IN SEARCH OF AWESOME

[Drek4]

Hello everyone, I just thought I would ask some advice from people who own or have more knowledge about these sailboats than I do to help me make a wise decision. First off, I only sailed some sub 20’ day sailers and on one occasion a vintage Ericson 25’ from the mid 70s. I was in the navy for some years in my youth and have more than once weathered storms in the north Atlantic and journeyed also in the Caribbean ocean on a destroyer. I had the chance of going on several types of motorboats also.

Now that I’m approaching my retirement, nostalgia of the sea seems to creep back more and more in my memory, so I’m searching for a 30’ to 39’ sailboat to fully enjoy my retirement. I want to choose this particular size sailboat because I feel comfortable handling a vessel of this size, larger than this is outside my comfort zone and smaller than this, is a little cramped for more than day sailing, also on the budget side, this makes more sense. I will mostly sail the Caribbean for the first year or so, with my wife, so solo or duo sailing for the most part, once I gain enough experience, I was thinking of navigating through the Panama canal and do the west coast of central America before heading to asia through oceania.

On paper, the following sailboats seem to be the proper choice for me from a layout perspective and what I read about them. I will be 80% of the time anchored and 20% of the time sailing, so a good layout is needed.

Furling setup will be a must and my budget is between $100K-$150k, because must to also add electronics, dingy and water maker. I must have good headroom since I’m 6’3”.

Capacity to handle rough seas and during passage would be nice to know also.


MARLOW-HUNTER 33
Pros: Layout, Cockpit, Saloon, Kitchen, Storage, Headroom, Berths, Motoring range, Price
Cons: Shower/head

https://www.marlow-hunter.com/mid-si...gallery/page/1

MARLOW-HUNTER 31
Pros: Shower/head, Layout, Price
Cons: Cockpit, Kitchen, Storage, Headroom

https://www.marlow-hunter.com/mid-si...gallery/page/1

BENETEAU 361
Pros: Layout, Saloon, Kitchen, Storage, Shower/head
Cons: Older, Price

https://ca.boats.com/sailing-boats/2...u-361-8192470/

Of course I am open to any other suggestion you might have, if the sailboat is similar to those above.

Thank you in advance for your knowledge and assistance.

P.S. The links are only for informative purposes.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Drek.

[Drek4]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Drek.

Thank you and greetings to you as well!

[Greatest Lakes]

I'm partial to the beneteau myself. I'm not a fan of the rigs without backstays. I know they haven't had many issues, but they do affect performance somewhat. You should give Catalinas some consideration as well. So long as it's not a used up charter boat, they are comfortable and honest boats.

[Drek4]

Originally Posted by Greatest Lakes

I'm partial to the beneteau myself. I'm not a fan of the rigs without backstays. I know they haven't had many issues, but they do affect performance somewhat. You should give Catalinas some consideration as well. So long as it's not a used up charter boat, they are comfortable and honest boats.

Thank you for your input, Beneteau seems to be more praised than the Marlow-Hunter or Hunter, is there any specific Catalina model(s) I should research?

[Greatest Lakes]

The 36 and 380 most likely, well within your budget with money leftover to do some upgrades.

[JC Reefer]

Not sure what Marlow has been able to do after buying the hunter brand. But hunters have a bad rap for being cheaply made.

Both Bene and hunter are obviously production brands but I’d put a bit more trust is a Bene.

That being said, both would be fine in the Caribbean and neither would be my choice to cross the pacific, but you have plenty of sailing to do before that leap is made. [emoji6]

[Mithril Bham]

I have spent many years on many types of boats. I hate to disparage anyones' choice but I would neither buy a Bene nor a Hunter. I have spent considerable hours on both. My favorite glass boats have been Pearson, Southern Cross, Nordic, Passport, Catalina & Cal. Others are far above your quoted budget.
Jeanneau might be a choice. So much is personal. I have had two Bene 423's that served me well I just don't like them in rough water.
You should probably stay away from steel. Whatever you do invest in a good survey. Find the best surveyor and spend the money.
Good luck.

[johnnyH]

I have owned a 51-foot Beneteau Oceanis with three friends. For 7-years we island hopped the Caribbean from November through April. She loved high winds, big swells, and could sail very close to the wind. She was as comfortable as a production mono is going to be and inexpensive to operate. I dont know how well they hold up on a long passage as ours was already in the BVI when we picked her up. When we sold her she was 28 years old and still had life in her. Good luck and enjoy

[LittleWing77]

This is just a personal opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt, OP.

To the CF guys generally... have you ever seen something as ugly as that Marlow-Hunter?

Notice how all the promotional stuff focuses on the interior, interior, interior.

It's because the cockpit is about 3' long and the helm station squashed up at the extreme stern-end of the hull. I wonder how the helmsperson can even squeeze themselves behind that wheel! And all that open ocean immediately behind.

I would NOT ever want to do a significant passage on a boat with a cockpit like that! A bit of weather, ship a wave, and whoever's on the helm would be washed right off the boat.

For a small puddle jump across to the Bahamas in fair weather, though, I suppose it wouldn't be an issue... but that boat, regardless of its sumptuous interior, does *not* meet my personal seaworthiness standard.

Geez Louize,
LittleWing77

[SV__Grace]

My personal preference is for a boat that will safely and as comfortably as possible handle the most severe conditions anticipated.

