list. Amazing how much information is in the books written by sailors about sailing.

On another note: I have asked a couple of questions here and been really pleased with the replies. A focused question yields focused answers, one page's worth.

Keep well, Norm on Cape Cod

we have a new adventure at Averisera

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Cap Morgan

Hello All,

I'm new to this forum and could use some pointers as to how to find the right blue water capable Sailboat. So far I've mostly been searching on Yachtworld and Boat Trader and am now attempting to broaden my search. As such, can anyone on this forum give some pointers on Brokers/ Classifieds that you have used or maybe someone you know has used with great success.

Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Brokers are a waste of time in boat selection, they will generally point you in the direction of boats that return the best commission... gotta make a penny or two boy..!!!
As for Classifieds, its a waste of time browsing those if you have no clue about the important things about boats beyond how great they look in adverts anchored off coconut palm fringed white beaches and in Hollywood movies.. else you would know that the 'Bluewater Boat' is a unicorn created in a marketing office likely by someone who's never set foot on a boat unless it tied up at a marina pontoon.
Boats that have sailed across Blue Water are from many Marques.. Beneteau, Jeaneau, Dufour, Westerly, Moody, Island Pacific, Pearson, Lagoon, Wharram, Prout, Catalac to name but a few.
Do some research, decide on your priorities and compile a list, then browse the Cleassifieds like Yachtworld, Apolloduck etc and see what meets your needs in your price range.
Posts like this are little more than trolling..

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

BTW reading 20+ year old books is a good way to reduce boat selection to 30+ year old boats.

Post of the week! Right there.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by joelhemington

anything in your price range will require a lot more than TLC. Check this site ( there is one Bene 38' listed in your price range) https://www.popyachts.com/help-me-find-a-boat

Not necessarily. You can find a very good, for example, Pearson 365 in that price range.

Not a great sailing boat, but built like a brick house and with tankage for ocean crossing.

For that money, he'll be buying an old boat. Someone should explain to him the pitfalls of boat fixer-uppers.

[Manateeman]

I can’t even supply one manatee with domestic beer and frozen pizza for a haul out for his fix it up budget to go ocean sailing
The OP states he is of retirement age. And wants to ocean sail by himself.
Any alarm bells going off gang?
Those little button things on TV that you push which summons help...I don’t think they work offshore.
Then the “ little elbow grease” and I’ve got”time on my hands”. But my entire budget is 100 boat dollars.
I’m not going to rain on anybody’s parade so would someone else please advise this gentleman the real costs involved in running a yacht capable of his dream adventure. It is possible to find a gem in some boatyard at a bargain price and fix it up but to do that, two things are necessary. You have all the skills and time and you know exactly what you are looking for in a vessel, and a good idea of what it will take to Fix It Up sufficiently to sail .
Skills, time, money, in depth knowledge. And you might want to consider another person unless you bunny hop marina to marina.
Happy trails to you.
Mark and goo covered crew.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by DMF Sailing

As one who sailed on a 22' sailboat in "blue water," I can say that any boat can be in the right hands or in the right conditions.

As the previous posters have said, where you are and what you plan to do have a lot to do with it.

Sailing through Pollock Rip off Cape Cod, in sight of the heavily touristed beaches, can be one of the least promising of situations for any sailing vessel, "bluewater" or not, in the wrong conditions.

In fact, one of the bluest of blue-water boats in its time was turned around by the conditions in those waters, with consequences that were profound...

Whereas an experienced delivery skipper here named Boatman has videos of pleasant sails across the infamous Biscay that make it look like Lac Leman...

Thanks for the credits mate but methinks your confusing me with Pete the Delivery Skipper..
The only video I made was me cooking on a Lagoon 380 which was heavily criticized..
Methinks the OP would be better served being prepared to travel and searching sites like Apollo Duck Europe.

