carribean cruiser choices

[robertoddhoven]

Gird up for battle old salts and armchair sailers alike and offer me your opinions.

My Mission : Use my newly acquired Bareboat ticket to test sail boats and within 9 months buy a boat I can single or short hand sail in relatively friendly waters to start
Purpose : Island hop, live aboard, dive platform, log time towards 6 pack license
Location : Florida and Caribbean to start
Size : 38 to 42
Status : Years of dreaming while sailing small craft, months of searching forums, articles, yachtworld etc ready to get serious.

BONUS !!! My job pays well and lets me work anywhere with internet access

Criteria:
- Comfortable (wife)
- reasonably fast
- well lit (work aboard)
- easy to sail
- folding transom/swim platform
- modern hull
- high production quality or better

Contenders and notes:
First choices
Hanse 388 or 418 and Elan Impression 40
- sleek, modern, fastish, Love the coach mounted main sheets keeping cockpit clear, all lines led TO HELM not just cockpit, comfy interior, price, good reputation

Second Choices
Dehler 38 or 41, Grand Soleil 39, X-Yachts XP38, XC38, Azuree 41 - most of same reasons, lines not as efficiently run to helm andtrip hazzard traveler in cockpit,

[robertoddhoven]

wow lots of typos and no ability to edit my original post.

1 correction

1. the X-yachts XC 38 should be in the first choice list along with the Elan GT5.