Comfort at Anchor

[sequitur]

Originally Posted by mohave_steve

I have been on board a few 40+ ft Hunters that fit the bill but fail in the area of being a safe boat for longer passages.

Simply stating that you "have been aboard a few" somehow doesn't in my mind qualify your damning statement on safety.

We are extremely comfortable both at sea and at anchor in our Hunter. At the moment we are preparing for a run down through Patagonia to do some gunkholing around Cape Horn, then heading via The Falklands and South Georgia to Cape Town. We are highly confident in our Hunter's ability to continue taking us safely and comfortably onward.

[jr_spyder]

Any chance we can call a truce on the Hunter question - it predictably won't conclude anything, and won't get any better - and actually get back to the original question?

Steve asked about a Pearson 419 - any comments on that?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by jr_spyder

Any chance we can call a truce on the Hunter question - it predictably won't conclude anything, and won't get any better - and actually get back to the original question?

Steve asked about a Pearson 419 - any comments on that?

The Pearson wasn't the orginal question.

But never having never been on a Pearson 419, but having researched back when I was considering one as my first boat; I would say it isn't any better/worst that a 40' Hunter at sea and would say it is less comfort in port.

[sailstoo]

Great, we have the old ""A hunter is a POS/no it isn't" thing going again, and again, and again. (There's another thread going on that subject as we speak. Kinda like Dubya was the best/worst president in US history.) And we've ignored (so far) the "center cockpit v. aft cockpit" gauntlet that was thrown down. Team...the man's question was "We would like to focus our boat search to those that have accomodations that will fit a large enough bed for our comfort". One question I have is "how big a boat do you want/need" and "how much do you wanna spend". There are many affordable , non-Hunter, boats that have larger aft cabins that'll take a bigger bed. Older 40+ foot Gulfstars & Irwins if you're not feeling too flush. Who knows of others (barring Hunters...he doesn't want one!)?

[aboutgone]

Look at the CSY 44's.........

[sequitur]

Originally Posted by jr_spyder

Any chance we can call a truce on the Hunter question - it predictably won't conclude anything, and won't get any better - and actually get back to the original question?

Steve asked about a Pearson 419 - any comments on that?

jr_; A thorough search of Steve's original post will fail to find any mention of a Pearson 419. Steve's question seemed to be about mattresses, until his gratuitous slamming statement about Hunters - any comments on that?.

Originally Posted by mohave_steve

My Wife and I are working on narrowing down our selection criteria for a liveaboard cruising boat. We have not done any extended cruising yet. When spending a few nights at a time sleeping onboard smaller boats the accomodations have been tollerable. For longer term stays we want to make certain that we are comfortable. At home we have a nice quality pillow top king size mattress. Spending more than a few nights sleeping in lesser beds we sure do miss it.

Looking forward to the kind of sailing we expect to do I expect that we will likely be spending at least 8-10 nights at anchor or in marinas for every night spent on passages. We would like to focus our boat search to those that have accomodations that will fit a large enough bed for our comfort.

I have been on board a few 40+ ft Hunters that fit the bill but fail in the area of being a safe boat for longer passages.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Steve

[Cheechako]

I second the opinion that you should look at center cockpit designs. You get a nice aft cabin with large berth. You'll probably have to look in the 42-43 ft range to get one. A wauquiez Amphitrite 43 comes to mind, but only 'cause I love the quality of those older boats. Gulfstar, Pearson etc for CC's on a budget.... The other thing about CC's is the nice engine room you usually get, and dry sailing cockpit with good visibility. A lot of pluses, although they dont usually "tug on the heartstrings" as much as a long sleek aft cockpit boat!

[jr_spyder]

You're right, I shouldn't have said "back to original question" but instead said "back to the unaddressed question (in post #7)." I won't apologize for trying to be a peacemaker and get a thread off an emotional slippery slope and back on topic. This thread did turn around, I hope we can keep it there.

JR

[zeehag]

SAIL EVERYTHING before you buy ANYTHING..... get to know many different styles and makes of boats before dumping money into one particular kind of boat-- you never know what it is you may LIKE about a particular boat--and once you buy--in this market, is not easy to sell for a different kind of boat.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by zeehag

SAIL EVERYTHING before you buy ANYTHING..... get to know many different styles and makes of boats before dumping money into one particular kind of boat-- you never know what it is you may LIKE about a particular boat--and once you buy--in this market, is not easy to sell for a different kind of boat.

+1

A very good piece of advice.