A boat that is great for cruising the Caribbean would be much cheaper and easier to find than a boat that can literally "do it all" by crossing oceans.

Your budget IMHO pretty much limits you to smaller, older cruisers, keeping in mind that you need to invest 20-30% of your purchase price into updates/upgrades to be cruise worthy for the next 10 years.

Smaller. older cruisers can be great for the Caribbean and can be designed and outfitted for sailing around the world, but I think you need to be asking a few different questions as I think you are putting WAY too much emphasis on the interior-

- What are the features of a boat under 38' that would be safe and comfortable for crossing oceans?

- What boat under 38' is in my price range would be safe and comfortable for crossing oceans?

- What are the features of a boat that would be safe and comfortable at anchor where I want to cruise? (90% of your time will be at anchor, right?)

Alternatively, it would be simpler, cheaper and easier to not worry about the future and get something to cruise the Caribbean and IF you decide to cross oceans after a few years you can decide to upgrade your existing boat or move up to your next boat. Trust me, you will save a lot of money this way because your learning curve will be steep with your first boat.

I would guess that ALL of us who have owned multiple boats over the years and have used them extensively were not able to stay with our first boat no matter how much we loved it. We owned multiple boats as we learned more about boats, cruising, our situation changed and increased awareness of our needs and preferences.

[Drek4]

Originally Posted by Mithril Bham

I have spent many years on many types of boats. I hate to disparage anyones' choice but I would neither buy a Bene nor a Hunter. I have spent considerable hours on both. My favorite glass boats have been Pearson, Southern Cross, Nordic, Passport, Catalina & Cal. Others are far above your quoted budget.
Jeanneau might be a choice. So much is personal. I have had two Bene 423's that served me well I just don't like them in rough water.
You should probably stay away from steel. Whatever you do invest in a good survey. Find the best surveyor and spend the money.
Good luck.

Thanks for your reply and tip.

[Drek4]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

This is just a personal opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt, OP.

To the CF guys generally... have you ever seen something as ugly as that Marlow-Hunter?

Notice how all the promotional stuff focuses on the interior, interior, interior.

It's because the cockpit is about 3' long and the helm station squashed up at the extreme stern-end of the hull. I wonder how the helmsperson can even squeeze themselves behind that wheel! And all that open ocean immediately behind.

I would NOT ever want to do a significant passage on a boat with a cockpit like that! A bit of weather, ship a wave, and whoever's on the helm would be washed right off the boat.

For a small puddle jump across to the Bahamas in fair weather, though, I suppose it wouldn't be an issue... but that boat, regardless of its sumptuous interior, does *not* meet my personal seaworthiness standard.

Geez Louize,
LittleWing77

Thank you for your reply and input, but all the boats that seem to fit my criteria and dimensions, have aft cockpits similar to the Beneteau 361, MH 33, Bavaria 33, etc.
Yes I do emphasize on interior, since we are two that will live and share this boat. Going with a middle cockpit increases the size and opens up a whole new can of worms.
I find the Kia Soul to be the ugliest thing on the road, but yet I see several everyday on the road, but I would never purchase one myself, not only because it's ugly, but I would never feel safe in it.

[Drek4]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

My personal preference is for a boat that will safely and as comfortably as possible handle the most severe conditions anticipated.

A boat that is great for cruising the Caribbean would be much cheaper and easier to find than a boat that can literally "do it all" by crossing oceans.

Your budget IMHO pretty much limits you to smaller, older cruisers, keeping in mind that you need to invest 20-30% of your purchase price into updates/upgrades to be cruise worthy for the next 10 years.

Smaller. older cruisers can be great for the Caribbean and can be designed and outfitted for sailing around the world, but I think you need to be asking a few different questions as I think you are putting WAY too much emphasis on the interior-

- What are the features of a boat under 38' that would be safe and comfortable for crossing oceans?

- What boat under 38' is in my price range would be safe and comfortable for crossing oceans?

- What are the features of a boat that would be safe and comfortable at anchor where I want to cruise? (90% of your time will be at anchor, right?)

Alternatively, it would be simpler, cheaper and easier to not worry about the future and get something to cruise the Caribbean and IF you decide to cross oceans after a few years you can decide to upgrade your existing boat or move up to your next boat. Trust me, you will save a lot of money this way because your learning curve will be steep with your first boat.

I would guess that ALL of us who have owned multiple boats over the years and have used them extensively were not able to stay with our first boat no matter how much we loved it. We owned multiple boats as we learned more about boats, cruising, our situation changed and increased awareness of our needs and preferences.

Thank you very much for your constructive input, very valuable indeed. You might just be right, I'm just hoping I can maybe be right, but you have written wise words that make me ponder. So I will focus on shorter term instead of going too far ahead of me.

[Drek4]

Originally Posted by johnnyH

I have owned a 51-foot Beneteau Oceanis with three friends. For 7-years we island hopped the Caribbean from November through April. She loved high winds, big swells, and could sail very close to the wind. She was as comfortable as a production mono is going to be and inexpensive to operate. I dont know how well they hold up on a long passage as ours was already in the BVI when we picked her up. When we sold her she was 28 years old and still had life in her. Good luck and enjoy

Thank you very much for your reply, all the best to you.