Newer, Lighter or Older, Heavier

[High Cotton]

I vote for older and HEAVY........
That was my choice when we found our 1982 ENDEAVOUR E-40 at 25,000lbs, extremely comfortable in heavy seas, very LIVEABLE!

You can find a decent older boat for that budget that will sail around the South with no problem,.....
JUST DO IT!

[Charlie]

I don't know the Carib but it seems to me that you can hop from isalnd to island with mostly overnight or less trips. I would tend toward a medium displacment boat on the lighter side. Newer is less work. Alot of it comes down to -- Do I want to sail and see new places or do I want to sail and fix my boat in exotic places. Find a boat with a reputation for strong rudders and that has good construction and the newer the better. Better yet find one of the boats that are older and refitted to a good standard where the owners can't go cruising now for some reason. Look in San Diego, Florida, Mexico, or other downwind location.

[David M]

It's probably best to let the Admiral in on all the options...to preserve marital harmony. She has to live on the boat as well.

[S/V Elusive]

Cowboy - the real question is ... do you want your wife with your? or against you? I think that pretty much makes your decisions easy.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Cowboy,
I had a '67 Mustang. Fun car. Still have a '66 Triumph TR4A (but it doesn't run). Old boats don't lose their handling or saiing characteristics because they are old. Their design is what makes them sail one way or another. You want to turn on a dime then get a light fin keeler. You like a nice slow easy motion in a seaway then get a full keeler. Age has little to do with it and if a previous owner did good maintenance you can find a very good boat for a lot less money than going with new.
Just my opinion.
Good luck in your search.
JohnL

[Cowboy Sailer]

Hey imagine2frolic,

I started at White Sands Missile Range in college, then 11 years at Texas Instruments in R&D, then Martin Marietta in Orlando, Florida as a senior engineer. I left there in 1981 and we took a tour of North America from Labrador to Mexico while staying in a tent most of the time. We started at Key West and drove our custom van the entire length of US 1. We then drove to the end of the road at Sept-Iles and rode the train North to Schefferville, Quebec. That’s north of the tree line.
Cold weather drove us south so we went to San Diego and then back to Texas to visit friends. We were heading to Mazatlan, Mexico when I stopped to help a buddy by designing a control system for a large solar system. We wound up buying the company and going into the solar business. Then we started doing board level repair on IBM computers. That was a hoot. IBM uses propriety part numbers that the manufactures will not sell to anyone but IBM.
About fifteen years ago God took my first-born son home. I realized that He had something for me to do. I have been a Baptist missionary ever since. So from weapons to kill to messages to save! Now I am retiring from that job. I am not going to quit telling people about God, I am just not going to draw a salary. The upside is that I don’t have to submit budget requests nor write progress reports to anybody. I also don’t have to justify going anywhere I want to! What a deal! Win win win. Praise the Lord! We have lived and served in Taiwan, Chile, and South Africa. There is more to see!

[Joli]

Lotta good boats out there in the size and price you are looking at. You will need to be mindful though of annual maintenance costs. Figure $2-4k or 1-2% of new replacement cost. A new 35 footer will on the average cost $200k and you will be replacing worn out old parts with components that are sold in todays prices. You can get buy with used sails and some lower priced items but if lots of maintenance has been deferred you'll go through the $10k very quickly.

I assume you'll be coming to the US to make your purchase?

[MarkJ]

Theres one other point for the new boats (The Mustang I drove was green, by the way. I'm sure thats why it didn't corner well. A red one would have! )... The new production boats have big double beds on the smaller sizes where you only get big beds on old boats if they are centre cockpit, or quite large. Now, I dunno what happens with some people but I'm too lazy to make a hot water bottle. I need to have Nicolle real close all night long!
If you like a Quarter Berth or a Pilot Berth thats fine by me, buy what about the missus? Maybe she needs a feet warmer?


Mark
PS Power steering could have been a good idea in Mustangs

[Pelagic]

“Newer, Lighter or Older, Heavier “ model.

Just to be clear, we’re talking about the boat here…not the wife?

[Weyalan]

Personally, I don't think that "lighter" necessarily equates with "more flimsy" necessarily. Materials and designs continue to improve (otherwise we would still all be sailing square riggers made from oak). Using "exotic" materials such as kevlar and carbon fibre can allow designers and builders to produce vessels that are stronger and lighter than older boats. Furthermore, while I can't speak for American built boats (damn you, Jones Act), European built boats (such as Beneteaus, Jeanneaus, etc) haave to be built to quite stringent scantling rules.

If I had the money (which I don't), I would go for new/light every time.

[ssullivan]

There is nothing wrong with a lighter boat in terms of structural integrity, as many have posted. New, light boats are sometimes well enough built, stiff and fantastic comfort for coastal cruising.

However, let me warn you that there is "no replacement for displacement" when it comes to comfort on a boat (not talking about cats - monohulls). See, when you live aboard, every little wake that goes by, every storm that crops up, every freak wave that comes by, will push you around and knock all your stuff down.

The best feeling in the world is when a huge wake is looming, it hits your boat, and is completely crushed, barely budging your boat, while you watch the other boats flailing about.

If you want to be comfortable, it's nice to laugh at all the wakes of all the "dinky" little powerboats that go by... and still ride out the largest of wakes without near-capsizes.

So my vote?

Go heavy... she'll be comfortable and smooth in her motion.

My last boat was 26,000lbs unloaded. I still wished I had just a little more...

[Ex-Calif]

You described coastal cruising and keepng the house on land.

I definitely vote for lighter/newer. You'll likely do better in light winds and...

You avoid going out in bad weather
You get a newer more modern layout for the admiral
It looks more modern
There's usually less wood to take care of
If you get a popular brand they are relatively easier to maintain because of a high volume


I get the whole 30,000 pound trans-atlantic boat idea but that's not what is being described as the mission so let's not be stuck in our own paradigms. Not everyone is making a circumnavigation or living aboard full time.

However - to be clear - Sean is exactly right. Generally a heavier boat will be more comfortable in it's (slower) motion.

BTW - Mustangs suck. My Bel Air 409 would kick any Mustang butt.

And Mark - If you got to drive a 66 Mustang and think a Korean beer can is better, you missed the point of adolescence - LOL...

[Cowboy Sailer]

It is time to tally the votes. Here is what the collective wisdom of this forum says loud and clear:

Heavy.
(but may be older)
Seven

Light.
(might be slightly newer)
Eight

With wife’s advice.
Two
Forget wife's desires.
zero

Chevy.
One
Mustang.
two
Korean tin.
One

Didn’t know weather question was about boats or wives!
One

What a Forum!

[mudnut]

See now,I knew a bloke with a mind like yours would work it out mathamaticly.Mudnut.

[swabbmob]

I just closed a deal on a 1973 beast
but she is in great condition, with minimal refit required
you can find great boats, especially Pearson 365's, that have been well cared for

once you and the Admiral have spent a week on it, she will learn to love it, and she will, over time, understand the quality difference when compparing to some of the newer boats.