Advise & Recommendations: 42'-50' Cruiser

[Froggy Seas]

Hello all,
I'm hoping to solicit your candid opinions on a cruising sailboat for a couple in their late 30's. Having done a lot of reading, but never posting, on this site, I'm certain everyone will be candid!! Please send it, but appreciate it if the thoughts are backed by experience.

Current situation:
- couple in their late 30's (NOT millennials), with small dog, no kids (yet)
- one has extensive sailing experience (me) inland/coastal and some offshore; the lady is new to sailing

Intended purpose of boat:
- Chesapeake Bay for the 'get-to-know-you" period (also home-base)
- Coastal cruising (Maine to South Caribbean)
- Live-aboard
- lots of entertaining friends and family

Attributes we "think" we want:
- 2-3 cabins (at least 2 doubles)
- 2 heads (one with separate shower stall)
- nice galley (important)
- convertible saloon table
- shoal draft
- ICW air draft
- mid displacement
- traditional or in-boom main
- refrigeration
- age: newer than 1999

Budget:
- under $250k (flexible)

Timeframe:
- last October!! ....as soon as the right (not perfect) boat is found

Again, thanks so much. I look forward to your thoughts and feedback.
Have a great day, hopefully on the water in warm weather.

///

[Jolly Roger]

The question is impossible to answer, with so many variables:
The best thing for you to do is charter some boats, cats, monos, and first find out if your “lady” even likes bouncing about on the water. Not all women do.
If that’s positive, you have a wealth of different boats within your budget, both new and used.
Best of luck. JR

[Froggy Seas]

Thanks, JR. She grew up on powerboats, and we spent a few weeks this past summer bay sailing on 25’-45’. She loves the water and I think she now has the sailing bug. Leaning away from light displacement due to limited experience on charters and delivery; getting tossed around and really being a slave to mother nature’s schedule, stuck in port watching the more seaworthy vessels get underway. Once we look away from the light displacements, we find headroom down below becomes an issue, wanting excess of 6’3”.

[Jolly Roger]

You will easily get six feet plus on anything around 45’ and over. If you favor stiffness, i.e. comfort, over speed you need a forty five foot ketch, or schooner, with a range of smaller sails to suit conditions. Also a full keel and encapsulated ballast. The full keel not only gives you piece of mind knowing it won't fall off, but it also give more room “downstairs” for extras like watermaker, generator, big batteries and a water heater, Oh! and a whopping great engine. All those things which make being at sea a bit more civilized.
Have a look at my boat, (which is not for sale-yet). It’s older than you want, but they made ‘em right then.

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

Have a look at my boat, (which is not for sale-yet). It’s older than you want, but they made ‘em right then.

That link in your signature doesn't work for me, btw. This does: HOME

Best,
Mikael

[SilentOption]

You could find a thousand of these requests here with the same parameters! But they are always fun.


If you want 3 cabins or 4, a safe learning boat that is near coastal and ICW capable look for a 10 year old or newer 35-42 Catalina, Beneteau, Jenneau, Hunter


Fin keel, shoal draft. That combination is great for ex powerboaters. You can motorsail and maneuver a fin keel boat with little experience.



Get some training from a professional and then practice maneuvering and docking "your boat" over and over in various tide and wind conditions. If you can come and go safely in a crowded marina most of your worries will be over!

[Froggy Seas]

JR,
Your boat is beautiful. I'm not to the point where I'm willing to take on such a boat, with work needed that you've done to get her there. It's my first boat, and I'm after something maybe with one or two small projects, but mainly just to get on the water immediately and go.

Mikael,
Thanks for the link!

SO,
Yes, I fully agree...practice and practice more. I was set on the OC45 because of its headroom, sizable cockpit, low maintenance, and easy maneuverability...until a delivery of a larger sister boat out to Bermuda. It wasn't a pleasant sail, and we were on the 3rd reef a lot sooner than I would have liked given what should have been manageable winds and sea state. I am looking for something slightly more beefier than a Beneteau, but don't want to give up completely on speed as I hear you would with an Island Packet. Does such a boat exist?? Outbounds and Hylas came across my radar, but they are out of budget...and draft increases.

Thanks everyone.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Froggy Seas

Hello all,
I'm hoping to solicit your candid opinions on a cruising sailboat for a couple in their late 30's. Having done a lot of reading, but never posting, on this site, I'm certain everyone will be candid!! Please send it, but appreciate it if the thoughts are backed by experience.