[rotrax]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Brokers are a waste of time in boat selection, they will generally point you in the direction of boats that return the best commission... gotta make a penny or two boy..!!!
As for Classifieds, its a waste of time browsing those if you have no clue about the important things about boats beyond how great they look in adverts anchored off coconut palm fringed white beaches and in Hollywood movies.. else you would know that the 'Bluewater Boat' is a unicorn created in a marketing office likely by someone who's never set foot on a boat unless it tied up at a marina pontoon.
Boats that have sailed across Blue Water are from many Marques.. Beneteau, Jeaneau, Dufour, Westerly, Moody, Island Pacific, Pearson, Lagoon, Wharram, Prout, Catalac to name but a few.
Do some research, decide on your priorities and compile a list, then browse the Cleassifieds like Yachtworld, Apolloduck etc and see what meets your needs in your price range.
Posts like this are little more than trolling..

Well, I find, through direct recent experience that to be a very sweeping statement!


And one that while true in many ways, is not completely accurate.


John Rodriguez Yachts specialises in Bluewater boats.


And very good at it he is too. Currently, little on the market, sales are booming in Europe. I believe he has 5 or 6 on his books but his extremely good website shows recently sold boats which will give an idea of his chosen vessels.


His descriptions and photographs are first class plus he really knows his market.


He has that rare thing among Yacht Brokers.


Integrity........................

[boatman61]

Meanwhile a 1 minute search threw this up..
https://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/boat...or-sale/665026

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Anders

That's not correct and the page you link to states that a boat will remain stable upside down once past the angle of vanishing stability and will have to wait for another big wave to turn to right. With today's wide beams, flat tops and a very narrow keel I suspect the wait would be longer than ideal.

Surely if there is enough wind to create waves big enough to knock a boat over past 90' then it won't be long before another comes along she is back on her feet again. Whether she stays that way up is a different question.

Yep the OP hasn't been back since 13 May, doesn't know what he is missing.

Pete

[Wilyum]

Originally Posted by Shrew

No offense to OP. This is more of a generic rant. Probably because so many of these threads have surfaced, post-Covid.

The "I'm looking for a Bluewater Boat" has all the hallmarks of a greenhorn. If you really knew what you were looking for, or really had a good grasp on what a 'Bluewater Boat' was, then this is not the question you'd be asking.

Nobody logs onto a Motorcycle Forum and says "I'm looking for a Sport Bike". It's usually, "I've narrowed my search down to <blah>, <blah>, and <blah>.....Here is how and where I ride."

I wish people would just ask the real question.

"I'm tired of life and want to live a life of adventure. I want to sail around the world and I want to do so safely and comfortably. Where should I begin?"

Instead, what we get is someone who has already made up their mind, and is insistent that they be told what they want to hear.

As someone in a similar place in their career as the OP I think I can answer why the “bluewater” question consistently gets asked on here. On the one hand you have industry leaders like Neal, Kretschmer, Perry saying one thing, yet thousands of sailors saying and doing the opposite. Even adding to our confusion, a quick glance at any ARC or Pacific Puddle Jump fleet shows full fin, beamy production boats crossing oceans in high numbers. Early on in my planning, like the OP, I am convinced I need a full keel, high displacement tank, but I’m starting to educate myself that there might be other options to consider. However, nothing would make our adventure come crashing to a halt more than a rough passage/crossing, that would turn the Admiral off cruising for good. How much more comfortable on passage is a full keeled, heavy displacement boat compared to say, a similar length Beneteau? Comfort is subjective, how could one ever get this question answered accurately without crossing an ocean in both. Is this something that can even be quantified? Probably not, adding to the confusion for people just starting out asking ‘do I need a bluewater boat?”.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Wilyum

As someone in a similar place in their career as the OP I think I can answer why the “bluewater” question consistently gets asked on here. On the one hand you have industry leaders like Neal, Kretschmer, Perry saying one thing, yet thousands of sailors saying and doing the opposite. Even adding to our confusion, a quick glance at any ARC or Pacific Puddle Jump fleet shows full fin, beamy production boats crossing oceans in high numbers. Early on in my planning, like the OP, I am convinced I need a full keel, high displacement tank, but I’m starting to educate myself that there might be other options to consider. However, nothing would make our adventure come crashing to a halt more than a rough passage/crossing, that would turn the Admiral off cruising for good. How much more comfortable on passage is a full keeled, heavy displacement boat compared to say, a similar length Beneteau? Comfort is subjective, how could one ever get this question answered accurately without crossing an ocean in both. Is this something that can even be quantified? Probably not, adding to the confusion for people just starting out asking ‘do I need a bluewater boat?”.

