Westerly 49

[aviatortom]

I have been sailing for 15+ years and considering to buy a used center-cockpit cruising boat. We plan to do mostly coastal cruising around Europe with a trans-Atlantic crossing every few years.

After few months of researching boats, I am considering a Westerly 49. However, there are not too many of them so I would like to ask if any owners here have experiences to share? They seem more affordable than the reputable Najad or HR, so curious if there are big compromises on quality or durability.

How tough are they for offshore blue water cruising? Any problems with the hull layup? It seems they were built in late 1990s during the end of Westerly's days, so curious if there were any quality issues.

Any other thoughts, experiences or considerations would be great to hear. Thank you so much in advance!

[dcrussell]

Hello! I realize this post—request for info—is a couple years old, but…. We are in the process of buying a Westerly Ocean 49. In fact, we’re about to write the check!
We’ve been dreaming of cruising the oceans for >20 years, from the cockpit of our Great Lakes ship, a C&C 38. In our search for a safe, comfortable ocean cruiser, we narrowed our list to include older (we’re not rich!) boats, known for seaworthiness, eg. Tayana, Alden, Bristol, Shannon, and a few others. When the Westerly came up on our radar, we started digging for info. What we found, first from a distance (we live in Michigan, our new boat is in Scotland), then in person last month, is a solid, safe, well-built vessel that will become our ocean home in the spring of 2023.
So, in case you are still on this forum, did you buy a boat? The Westerly?
Cheers!

[aviatortom]

Good to hear you like the Westerly 49! We actually ended up buying a 39ft catamaran, mostly because of the additional space, saloon above water with a view and no heeling so less seasick crew. We have it for Med cruising.

[noelex 77]

Welcome to the forum Dcrussell.

Congratulations on the Westerly Ocean 49.

[JPA Cate]

Welcome aboard CF, cdrussell.

And congratulations on your new boat!

Ann