Sailing around the world with a Hanse 575, Amel 55 or Moody 54DS?

[mostlyseven]

Dear Forum,

We, my partner and I, will be in a very fortunate position in about 20 month were we can spend quiet a bit of money on a new boat. We are finishing our last project and will, from then on, be retired and sail, in parts, around the world. The start route will be more or less the standard route; Caribbean, Panama, down to South Pacific etc. Saying that, it might be that we will look into some different places as we do like to do sometimes non standard. We sailed eg. the Black Sea and visited Crimea before the situation changed there.
We do not want to sail in one go. As passionate skiers there will be breaks to ski and come back to Europe.

At the moment we own a Beneteau 46 oceanis moored in Turkey, with nearly everything on it. Air co, dishwasher, TV,s satellite, water maker, spinnaker, washing machine, diving compressor, wind generator, solar, etc. I think the only thing what is missing is SSB.

However, we want to buy a new sailing boat which is bigger, comfortable and safe(r) to sail. We have been looking and sailed the Amel 55. With it's sealed bulkheads, integrated keel, skeg rudder, mindful back ups and divided sail plan it is sure a safe boat. Plus you can easily enclose the cockpit But.... if you are used to the open plan outside living and the feeling of actually being on a sailing boat it is, for me, a disappointment. Plus you have to have the dinghy on davits on the back.

We looked at the Hanse 575 and sailed it. It is a fantastic boat with dinghy garage for a Williams 285, great interior space, and about the same layout as the B46. It is not easy to enclose the cockpit and doesn't have the safety features of the Amel. But does one really need this these days. Are there any 575 owners who have sailed this boat around the world in 50kn and high seas?

Then after the umps visit to boat show, by coincidence, we stepped aboard the Moody 54ds. Same hull as the 575 but the possibility to steer the boat from the inside and an enormous space! However the dinghy will possibly be still on davits as we do want a dinghy which has the possibility to wakeboard behind it and can easy pick up an astray kite surfer. As we do like to travel in comfort this is a great boat. It still gives you a better feeling of sailing then the amel, IMHO. I like that you can helm the boat with one hand from the back and use the winch with the other. Again not the safety of the amel and with all the electronic gadgets on it, how much will break down during our cruising? Are there any Moody 54ds owners out there who can share their experience? Is any one sailing around the world?

At the moment we have a goulash in our heads with all the possibilities. Amel is certainly affordable but a less expensive boat would be preferable.

Maybe there are other boats which we should look at?

I would very much appreciate your opinion and look forward to hear from you.

Thank you in advance,

Kind Regards,

Mostlyseven

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by mostlyseven

......with all the electronic gadgets on it, how much will break down during our cruising? .....

Any new boat of the size you are considering will be a complicated machine. They will all suffer many breakdowns on a sail as long as you propose. It is just the nature of cruising.
Have you considered the resale value of the boats you listed? I suspect the Amel would hold its value better than most.

[Cherp]

You have a first-world problem.

[Sandero]

I think this post and the questions raised have little relevance to members of this forum who likely have no experience with boats of this size.

Most cruisers / live aboards are into a lifestyle of self sufficiency much more then luxury and comfort. As such they own and operate boats that they can sail, manage, repair, maintain etc themselves with minimal help from "mechanics".

Larger yachts have engineers who are responsible for keeping systems functional. What can you do with a failure of your powered winches? Can you trim the sails? Can you raise them without a motorized winch?

Frankly I can't relate to this sort of round the world cruising. I suspect most here can't either.

[boatman61]

Boats like life are a compromise.. and only you can choose..
Dinghies can always be carried on the fore deck or coach roof on longer passages.. many do as a safety measure.. life rafts have been known to fail..
Only way to maybe 'get it all' is consult with the builders when you order your boat..

[Highland Fling]

Originally Posted by mostlyseven

Dear Forum,

We, my partner and I, will be in a very fortunate position in about 20 month were we can spend quiet a bit of money on a new boat. We are finishing our last project and will, from then on, be retired and sail, in parts, around the world. The start route will be more or less the standard route; Caribbean, Panama, down to South Pacific etc. Saying that, it might be that we will look into some different places as we do like to do sometimes non standard. We sailed eg. the Black Sea and visited Crimea before the situation changed there.
We do not want to sail in one go. As passionate skiers there will be breaks to ski and come back to Europe.

At the moment we own a Beneteau 46 oceanis moored in Turkey, with nearly everything on it. Air co, dishwasher, TV,s satellite, water maker, spinnaker, washing machine, diving compressor, wind generator, solar, etc. I think the only thing what is missing is SSB.

