does this boat sounds good?

[buzzstar]

Short answer: No.

The answer above makes the rest of you request moot if I am accurate, but here is some of my thought process. The boat could be doable (not wisely) with a experienced and knowledgeable family crew, but I believe such a crew would look to another boat. Still, perhaps it, presumably (a very important qualification) could be made ready. You are not an experienced or knowledgeable crew, so you would not be remotely safe on this vessel at this point. Most of the reasons as to the boat, and to the crew, have been previously identified in this thread. I urge you to look more, read more, and sail more if you are able while looking and reading. Maybe talk to people, from this forum and elsewhere, who have started and/or accomplished such a voyage under analogous circumstances. Private conversation might be a useful avenue; the open forum format has its limits.

[TrentePieds]

I see the shellbacks all trending the same way :-)

So, OP, I was reluctant to be so blunt, but...

IMO the design idiom of the Jeanneus is NOT appropriate for what you are proposing to do, with the crew you propose to do it with. There are dozens upon dozens of reasons for that, but distill them till you get their quintessence and you will find that at the root of the evil lies the need for manufactures who would stay in business to cater to a sufficiently large market. Ultimately that means "selling into a market of ignorance".

Dyspeptic I know, but no less true for all that.

There are design idioms that are a far better match for what you are proposing to do. Consider Colin Archer's "Redningsskoite". Then, when you have considered it, consider it's derivatives such as the Atkins boats. Compare and contrast with Jeanneaus and Beneteaus. Consider the Bristol Channel pilot boats of old. Then compare and contrast with the Jeanneus and the Beneteaus. And with the Archer idiom.

Find a copy of Arthur Beiser's "The Proper Yacht". Get a book of William Garden's Designs and his design philosophy. Look at the older Ted Brewer designs.

Once you've done that, you'll be in a better position to make decisions about what particular "kind" of boat will suit the job before you. Sailboats are far from being created equal. A boat must, in the old phrase, be "fit for her trade" A 1999 42-foot Jeanneau bought for US$45K is not likely to be "fit for the trade" you wish to engage in.

TP

[grantmc]

Sun Odysseys were built for the charter market, and they did and in places still do their job pretty well. The fashion has turned demand to Cats, so they’ve become outdated. Simple boats with minimal gear, able to be sailed by dummies looking for a great holiday. They weren’t built to cross oceans or seas, and in reality I’d think the builder’s expectation was that most people would motor most of the time; hence the over powered Yanmar.

I chartered one with exactly the same specifications as the OP has included and we had a wonderful holiday. At the end of the holiday I felt I’d learned a great deal and felt much more aware of the differences between a passage maker and a charter boat.

And I have high praise for the Sun Odyssey. It does what it was designed to do very very well. But it’s not really a yacht, more a small transportable holiday apartment at the seaside.

To turn such a boat in to a safe and comfortable ocean passage maker would be very expensive. It just doesn’t have the systems and its existing configuration would need to change. For example under the floorboards it has through hulls all over the place, and complex piping and plumbing. Minimal sail wardrobe with wowfully inadequate winches, no navigation instruments, tiny alternator and battery bank, probably no shore power except a charger. Similarly no safety gear.

The boat doesn’t really have storage either. It doesn’t need to because people don’t bring much for their holiday. And that lack of storage space allowed the designers to make the boat feel much bigger than it actually is, even with a huge cockpit.

I’d also suggest the boat is ideal as a family cruiser to take holidays in sheltered waters occasionally, perhaps do the Sunday round the buoys races at the local yacht club and enjoy pleasant harbour sailing. So in summary she’s a very nice day sailor. A very comfortable boat, easy and gentle to sail. A huge swim platform that we took advantage of. The boat is everything you imagine for a wonderful holiday at a tropical island.

But as an ocean cruiser? Not likely.

[Deltasailor]

What a load of kill joys! The price for the Jeanneau is very good provided it stands close inspection.
I think the weaker link in your quest is your experience.
The price for upgrading the spec depends if you can D I Y. If not stick to short coastal trips so you can bob into a port to get things fixed. Buying a new boat is no guarantee that things won't "fall off". In fact they very often do!
Sailing with young kids is OK provided you look after them. I know a flotilla skipper took her 2 year old and baby on the 27' lead boat for a number of seasons with little problem.
Walk before you can run, sometimes a 50 mile passage can seam endless in bad conditions. Try taking your family on a 30' charter boat for a couple of weeks. You'll soon know if the Atlantic is for you.

