Australian Cruiser 32-36' for East Coast Cruise

[chall]

Hi all,

We are on the hunt for a new boat!

Our current boat is a supersonic 27 cruiser/racer. She has looked after us well, however with a new family, and a desire to do a cruise up the coast next year and beyond it is time fair dinkum cruiser.

We are after something that would accommodate my wife and I and a small child, something that will get us up to FNQ next year safely and comfortably, and that might have the capability of doing more than that in the years to come as our experience and cruising ambitions grow.

We both have come to cruising from racing backgrounds and appreciate boats that have some performance and that can sail.......having said that safety and sea-kindliness are our priorities, coupled with a storage/tankage to actually really cruise.

We are in our early 30s and on a budget. We want to keep the purchase below 100k.

We have looked at the following designs Arends 33, Jarkan 10.5, Southcoast 36, Martzcraft 35.

Thoughts on these and any other suggestions very welcomed.

[ozboatie]

look at an "Endurance 35" a bit bigger but a good cruising boat

[MarcW]

Hi Chall I would not limit yourself to cruiser with a bit of a racing background a cruiser/racer can do the same job Farr's, Northshore etc can be a good cruiser.

My wife and I looked at cruisers and with abit of a racing background when with a Farr 36.

Maybe not as much interia room but this is off set when another yachts sails come into view and out comes the kite.

We cut loose on Thursday on board 120ltr of diesel and 500ltr of water we still have empty storage plus cat and a dog.

Intented to be in Shark Bay for the rest of winter and then south to Esperance for October then across the Bight, aim to be in the Whitsundays in April 2011.

Hope you find the yacht that suits.

[chall]

We are going to try and look at an Endurance 35 next week Ozboatie.....

Thanks MarcW, I tend to think we are coming to a similar point of view, we do like boats that sail well, and don't want a 'floating caravan'. We have looked at a Carter 33 that seems to maybe breach the happy medium....but still not sure.

[Get-a-Life]

We have had a South Coast 36 and have currently got a Carter 33 Passage. The Carter 33 Passage is the centre cockpit cruising version and goes extremely well, we have sailed it from Sydney to Hobart plus around Tasmania.

If you go down the South Coast road I suggest the ketch, if you can find one. Big volume boat, would sail thru a brick wall, although not to windward.

We also had a Challenger 39 which we cruised in for 5 years, a very capable and fast cruising boat let down by build quality.

Valur for money you can't go wrong with the Carter.

Good luck

KenM

[Weyalan]

Farr 1104, Mottle 33, Farr 37, Davidson 34, East Coast 31...

[chall]

We have had a good look at a Phantom 33. Looks to be an interesting boat with a good layout. Does anyone have info on these boats?? How bluewater capable are they considered to be?? Anything to look out for when inspecting them??

[chall]

Just to provide a bit of an update to this thread.........we just purchased a Martzcraft 35.

I hadn't taken to the few Martzcrafts we had seen but this particularly one appealed to me. She was initially overpriced however and in need of a bit of TLC. With some back and forth our offer was accepted and we have now begun the task of cleaning her up and sorting out some of the issues!

[JJB]

I'd suggest:

• Mottle 33 - Aft cabin Joe Adams design.
• Passage 33 - Aft cabin is a aft cabin version of the Carter 33.
• S&S 34 - no aft cabin, but an absolute classic cruising boat.

There are lots of great cruising boats available in Australia, but there are usually plenty of the above listed boats available at any one time.
I've got a soft spot for the Mottle 33 as it has lots of space and is easy to handle.

[JJB]

I should really read the last post a bit better before I reply to a topic!
martzcraft 35's are great boats, I am sure you will work great for you.

[chall]

LOL no problem and thanks!

We actually considered a few Mottles as well, I am also a bit of a fan but we hope to do a few East Coast cruises (2 adults and a 6 month old) and the Mottle is just that little bit smaller and that little bit more cramped than the Martzcraft......