Opinions wanted – great liveaboards for 3-4 ?

[riderjuan]

The time has come, I’m ready to spend a few years (maybe more) dropping anchor around the Caribbean, Central and South America. I have limited experience on mid-sized sailboats (a Hunter 30 and Pacific Seacraft 37). There are 3 of us -2 adults a child and one hound; we expect to usually have an additional hand onboard, but not always, so shorthanded capabilities are important.
In poking my head in and out of marinas it seems that boats in the 37 to 47 would fit our needs best – that 50 number starts to feel BIG! I know budget always comes up, but if budget DID NOT matter, (and it always seems to…), what suggestions for a well-equipped liveaboard do the all-knowing of this forum have?

[steve77]

When we cruised with our family of four, we greatly appreciated the separation of cabins that comes with a center cockpit. We had too much freeboard, there was no sump for the bilge, and there were other shortcomings, but all that room below made our Moody 40 very livable.

[cburger]

You know what they say about opinions, so just my two cents worth. Number one consideration should be safety of those onboard, cruising grounds you are indicating you want to visit have a long history of challenging weather.

WESTSAIL - CRUISING BOATS FOR SALE

[riderjuan]

Thanks for those thoughts, I've been reading a bit too. Any thoughts on Cabo Rico, Hans Christian, or Pacific Seacraft?

[cburger]

Originally Posted by riderjuan

Thanks for those thoughts, I've been reading a bit too. Any thoughts on Cabo Rico, Hans Christian, or Pacific Seacraft?

All nice, strong, traditional type vessels that should serve you well for what you are intending.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by riderjuan

Thanks for those thoughts, I've been reading a bit too. Any thoughts on Cabo Rico, Hans Christian, or Pacific Seacraft?

Being an under $15,000 man.. I could not possibly comment..
Tho'.. I do find the Cabo's a bit gloomy below..

[robert sailor]

Nothing terribly wrong with your choices but they are all reasonably narrow in the beam and not that big inside. They are good sea boats but maybe more than you need for your planned travels. Might want to poke around for a center cockpit, gives you better privacy for a live a board with family.

[Tim R.]

We looked at a lot of CC boats in the 40-50 range but felt that we really did not need a CC, especially an older one. We also prefer the sailing/cockpit arrangement of an AC boat. We settled on a newer Caliber 40 and feel it is a great boat for our needs but also could easily accommodate another couple or a kid or two. 2 private sleeping cabins each with it's own head separated by the salon. Can be sailed most anywhere.

[riderjuan]

Robert, what sort of beam do you think of as not narrow? Fat is slow, but I'm not really in a hurry, and space below is crucial for this being a move the family will be happy with~

[boatman61]

Fat and heavy is slow.. even on land..

[cburger]

Originally Posted by riderjuan

Robert, what sort of beam do you think of as not narrow? Fat is slow, but I'm not really in a hurry, and space below is crucial for this being a move the family will be happy with~

Hey watch the fat comments boys, I have been trying to lose a couple of pounds.

Some might say the Westsail is a little round in the middle, definitely not slow.

A little extra beam translates into a lot more interior space and in our case carrying capacity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA7zZQVPayY

[robert sailor]

Well common sense suggests fat is slow but in sailboats if you carry the beam back and keep it on the lighter side you can carry more sail and its much faster, especially on a reach or run. Of course the byproduct is more room for living. Certainly on some older boats fat does mean slow so you have to do your homework.

[Stumble]

It's a bit bigger than you asked, but an Irwin 54'. It's big, slow, underpowered, but after having 5 on board for years I love it. The issue as I see it is with this group you need at least three staterooms (master, kid, crew), and if you ever want a guest (and everyone you know will want to come visit) you need four staterooms. As a weekender it's fine for people to sleep in the settee, but it sucks when you live aboard.

[riderjuan]

Older vs. Newer - obviously older has an initial cost advantage but with the refit/upgrades that may be negated; it seems like there are far more spacious looking and feeling boats that were built 20-30 years ago than are built today. Are there any advantages either way? Many of the older boats surely have more of a classic look...

thanks for the thoughts !

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Being an under $15,000 man.. I could not possibly comment..
Tho'.. I do find the Cabo's a bit gloomy below..

I appreciate the cabos... Love the look, outfitting, specs, build quality etc....

But I too could never get over the interior... Nothing glaring, or wrong... Just never felt "right" to me...