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euros · 16-08-2011, 12:40

Together with two of my friends we are planing to buy a boat about 43-51 feet long, with the main purpose to sail in Mediterranean but also capable for make ocean passage occasionally (ARC).
We are not going to live on a boat just speed there few weeks a year mainly in Med.

Since only I'm a more less technical person we are thinking about the boat not older than 5 years.
Also we use to sail as 2 families with children so we need 4 cabin yacht ( 5 cabin would be real benefit)
As mentioned before it shouldn't be technically complicated (as some older boats use to be).

Considering our budget which is about 120 000 euro (170 000 $) we came to the fallowing list which I sorted through the length and age. We can probably buy a brand new 40 feet'er which seems to be to small for our expectations, and ASFAIK only Delphia 40 has a 4 cabin layout.

Mayby you would have some remarks and advices concerning fallowing boats?
Which are better concerning performance and it's capability to survive little rougher conditions.

Do you think that is better to buy smaller-newer boat or maybe go for a bigger and older.

Year range 2008-2005
Oceanis 43 (Smallest in range, but probably possible to buy one from 2008)
Sun Odyssey 45 (Little bigger not much older)
Bavaria 46 Cruiser (Some Say that Bavarias are a example of low cost range of offshore cruisers and it's better to choose one of the French constructions)
Oceanis 473 Clipper (I sailed her once in Canary Islands and also found a lot of good opinions in many sail forums)
Sun Oddysey 49 (I heard that SO49 have much better performance and quality that similar Bavaria's)
Bavaria 50 (Only one with 5 cabin layout in this price range it a real benefit but it's still Bavaria )

2005-2000 - older but bigger and with 5 cabins mainly.
Bavaria 50 (some private ones are also for sale and definitly a cheepest in this range)
Dufour Gib Sea 51 (I sailed on D45 and she was working great, but it have some problems with build quality and interior design I'm not sure if they apply for D51)
Ocean Star 51.1 (Greek product. There are many of them in Aegean Sea. They look nice and offten are offen are better equiped than the competion. Since are dealing with Meltemi wind at daily basis maybe are also capable of sail in more rough weather. Unfortunately there are not many opinions about them over the Internet)
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 52.2
Beneteau 50 (both of them are in 5 cabins layouts, both of them are from French builders, but I don't know much about their performance and quality)
Beneteau First 47,7 (Only one performance cruiser in this price range, but aviable only with the 4 cabin layout)

Then we can give up next 10 years of age and come to ocean cruisers as Moody's, Swan's, Amel's etc...
Personally I prefer central cockpit solutions and better build quality of this yachts.
But I don't think that's it's really an option for us.
Since they are much more technically complicated and probably there is a need for more attention because of the age.

2000-1990
Moody 44
Moody 43

1990-1980
Moody 47
Swan 441

Best Regards
Mike