Sailboats With An Open Forward Berth?

[JK n Smitty]

Originally Posted by malbert73

In my opinion cannot understate the ventilation of the forward cabin enough. So many newer boats in our size range have what seems like a very attractive aft queen and a tiny vberth in front which is an afterthought.

All fine until you have to sleep in the summer next to the furnace that is your diesel engine that you ran earlier with minimal ventilation, and at least 1 hatch covered by your dodger.
Then you find out the v berth is tiny. IMHO best to admit that forward is best place to sleep in small/medium boats, and try to find the best compromise berth. I like the newer Catalina (385?) that has a really nice island berth in front where heads go forward....

Catalina 310 and 350 have had that style birth since the 1990s. That's why the 310 is the best 31 footer on the water in my opinion. I have an island queen in the front with a giant hatch. With the board down that separates the salon you have great ventilation. Huge cockpit and a front and top load refer. And you still have a king under the cockpit, mostly for storage. Can't fit much more in a 31 footer.

[RainDog]

I have to agree with the above. I love my V-berth. Super comfy and cosy. Amazing ventilation. Good back support (on one side). Huge (wider than a king at the head). Only problem is getting in and out would be tough if I was 70.

[satdiver]

Originally Posted by RainDog

I have to agree with the above. I love my V-berth. Super comfy and cosy. Amazing ventilation. Good back support (on one side). Huge (wider than a king at the head). Only problem is getting in and out would be tough if I was 70.

V-birth aside... I love your head! I need one of those.

[laika]

Originally Posted by RainDog

Pacific Seacraft 31. Shannon 28.

Would add the Baba 30 and Alajuela 33.

Almost bought an Alajuela. Shannon 28 was also very high on the list. PSC Mariah 31 and Westsail if you like the heavy traditional.

There's a very nice HC33 that been up for sale for some time in Oriental, NC at Sailcraft Services.

atomvoyages.com/planning/good-old-boats-list.html
mahina.com/cruise.html

Good luck man

[Casita]

My husband and I live aboard our Hans Christian 33 and we love the pullman berth! I sleep on the outboard side so I climb over DH on a regular basis and it's really not a big deal. The only time I have any trouble is if he is at the very edge of the bed leaving no room to place my knee, but a gentle nudge solves the problem. I just asked and DH confirms that neither the being climbed over nor the occasional nudge bothers him. We used to live aboard an Ericson 31, it had a decent size v berth for a boat of that size but the entry was offset. One of us had to climb over the other, but you were pretty much climbing over their head instead of their torso, that was awkward and I always worried one of us would get a toe (or something worse) in the eye

I can't address the ventilation issue, we live in the SF Bay Area so we don't deal with hot, humid conditions. We have plans to travel south in a few years so it is something we've thought about. There is an owner of an HC33 that added a hatch above the Pullman and I've seen a few that have an opening cut (and nicely trimmed out) in the aft bulkhead of the berth, to increase airflow I presume. Hopefully fans are sufficient but we will see I guess.

Everyone is different, but personally I can't see myself ever giving up my Pullman for a v berth.

Cheers,

Rowan

[sealubber]

I would take a HC33 over a Baba or Alajuela or let them crash into each other. Get the cheapest boat you can find them move on from there. Once you've lived on anything you'll know what you want.

[blueyama]

Originally Posted by zippy

I have spent many nights in V berths and pullmans and would add the following to the above:
6. V berth provides no back support for reading, excellent support in pullman.
7. I have always used fans in both types of berths and both were at the bow so no ventilation differences.
8. Hate the "swing around without kicking the partner" dance in the V berth and I will never buy another boat that has one where you need to have your feet facing foreward.
9. Pullman requires you to climb over your partner which is not ideal, but better than turning a 180. The pullmans I have used were open over the entire side. Would never have one with restricted access.

More food for thought! Thanks for the extended list. It's helpful to hear the story from a few different sides of the table, and gives me hope for a pullman. And too boot it keeps my options open, thx!

[blueyama]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

nor'sea 27

I thought about this boat however its small and fairly expensive for the size of the vessel. I don't believe I've seen one under 60k.

Originally Posted by RainDog

Pacific Seacraft 31. Shannon 28.

The Pacific Seacraft 31 is a good boat! In fact the picture I used in the being of this thread is a PS31, however my only beef is I'm not sure I like the straight galley and smaller chart table.
Shannon 28, for an extended stay (meaning years I hope) this boat is just a bit small for us but it is on the right track! I'm very much with the idea of "Go small, Go now" however I want to make sure my wife enjoys being on a sailboat and if she can make it a home then we both win, which may mean getting a slightly bigger boat like a Island Packet 32, Westsail 32, HC33, CSY33, etc. Still nothing too huge. Awesome suggests, I have both on my big list of sailboats, now. (The 27 Pacific Seacraft Orion is good boat too, just throwing that out there.)

[blueyama]

Originally Posted by JK n Smitty

Catalina 310 and 350 have had that style birth since the 1990s. That's why the 310 is the best 31 footer on the water in my opinion.

I would have to say the interior of the Catalina is a thing of beauty! And, if I could get that on a full keel boat at a reasonable price I would no doubt buy one But my eye is toward the high seas and what I'm looking for is a boat that if taken offshore can take care of herself. I'm not sure how I would feel taking a fin keel offshore with my limited seamanship, and I hear a fin keel can be a bit tender out there. It might not be the ideal boat say for me, but I'm sure one could take one offshore, just not sure I would feel comfortable in a heavy storm.

