Want To Buy: 38-42ft bluewater cruiser - suggestions please!

[macrae]

Originally Posted by SolitarySeagull

Can you help us find our next sailboat for bluewater cruising?? Our dream criteria are listed below. If you know of a boat that fits the bill, is for sale, or you know someone thinking of selling, we’d love to hear from you!

38-42ft
Fin keel + skeg-hung rudder, or full keel
Prefer cutter rig, ketch also ok
Minimum 6’3 headroom, including in galley
Good sea berths
Decent storage
No teak decks
Fibreglass hull
Budget of around $100K

To give you an idea of what we're looking for, we really like the Tayana 42 and we're open to other suggestions.

I would suggest you look at a Whitby 42. They are in my opinion one of the best cruising and offshore boats. What I like about them
- Ketch rig which allows for different sail configurations in different conditions.
- Lots of tankage for fuel and water.
- Encapsulated keel, not glued and bolted on.
- very open below with lots of headroom. (not a cave)
- Huge engine compartment, easy to work on engine and equipment
- centre cockpit, dry and roomy. It will be your living room.
- Well powered with bullet proof “Ford Lehman” 85 HP Diesel engine. The Ford tractor engine with parts easily available, and inexpensive.
- large anchor locker.
- Huge storage capacity.
- Aft cabin with head.
- Large refrigerator and freezer.
- Work bench.
What other boat has all these important features?

[SeaSloth]

Originally Posted by macrae

I would suggest you look at a Whitby 42. They are in my opinion one of the best cruising and offshore boats. What I like about them
- Ketch rig which allows for different sail configurations in different conditions.
- Lots of tankage for fuel and water.
- Encapsulated keel, not glued and bolted on.
- very open below with lots of headroom. (not a cave)
- Huge engine compartment, easy to work on engine and equipment
- centre cockpit, dry and roomy. It will be your living room.
- Well powered with bullet proof “Ford Lehman” 85 HP Diesel engine. The Ford tractor engine with parts easily available, and inexpensive.
- large anchor locker.
- Huge storage capacity.
- Aft cabin with head.
- Large refrigerator and freezer.
- Work bench.
What other boat has all these important features?

I have a Brewer 42. Newer version with a "fin" keel and skeg hung rudder. Cutter rigged. I'm 6'4" and it fits me well. Other than the engine brand all of your points also apply.

[wgerstmyer]

Brewer 12.8 (meters, so 42’). Cutter.
Very similar to the Whitby 42 mentioned earlier but this was a custom design change that ten guys from the Knickerbocker Yacht Club wanted, and Ted Brewer agreed to the changes. It is a better sailer.
I’m traveling to the Bahamas right now in one that is for sale for $75 as it has a soft spot on the deck. Loaded with offshore amenities.
PM me if you want more details. Good luck, Will

[JimJohnston]

Originally Posted by sck5

Caliber 40's tick all those boxes. Very comfortable for 2 with occasional guests

I sailed one these between Chesapeake bay, Bahamas and south to Grenada and back to Beulieu NC. Always felt that I was in a safe and seaworthy vessel. Cutter rig, cut-away keel, headroom throughout, etc.

[Virginia Lee]

Shannon 38 or 43.

[Siberian Sea]

Myself I would add to your list of requirements two things....
An encapsulated keel not a bolt on
A direct drive not a sail drive.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Siberian Sea

An encapsulated keel not a bolt on
A direct drive not a sail drive.

A bolt-on ballast is not inherently bad, (look at an early '70s S&S Swan,) but modern "under-engineering" has produced some "hope-and-a-prayer" ideas of fitment/attachment.
Agree. Saildrives? basically, a way to get an easily installed propulsion package that will simplify/cheapen manufacturing costs and gain some interior room.
For a long-distance voyaging boat in out-of-the-way parts of the world the risk factor is greater than the benefits.
As boats get filled-up with increasing amounts of electrons a few loose ones and the saildrive is toast, same with a leak.
In several respects they're not all that different from an I/O unit in a smaller powerboat.
Shops that work on them have the same unending story, it's the outdrive units that bring in the money.

