Quote:
Originally Posted by Talbot
Privileged
Maxingout
Svcattales
I would really like to know your spin on the advantages / disadvantages of the 37 versus the 39.
Particularly as a liveaboard and long distance blue water cruiser.
Are both build as solidly? sail performance, space for living/storage etc.
I can see that the 39 has a larger cockpit and this obviously has merit in warmer climates, does this relate to less space inside for living when it starts to rain?
I know that there is only about 4 inches difference in length.
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Talbot,
I think either
boat would be a good choice. I have only seen the exterior on the 39 so I can't really compare living space.
When I was
boat shopping, I did look at the pics and specs of a nicely equipped 39. The only part I didn't like on the 39 was the
outboard helm location. Since most of our cruising is in the tropics, I didn't want to be out in the elements while hand
steering. We also use the intercoastal waterway on US
East coast and many narrow stretches require hand steering rather than
autopilot. The
helm station on the 37 is on forward bulkhead and under the
bimini top. We replaced the
single helm seat with a double seat so the "Admiral" and I can both see over the bulkhead. From the helm we can also see all "four corners" of the boat for
docking which is another advantage.
We are primarily coastal cruisers so we haven't experienced very large seas or winds above 35kts, but the boat feels very solid in big seas and handles easily is strong winds. In 2006 we logged 5200NM on our "shake down cruise" and we were extremely happy with the boat. I was really impressed with Cat Tales while sailing in the Atlantic off the
New Jersey coast. We had 20kts of
wind on the stern and were sailing wing and wing with the main on a preventer. We had 6ft seas on the stern and were surfing down the waves doing over 12kts at times. The amazing part was the boat was so stable that the
autopilot was able steer the whole time
and both
sails stayed full.
The
interior accomodations are great for two people and it also works well when we have guests. We love the large forward berth and the large
hatch above it. In warm
weather we always seem to get a breeze even if we have to put an air scoop over the
hatch. The
galley down to port works well and gives us lots more counter space than available in galley-up cats of the same size. We would have liked a 3 burner
stove, but there is only room for a 2 burner. We converted the port queen berth to clothes storage and a small office. I built a slide-out shelf for a
laptop and a top shelf for a printer and file storage. We also like the nav station on the bridge
deck. It is very convenient to the helm and makes a nice work desk when at
anchor.
Our only criticism of the 37 was the
escape hatches on the inboard side of both hulls. The hatches were standard
Lewmar hatches with standard nylon handles and stops. When fully loaded, the bottom of the hatches were only about 3 inches above the waterline and were awash in any kind of sea. Our hatches leaked around the
seals and I didn't feel safe with the handle/stop situations. I had the same hatches overhead and many of the rivets holding the stops corroded out. I started a thread about the
escape hatches in this
multihull section with some pics. To make a long story short, I removed the
lexan glass from both hatches and replaced it with 1/4 inch
aluminum plate. Then I through bolted the
aluminum to aluminum
backing plates (angle iron) on the inside. I removed the nylon handles and stops. Now I don't lose any sleep over the hatch situation and it was a
cheap fix. Friends had the same situation on a
Lagoon 37 and they removed the hatches and glassed over the holes (OK in US, but not for EU standards).
Talbot, that's a quick summary of our opinions on the 37. If you have anything else you would like us to comment on, just let us know.