Current situation:
- couple in their late 30's (NOT millennials), with small dog, no kids (yet)
- one has extensive sailing experience (me) inland/coastal and some offshore; the lady is new to sailing

Intended purpose of boat:
- Chesapeake Bay for the 'get-to-know-you" period (also home-base)
- Coastal cruising (Maine to South Caribbean)
- Live-aboard
- lots of entertaining friends and family

Attributes we "think" we want:
- 2-3 cabins (at least 2 doubles)
- 2 heads (one with separate shower stall)
- nice galley (important)
- convertible saloon table
- shoal draft
- ICW air draft
- mid displacement
- traditional or in-boom main
- refrigeration
- age: newer than 1999

Budget:
- under $250k (flexible)

Timeframe:
- last October!! ....as soon as the right (not perfect) boat is found

Again, thanks so much. I look forward to your thoughts and feedback.
Have a great day, hopefully on the water in warm weather.

///

As your plans are "limited to Maine to South Caribbean" your choices would be many. Look at as many boats as you can...then look some more. You'll now it when you see it. Good Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[SilentOption]

Good luck with your search. Sometimes in the boating world we all have to embrace flexibility and compromise. Your opinion of the Oceanis 45 might well have been skewed by the person making the sailing decisions. Everyone who delivers or owns a particular boat isn't necessarily an expert on sailing or weather. Poor decision making might make you think it was the boats fault and sour your thought process. As this is only your third post here you could really have some fun by asking everyone's opinion of having guns onboard or thoughts on a Hunter as a bluewater cruiser! Just kidding...don't go there yet. As I said Good Luck!

[mwmsea]

Froggy Seas,


I would look at a Valiant 42. in your price range and bullet proof boats easily handled by two. Very seaworthy. Only has one head though which is one less to maintain. 6 foot draft and intercoastal friendly-63 foot airdraft.

Two cabins, decent galley. Low maintenance exterior with no teak rails etc....


I am mentioning this type yacht because I have sailed them and know the quality. There are others in this size range that are also great boats.

good luck with your search.

Capt.Mike

[drapem1]

Froggy Seas,
I know of a Hunter 49 (2009) that may be available and in your price range. Completely re-fit , 5’6” shoal draft and 6’9” headroom below.
Let me know how to best to reach you.
Mike

[Davidhoy]

I'm going through the same process right now, as my previous boat was destroyed in a collision. My wife and I really like the Catalina 470 due to it's layout, both on deck and below.

The biggest selling point for my wife, one I like too, is the huge aft master stateroom with an island queen bed. Being able to get out of bed without climbing over each other is a big plus :-).

The galley is very nice too, even including a vented hood over the stove to extract all the heat and fumes when cooking.

I'm sure there are plenty of boats out there that match your criteria, which happen to sound remarkably like my own. Remember that every boat is a series of compromises, and you get to choose which are important to you. Whatever happens, best of luck finding the right boat - it's all part of the adventure!

Regards,
David

[sainted]

If a Hylas is too expensive, consider a Stevens 47 or 50. They're a bit older than your spec, but very well built, fast and seakindly. They also have three state rooms, a great galley and good head room. Yes, I have one, and I'm 6' 4".

I don't know of one currently on the market, but they do come up, often with great cruising gear and well maintained.

They have encapsulated ballast, draw 6' and have an air draft of about 64', depending on what's on top of the mast. I wouldn't call them icw friendly, but they are icw manageable. I've run Jammin from Norfolk to Charleston on the inside, and totem made the passage last year. There's one 64' bridge (which wasn't there when I did it), which they managed by heeling the boat.

Have fun on your search!

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by mwmsea

I would look at a Valiant 42. in your price range and bullet proof boats easily handled by two. Very seaworthy. Only has one head though which is one less to maintain. 6 foot draft and intercoastal friendly-63 foot airdraft.

Not a lot of Valiants available that were built since 1999, and none built since 2010 for that matter.

[bobfromcanada]

Doesn't meet all your specs, but go to Yachtworld and search for Sceptre 41/43. Normally there's a few there and good ones range from $150K to the mid $200Ks. As I write this, there are two under $150K and I think one of them might be a vessel we passed on in favor of the one we bought. It needed more than a little work, so I passed on it. Any how, it will give you an idea, but since each vessel they made was somewhat custom, details will vary considerably. Oh, and the 41 and the 43 are essentially the same vessel. The only difference is the 43 has a sugar scoop transom. Otherwise they're pretty well the same boat. Oh, and they have a very good reputation as a high quality well built boat and are a dream to sail. Oh, and the inside steering station (on most but not all) provides not only protection from nasty cold wet weather, but also protects your head from that strong midday Caribbean sun.