Aft Cabin Options

[SaltyMonkey]

Might check me old thread:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...0-a-43114.html

[HopeFloats]

Woohoo SaltyMonkey ...nice glamor pic.

I have 2 girl crew the same age...I am eyeing the Freedom 40 center cockpit and saving the pennies.

I never liked walkovers before, but I am getting crotchety in my old age. I fancy something with a little seperation ...so I can slam a door shut when I needed instead of keelhauling the little lovies.

[SaltyMonkey]

I love cat ketches, and freedom 40 too!

[Viking Sailor]

I purchased Feeling Good new in 1976. She is what I like to call a Mark 1.5 model. Officially there are the Mark I and Mark II models. Basically the Mark I is a classic full keel with attached rudder design. The Mark II has a full keel with a skeg mounted rudder and the mast moved slightly forward. I believe that both of these models have Yanmar engines. Feeling Good is somewhat unique in that it has the Mark I attached rudder with the mast setup of the Mark II with a Volvo engine.

I think that there is a catch 22 with the Fantasia. People fall in love with the boat based upon her near perfect layout. Then they sail them for awhile and find little things that are not quite right. The problem is more with the owners tending to be perfectionists and trying to make the boat perfect then any real problems with the boat.

As an example -- I sailed Feeling Good for a number of years around San Francisco bay without noting any weather helm issues. Then at a raft-up the other owners started "complaining" about weather helm issues. It turned out that because of the high winds on the bay, the tall rig, and high free board the other owners tended to over power their boats and drive the bow down. This of course will produce weather helm. So, when I was using the working jib and reefed main, they would be using a genoa and full main.

Also, the light air performance of the Fantasia has been questioned. Again, I have not noticed all that much of a problem. While cruising in light wind conditions in Mexico I would often bend on the 150 genoa and be able to keep up with the rest of the fleet on any point of sail.

Oh yes, there was also an apparent issue with directional tracking. For me it turned out to be an effect of the Autohelm wind vain that I had ordered with the boat. The silly thing never worked well and its rudder had to be tied down hard for the boat to track true. Once, I figured this out my tracking problems just disappeared.

I am currently in the process of a major refit. Hopefully, barring any major problems, I will be able to get back to cruising early next year.

Paul

[SaltyMonkey]

Very very cool Viking. You have given me a lot of thought about the sail ability to reconsider fantasia as an option!

Thank you

[kismet]

We are looking for a 34' to 37' boat with an aft cabin (not quarter berth) and have looked at Catalina's and Beneteau's. I have been looking and researching for months and months now but am stuck on what other brands to look at, in that size range, with an aft cabin.

I am hoping you might be able to give me some other suggestions to check out.

Thanks for any help. Have a great day![/QUOTE]


You might have a look for what I have, but I doubt you will find one in the USA. Van de Stadt Victory 40, also known as Trintella IV. They are out there, but not in great numbers.
Look here victory40 owners They show up on yachtworld.

[pillum]

Could look into this Westerly down in Mexico, it was advertised here a couple of months ago, and the asking price has just dropped, so they are itchy for a sale - might need some upgrades, but it's a proven bluewater boat with an aft cabin. Negotiate though.

1976 Westerly CC Ketch A vela Barco en venta - www.yachtworld.es

Good luck with your search.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Viking Sailor

I purchased Feeling Good new in 1976. She is what I like to call a Mark 1.5 model. Officially there are the Mark I and Mark II models. Basically the Mark I is a classic full keel with attached rudder design. The Mark II has a full keel with a skeg mounted rudder and the mast moved slightly forward. I believe that both of these models have Yanmar engines. Feeling Good is somewhat unique in that it has the Mark I attached rudder with the mast setup of the Mark II with a Volvo engine.

I think that there is a catch 22 with the Fantasia. People fall in love with the boat based upon her near perfect layout. Then they sail them for awhile and find little things that are not quite right. The problem is more with the owners tending to be perfectionists and trying to make the boat perfect then any real problems with the boat.

As an example -- I sailed Feeling Good for a number of years around San Francisco bay without noting any weather helm issues. Then at a raft-up the other owners started "complaining" about weather helm issues. It turned out that because of the high winds on the bay, the tall rig, and high free board the other owners tended to over power their boats and drive the bow down. This of course will produce weather helm. So, when I was using the working jib and reefed main, they would be using a genoa and full main.

Also, the light air performance of the Fantasia has been questioned. Again, I have not noticed all that much of a problem. While cruising in light wind conditions in Mexico I would often bend on the 150 genoa and be able to keep up with the rest of the fleet on any point of sail.

Oh yes, there was also an apparent issue with directional tracking. For me it turned out to be an effect of the Autohelm wind vain that I had ordered with the boat. The silly thing never worked well and its rudder had to be tied down hard for the boat to track true. Once, I figured this out my tracking problems just disappeared.

I am currently in the process of a major refit. Hopefully, barring any major problems, I will be able to get back to cruising early next year.

Paul

Fantasia's are awesome! My last boat was a Bingham designed Anastasia 36, and I experienced owners complaining about weather helm issues for all of the same reasons you describe. It was a truly sweet boat.

[Svsilvergirl]

We looked seriously at a fantasias. Marge at passion yachts , Portland Oregon has on for sale. Yup , the workroom really sucked me in. The other boat that I liked was a 41 foot ct ketch , center cockpit rear queen cabin with head and shower. Nice layout. Engine room was amazing. We settled on a 44 foot islander when it was all said and done. No kids , just me and my lovely wife. Good luck on your trek to find the perfect boat

[sww914]

I was shocked when I first saw how much room there is inside of our Vagabond 39. There are a lot of pics on our website, the address is in my signature line. If you want a light fin keeled boat and no wood then this is definitely not the boat for you. I thought I was going to buy a multihull and absolutely not a pilothouse, you can see how that worked out. I guess you never know.
EDIT
There aren't any good pics of the aft cabin, here's one with my wife and my son on the bunk. My son is a dwarf so it's misleading. Really. He's a cool kid.

[smithy]

Has anyone here had first-hand experience with a Jongert Trewes 44? From online daydreaming alone, that is my dream boat... steel hull, center cockpit ketch, aft great cabin and a slightly raised quarterdeck. And lovely lines.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Bash

If you've got two boys, I think you're making a mistake not to consider quarter berths. If you take a boat like a Cal 40, which has twin quarter berths aft, then mom and dad can take the forward cabin and each boy has his own "private" cabin, with the engine separating them.

+1.

Bash beat me to the suggestion. The quarter berths on the Cal40 are actually tunnel berths that could have a door fitted. There is a storage bin for each. There are pilot berth for each parent underway. Given the age of the boat prices are low enough to be affordable. Check one out before crossing it off your list.

[Coachbolt61]

How about this one for a centre cockpit aft cabin design. Has to be the smallest I have seen. Looks about 25 feet. Use it for the teenage retreat.
Smiles
Coachbolt

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

And don't forget the Whitby 42, the most family friendly boat of all time.

[SV.Maverick]

All this talk about the Fantasia 35's made me go look,,,and I agree what a cool boat. Why they just look slow I could see for some it being the right "package" for them.