Best built world cruiser between 250K - 500K

[westsail374]

Nauticat builds their boats to a very high standard of fit and finish. They have both motor sailor and pure sailing versions - the pure sailors also have pilothouses. They are designed for speed and comfort - not mutually exclusive, as many of the boats discussed above demonstrate.

[Skipper434343]

Shadow, the boats on your list are all great boats but you have to pay $500K+ for 40 footer (new),the used one will survived many years to come. You should check Delphia's I have the Delphia 40.3 sailed her from Poland to Caribbean and to east coast, 16.5 day cross the pond.Check the new Delphia 46cc, amazing.

[Eleuthera 2014]

The Absolutely BEST BUILT world rangers are ...


Jongert out of Holland. Slow but so well... welded together... look at yachtworld for some stunning examples. One in Italy at a huge discount.

Though I would not sneeze at Dashew design or an Amel 54 if I had the dosh.

[PortClydeMe]

That little yard from Maine at the top of your list gets my vote. I might also take a Morris. Something about Maine craftsmanship and attention to detail tugs at my heart. I settled on Hinckley. Good luck with your hunt.

[Don C L]

Anything out of the Abeking and Rasmussen yard would be nice. What no Swans on the list?

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by Andrew B.

Pacific Seacraft 34',37', or 40'. A PSC 37 is one of my fav's.

I am a big PSC fan, our budget is a bit lower so we are going to get a 37 or 40 this year. If we had more $$$ we would buy an early 90's PSC 44 and have the factory overhaul it from stem to stern. This way we could make sure the boat is outfitted exactly how we want.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The B57 with the normal helm (rather than the goofy Amel-style bulkhead helm) is actually a very, very nice boat, strong, fast and seaworthy, and very comfortable -- a lot of boat for the money. Beneteau must have lost money on every one of them, because there is nothing really cheap about them, and they cost 1/2 or less than a comparable semi-production cruiser from HR, Contest, etc. Have you ever been on one, Nick? They are surprisingly nice.

I would prefer the Sundeer myself, but most people, comparing the two, would probably sacrifice a bit of the Sundeer's performance and engineering superbness for the much greater interior space and comfort of the B57; not to mention the wonderful deck space.

$500k is actually not quite enough money for a really nice, reasonably fresh European semi-production cruiser in the 50-ish foot range, that is, an HR, Oyster, Najad, Contest, Moody, Swan, etc. A budget of a million would not by excessive for such a thing, if you want a reasonably fresh one. One would have to go a bit smaller and/or a bit older to squeeze in to $500k, and if a bit older, then query how much will need to be spent refitting. So in that price range, the Sundeer and B57 might actually be among the top choices. The Jeanneaus are also worth a look, I think.

Little Harbor 54CC with centerboard! 1989 $550K

[airheads]

Looking at the same requirements and have sailed many on the list. Have settled on Swan having previously had a 47 and 57. Best combination of comfort, speed and indestructability. Speed is important as well as ability to sail to weather. Reducing your time on long passages with weather by a couple of days is all the difference in enjoying your cruise or not; also damage to your health. 47s, 53s, 57s and 59s in excellent shape can all be had for that price. For the classic lovers the S&S 48's and 55's are the same design as whitbread boats with proven global history and modern cruising setups.

[Ericson38]

Originally Posted by PortClydeMe

That little yard from Maine at the top of your list gets my vote. I might also take a Morris. Something about Maine craftsmanship and attention to detail tugs at my heart. I settled on Hinckley. Good luck with your hunt.

Morris's are beautiful (my last name), and so are Hinckleys. We went to the Hinckley yard last spring to look at 2 Bristols, an aft cockpit white Alden 50 sloop that was the best looking boat I had ever seen, and a Little Harbor, up in RI. But the tankage is on the slight side unless you stay over 50 feet, and hard to get to, on those kinds of boats. Most all have centerboards. They were purpose built for their own cruising grounds in or Bermuda. That much teak in the tropics, or even in a Chesepeak summer ? No way at these sun angles. And, let to go natural, not too spiffy to look at. A Hinckley SW 52, a great boat no doubt, but with only 120 gal fuel ? Tighter inside than you might imagine. But the lines, from the outside put most boats in the marina to shame (except this was the Hinkley yard !).