Saba 50: Saba 50 Opinions

[peteh007]

Hi,
Am looking hard, on paper, at the new Saba 50 as a world cruising boat for my wife and I (2 person handling). I'd really appreciate opinions and any practical critique and tip bits that anyone has with regards to this boat?
I guess they'll be available this year... has anyone seen one yet?

[Gordon]

They will be demonstrating the first launched with test sails to dealers early June so you should see some images after that. Stay posted.

[Dod42]

I heard a rumour that there will be one on display at the Sydney boat show 31 July to 4 August

[dirkdig]

Would not want or need to go any bigger than 50 for just 2 of you.
We have a 44 and thats fine for 3 of us.

[captainjay]

Nearly Live from France

[StarryHorizons]

First thought is they've definitely raised the gooseneck in comparison to their other models. The boom looks almost flat!

Any chance they may be doing this on other models going forward?

[DtM]

I agree with the comment that 50 is a lot of boat for only two of you.

Huge windage but I guess bow thrusters might help.

That helm bimini is low if you are even vaguely tall.

[Nasa]

My wife and I have a Helia for the last 12 months ( hul no. 7) and are now discussing we should have got something smaller for just two of us. Bigger is not always better. I would look at the Lipari for two! Saba is a charter boat.

[Fantaseas]

Originally Posted by Nasa

My wife and I have a Helia for the last 12 months ( hul no. 7) and are now discussing we should have got something smaller for just two of us. Bigger is not always better. I would look at the Lipari for two! Saba is a charter boat.

Hi Nasa,

I certainly don't want to hijack this thread with my first post on this forum but given that I fell in love with the Helia and would certainly get one if our planned circumnavigation were to start now and not unfortunately only in a few years time, I must ask what you both dislike about it that makes you guys discussing this. Obviously anything you do like about it would be of interest as well. Please PM if more appropriate.

Thanks and regards
Mario

[peteh007]

I just heard that there will be a saba in Annapolis in October. We're gonna fly out to see it. We looked at the helia as there's one over here in Oakland but concluded is too small for circumnavigation. Small meaning engine access. Don't really like the anchor system also. How do you attach a second anchor for tandem anchoring in the real world for example? Saba boom access looks great... But how is it rigged? Cutter? Dual reefing lines? Engine access with 75hp pentas? I saw one pic with a V canoe boom which is great .. Any comments?

[cwjohm]

I thought long and hard about this issue. Bought a second hand 43' boat with a long term view of a 50' boat. Concluded after some use that for a couple 50' is simply too big. Sailing is not a problem. Handling in close quarters and associated maintenance are the problem.

As far as the Helia is concerned in my view the Helia is well set up for cruising.

It is not a sailing machine but it is highly stable in all conditions.

The helm has good all round visibility.

With the addition of screecher and spinnaker is a boat that is adaptable to most conditions and easy to sail.

It has a custom bay forward where I can fit generator and watermaker and not be affected by noise.

It allows a large refrigerator and freezer in galley, and has space for an additional large freezer in cockpit if needed.

It has plenty of storage in the cockpit.

It has ample room to fit flexible solar panels on cockpit roof without a precarious arrangement cantilevered off some part of the boat.

It has a custom location for washing machine.

The cockpit is expansive with easy access to the helm.

The galley is set up so that you can operate it and be secure even in heavy conditions.

The boom is accessed by steps from the helm rather than having to go forward, yet the boom is not too high so as to be easily accessible.

For what you get the price is reasonable.

Just my 2c.

[peteh007]

The Saba 50 is not much bigger than the Helia44.. but has some extra space in critical areas. Engine bays for example. We're also liking the extra light inside and the space for some amenities... the Helia would be a little tight for worldwide cruising we feel. but I guess its just what you're used to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF1S...ature=youtu.be

I see the davits have a 300Kg limit on them. Does anyone know how to beef them up to say 500lbs?
Im planning on getting an inboard dingy as i had a couple of outboards stolen.. but inboards seem to be limited to jet boats, like Avon's. They're heavier though.. especially when full of waves...

[cwjohm]

300Kg is 660lb.

[Fantaseas]

well if I am not mistaken its WL is almost 2m longer, so that seems quite a bit and given that you pay 200k Euro or 50% of the Helia more for a Saba, that space must be worth a lot...

guess that comes down to personal preferences, but what would be a deterrent for me is that even in the Maestro version, you get a minimum of 4 cabins and an unbeblievable 4 heads. For a circumnavigation with a couple or familiy with occasional guests, this is really overkill for me and basically a waste of the space the Saba otherwise would offer. So I would tend to agree with Nasa that Saba is clearly a charter baby.

And by the way, peteh007, from all the pics and vids that I have seen on the net, the anchoring systems seems to be identical set up for both, Saba and Helia, so that will probably not solve your tandem anchoring issues. On the other hand, I really can't imagine this to be the decisive point. Your primary anchor should be sufficient for any 'normal' situations up to what 35-40 maybe. The Helia will fit a 40kg Rocna, so that together with all chain should keep you in the spot in most circumstances. And if you really feel the need to anchor in tandem, then the secondary obviously needs to go over the bow and for getting it up again, you attach a line a little longer than the secondary chain and rig a feeder line from the bow under the trampoline to the anchor looker, so once the primary is secured, you get the trip line for the secondary to the bow and lift it up. Agree it will be some work and not that easy as pushing a button, but for the few times you may need it, it should be ok. For me it's a trade-off for the benefit of having the weight of the primary not at the bow but rather close to the center.

Regards
Mario

[cwjohm]

Just another small issue that has been mentioned previously that you may not be aware of :

The Helia (and smaller FP) have a sail to unloaded weight ratio of around 11 m^2. The Saba has a ratio of around 9m^2. A lot of space to circumnavigate but you are going to do it slowly. This boat is undoubtedly designed for the charter market.

The pricing I saw on the Saba saw it around 40% more than the Helia. Big increase for very little return.

If I was going for a 50' boat I would go for a Tag 50 which is (unbelievably) cheaper than the Saba.