What Boats to Look at ?

[Jahmi]

Well the stars have aligned and it's time for a new boat. Wife has suggested a Fleming 55 motor yacht but has agreed to do some charters on cats to test the water. I'm hoping you guys can help me narrow down what boats I should be looking at that best suit our needs.

The intention of this boat is more along the lines of a condo vs performance. We will be spending extended periods on the hook in various places around the Bahamas and Caribbean. I travel heavy with toys so I'm looking for a cat that has storage and can be loaded down. Gear I will be bringing along will include several sets of kiteboarding gear, surf boards, diving gear,fishing gear and hopefully a 14 ft panga weighing 700 lbs with motor and fuel. I'm not sure if such a cat is in existence but you never know.

Crew quarters are not needed nor is 4 bathrooms but we would like 4 staterooms. I will be hiring crew to help move the yacht around when shorthanded and have no issues with them sleeping in staterooms.

In a nut shell I'm willing to sacrifice performance for comfort and space. We are purchasing the boat in Lew of a condo and mainly will be used the same. I will be living on it December Thur June and the wife will be there a fraction of the time hence her being open to my desires. I really like the looks of the Lagoons and Fountaine Pajot but may have done too much research and now am confused. I have an open budget but will not be spending 3.5 million on a custom boat. I would prefer a production model that I can sell when my desires for something else arise.

I appreciate your input.

Tom

[gonesail]

i think what you need is a nordhavn plenty of room for a small power boat and assorted toys. you could go to alaska via cape horn in style after doing caribbean.

[Jahmi]

I like and have been on the Nordhavn 62. If I can't find what I want in a catamaran I will most likely end up in one or the Fleming.

I like the big beam on the catamaran for when on the hook. As far as getting from one point to another is concerned I really like to sail. I'm happier moving along at 7 kts with no engine than 10 kts under power. I know the majority of time I will be motor sailing but still look forward to those times I'm under sail.

[RayW]

Antares Yachts luxury catamarans for liveaboard comfort & extended cruising

[Jahmi]

Not sure how I missed that one! I like what I see!!!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Jahmi

Not sure how I missed that one! I like what I see!!!

Take care!!
They went broke in Canada and some of the staff bought the molds and headed to Brazil.
I don't now how many of the 44 they have actually made yet.

We saw a 44 of the Canadian build and it was terific... but tread carefully

[SearenitySail]

Tom,
The range of possibilities is quite extreme, depending on budget!

Not knowing what that is, in addition to the Antares 44 I suggest looking at the Leopard 46/Moorings 4600 catamaran.

There are some good power cats out there as well, that might fit your wants/needs.

Marshall

[RayW]

For what its worth, Leopard also makes a nice 47' power cat almost identical to the 4600 sail. I chartered one for a week about 1 1/2 years ago when Hurricane Omar came through. Had a 2 other couples with us that had never been on a boat before and nobody got sick. It handled 15' swells with ease. It won't be as luxurious as the Antares, but it will cost less. I believe the davits could handle a small bulldozer too, they're beefy. Other things like the louvers (sp?) over the front windows make great seats for the kids, provide shade, but allow good visibility inside.

YouTube - Leopard 47 Powercat Boat Tour

[anon]

OP --

If you like the Antares 44, you may also want to also consider the Perry 45 Motor Sailor.



FYI, I'm not affiliated with Perry in any way, shape or form.

[SearenitySail]

Tom,
Wife has suggested a Fleming 55 motor yacht but has agreed to do some charters on cats to test the water.

Being quite uninformed about motor yachts, I looked up the Fleming 55 on Yachtworld. I don't think any catamarans mentioned above will match its accommodations, no matter how spacious catamarans tend to be.

If you are looking for performance, though, and are pretty sure you want to get a sailing catamaran, you might want to take a look at the largest cats listed above, or the following:

Morrelli & Melvin 65' catamaran Morrelli & Melvin 65 » Aeroyacht LTD

Morrelli & Melvin Mala Conducta 62 catamaran Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering, Inc. or

Gunboat 66 http://www.gunboat.com/66-gallery.php

While these are all Morrelli & Melvin designed catamarans, the only affiliation I have to them is my boat was also designed by M&M.When I saw listing specs for the Fleming 55, I thought these boats might be more what you are looking for.
IMHO, You should definitely charter the largest catamaran you can find if you are still thinking in that direction as opposed to the Fleming 55.While you might be, after seeing pictures of your wife's suggestion--the Fleming 55-- I'm not sure your wife will be happy on a sailing catamaran.Marshall

[SeaKing]

Check out the new Voyage 52, my wife is dying to have an owners version and it may happen! It is a slight redesign of the 500, we have a 470 the previous model to the 500. It sails well and has much more room than the 440's or comparable boats in the less that 45foot range

If you are buying new, consider an owners version as it should be easier to sell when the time comes and it is more like a home.