However, we want to buy a new sailing boat which is bigger, comfortable and safe(r) to sail. We have been looking and sailed the Amel 55. With it's sealed bulkheads, integrated keel, skeg rudder, mindful back ups and divided sail plan it is sure a safe boat. Plus you can easily enclose the cockpit But.... if you are used to the open plan outside living and the feeling of actually being on a sailing boat it is, for me, a disappointment. Plus you have to have the dinghy on davits on the back.

We looked at the Hanse 575 and sailed it. It is a fantastic boat with dinghy garage for a Williams 285, great interior space, and about the same layout as the B46. It is not easy to enclose the cockpit and doesn't have the safety features of the Amel. But does one really need this these days. Are there any 575 owners who have sailed this boat around the world in 50kn and high seas?

Then after the umps visit to boat show, by coincidence, we stepped aboard the Moody 54ds. Same hull as the 575 but the possibility to steer the boat from the inside and an enormous space! However the dinghy will possibly be still on davits as we do want a dinghy which has the possibility to wakeboard behind it and can easy pick up an astray kite surfer. As we do like to travel in comfort this is a great boat. It still gives you a better feeling of sailing then the amel, IMHO. I like that you can helm the boat with one hand from the back and use the winch with the other. Again not the safety of the amel and with all the electronic gadgets on it, how much will break down during our cruising? Are there any Moody 54ds owners out there who can share their experience? Is any one sailing around the world?

At the moment we have a goulash in our heads with all the possibilities. Amel is certainly affordable but a less expensive boat would be preferable.

Maybe there are other boats which we should look at?

I would very much appreciate your opinion and look forward to hear from you.

Thank you in advance,

Kind Regards,

Mostlyseven

Simple really go in/on your Bennie OR if you "NEED" that safety net then Amel's ARE round the world cruisers... so IF you NEED a boat that is 'designed for' Round the World Cruising you cant do much better than an Amel. HOWEVER you now know and have your Bennie 'sorted' sans SSB so she is probably the best boat for you........ATM unless you want to start all over again with a new boat with new problems and issues.....never mind outfitting it for this round the world cruise.

I would get her out of the med and acroos to the Caribbean THEN IF you still think you need a 'round the world boat' change boats in the Caribbean after you have some serious ocean sea miles underneath your keel.

[Svalan]

In that category, I would definitely go for a Discovery 55 MK II. Always excellent reviews. Done plenty of circumnavigations and thoroughly conceptualized for a couple sailing (versatile Solent rig).
And the after sale service should be second to none, where ever you are on the planet.

[Scout 30]

Deerfoot boats for sale - YachtWorld

[Svalan]

Other than that, I completely agree with the above mentioned. The danger of mechanical and especially electrical failure is huge. Without electricity for winches, watermakers, generators, comms, navigation, hydraulics and autosteering - these boats are essentially sitting ducks, also because the size of the sails themselves makes it impossible for a retired couple to handle. Read Beth Leonard and Evan Starzinger. Leonard's view is more or less that their present 47 feet HAWK is touching the limit of what you can manhandle yourself.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Highland Fling

Simple really go in/on your Bennie OR if you "NEED" that safety net then Amel's ARE round the world cruisers... so IF you NEED a boat that is 'designed for' Round the World Cruising you cant do much better than an Amel. HOWEVER you now know and have your Bennie 'sorted' sans SSB so she is probably the best boat for you........ATM unless you want to start all over again with a new boat with new problems and issues.....never mind outfitting it for this round the world cruise.

I would get her out of the med and acroos to the Caribbean THEN IF you still think you need a 'round the world boat' change boats in the Caribbean after you have some serious ocean sea miles underneath your keel.

Good advice.

[captmikem]

People seem to fear boats over 50 feet for some reason, there is no reason to, I think it is that the price of everything seems to go up exponentially with the LOA. I sailed an Alden 54 across the Atlantic a couple of times mostly with just my wife, also all over the med, and the east coast of north and central America. I thought 54 feet was the perfect size for a couple, and I still think it is a good size.

I later sailed an 80’ cutter around the world, mostly with my wife and had about the same problems as I did with the 54. But it was faster and of course the gear was much more expensive. We had carbon fiber spinnaker poles and spectra running rigging so the gear was easily handled by either of us. We did have hydraulic winches which made life a LOT easier.

Just like a smaller boat, you have pumps, winches, engines, electrical and electronic gear that all requires maintenance and repair at times. Same type of gear, just costs more.

These are facts, now, in my ‘opinion’, I find many people have the need to fill spaces, you get a bigger boat you get more gear, more gear, more times spent maintaining/fixing it. So if one can keep the gear about the same amount as you have now, the only differences should be an increase in boat speed, room, and price paid for just about everything.

