boat reputation

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by emagin

Shawn,
Why not start with some boat DATA create a shortlist and then look at reputation.
I am a newbie at this so feel free to correct my errant ways.
My approach to finding a cruising boat for my wife and 2 kids has been:

1. Use Data focused on cruising boats that are safe
Look at articles on type of boat you need: Cruising Cruising List
2. Search YachtWorld and others for price ranges of boats in your shortlist
3. Make a list of top 10 models based on data and budget and articles
4. Boat Community Search - I subscribe to mailing lists of top boats. For ex:
Tayana News
Corbin Site
Valiant Owners
5. Start asking a lot of questions about weaknesses, gotchas, etc.
6. Maybe get a broker to help you (I asked a friend to help me out)
7. Verify the info here on forums

#3 Is key because you can find that boats like Morris have a stellar reputation, but that doesn't do me any good since I could barely afford a 28 footer!
(Hallberg Rassys, Swans, Frers, etc. also tend to be out of my budget!)

Good luck!

That might work for late model production boats. I have a wooden boat designed in 1949, and had to rely on the reputation if the architect (William Atkins), the type of boat (ocean cruising), knowledge of how the individual boat was constructed, modifications made over the years and information from people who were familiar with the individual boat from the first 35 years of it's life. There are some pretty nice (and bad) old boats out there example an old Westsail vs Catalina. Then you have to consider peoples individual needs (Ocean cruising, weekending sailing, racing etc). A data base would be a good start, a list of characteristics of what to look for and avoid as well as architects,etc would be helpful.

[D.D.]

Originally Posted by bob perry

I'm not sure about the protocol here but I'll stick my neck out and say that if you visit my web site www.perryboat.com you can read about my consultation service. Maybe I know a thing or two that could be of value to you.

If I am out of line "hawking my wares" here would someoine please fill me in on the correct way to particpate here as both a fellow sailor and a professional in the field.

THIS is the place to start.....Best info you can get and the most for your money....

[shawnkillam]

Thanks y'all I have 3 bat wings left over from Halloween that I can contribute to the coven if that will get me the list.
For the admiral and I. Oh lets be honest what the admiral wants is something fairly large and bright. Her joy in life is the dinner party so a substantial galley that floats would probably keep her happy. She wants something with lots of windows.
Our goal is probably the same as half the retiring couples in the universe. We are planning on cutting out early so we can still do stuff which of course means we will be doing it on less money. Our priorites are of couse safety first. I think anyone who doesn't think this way is a little off.
#2 however is a comfortable house. We plan on being on a boat until they cart us off to the nursing home and the time spent at anchor / port will by far dwarf the amount of time we are under sail. If we run out of money and have to go back to work we expect to continue living off the boat. Oh and unless she kills me we will be in warm areas of the world so AC may be more important than heaters.
#3 sailability or ease / fun to sail. I can't tell you how much I hate to put that third but without number 2 being fulfilled I know the admiral will make my life such that I will want to be lost at sea. I will also be adding the finest sound system that $2.57 can buy - that is the expected amount of money I will have left over.
Our boat budget is around 250,000 but that is the boat that the only thing we need to bring on board is a tooth brush. Any maintenace or additions will have to come out of that total so conceivable we could put 100K into a 150K boat. Any more than that and we would have to make payments which would mean continuing to work which sort of defeats the whole purpose.

Thanks everyone who has expressed an opinion and to those who will do so in the future.
sk

[emagin]

If you're not going offshore, I'm not sure how architect's reputation has much to do with it. You need a good, spacious boat that's a comfy liveaboard.
I'd say Beneteau has lots of good stuff. Hunters are not as fun to sail but they sure are comfortable inside!

[Big Moe]

Dear Shawn:

I own a 2008 46' Beneteau. This is my second Beneteau and I love my boat. I am in the process of purchasing a 2009 49'. I am located in Annapolis, MD and always sail in the bay. My wife and I have 2 small children. We love our Beneteau. It has a large roomy salon area and a kitchen that fits our needs. I am purchasing a slightly larger boat so I can have 3 cabins. A new 49 costs about $400,000.00. The cabinetry is very nice and I have great electronics. I have no intention of living on my boat full time although my wife and little children (7 and 12) live on the boat for the summer. I would not sail the ocean with this boat. I would sail the ocean with a Valient ot a Hylas. Three questions that have to be answered: Where are you going to use the boat? Are you going to live on it? How much money can you spend? If youre going to live on it you need a lot of cabinetry. If your going to sail the oceans you need a rock solid boat with a full keel. My family loves a lot of living space so a Beneteau fits us to the T.