Comfortable owners' cabins exist on aft cockpit as well as CC boats. I chartered a 43' Beneteau once which had a really nice owner's cabin in the forepeak, with en suite heads.

There are tons and tons of information on here ad nauseum on aft- versus center-cockpit. I suggest you should read the archives. I personally prefer CC on boats over about 40 feet, but it's a matter of taste -- each type has pros and cons. And CC boats don't have a monopoly on comfortable owner's cabins.

If you are looking at inexpensive production boats, be sure to see -- and sail -- some of the French ones -- Bene and Jeanneau. A lot of boat for the money, and generally better engineered and better sailing than U.S. or German production boats, in my experience.

But free advice on a question like this is worth what you pay for it -- do what Zeehag suggested and get out on a few different boats, before you make up your mind.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by mohave_steve

Looking forward to the kind of sailing we expect to do I expect that we will likely be spending at least 8-10 nights at anchor or in marinas for every night spent on passages. We would like to focus our boat search to those that have accomodations that will fit a large enough bed for our comfort.

Steve

G'Day Steve,

I agree that one spends more time at anchor than at sea, but for us, designing a boat around the sleeping quarters (where one spends circa 8 hrs out of 24, mostly unconscious) rather than the saloon and cockpit where one spends the other 18 hours is backwards thinking. The huge aft cabin seriously compromises the rest of the accomodations IMO, and we have thus always preferred aft cockpits.

YMMV, but I thought I'd point this aspect out to you.

Cheers,

Jim

[zeehag]

an example---
i LOVE my formosa-- she SAILS great. she handles wind and seas awesome well...her master stateroom is a double sized pullman berth--another plus.aint queen or king.
there is room in main saloon for hot bunking for 4 crew-- 2 on , 2 off watch. galley is tiny and not always functional. dinette is a pita on occasion that one may need something in a hidden cabinet.
interior is alll teak!!!!! dark a bit, but i love the coziness--is really awesome with oil lamps in use.even kinda sexy atmosphere
many bulkheads so she doesnt oilcan.. and severely THICK hull and heavy keel.
her cockpit is NOT conducive to gatherings -- she can accommodate 3-4 individuals--any more must bring own seating..area is huge and flat and good for fishing while sailing. she does have a great sofa like lazarette, which is usable for a nap outdoors or for seating the 4 individuals who gather.
is a good thing she has auto pilot, as viewing the screens for all th modern conveniences is a bit difficult from helm station. wide decks are a plus, and decks able to be walked while weather is adverse is a major plus. i dont bump toes on her decks as i did on a seidelmann --and decks are flat, not angled, makes me happy.
other folks seek other things in a boat---everyone is different.
i donot race, so my needs are different from folks seeking speed and 20 degrees of heel. my boat is a CRUISER and designed as such.
many designs are a mix breed, as folks are into speed and racing. i enjoy a burst of 8+kts, but i dont seek it out.
on must be comfortable with one's purchase in this market---know what you WANT --it is out there to be found.

[sailorboy1]

I remember commenting about the aft berth on my last Cal-39 as it being a cave once. Lots of room in it once you got in it and went to sleep, unless one of us needed to get up to pee at night which of course is more and more needed. Someone replied that we were now "old" so should just sleep separate. Now that was good advise .

Even "old" people use berths for more than sleeping. We are after talking about a home.

Center cockpit boats have good aft berths. But lots of newer design boats also do it well with deck saloon type designs and ones with master berths forward with queen centerline beds (seems a great idea).

Far as comfort at anchor I always wonder more about why thegalley doesn't get bigger and more useful as boats get bigger. Or why there are 2 heads both with an at sea sized shower instead of at least 1 good shower for the rest of the time.

It's kind of funny how everyone talks about the "old" designs as being good/best. But the reason designs changed was to meet what people asked for. Wonder what we will be saying is the desired layout in 20 years when the current designs are "old".

[Mexdon]

Hi Steve, this is just another opinion but I agree with zee and others that say try before buy. All yachts are a compromise, you get comfort at anchor but sacrifice windward performance. Or you get speed at sea but coffee all over your lap when a fizz boat goes past while you are at anchor. So listen to your own needs and not others. There are a number of boats that fit your sleep requirements, Vagabonds's, Liberties, Formosas, Tayanas, Cherubinis, Hans Christians to add to the list already mentioned in this forum.

Whatever you decide on will be critised by some admired by others, just go with what you feel is right for you.

[Target9000]

We spent a week on a Hans Christian 33. Loved the berth near the center of the boat to port side. It was near queen sized, maybe not quite as long (tall) as a normal bed but it was fairly wide.