Best 40ft for full time liveaboard in SE Florida?

[jdazey]

Originally Posted by akprb

Here's what I found, bigger was easier 😉

Always found slips and haul out.

Great singlehanded.

Yes, costs a bit more 😉

Bingo.

[Net]

Originally Posted by Vander Woestijn

This is an excellent and informative thread. Just curious Net, did you decide on a boat yet?.. if not, have you at least narrowed it down a bit?
Cheers.

Not yet. Since my last comment in this thread, I attended the boat show in St Petersburg FL to take a look at the Lucia and then the Strictly Sail show in Miami FL to look at the rest. The only outcome from those shows was that I signed up for the ASA courses up to the 114 and I hope I will get the certifications next month.

As for the catamarans I saw, this is my short feedback based on how I intend to use the boat during the first years (marina life, weekend sailing... My longer dream "plan" is to go on a circumnavigation 5 to 6 years from now). Keep in mind I'm a noob:

Lucia 40: I was not impressed at first but my second look at the show in Miami changed my mind. It should be very easy to single handle (low boom, all lines at the helm, etc) and quite comfy as a live-aboard for a loner or a couple. I like the separate room for the head. For the money of a new Lucia 40, I could buy a used Helia 44 but bigger means higher operating costs and less single-handler friendly (I assume). It seems like the Lucia could be both good for marina life and for world cruising.

Lipari 41: Lucia's predecessor was at the show in Miami and it is clearly a good option for a used catamaran. Yet to bring it up one to bristol condition I bet I would end up spending as much as with a new Lucia 40.

Bali 4.0: Perfect for marina life yet it has just one porthole on top of the hulls (not sure if the ones on the side would be enough for good ventilation). I don't think it's a boat for cruising the world... Coastal cruising, yes.

Leopard 40: I like a lot the front porch with easy access via the door at the front (very safe for solo passages, I guess). Great feature for marina life. I personally prefer the layout of the old Leopard 44. I do not like the layout of the 40 because having two tables next to each other seems like a redundancy to me. Also, the hulls look too narrow (e.g. no island berths) yet its performance may be on par with the french production boats.

Lagoon 39 and 400S2: these were not at the show but... I took a look at the new Lagoon 42 and I thought right away that it could be the perfect boat for me if I could afford it. Big hulls, lots of storage space for long passages, easy single-handling (self tacking jib, etc.)... It must be a great catamaran for both marina life and cruising the world later on. Yet this is a big cat compared to the rest (it is on par with the Helia 44, Leopard 45... The Lagoon 450 is bigger than all these in reality)

Reality check: After taking a look at new and used catamarans, it dawned on me that I could actually depart on my dreamed world adventure earlier if I spent less on the boat purchase and avoided a marine loan. By buying a used one, bringing it up to world cruising condition, and saving for the cruising budget, I would be ready to depart much earlier. A new or an expensive used boat would keep me on shore and in debt for too long. So I'm starting to look with better eyes towards older boats with world cruising pedigree. For example, the PDQ 36 LRC is old but there are some available on the market from time to time that seem to be in good shape... and it won't break the bank.

This thread brought a lot of great suggestions for catamarans within the 40ft range.

[Net]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Net,

These are all good choices for a 40 foot cat. You will have to get on them to see which one FITS you.

This was the first, the simplest and the best suggestion. So I did. Thanks.

[Net]

I've also stepped into the Maine Cat 38 and Seawind 1160 Lite. If I am not mistaken, those are fast catamarans. Not sure about their load carrying capacity... I'll have to check.

The Maine Cat 38 has a classy interior that I know will appeal to those who don't like the Ikea style of the production boats. The Seawind looked very "plasticky" but very practical. I think you can beach those two without problems...