Best built world cruiser between 250K - 500K

[cruisernewbie]

Tartan, Beneteau and Jeanneau are supposed to be top notch yachts.

[robert sailor]

Bavaria sailboats are not expensive, in fact they are the cheap seats of the current production builders.

[cruisernewbie]

But Jeanneau, Tartan and Beneateau are very expensive even used.

[robert sailor]

Tartan's are a mid priced boat and J and Beneteau are just a bit over the Bavaria in costs but because of the charter numbers their boats are also very affordable

[cruisernewbie]

Wow just curious what are the most expensive premium sailing yachts?

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by cruisernewbie

Tartan, Beneteau and Jeanneau are supposed to be top notch yachts.

Nothing wrong with these, they are fine boats usually but nothing like others mentioned above when it comes to "best built world cruisers". They are just not in the same class as an Amel, Morris, HR, etc. Not in the same price range either.

[robert sailor]

The list is long but of course they are built in smaller numbers..scan around Oyster,Swan,Baltic, as a started. The Swedes build several nice ones, the East Coast of the USA produces boats like Morris and Hinkley. The far East produces some nice boats. Boats like Beneteau and the like are built to a price so while not top end boats they are high value boats.

[Mary Flower]

Originally Posted by shadow

yep, my good sailing mates had a Shannon 43 and I can fully agree that it is built like a tank!! Very well laid out and they said that they can actually call Shannon and actually talk to the guy who did their wiring for debugging help.. GREAT!

I bought a Shannon in 1980 and had it for fifteen years. Recently, my son started looking at boats and got interested in Shannon. I called the company to ask some questions and found that the same man I dealt with 33 years ago is still there. Some of the men who built my boat are still there. And, of course, the founder and designer, Walt Schulz, is still there.

I've heard many stories of Shannon owners who called the company years after their boat was built and were able to talk to the same people who built it no matter how old it was. That's awfully impressive.

Shannons tend to fly under the radar some because they don't do a lot of advertising and promotion but buyers who appreciate quality and attention to detail and do some thorough research often end up at Shannon. Among the satisfied Shannon 43 owners is the actor Morgan Freeman. I don't think he did but it would be awesome if he had named his boat "Miss Daisy".

[deckofficer]

Another vote for the Sundeer, I think I'm #4.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

So, you actually prefer a Bene 57 over a Sundeer 56 for a world cruiser?! Sounds clueless to me but you may well have compared and found reasons I didn't...

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.

[robert sailor]

I like some of Dashews stuff and the Sundeer is a nice boat but the Beneteau 57 might have a larger market as the Sundeer is appealing to performance sailors and the Beneteau appeals to everyone else.

[dennisail]

The sundeer would be my pick, but its not like the B57 would be slow either.

[s/v Jedi]

Speed is just one thing required for a world cruiser; I was looking for what is the best world cruiser, not the fastest one.

Assuming there are no bad boats in this segment and price range, it will come down to details that may not be obvious from a sunny picture:

- watertight bulkheads. How many, where positioned, which hull openings are guarded by them?

- mid cockpit of the Bene vs aft cockpit with sugarscoop stern of the SD. How do you go swimming and how do get get a MOB back aboard in rough off-shore conditions?

- anchoring system. How big exactly is the anchor, how well does the chain store automatically? Does it always deploy correctly without chain jamming?

- sail plan: minimize drag / heel for optimum comfort underway. This goes together with being fast which is also an important factor for a world cruiser. Also, height of mast, how many people needed to sail the boat efficiently? Can it easily be done by one? Remember that this is required for a crew of two on long passages.

- cabin layout and safety during long off-shore passages. Enough handholds? Floor level throughout or steps up/down? Galley allows easy bracing yourself or wide open space etc. ? I don't know every detail of the Bene57 so these are genuine questions, not saying it is one or the other, but for the SD, these are well thought out and optimized.

- how is rain water collected? Is the design based on such detail for world cruising?

- access to engine and other systems. Assume separate engine room?

- fuel capacity? Range under power?

- strength of rigging, keel, rudder etc. What happens if you slam into a whale at full speed? Recorded cases and outcomes? What storms were weathered with which results?

- steering hydraulic, cable or both? Autopilot capabilities, will it work during storms? How much hp does the AP drive have and what is it's track record?

And this list goes on for ever. It is sheer madness what details come up for a world cruiser. I simply do not believe that Beneteau had that kind of resources available when they designed the 57. I believe their design goal was to challenge the Farr yachts, Contests etc., not to build the ultimate world cruiser, while that was exactly what Dashew aimed for, with the Sundeer being the result of his evolution of Deerfoot + more experience + technical innovation.

[barnakiel]

Best build read best build? Or read something else and then why not adjust the thread's title.

Design, structure and build quality.

Paper boats may be best something but they are not best build.

b.

[syabbeygale]

I think the title "best built" precludes any production boats and probably anything plastic
Never the less I suppose it depends on what you want and where you want to go...
I have a koopmans kesteloo-hussiman built I would like to think it could go Anywhere with a capital A in Relative safety with a capital R my day dreaming leads me to kanter ph. But I very much like swan 44 -hi kelt and Shannon's. Great boats but I cannot say quality matches custom metal boats breehorn onvi aluboat kanter hussiman