Boat Advice

[mparent]

We are looking for a boat and have narrowed it down to something around 36-38 feet. The brands we are looking at include: Cs, Corbin, Sabre, Gozzard, Bayfield.

We want to sail to the BVI and cruise around there with the ability to sail bluewater after some years of practice.

I want a safe boat, speed not as important and most of the above are full fiberglass hulls but the Cs Merlin is not. We also want to put a swim platform on the boat and the narrow stern of some of the boats I listed cause concern.

Any thoughts and advice welcome.

[John Drake]

Have you considered a Wauquiez Hood 38?

[emagin]

I would look at:
Corbin 39 - great choice for safety in a modified fin-keel - I've seen a bunch of them
Headroom is an issue if you are over 6'

Valiant 40 - of course....
Caliber, Contest
Agree with Wauquiez, but MKI has funkier layout than MkII

Look at my cruising links in my signature, lots of great boats there.
If you sort by left column (Rank) you will see my top choices in search for boat of same size / requirements.

Also look at the tabs at bottom which have background info that will be useful in your search.

I agree with your requirements, a little slower but built solid!
Just watch out for draft in some of the Caribbean islands, but I think if you will go bluewater it's irrelevant and good draft gets you better upwind sailing in rough conditions

[Sailormann]

There is a CS 36 "Traditional" which was produced prior to the Merlin and is probably a better sea boat. It does not have a cored hull.

The Corbin hulls were strongly built but most of the hulls were sold as kits hence the quality varies widely from boat to boat. I think the Corbin hulls are cored as well.

From Canadian Yachting Magazine: "...Corbin elected to use encapsulated ballast in his hulls – a common boat-building method, but one that can make a hull vulnerable in a serious grounding as there is no external ballast to absorb the shock of a big bump. Corbin boasts, however, that he has added eight layers of fiberglass between the ballast and the hull so that his boat will not sink if the fiberglass keel is damaged. Overall, the laminate schedule of the Corbin (the recipe for how much glass to use in the hull) is impressive, calling for 11 layers of fiberglass mat or roving, in addition to a 16 mm Airex core.

Gozzards and Bayfields are both great choices, the Bayfield could be considered the "entry level" version of the Gozzard. Both are Ted Gozzard products. The smaller Bayfields have a reputation for being slow and a bit stiff, but they handle weather well. The Gozzards are very well-built boats, not the fastest things afloat certainly but they are nice and seaworthy.

The Bayfield and the Gozzard should easily accomodate swim platforms. The Sabre and the CS Traditional MIGHT be able to accomodate one but the Corbin has a canoe stern.

The boats you have selected cover a broad price range. This might be something to consider too...