If your planning on much of your sailing being in High Latitudes and out of season get the 'tank'..
However if your staying in the Tropics or Med and doing the 'Milk Runs' then go for the fin and spade beamy boats.. just sail outside of cyclone and hurricane seasons and you'll be just fine.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Cap Morgan

Hello All,

I'm new to this forum and could use some pointers as to how to find the right blue water capable Sailboat. So far I've mostly been searching on Yachtworld and Boat Trader and am now attempting to broaden my search. As such, can anyone on this forum give some pointers on Brokers/ Classifieds that you have used or maybe someone you know has used with great success.

Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

This is a good starting list but don’t limit yourself to it.
https://bluewaterboats.org
Find a dozen or so that interest you and see what’s available and start narrowing your search that fits within your budget. You might want boat ‘A’ but doesn’t mean there’s one for sale in your price range and if there is, is it worth it.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by Wilyum

However, nothing would make our adventure come crashing to a halt more than a rough passage/crossing, that would turn the Admiral off cruising for good.

If you have an Admiral, he or she will be the commander of fleet of ships. So whatever you do, the Admiral will still have the option to go with another of her captains. As with many upper management and desk-based pencil-pushers, they need to be managed like spoiled idiot-children.

Originally Posted by Wilyum

How much more comfortable on passage is a full keeled, heavy displacement boat compared to say, a similar length Beneteau?

To be honest, the comfort every day of having a more spacious cockpit, a swimming platform and more space inside highly offsets the little improved movement during some passages where you end up with bad luck. Nobody ever seem to consider this.

In general, when you're new it's a good idea to check what other people actually use to do what you want to do and make these models your baseline. Trying to figure out the compromises they dealt with will help you a lot to make the right choice for you.

[SSgtPitt]

I was once that “Blue water” boat guy and yes, Kretschmer was one of the authors I relied on heavily. I also asked those ignorant questions on CF and got the full spectrum of opinions.
Several competant people stuck with me despite their misgivings and I bought this 1982 Cape Dory 36.
Absolutely love the boat and am confident in her abilities in heavy seas. If I had to do it all over again would I buy a more modern boat? Probably not, this old strong stepped keel boat is serving us well and has forgiven our ignorance better than a lighter newer boat.
When I’m ready for my 2nd sailboat will I get a more modern boat? Heck YES!
Something that’s easier to dock, manuever in tight spaces, has more room, a slightly bigger cockpit, isn’t so dark inside etc etc but I don’t think those huge wide butt boats sail better or more comfortably than an old narrow boat.
I do like the Oceanis series and can’t help staring and dreaming when I see one.
“Be kind, rewind”

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Cap Morgan

Nuku34,
Thanks for your response.
My intent was to find out about good Brokers that I could work with , however, since you ask for details here’s basically what I’m looking for:
37 - 40’ Sloop
Blue water capable as opposed to coastal sailing or bare boat cruisers. For instance, I’m looking for a monohull that will be inclined to right itself if knocked down which wouldn’t be the case with the typical Charter boat.
Boat that can be single handed on occasion.
Fine entry.
Teak interior
Keel stepped Mast
Full Skeg hung rudder
Fin Keel but will consider full Keel
Good condition require mostly TLC.
Well documented maintenance and history
Budget -$65k
Also, I’m in Miami Fl.

Thanks in advance for any information that you can provide.

Sounds good to me.