Moody 45 DS the missing link ?

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by scarab

6) although not very wide but very secure with the high sides ( 30 cm / 11.8 inch ) and stainless steel guardrails.

I missed this before, but those guard rails look extremely low, just about high enough to trip you over. If the gunwhales are a foot high, the rails could only be 9 inches or so on top. Less than 2 feet all up.

I'd look more toward a Southerly with it's lifting keel, shallow draught and deck salon layout as more of a cat/mono compromise. MUCH better looking boats too. (IMHO)

Northshore Yachts

[shadow]

We actually saw one during the Sydney boat show!! I've been looking forward to seeing one in person instead of online and brochures. I must say that I was actually disappointed with the overall craft. I really had high hopes for it but it did fall flat for me. I was hoping for a lot more quality that matched the overall hype of the yacht.

I agree with the last poster, I still love the southerly's and if you want a supreme motersailor, then check out the Buizen 48. That yacht was there as well at the Sydney boat show and I have to say that I was more then impressed with the overall build and craftmanship. In this case, it looked far better then the brochure and videos.

[Rollo]

Originally Posted by sabray

I have to wonder how todays builders are bonding in the coach roofs. Beefing up all that glass and keeping the back porch doors aligned when these boats are exposed to high stress. My feeling is these are not Water boats">blue water boats but I am trying to be open minded.
I think I would not be happy thinking about those exposed surfaces in unpleasant weather. I sailed a swan 58 in 70 to 80 knots the water crashing onto deck and random wave catching the hull broad side was twisting the hull. this on a swan which I would consider a top built blue water boat. My Perterson would be a close match for this boat at the posted speeds and although the boat heals it is comfortable in a head sea and doesn't ship water. That entry profile is important to look at. A fast down wind speed usually means a flatter section up forward and that means slamming. It is a compromise and so we have lots of boat designs to choose from. The most unpleasant sailing I have done is into short wave length choppy seas with a flat entry 40 footer that was great down wind. I think I will do some home work on how these boats and similar designs are keeping all this together.

All boats are a compromise. I stand in awe of the Gunboat discussed earlier, but doesn't this have large windows and a max heal angle of 45 degrees and would'nt it mis behave if wind got under it in big seas? But then maybe, due to its fantastic speed, it may not be in the nieghborhood when the "big seas" showed up. I had a friend who bought a new Swan 48 in 1996 and the hull would twist so bad the doors and drawers would not fit under sail and I'm not talking about high winds or big seas(the factory sent a team that spent a couple months fixing it. As I am not a yacht designer, or an nautical engineer, I can't tell you what the Moody 45DS would do in 70 - 80 knots of wind. I would bet not to many boats would survive well in those conditions. With todays weather information and good boat speed I would prefer to avoid finding out. Again all boats are compromises of cost versus quality, sailing performance versus accomodations, Cats versus monohulls. Iguess if you want absolute safety from the sea you have to stay home. I know many folks who have circled the world in boats I wouldn't think were "blue water" and plenty of people probably shared their expert advice and warned them not to go.....but they, did while some of the experts stayed home.

[sabray]

You are right it was 15 years ago weather data wasn't what it is today but it was a very fast developing low off the coast in late november departure was annapopolis. I don't stay home I own a peterson 44 and a corsair f-27. I trust both boats construction and have sailed them extensively. My tri is by far the best engineered small sail boat but does not have the accomodations of the 44 so I understand compromise. Single handed the tri wins for most cruising I want to do. When the family goes for a summer the peterson is better. What I am trying to understand is the exposure of these coach roofs. I hear comments about circumnavigating and question that kind of thinking with a design involving a porch door and the exposure evident in the design. I am willing to think I am missing something here maybe there is enough carbon fiber and great engineering here. It looks to me like uneccesay exposure maybe its good engineering. I wont stay home I am curious how the bigger cats are doing but I think I would not buy a boat with that kind of glass in the cockpit. what is the construction holding all that glass in place?

[Rollo]

Originally Posted by sabray

You are right it was 15 years ago weather data wasn't what it is today but it was a very fast developing low off the coast in late november departure was annapopolis. I don't stay home I own a peterson 44 and a corsair f-27. I trust both boats construction and have sailed them extensively. My tri is by far the best engineered small sail boat but does not have the accomodations of the 44 so I understand compromise. Single handed the tri wins for most cruising I want to do. When the family goes for a summer the peterson is better. What I am trying to understand is the exposure of these coach roofs. I hear comments about circumnavigating and question that kind of thinking with a design involving a porch door and the exposure evident in the design. I am willing to think I am missing something here maybe there is enough carbon fiber and great engineering here. It looks to me like uneccesay exposure maybe its good engineering. I wont stay home I am curious how the bigger cats are doing but I think I would not buy a boat with that kind of glass in the cockpit. what is the construction holding all that glass in place?

I am very familiar with both boats as they originated here in San Diego. Doug Peterson designed the 44 in the mid 70's when he was starting out. I saw one of the first ones at the Long Beach Boat Show in 1976 and it made my heart beat faster. I would have bought one if I had any money! Good sailing boat! The f27 was developed when John Walton owned and ran Corsair. he was very active in racing the boats at that time.

Anyway, back to the porch cover on the Moody. Could offer some interesting characteristics in a good blow if the wind was fron astern. It does retract and I would sure use that option. The boats are bagged epoxy construction and the bulkheads are tabbed to the hull and superstructure so I think it is probably pretty strong. Not sure on the window construction as i did not look at it that close. One point I would make is that many people are moving to trawlers for offshore voyaging and commercial fisherman have used those for years. They have some of the same things you see on the Moody, large windows, covered after deck, etc. and trawlers don't go that fast. I would prefer something with sails.

For now I prefer more performance and don't need to look out the window. A lot of folks, some women, don't like sailboats because they can't see out! This may be one of those necessary otions.

Anyway all boats are compromises and they all have redeeming features and beat staying home. Thats why I like them all, but mostly sailboats!

[Deep Blue Blues]

I like them. I want one that's good for single handing and easy to get around on. The high toe rails and single level living will make my dog and aging parents happy.

Going to look into the dufour and the lightwave mentioned above just in case.