Best boat for cruising

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Oceanride007

. But Marina Fees are up there, worse for cats, getting longer term boat storage is getting worrying, Insurance forces you down south where the Marina fees are higher or not available. Everyone dreams of a better boat. If its your home for major part of year its easier to justify a bigger better yacht.

And that's why, after owning several sailing boats including cats we went for something big enough to not need a marina.
Ability to carry a years worth is supplies
Months worth of frozen meat in standard 240v refrigeration
Large solar array so as to run it all on battery/inverter.

Lucky for us, she also cost less than most decent 12m sailing monos and a lot less than a half decent 12m cat whist offering considerably higher comfort levels, space and near unlimited load carrying ability

That saving in purchase price plus the zero marina fees more than offsets the cost of operation.

She's proven to be the best cruising boat ever for us, seven years onboard full time, no marina, happy wife with no thoughts of getting out of it.

As for the insurance forcing you south, does it?
Ours allows us to cruise north during cyclone season - higher excess does apply if damaged during a named event.

[Oceanride007]

^^^^ I looked up a Millcraft, $449000, Wood, No sails, yes maybe, Hey Simi whats your Fuel cost per Year. How far do you venture, do you hesitate to do a trip.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Oceanride007

^^^^ I looked up a Millcraft, $449000, Wood, No sails, yes maybe,

Yeah, they had more on her than that once
And eventually let her go for waaaaay less than the number above

She was covered in birdshit and had exterior cosmetic issues and prospective buyers couldn't see past that - to bring her back to pristine paying for labour would cost a lot
As a boatbuilder I could see past the cosmetic yuck - her bones and mechanicals were fine, hose off the birdshit, do a bit of repair and paintwork as we cruise

Hey Simi whats your Fuel cost per Year. How far do you venture, do you hesitate to do a trip

.
Depends
7000 litres of diesel will take us 3500 nm @ 7.5 knots and we do around that in a year.
But no sail repair, re-rigging or marina fees, so that offsets it a lot.
COVID kept us cruising QLD but the plan was and still is to get her to South East Asia

As we have no schedule there is no need to do miles in bad weather, happy to wait.
But we have had our fair share of it and she sucks it up better than we do.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by mojoman2

Look around at a sundowner gathering in a monohull. Everyone is hunched down inside the cockpit bimini/dodger cave, while folks have room to sit comfortably in a catamaran.

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Fuel is not a concern because you use sails for propulsion and will have enough budget to add a large solar array for electrical power.

Just picked a couple representative posts...

OP's query is in the Powered Boats section.

-Chris

[Tin Tin]

I reckon this would suit me, can't quite believe the fuel consumption figures though and they need to spell the name right
https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats...ords=merryland

[argonauta1]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

So you definitely need a monohull. Catamarans have a nasty, violent motion while underway or even at anchor when the wake of a boat hits you on the side and then there’s the horrible slamming of the bridge deck into the seas in open water, a big turnoff for most sailors. Besides that, cats are for wimps

With your budget you can get a nice 44-47’ monohull even when it’s a Beneteau or similar. They give you more than enough space to live aboard, have a gentle motion and the heeling is what absorbs the nasty violent motion from a multihull.

Fuel is not a concern because you use sails for propulsion and will have enough budget to add a large solar array for electrical power.

If the missus doesn’t fancy a monohull then trade her haha

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Could not agree more. Cats are uncomfortable, unstable and expensive to dock I know of too many dismasted cats arising from inadvertent overpowering due to lack of feedback from the rig. What one wants on long passages is survivability not comfort. Nice to have both though so look at a few forty footer Benteaus or similar. Check out Moorings/Sunsail on Hamilton Island for a second hand charter yacht Maybe charter one first.

[Hasbeen]

I spent 3 winters cruising the reef, then 11 years living there. Some times living on the yacht, others ashore with the boat on a mooring.


In that time I had 4 times hiding from cyclones up mangrove creeks, & one in an open roadstead riding out another. These experiences have coloured my thinking on what sort of boat. Of course this depends on whether you plan to spend a cyclone season there, or go back south before then.



If you plan to spend a cyclone season up north there is no way I would consider a multi hull, simply because of their much higher windage. I wouldn't consider a wheel house boat for the same reason. My boat had little windage for a 40 footer, but twice I was wishing there was some way to reduce what I had.


Just my 2 pence worth.

[Yotiheff]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

Hi, Gasman,

1. Are you looking for a yacht or a stink boat?
2. Are you aware that you’ll have to spend a fair bit of time (5 months?) either not on the water or just risking it without insurance? Due to cyclone season.
3. With your budget you’ll be looking at a very low end cat - may not meet the wife’s criteria!
4. You can get a reasonable mono for that price but make sure you allow enough for operating costs and maintenance / upgrades.
5. Once again, check withe wife if she’d be happy on a mono or a low-end cat. Mine has made it very clear that she will only accept a cat for long-term cruising.