[jferline]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

From what can be told from the sheets it looks pretty good for a modern style boat. The devil is in the details though. I missed the year but 500 engine hours seems pretty low, is it realistic? Was this boat ever in charter?
Bargain hard prior to survey. Once you get to your best price then survey. reduce price again if necessary on things not acceptable in survey. Furling mainsails can be handy but a lot of people have trouble with them and they reduce the boat sail power extensively. Stir that into the mix with your lack of experience and decide. The GPS is 1999- outdated. The plotter is newer though.
For not rounding the world but sailing the Carribean etc I think the Jeanneau would be fine. For rounding the world I would get a heavier boat with protected rudder and molded in keel. No everyone agrees though.
Big $ items to watch for:
-cored decks with water inside
-cored hulls, this can be a huge problem.
-Tanks, especially any under the floor.
-sails are expensive. One sail appears to be 2013 so that's good. I wouldn't worry about having a bunch of sails but you will want to add a small heavy headsail for high wind conditions.
-Watch for rudder issues. especially with a spade rudder boat like this. Many are full of water.
-Standing Rigging: How old is it? over 10-12 years should be replaced.
-Bolt on keel. Keel bolt condition etc is important. You may have to figure a few thousand $ to get this resealed and looked at. (some boats are built in keels not bolted on)
-Most things likes pumps, batteries etc fail after several years. Batteries probably 5 years other stuff maybe 8 years.
-Autopilot. I didn't notice one on the list. $3-5K for a good one.


Make a good list of everything you may want for rounding the globe. It adds up fast:
-Storm sail
-Autopilot
-Watermaker
-extra anchors
-life raft
-Epirb
-weather service, long range radio, or sat phone
-etc.

Thank you for your help Cheechako. About the GPS being 1999 would i need to buy a new one or just update it? do you have an idea of price range?

I just look it up and it says it has autopilot

[psk125]

It does not sound like you are listening to the advice being given. This boat seems to be designed for taking bunches of people (three couples? two couples with older children?) on short passages between the islands of the Caribbean in nice weather. It does not have things you will NEED for ocean passages like storm sails (plural!) and other safety gear required by the short-handed crew that your family is. 42 feet is a BIG boat. It is not easy to handle by two adults. A surprise gybe can break gear and perhaps bones. Could you put in a reef by yourself with the autopilot handling waves 4 meters high? And then continue for a week or two until you get to Dakar, Sydney, or Capetown? The boat may be capable of circumnavigating, but it will need so much help in the way of equipment and competent crew that it is probably not the right boat for you right now, no matter what the price is.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

But a J42' at USD45k will be absolutely beaten up.

For a 45/65 ratio the boat you buy must be actually pretty clean and absolutely sound. Unlikely think with a 42' Jeanneau from 1999.

barnakiel

It's a Jen42 not a J42.

[Adelie]

Stock Questions for Newbie Sailors

How many people as regular crew - 4. Kids ages - 1,3
Sailing experience- minimal
How handy are you?
What's your budget to buy and outfit the boat? (living and cruising costs extra.) - $65k
Where are you? Where do you want to sail out of? Which coast do you want to set off from and more specifically where on that coast?
Where to you want to go - Round the World
Any really strong preferences to start with? (full/fin keel, mono/multi, spade/skeg/attached rudder, sloop/cutter/mizzen rigged)

43' is probably a bit bigger than you should really start with.
You don't want to buy the boat and then set off. Assuming you are in the US spend a year sailing around the Caribbean, the PacificNorthWest or Baja.
$40k is probably what you want to spend to buy the boat, the rest will be outfitting.


Also, please update your profile, it makes it much easier for folks to understand your situation without having to dig thru a lot of previous answers. See the attached screenshots for how to do this.

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

But a J42' at USD45k will be absolutely beaten up.

For a 45/65 ratio the boat you buy must be actually pretty clean and absolutely sound. Unlikely think with a 42' Jeanneau from 1999.

barnakiel

If it is somewhat beaten up at $65K so why not give oneself more room for future refit at $45K? I am of belief that there are no insulting offers, only unrealistic sellers who whine about low offers. And if as you stated "the boat is absolutely beaten up" I would either just walk away (if the refit is beyond my ability to DIY repair and/or finances) or offer the average price in decent shape LESS whatever it'll take at the yard prices to make her right. A truly beaten up boat would always end up with a negative price anyway.