[blueyama]

Originally Posted by laika

Would add the Baba 30 and Alajuela 33.
Almost bought an Alajuela. Shannon 28 was also very high on the list. PSC Mariah 31 and Westsail if you like the heavy traditional.
There's a very nice HC33 that been up for sale for some time in Oriental, NC at Sailcraft Services.
atomvoyages.com/planning/good-old-boats-list.html
mahina.com/cruise.html
Good luck man

I've had the Baba30 on my big list of sailboats, its just hard to find one with out a teak deck. Teak is beautiful and then I hear of all the horror story of whats underneath'em. I knew about the Alajuela 38, but I never knew about the Alajuela 33. They don't look like they make it to market much. Are they fair priced? BTW, for anyone looking up offshore sailboats those links you provided are great!

[satdiver]

What kinda budget are you working with overall for the purchase.? Loan / Cash.?

And what is your estimated yearly maintenance and repair budget?

Also how do you plan to use the boat?

For the first two questions the reason I ask is because you need to estimate what you can comfortably put into the boat yearly before making a purchase. But this is also determined by how you plan to use the boat.

[blueyama]

Originally Posted by Casita

My husband and I live aboard our Hans Christian 33 and we love the pullman berth! I sleep on the outboard side so I climb over DH on a regular basis and it's really not a big deal. The only time I have any trouble is if he is at the very edge of the bed leaving no room to place my knee, but a gentle nudge solves the problem. I just asked and DH confirms that neither the being climbed over nor the occasional nudge bothers him. We used to live aboard an Ericson 31, it had a decent size v berth for a boat of that size but the entry was offset. One of us had to climb over the other, but you were pretty much climbing over their head instead of their torso, that was awkward and I always worried one of us would get a toe (or something worse) in the eye

I can't address the ventilation issue, we live in the SF Bay Area so we don't deal with hot, humid conditions. We have plans to travel south in a few years so it is something we've thought about. There is an owner of an HC33 that added a hatch above the Pullman and I've seen a few that have an opening cut (and nicely trimmed out) in the aft bulkhead of the berth, to increase airflow I presume. Hopefully fans are sufficient but we will see I guess.

Everyone is different, but personally I can't see myself ever giving up my Pullman for a v berth.

Cheers,
Rowan

Thank you for your experience! I think the HC33 is a magnificent looking boat! And it looks like a boat that could take care of herself in strong wind. When searching for a HC33 on the east coast the price is almost double, not sure why.

[blueyama]

Originally Posted by satdiver

What kinda budget are you working with overall for the purchase.? Loan / Cash.?

And what is your estimated yearly maintenance and repair budget?

Also how do you plan to use the boat?

For the first two questions the reason I ask is because you need to estimate what you can comfortably put into the boat yearly before making a purchase. But this is also determined by how you plan to use the boat.

1. Overall? buying the boat is going to be a mixed bag of Cash and Loan, wherever the sweet spot is. The search is just getting started, we do however plan on moving on to said boat this year. I plan on finding a boat for say $45k and probably haggle down to somewhere in the high thirties (e.g. 38k). I have a bit set aside for outfitting and fixing up. I'll do most the work myself ( I'm a bit of a handy-man). To get her seaworthy for the Caribbean I'd say we are going to spend around 40% of the cost of the boat, so $15-20k. So my theoretical price is somewhere around 50-60k for the boat said and done to get her to the Carribean.

2. I've always heard the age old saying 10-25% for a maintenance... I'm new to the game but I plan on buying a fairly small boat in today's terms, probably around 30-35ft give or take a few feet. I'm hoping keep our cost down by going small.

3. The big plan is to become live-aboards, then go sailing offshore to wherever the wind takes us. Realistically, we plan on sailing through the Caribbean to start. After we get our feet wet we'll probably do some more outfitting once we have a better understanding of what the boat is lacking.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by blueyama

Any boat that comes standard with a stripper pole standard is alright by me

[satdiver]

Originally Posted by blueyama

1. Overall? buying the boat is going to be a mixed bag of Cash and Loan, wherever the sweet spot is. The search is just getting started, we do however plan on moving on to said boat this year. I plan on finding a boat for say $45k and probably haggle down to somewhere in the high thirties (e.g. 38k). I have a bit set aside for outfitting and fixing up. I'll do most the work myself ( I'm a bit of a handy-man). To get her seaworthy for the Caribbean I'd say we are going to spend around 40% of the cost of the boat, so $15-20k. So my theoretical price is somewhere around 50-60k for the boat said and done to get her to the Carribean.

2. I've always heard the age old saying 10-25% for a maintenance... I'm new to the game but I plan on buying a fairly small boat in today's terms, probably around 30-35ft give or take a few feet. I'm hoping keep our cost down by going small.

3. The big plan is to become live-aboards, then go sailing offshore to wherever the wind takes us. Realistically, we plan on sailing through the Caribbean to start. After we get our feet wet we'll probably do some more outfitting once we have a better understanding of what the boat is lacking.

You're starting off on the right foot based on the above statement. And you have a lot more foresight that most doing this new or even experienced.

Do you plan on working while cruising or saving up to cruise?