The above will give us more info to give you a more nuanced response.

Not sorry to say: point 3 is NOT true. Having a Lowe r than popularly accepted budget is imo ++ an advantage. Do not consider any modern expensive production cat. They don’t sail much better than a wharf. Writing as a b builder/designer/cruiser/racer , go for a well kept older design which will sail. Modern sailing cats are almost exclusively overweight, badly designed, and would be far more useful if you swapped the rig and sails for bigger motors. Note NZ in my address. Who keeps winning the America’s Cup? Yes NZ with a smaller budget = use your intelligence not your $$

[Gasman]

I've reassessed my budget as I was trying to appease my love of boats and the wife's love of not being on one.
I've ditched the motorhome contingent and upped the budget to around 600k + for the cruiser
Absolutely stuck on power cats around 40-50 ft.
Prowlers from NZ with outboards are my starting point but too small aft and LOA.
1-2 ltrs per nm unbelievable
So am I fooling myself thinking that I can achieve around this sort of economy in a 40-50 footer ?
What monos are great for this Also?
Also my budget for a year
Fuel $12k
Marinas $10k
Insurance $10k
How far off am I
Also sorry I forgot to day stink boat

[Gasman]

Originally Posted by argonauta1

---------------------
Could not agree more. Cats are uncomfortable, unstable and expensive to dock I know of too many dismasted cats arising from inadvertent overpowering due to lack of feedback from the rig. What one wants on long passages is survivability not comfort. Nice to have both though so look at a few forty footer Benteaus or similar. Check out Moorings/Sunsail on Hamilton Island for a second hand charter yacht Maybe charter one first.

I've charted both and the cat wins hands down for comfort space obviously

[Gasman]

Originally Posted by Tin Tin

I reckon this would suit me, can't quite believe the fuel consumption figures though and they need to spell the name right
https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats...ords=merryland

Yes saw that.
Something not right there.
Too cheap for that model

[Gasman]

I've had numerous sail and stinkers over the years.
I'm 64 with walking issues, so sail is out and wife says NO
I like the outboard option but as you say, being on plane is subject to weather, so up to 10 knots is gunna be it
Looking at trawler/sedan type cruisers.
Priorities are swim access. if you've ever seen a walrus coming out of the water, that's me.
Going forward to pick up a mooring and air con for the anchor. (Wife)
I

[Gasman]

Originally Posted by Hasbeen

I spent 3 winters cruising the reef, then 11 years living there. Some times living on the yacht, others ashore with the boat on a mooring.


In that time I had 4 times hiding from cyclones up mangrove creeks, & one in an open roadstead riding out another. These experiences have coloured my thinking on what sort of boat. Of course this depends on whether you plan to spend a cyclone season there, or go back south before then.



If you plan to spend a cyclone season up north there is no way I would consider a multi hull, simply because of their much higher windage. I wouldn't consider a wheel house boat for the same reason. My boat had little windage for a 40 footer, but twice I was wishing there was some way to reduce what I had.


Just my 2 pence worth.

Agree with the windbags, that's why steering clear I hope of a fly
Besides my best mate the kelpie, can't get up the stairs

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Gasman

1-2 ltrs per nm unbelievable
So am I fooling myself thinking that I can achieve around this sort of economy in a 40-50 footer ?
What monos are great for this Also?
Also my budget for a year
Fuel $12k
Marinas $10k
Insurance $10k
How far off am I
Also sorry I forgot to day stink boat

Don't know cats. I think many diesel "trawlers" can do 2L per NM (we'd say ~2 NMPG). Check out trawlerforum.com (sister site).

Also don't know much about gas outboards for main propulsion.

Your total might be OK. (Still don't know squat about your area, though.) Our marina costs are higher, insurance is about half that, and fuel is ditto much lower. Latter is even with diesels, 1800 hp, but running often at "trawler" speeds... so a really economical boat could likely do much better.

-Chris

[Gasman]

Originally Posted by argonauta1

---------------------
Could not agree more. Cats are uncomfortable, unstable and expensive to dock I know of too many dismasted cats arising from inadvertent overpowering due to lack of feedback from the rig. What one wants on long passages is survivability not comfort. Nice to have both though so look at a few forty footer Benteaus or similar. Check out Moorings/Sunsail on Hamilton Island for a second hand charter yacht Maybe charter one first.

Have major PTSD from bateboatibg in the shitsundays.
Hired a cat, got there and they "shoved" us into a 36 Catalina mono
POS would aptly describe the Tusa Talia which was owned by the hire company's boss
So not going mono anytime soon.
After that we barefooted in Hervey Bay on a 42 Pagot. Chalk and cheese and yes lifted one hull due to a bullet.
But I was jibing in 25-35 SW and over powered and inexperienced
So it's cats for me unless I can get a trawler where I can't hear the engine moan