I have a small boat now, 46’, but I still spend about the same amount of time fixing gear, just costs a bit less.

Hope this helps, take your time, talk to people sailing around the world, most are positively biased about the boat they own, but that is the way of sailors, and you ma get some useful information.

Michael

[Eleuthera 2014]

Originally Posted by mostlyseven

Dear Forum,

We, my partner and I, will be in a ver....
>>>>
I would very much appreciate your opinion and look forward to hear from you.

Thank you in advance,

Kind Regards,

Mostlyseven

Hello Mostlyseven,

I have the funny feeling we met in a chandlery in Goçek Turkey last summer... we chatted about exactly the issues you suggest. (I recall you work in London..)

You have a luxury problem; choose what you want but be aware that in rough weather, the Amel will be far more comfortable. Also, a Williams in a garage is not necessarily all roses. They are not very reliable.

You can also buy an Oyster 56 or better yet a new 575... at 2.5 times the cost of the Amel. An Amel 55 is without a doubt one of the top cruising yachts now. I am not prejudiced either :-)

If you are who I think you are, drop me a PM.

[Juho]

Originally Posted by mostlyseven

Maybe there are other boats which we should look at?

Maybe some Nordic cruising oriented manufacturers, e.g. Nauticat, Hallberg-Rassy, Najad, Malö.

[Make_My_Day]

Have to agree with Highland Fling. I'd stick with the Beneteau you know inside and out. Spend any extra money to make it more comfortable for long cruising but I imagine that it already is a great sailboat.

[David R Broise]

Relevance to most who sail , I very definitely think so. One is always learning or should be when out on the water.

I have travelled over 250,000 + sea miles delivering boats of all sizes large and small and have had the good fortune to be able to compare apples with apples so to speak. MY or SY it has been very interesting. I am I am the first to admit a Sailing man myself, but that does not exclude the pleasures that are to be found in a good Motor Yacht.

All three boats you mention do have their plus points. But you choose what is most important to you as a individual.

One the Hanse does sail very well , but being a newish boat to the market , and quite light in its overall weight , obvious for that extra turn of speed and as a result does bring a smile to ones face when under way in a reasonable wind. I am the first to confess that the sailing characteristics of the Hanse's have but a smile on my face on more than one occasion.

The Amel is a truly refined yacht and very capable of looking after all aboard on the type of venture that you are planning. Has very good back up from the factory( A bit like Oyster's of the UK ) Sails very well , does though need a bit of a breeze to get her going. But comfort and fit out on this boat is very very good, of the highest standard, and has stood up to some severe weather when I have been on board taking this model on a long passage down the Atlantic. (Winds F3 to S.10) This Yacht is I think a truly magnificent looking yacht in the classic style. Your comment re covered area, on long trips at sea, shelter from the sun/weather depending where you wish to go sailing is a godsend, believe me. I do like the out doors bit , but x days at sea in extreme weather states (heat ,cold, rain, or plain horrible sea states you will be grateful for the way the Amel design gives protection to her crew.

The MoodyDS that you mention is a beautiful handled Sailing boat, has that light but responsive feel on the helm that is so typical of Bill Dixon Designs. It has the same level saloon /cockpit that it got so many plaudits for when it first arrived on the scene. With its high coamings which make for a very safe working environment when at sea. It was a boat when I first went aboard her I was not sure . Having many plusses yes , but after having sailed her in all sorts of weather and sea conditions I was sold on the new concept. Great spaces within this boat whoever was within the saloon was still a part of things no matter who was helming or just in the cockpit. Her maneuverability in harbour was a joy. In and out of tight marina's , no problem. And as a yacht under sail she was a real pleasure. Speed under way(wind), comfort at sea, motion , moving around the deck area one feels so secure. Down below she was very well thought out. This boat changed so many of my own set ideas about what makes a truly good long distance sailor. All that said, she is now built by the same builder as the Hanse who have taken on board Bill Dixon's design and have working with him made it even more up to date. It's European Boat of the Year award was well deserved.

Your very strong thoughts on tenders hanging off the back end do have bearing and are in my view very important. Davits are a-ok, but they must have the height to keep the said tender high enough off the water when under way especially when in a following seaway. So many are kept just in line with the yachts sheer for aesthetic reasons, but get seriously flooded when flowing seas occur. A 57ft Bowman and a 64ft Moody that I moved this year from the Med. to UK, both had davits that were of the correct height that was both safe and very easy to use when the tender was required. And the yachts looked good when loaded.