[speciald@ocens.]

I've heard that the Fleming is not a good passage boat - no personal experience. I like the Marlowe better - larger fuel tanks, better sea going characteristics. I'm looking as well for a fast trawler in the 47-60 foot range to replace my 58ft Taswell when it sells. I'm considering Symbol and Hampton boats at the moment.

[Jahmi]

Originally Posted by SearenitySail

Tom,
Wife has suggested a Fleming 55 motor yacht but has agreed to do some charters on cats to test the water.

Being quite uninformed about motor yachts, I looked up the Fleming 55 on Yachtworld. I don't think any catamarans mentioned above will match its accommodations, no matter how spacious catamarans tend to be.

If you are looking for performance, though, and are pretty sure you want to get a sailing catamaran, you might want to take a look at the largest cats listed above, or the following:

Morrelli & Melvin 65' catamaran Morrelli & Melvin 65 » Aeroyacht LTD

Morrelli & Melvin Mala Conducta 62 catamaran Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering, Inc. or

Gunboat 66 http://www.gunboat.com/66-gallery.php

While these are all Morrelli & Melvin designed catamarans, the only affiliation I have to them is my boat was also designed by M&M.When I saw listing specs for the Fleming 55, I thought these boats might be more what you are looking for.
IMHO, You should definitely charter the largest catamaran you can find if you are still thinking in that direction as opposed to the Fleming 55.While you might be, after seeing pictures of your wife's suggestion--the Fleming 55-- I'm not sure your wife will be happy on a sailing catamaran.Marshall

I do love the looks of the Gunboat and would be real proud of her but it doesn't seem to be the boat for all the gear. I came across a new boat that seems to be built for exactly what I'm looking for. It's the Nexus 600 but with the current state of the boating industry it will be a difficult decision to get involved in a start up. I'll be in Cape Town for some personal business and plan on paying them a visit. Also the Chris White A55 caught my attention I like the way the dingy can ride on the deck of the cockpit but dislike the lack of luxury back there. The performance numbers aren't to shabby either. I also really like the Lagoon 570 and we are looking into a charter on one this winter.

Fortunately for me when it comes to staterooms my wife is very easy going and In her eyes it's only a place to sleep. Give her a clean comfortable bed and she's happy. My focus is the saloon, galley and cockpit where we spend the majority of time.

[axel&andie]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Take care!!
They went broke in Canada and some of the staff bought the molds and headed to Brazil.
I don't now how many of the 44 they have actually made yet.

We saw a 44 of the Canadian build and it was terific... but tread carefully

Actually, the company (called Antares Yachts now) is in Argentina, not Brazil. And, from what I've been reading, it's not just a bunch of any old staff, but the designer himself is still involved, among others (like customer and warranty service), as production continues there.

I've seen one of the recent examples last fall, and the workmanship was at least as good as the Canadian PDQ versions, with a number of well-thought updates. The 44i is essentially the equivalent of "the works pizza" with a long spec list.

And, unlike a number of mass-produced cats (nothing against them, I really like most FPs myself) the Antares line seems to hold its value significantly better. A quick check of the market and the boats sold show this clearly.

From what I've seen in various forums, it looks like they've sold at least a few dozen since the move. Their website says hull #4443 will be available in Fall 2011; the rest of the production line until then is marked as "sold."

We're working on the 15-year plan, and the 44 ranks very highly on our list of candidates. By then, of course, who knows what the market will look like

[Missou]

We have personally been looking at both the Antares and the Privilege cats. We have 3 daughters between the ages of 17 and 21 and would like to invite them all at the same time on our cat once in a while. For that reason, we are more interested by the Privilege since it comes standard with a 4 cabins configuration. They even have one that is 29,95 meters long or a little more than 100 feet long!! Their smallest is 13.45 meters long, that is perfect for me.