[greybeardloon]

Originally Posted by sailpower

This one has some gear.


http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/57655

That's Laura Dekker's boat, the Guppy. Didn't realise she was selling it. Pretty famous- not sure if you knew..

https://youtu.be/n1oF0B3PI64

[RidgeRunner]

Originally Posted by grantmc

But it’s not really a yacht, more a small transportable holiday apartment at the seaside.

nicely phrased

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by greybeardloon

That's Laura Dekker's boat, the Guppy. Didn't realise she was selling it. Pretty famous- not sure if you knew..

https://youtu.be/n1oF0B3PI64

Interesting. Two engines! Why?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by jferline

Thank you for your help Cheechako. About the GPS being 1999 would i need to buy a new one or just update it? do you have an idea of price range?

I just look it up and it says it has autopilot

Hard to say about the gps, but I think it says the boat has a newer plotter... that should also have a built in gps.
Here's my suggestion:
-Rounding the world is a long way off. You haven't had a bunch of sailing experience. Think reasonable goals for now. Buying a boat and spending a couple years in the Caribe could be a great plan. You, your wife, the small kids will have to work out if you even like living aboard and sailing the seas. You will find out this way and have a life memory even if that's as far as it gets.
-With your budget in mind, focus heavily on making sure what you buy has "good bones". (Engine, rigging, hull deck and rudder all are excellent.)
-If a modern lighter boat like the Jeanneau seems what you all like for now, do that and sail the Caribe.
-After a few years you will understand much better what you want in a boat and can change accordingly if necessary.
Have fun!

[Chinook92]

Originally Posted by jferline

Hi sorry, thought it was attached. here goes again.

As per details:

we are beginners - sailed 3 times in small passages in Brazil
crew: my husband and I ( also looking after two kids : 1 and 4 y.o)
budget: 55k usd to buy and 10k to initial maintanence or new items
monthly budget - 2k usd
ambition: sail worldwide at anchor
no DIY maintanence skill yet but we will learn

I saw many itens it says what it has but i understand many other questions have to be made, can you help with some?

Sounds like a disaster and a divorce waiting to happen


It has been attempted with various results....

Pretty ambitious. First storm with a scared wife and kids will dictate the rest of your life.

Ain't like jumping in the station wagon and going to Wally world.

Not to be blunt, but, I've sailed most of my life, commercial fish in Alaska, and a veteran of the Bering Sea, so, I've seen the ocean at ts best, and I've experienced it at its worst, there is the "just go" attitude that's been pushed on budget cruisers, but when the S hits the fan 900 miles off shore.... Better be ready to do anything from replace a head gasket on your engine to stitch up somebody's wound with no anesthetic, in bad weather....

Sure, you can "watch the weather" and "wait for a window" but, the reality of that is if you are willing to risk literally everything sacred to a man and not be prepared to handle any situation, whether it be a busted crapper or man overboard...

Going on a couple short passages is like saying you know how to drive, because you went on the freeway a few times, when the reality of it is you need to know how to drive in every condition, snow, ice, rain, off road, rock climbing, and maybe a little mud bogging

Really not trying to be that guy, but with proper planning and education and a broader base of experience, and especially an expanded knowledge of repair, mechanical, electrical, composites, medical, and so on, will make you more prepared for a better experience.

It has been done before, the "let's buy a boat, and sail the world" game, but, it's also why I got a free Ericson 30 when I lived in Hawaii

The truth is we all had to start somewhere, and not to burst your bubble, but try getting a boat and living on it with the "crew" for a year, first, any boat with sails, then try to sail it locally and then upgrade, get everybody salty before diving in and regretting it. Kids will make good crew once they are older, expose them right, and they wll take you sailing

Just my .02$

[Chinook92]

Also, a repair budget of 10k.... Well, I am also a marine diesel mechanic, 12+ years professional experience, 10k buys you a new set of motor mounts, an alignment, an oil change, maybe some rudder work, basically, a cheap once-over of everything on the boat. Say you need minor engine work, your crapper lines smell horrible, and you need a new inverter charger, and maybe a new battery bank, that's easily 10k, and we haven't even talked sails, rigging, and electronics. I'd buy a $20-30k boat, and spend the savings in upgrades, 2 or 3 good gps, a radar, epirb, self steering wind vane, life raft...and a good water maker with good tanks


BUT

Doing what you talk of... Can be, and has been done, so don't let me discourage you, just some friendly added insight