Good luck!

Big Moe

[Vasco]

Shawn,

Now that we know what you and your wife's needs and wants are, the perfect boat would be a new Beneteau 423 or 43. Your budget would be fine and everything would be under warranty. No surprises, no hidden costs.

[shawnkillam]

Big Moe,

Thanks for that input. Perhaps we have just been unlucky in those we looked at. As I said to begin with Benateau must be doing something right or they wouldn't be selling so many boats. The ones we have been looking at are in the 250,000 range so maybe it is the price point issue that makes the difference.
thanks for your input
SK

[Curmudgeon]

You'll know the right boat when you see it.

[shawnkillam]

emagin,
We do plan on going offshore. The shore in question will depend on where we finally buy the boat. If it is on the west coast we will go west and the south pacific first. If it is east it will be the carribean and then the med. Once we get to any of those places we will be hanging out for awhile.
sk

[NanoWest]

If you are haveing a hard time finding a boat.....get a floating hot tub, float and soak in some 104 degree water, and then it will become clear what kind of boat to buy.

tugtub.com

[Curmudgeon]

Well, if you want to cross oceans and can live with a boat of around 38-42 feet, you have plenty of choices among used but well maintained Water boats">blue water boats at your price point.

If you need 50 feet the choices are much more limited.

[Amgine]

I hope you don't mind my being blunt, but I don't think you and the admiral have enough time at sea to know what you really need/want in a boat.

My suggestion is to charter a couple boats. Try a catamaran, if you haven't previously. Try something in Maine, and something somewhere tropical. Don't blow a huge amount on it, but getting some experience so you can say with certainty that a pilothouse is vital/insane, full keels are for idiots/us, or you'd rather be nibbled to death by ducks/avoid propane at all costs.

You're just not opinionated enough yet. Sailing will fix that.

[James S]

Shawn
What does that picture in your mind look like…. your boat life?

Are you and the admiral sitting in the cockpit with drinks in your hand sailing along in the perfect day…nothing as far as the eye can see……maybe a tropical island or two in the distance?

At anchor reading…..or at the dock with the occasional other boat guys dropping
By?

Are you participating in club races with your buds?

Do you like tinkering and messing about with stuff…..Do you see yourself doing boat projects…fixing stuff up or adding, replacing, optimizing, boat systems?

Are you exploring the land part of “lands far away” off the boat for extended periods of time?

Do you like the provisioning and planning and plotting…and making ready for a passage…plotting way points…calculating energy, fuel, water recourses.

Do you see the boat as a beachside cabana that will mostly be moored in one of 5 different locations in the next, say, five or ten years or however long before they drag you off to the home?

When you are in the home….what kind of stories do you see yourself telling about your boat life.

There are soooo many pictures…

What’s the picture/s in your head look like?

I’m sure there is enough talent here to fit a boat around that picture in your mind…If you can tell us as vividly as you possible what that picture looks like.

PS I hope Bob P. comes back..I might have one of his designs.

[dfaylward]

Shawn,
My wife and I are buying a Hunter 41 Deck Salon. She likes it because it has a large galley, is roomy and bright and, with furling main, is easy to sail. I'll admit it's not a pretty boat but, then again, sometimes marrying the prom queen is not always the best idea. We're planning to live aboard and will spend lots of time at a slip vs. bashing about the ocean. I think Hunters have made huge improvements in quality and design since the early boats of the 80's. Might be worth a look.
--Dennis

[wolfenzee]

My boat has a realstively narrow beam for a "chunky old ocean cruiser" (8'9") ,there is alot of space dedicated to storage, the low freeboard and cabin give me limited head room (6'3" in galley under hatch, 6'4" under midship hatch and 5'8" between the two). When I am done modifcations I will have a good sized and very efficent galley, roomy forward cabin and better utilization of overall space. My intentions are for two people to be able to cruise extensively anywhere we might want to go. Even though I have a two very spacious bunks, one in main cabin, one in forward cabin it will be more practical to find a crew meber to share my bunk with.