Quest for the Perfect Cruiser

[vtsailguy]

Originally Posted by vtsailguy

I am 42 and just bought a 1974 Tartan 41, a beautiful IOR era design. It's the same age as my wife

and I should add it goes like a witch to windward. I can point as far as 15 degrees true!

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by vtsailguy

and I should add it goes like a witch to windward. I can point as far as 15 degrees true!

That gives you a tacking included angle of 30 degrees! Not bad for an old production boat...

Jim

[Bash]

Originally Posted by vtsailguy

and I should add it goes like a witch to windward. I can point as far as 15 degrees true!

Shoot. My witch points better than that.

[Curmudgeon]

There is no such thing as a perfect cruiser for $75K. And I don't consider a boat that requires 1000 man hours of work to get to the Bahamas a "perfect" cruiser no matter what its other positive attributes are-- unless you are one of those masochists who loves to spend his weekends sanding and scraping.

If I were you I'd be looking for a Bristol 35.5 in decent condition. Centerboarders are good for the Bahamas. Also a Wauquiez Pretorian or a Hunter Cherubini. Hunters used to make decent boats, even though they don't any more. All of these will be 1980s models.

[vtsailguy]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

There is no such thing as a perfect cruiser for $75K.

Lies. I see this on these boards all the time. DOn't lose hope and keep looking.

The Best Boat for Cruising with Children | Sailing With Kids

You sound like the naysayers when I was looking for mine.

[nimblemotors]

Here are the things that I find important.

Multihull with large bridgedeck living area.
Shallow water draft.
Strong beachable hulls.
Simple Composting toilet.
Huge Solar Panels.
Electric Propulsion.
Quiet Fuel Cell Generator.
No Sails, Masts, Rigging.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

There is no such thing as a perfect cruiser for $75K. And I don't consider a boat that requires 1000 man hours of work to get to the Bahamas a "perfect" cruiser no matter what its other positive attributes are-- unless you are one of those masochists who loves to spend his weekends sanding and scraping.

If I were you I'd be looking for a Bristol 35.5 in decent condition. Centerboarders are good for the Bahamas. Also a Wauquiez Pretorian or a Hunter Cherubini. Hunters used to make decent boats, even though they don't any more. All of these will be 1980s models.

Really? You don't think there are $75K boats that can make it to the Bahamas without 1,000 man hours of work?

What should the budget be, then? I can always go a bit smaller, but I can't accept less than a 35 ft boat.

I sure see a lot of boats advertised, though I have to admit that when I go look at them, I do see a lot of work that needs to be done.

[sailorboy1]

Maybe you did this already and I missed it, but what boat do you think is the prefect boat? You seem to have something in mind and it doesn't seem to be anything that has been suggested.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Don L

Maybe you did this already and I missed it, but what boat do you think is the prefect boat? You seem to have something in mind and it doesn't seem to be anything that has been suggested.

I find that on my budget, the perfect cruiser is likely going to be an opportunistic find.

But it will be nice to have a short list, so I'm prepared.