Miami boat show

[Catalysis]

The base price was slightly lower ($675k or so)they are estimating a well equipped boat like the boat show model for less than $800k.
the Rand is now down to 10.2 to the dollar

[Palarran]

Thanks. I forgot about the change in exchange rate.

[Yinka]

Hi. Did anyone have a look at the Antares 44 at the boat show.. Which boat did they present.. and is there any news on Argentinian manufacturing ?

Happi days
Yinka

[Catalysis]

We were on the Antares 44i "Sea Spray" .
She is one of the last (#24 of 27 ) made in Canada.
I did not discuss progress on boats from Argentina - if you go to their web site you can see they are offering stripped down versions at lower cost now.

From our standpoint the highest quality 40-50 foot cats at the show were:

• St Francis 50
• Antares 44
• Manta 42
• Lagoon 42/44/50

Best value for money

• Leopard 46 ($519K !)

We were disappointed with interior finish on the FP's - not up to the standards of the Lagoons.

[cbcat]

Just came back from the show and wanted to chime in... Personal favorite (in the 38-45' < $600K range) was the Admiral 40, hands down!

I was very impressed with the overall boat and it really felt HUGE for a 40' cat. Excellent use of space and TONS of storage. The owner's hull is especially wide - Admiral shifted the whole saloon to port to allow for this (not custom, this is how they come from the factory). The windows are simply enormous and make the interior feel so open. Finish is not as high end as some other boats and some may call this a "plastic cat," that being said it's a very nice boat and appears to be relatively easy to clean/maintain. Funny thing is I almost didn't bother looking at this boat since I had been on an Admiral 38 and really did not care for it. The 40 is truly in a league of its own and (to me) has little, if anything, in common with the 38.

Other notable points:
* great galley with lots of space
* big cockpit with full enclosure
* hardtop bimini with sail window above helm
* good bridgedeck clearance
* most lines lead back to helm
* big davits (same ones used on the Admiral 50). Don't quote me, but I think they're rated to 850lbs!
* wide side decks

Here's the real kicker... this boat comes fully equipped for long term cruising right from the factory. Including:

* Genset
* Washer
* Radar/full electronics package & saloon LCD repeater
* Water maker
* Electric flush heads
* TV
....list goes on

At $425-450K, that's a lot! Compare something like Antares 44 with all that cruising kit, and the price is much higher. Likewise, compare a L420 in that price range and you probably won't find all those goodies included.

I spoke to the owner (long time mono sailor) for some time who took delivery this past summer and sailed it back from SA. Had nothing but praises to say about the boat. Same goes for the company... sounded like they responded well to any repairs etc that came up. He was talking about hitting 18 kts (NOT surfing) at one point and his blog from the crossing notes several 24 hr passages well over 200 NM. I was supposed to sail with him on Tue, though it didn't work out, so I can't comment first hand on performance.

DEFINITELY a boat worth looking at if you're in this price range. I still cannot believe this is a 40' cat! Seriously.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I'd love to hear from others who viewed this boat...

PS: I'm not a sales guy or work with Admiral in any way!

[Catalysis]

We liked the Admiral too - you're right it is an excellent value. The only negative for us was the glass panels in the roof which we were concerned might make the boat hot.
We have also looked at the Admiral 38 and 50 and have to agree with you that the 40 is the best value in the range.
Paul

[cbcat]

Paul I agree that the size (and shape) of the windows - especially the overheads - would be something to take into account with solar gain. The owner said that as long as you keep the mesh covers on then the boat stays cool

...of course there's always the a/c (ships with it)!

[JerryF]

Because a washer was mentioned in this thread, here is my comment re washer/dryers on a boat. The biggest maker/seller of these compact washer/dryers is Splendide and they sell both vented and non vented W/Ds.

We have a vented one in our motorhome and so do a dozen of our friends.

Now...my point is, if you get a boat with one MAKE SURE it is a vented one. Do NOT, under any circumstance, get a non-vented washer/dryer in a boat. Unvented ones take 2+ hours to dry a load of wash, they add so much humidity to your boat you'll want to get out, and they add to much humid heat inside your boat while drying clothes. Unvented W/Ds are miserable in a boat or MH.

OTOH, if you buy a used boat with an unvented one it may be easy to use the non-vented one as an anchor and install a vented one because the electrical, water input, and water output are already installed. All you need to do is do is add the vent for the hot air to go outside.

Both Manta and Endeavour use vented W/Ds.

JerryF