Shopping for Crusing boat

[Laur1118]

New to the forum, my husband and I used to race a J24 years ago and want to get back into sailing for fun! We plan to keep our boat somewhere in CT and spend weekends, as well as a few weeks a year cruising the Sound, etc.

We recently went to the Annapolis show and discovered a few more production boats to add to our consideration list. To date we have been looking at Beneteau and Jenneau models in the 39-41 range. We talked to DuFour as well as Hanse and liked both lines a lot.

In the last month we have looked at Sun Oddesey 39i shoal keel and Beneteau 41. Our concern with the 39i is that it is not a fast boat. While we are not looking to race, we would like to get where we are going in a reasonable amount of time while being comfortable.

Would love any feedback on the boats we have looked at or any others that we should consider. We do like a more modern transom/interior layout and preferably 2 wheels at the helm.

Looking forward to connecting with members and renewing our passion for sailing!

[Lost Horizons]

Not sure what kind of a feedback you expect. I had a Beneteau before, a brand new model, and would not buy that brand again. Nor other brands that you list. I would consider a Catalina out of the current mass production offerings, but it is just me, and I have put a deposit on a new Island Packet yesterday at the boat show. The logic being, you don't need a sailboat if you are not planning to cross oceans, and I would not want to cross an ocean in a Beneteau or Hanse.

[TJ D]

I think that the build quality of all 4 of those manufacturers is probably pretty comparable. And, any of them will make boats that are fine for the kind of use you're looking for.

I think that if I were in your shoes, and had some concerns about not sailing on a dog, I'd take a good look at the Sun Fast 40, if the draft isn't a deal killer. It seems like it ticks the boxes you mention pretty nicely.

Happy shopping!

TJ

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Laur.

[danielamartindm]

I would lean toward vessels that perform well in light airs. When I sailed the Sound years ago, I was often becalmed mid-day, and had to choose between the iron jenny or sitting in irons. Squeeze three or four knots out of her, and you're sailing, rather than driving.

[George DuBose]

If I was going to buy a new boat to replace my 1973 Pearson 36, I would buy an Island Packet. They win races and are very well made.

[Tetepare]

Beneteau, Jeanneau, Hanse, Bavaria, Catalina, what else? They are all more or less the same, since they are after the same customer base with the same desires.

Some will argue one is better than the others. I think there is more variation in the individual specimen if you're buying used. So find a boat you like that doesn't leak and the motor is good.

Keep in mind your lifestyle when selecting layout. If you tend to have friends for the weekend you'll want two or three cabins. Or you may find yourself one day in my shoes- with a child! Keep these things in the back of your mind.

Do you plan to cook on the oven/stove often? Or grill? Our galley is virtually unused. I haven't run the oven in probably six years. That has a bearing on how significant the galley is to selecting a model.

How much time do you want to put into maintenance? If not much, then go with as little exterior teak as possible.

Think about how you'll use the boat- sleeping, reading, cooking- and some minor detail in the different models may make a difference.

[KP44]

Sounds like you're looking at layout and performance rather than travel and long-term living. Any of the boats you mention should do well. I have never sailed there and I hear a shoal draft is helpful in the Chesapeake.
For my two cents: I have never had any problems with our 6.4' draft and it allows us to sail well into the wind. There are shoal-draft boats that are well-known to be "downwind only" boats as far as sailing.
All the boat you mention are capable boats and they cross oceans every year.

[Glen Ballou]

I have sailed LIS all my life from a 11 ft dinghy a Cal 25, Cal 3-30, C&C 36 and now a Beneteau 461. I bought the Beneteau used in 2006 and have put 18,000 miles on it since then, sailed it to the Bahamas twice, sailed it to and kept it in the Virgins for four years and sailed to Maine last year and this year.

Needless to say, we have been out in some pretty heavy conditions, beating in 35+ knots and 15 foot seas (according to NOAA) and never have had anything break or fail.

I have also raced it some in LIS including a 2nd place in double handed in the 2007 ALIR, not bad seeing the added age of the two of us came to 132 years, and we did it with a spinnaker.

Years ago I would say anybody sailing a Beneteau is nuts, now I say anybody interested in sailing a safe, reasonably fast and comfortable boat should certainly look at Beneteau, the largest sailboat manufacturer in the world. In fact take a tour of the USA factory, it will change you mind on the quality of the boats.

[KP44]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Do you plan to cook on the oven/stove often? Or grill? Our galley is virtually unused. I haven't run the oven in probably six years.

How much time do you want to put into maintenance? If not much, then go with as little exterior teak as possible.

Good comments, because ever owner is different.

I use the galley stove every day, especially when we manage to find fresh seafood or unknown new foods. And we prefer to anchor where restaurants are not available.

Our boat is under the "Teak Reduction Act". I remove some topsides teak every year to cut down on our chores.

[Linguini]

Hi!

I cannot say anything about the Jeanneau or any Benneteau if it comes to speed. But I was on the North Sea 3weeks ago sailing a new Dehler 38 (from Hanse) for 7 days and it was fast up (7.8) and down up to 10.4 knots under asym. Spi at 14-17 knots TWS, waves about 0.5-1 meter. Pretty fast and excellent stable sailing. The Dehler was equiped with performance salis.

Those Design is very similar to the Hanse and Benneteau if you compare size, weight, design. I think if you want to sail fast with those boats you need to spend some money in good sails.

[Glen Ballou]

If you want to sail a Hanse etc you also need to spend a lot more for the boat than for a Beneteau.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

Not sure what kind of a feedback you expect. I had a Beneteau before, a brand new model, and would not buy that brand again. Nor other brands that you list. I would consider a Catalina out of the current mass production offerings, but it is just me, and I have put a deposit on a new Island Packet yesterday at the boat show. The logic being, you don't need a sailboat if you are not planning to cross oceans, and I would not want to cross an ocean in a Beneteau or Hanse.

Interesting. I thought IP had closed up shop. Any new models at the show?

[John_Trusty]

Welcome to the party, Laur. Some words of wisdom that you probably already know. Every boat is a compromise between safety, price, performance, maintenance, quality, interior room, etc. Like buying shoes or a pair of pants, you need to make some decisions and try some on, then make more trade-off decisions.

Your list sounds good for production cruisers, but add Catalina as they should be in the list with the others but have not attended Annapolis the past few years. One way to 'try on shoes' is to charter a few times prior to buying, or ask people in the local marinas for a ride. I narrowed my list down to size and brands, then chartered a few. I found that living on the boat for even a few days informed my judgement about things, like sizes, build quality, and sailing characteristics. So far, I've not been disappointed.

[Linguini]

One thing maybe from interest. After sales! Beneteau is absolute excellent even after many years. Compared to for example Dufour (call it nightmare owned by napoletanian families), Beneteau is maybe not the speediest boat. But if you can wait for 3-5 years, they redesign the complete series with a strong quality target.