[merrydolphin]

For under a hundred you can get a newer (1980s) vintage Kelley Peterson 44.
This is a performance oriented center cocpit cutter. Built for serious blue water cruising. I put tens of thousands of ocean miles on mine. Most now have new rigging and tankage. Long waterline for the age nearly 39 ft makes her a passagemaker. I have made 200 mi days. Came with a Perkins 63hp. Most have been replaced. But they were very good engines. Mine had 10K hrs and still showed very good after engine survey by Perkins mechanic. You can get one seriously equipped for this I price. They are solid built. Mine was an 83 with bronze ports. And modern hatches. Stay away from the knock offs from the Formosa yard. Lots of space and storage. Mine had 150 fuel and 120 water plus water maker. This is a serious cruiser that is seaworthy, seakinkly and fast. There are a number of older and run down ones on the market too. And yes, stay away from teak decks.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by merrydolphin

For under a hundred you can get a newer (1980s) vintage Kelley Peterson 44.
This is a performance oriented center cocpit cutter. Built for serious blue water cruising. I put tens of thousands of ocean miles on mine. Most now have new rigging and tankage. Long waterline for the age nearly 39 ft makes her a passagemaker. I have made 200 mi days. Came with a Perkins 63hp. Most have been replaced. But they were very good engines. Mine had 10K hrs and still showed very good after engine survey by Perkins mechanic. You can get one seriously equipped for this I price. They are solid built. Mine was an 83 with bronze ports. And modern hatches. Stay away from the knock offs from the Formosa yard. Lots of space and storage. Mine had 150 fuel and 120 water plus water maker. This is a serious cruiser that is seaworthy, seakinkly and fast. There are a number of older and run down ones on the market too. And yes, stay away from teak decks.

Really? You can get a good one for under 100k? There's the boat. You can stop looking now.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by SolitarySeagull

Can you help us find our next sailboat for bluewater cruising?? Our dream criteria are listed below. If you know of a boat that fits the bill, is for sale, or you know someone thinking of selling, we’d love to hear from you!

38-42ft
Fin keel + skeg-hung rudder, or full keel
Prefer cutter rig, ketch also ok
Minimum 6’3 headroom, including in galley
Good sea berths
Decent storage
No teak decks
Fibreglass hull
Budget of around $100K

To give you an idea of what we're looking for, we really like the Tayana 42 and we're open to other suggestions.

I have owned my new-to-me Tayana Vancouver 42 since 2007. It is a 1979 model, hull #6, the first year they were made. These boats were semi-custom ordered so there are not really two of them the same in all regards. After researching offshore sailboats for five years, I built a database of over 3,000 boats in offered configurations, I settle on the V-42...a bigger boat than I truly wanted. (When you are buying a previously owned boat your only choices are among those for sale, not some idealized boat.)

The 1979 and 1980 models have a raised after cabin largely due to the step up from salon to galley-nav station area. That makes it one step less betting below but the bilge is 48" below in that area...I only have a 36" length arm.

I took the following height measurements years ago: Nav/Galley 75", Salon 77", Head 73.5", and Stateroom 70".

The original design by Robert Harris (1922-2014) was an aft-cockpit, which I prefer. The center cockpits came later as well as removing the raised aft cabin. Once again, I prefer the original design.

It is a great boat offshore where she is in her elements and what she was designed for. I've sailed mine across the Gulf of Mexico and a roundtrip to Hawaii, both with a Monitor windvane.

Good Luck.

[SolitarySeagull]

Thank you all for the helpful input! This forum is such a wealth of information we're very grateful for your help. We'll reach out to a few people with some follow up questions.

[dghaynie]

Our Bristol 40 Sloop may be the best cruising boat on the water and also the most perfect Bristol 40 with everything properly installed and maintained. Usually the most beautiful classic sailboat in any anchorage. The boat is significantly better than it was when built both inside and out in many aspects. A cruising model with main and axillary fuel tanks, double water tanks, full keel, more storage than most cruisers, spares for all essential systems, dinghy and outboard, 4-man survival raft, emergency gear, windvane system, auto pilot, refrigeration, air conditioning/heater. 6'3 1/2" at galley, 6' 1/2" at forepeak. Receipts and documents for last 20 years we have owned her. Email: dghaynie@hotmail.com. Phone 727-522-1979. St. Petersburg, Fl. Ready for world cruising! Last cruise was 4 years in the Caribbean - then health issues.

[Large Luke]

We have a Shannon 38 Ketch and would recommend you looking into one yourself. These boats were built specifically to circumnavigate and many have. As an aside they are 38' on deck and 42' at the end of the bowsprit, which fits both of your length requirements.

[stevec195]

Cabo Rico 42 or 45! They’re comfortable at sea, easy on the eyes and have gobs of headroom! A safer, smoother ride would be difficult to match.

[jose84]

Cheoy Lee 43 MS!!