Are there any Affordable Bluewater Boats built in the 90's?

[Tessellate]

Hey fellow cruisers - I need some advice. I've been renting / time-sharing sailboats for about 10 years (much easier on the wallet! At least for the durations I've been doing), but it's getting time to buy a boat for some longer duration voyages.

Since my long-term plans may include offshore / South Pacific sailing, I've been researching all the "bluewater boat lists", reading forums like these, etc.

What I'm still confused on is: are there used bluewater-capable boats in the 32-38' range that aren't old designs (built more than 20 years ago)? Did they not build any such boats in the 90s and 2000's? Or are the owners just not ready to sell them yet? Or perhaps some modern production boats actually are bluewater capable, but traditionalists say they're not because they're holding on to romantic notions of what boats used to be like?

All the ones I find on the market in Seattle and online tend to be 1980's-ish boats. While many are very respectable, well made boats, they also use a lot of wood (teak decks and interiors) and usually have more cramped, awkward interiors. Even the few bluewater boats I've found built in the early 90's (a 1992 Pacific Seacraft 34) were still using the same designs and style from the 1970s-80s.

Of the boats I've sailed - J/35Cs, C&C 27s, J/105s, J/80s, J/24s, Catalina 320, C&C 30, Jeanneau 38, Jeanneau 36, Rhodes 19 - the J/35c impressed us the most, and is therefore my reference point for comparing used boats to - but, most people would say it's not a bluewater capable boat.

The short-term plan is probably a 2-3 month cruise around Vancouver Island and San Juans, but the medium-term plan might be a 1-year trip to Mexico and Hawaii. And in the long-term, I'm hoping the South Pacific and other extended bluewater cruising may come into the picture.

So in the short-term a production cruiser like a J/35c would be fine - but it seems like it would be better to get a boat that I can grow into for the long-term aspirations, since I expect to put a fair amount of time and money into fitting out whatever boat I buy. It'd be rough to perfect one boat only to have to sell and it do that all over again in 2 years.

[neilpride]

Plenty from the 90`s. now consider anything well made it , new or old,
no matter if is a production or semicustom boat, spade rudder or fin keeled , just well made it for offshore work if you plan to sail offshore, i will run away from structure pan liners if you ask me, old Jeaneaus are a really well made it just saying..

[boatman61]

When you finished playing with the toy 'J' Boat come back and ask again...

[DoubleWhisky]

A lot of good bluewater production cruisers were built. The prices are high, however, even for used ones.

Check the sites (as examples) and look for older models if You like the style.

Najad - quality sailing yachts manufactured at Orust in Sweden

Hallberg-Rassy - Sturdy construction, superb craftsmanship and signature seaworthiness

Malö Yachts

Rustler Yachts

Nordship Yachts

Bowman Yachts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Cheers,

Tomasz

[boatman61]

Okay... silly bit over with.. down to brass tacks...
WTF's 'Affordable'... for me thats a 80's 37ft ferrocement at $14000...
To someone else its $300K for a 90's boat

[Island Time O25]

The short answer is no. And never will be. Anything less than 20 years old will always have a steep premium attached to it. And it'll grow with time so you'll never catch up. Either bite the bullet and pay up or lower your expectations and buy a good 30-40 year old boat and go places asap. BTW a boat is not a car wich ages tremendously in 10 years. She can be old but still function beautifully for its intended purpose. And that's all that matters.

[estarzinger]

The j35 in fact sails beautifully, and is a good sea boat. And if the core is dry is a pretty strong boat.

The tanks are small, and the head room low, and anchor handling needs some work.

It is a workable cruising boat. There is no such thing as the perfect boat.

[RainDog]

I really like the Sagas. They were designed as cruising boats, but are more modern. Also Caliber 40. Not as modern, but designed in the 90's.

[Cadence]

I've found built in the early 90's (a 1992 Pacific Seacraft 34) were still using the same designs and style from the 1970s-80s.

I would have to question not liking proven designs when considering Water boats">blue water boats. If you wanted a boat for racing I would concede a newer design may be the ticket.

[contrail]

Many cats are very blue water capable and most will have been built since 1990. They usually cost more than an equivalent length mono, but they have a lot more room, too.

[accomplice]

Tessellate -- Not everyone's definition of "affordable" is the same. It'd be important to understand what is yours is in order to make suggestions.

[AndytheSailor]

I've also just gone through this extremely long and tiring process. Ended up buying a Scanmar 40 and boy am I pleased. Also built on Orust in Sweden in 1991 she has answered all my questions. I also agree that the definition of 'affordable', like beauty, lies in the eyes of the beholder. For cruising you will struggle to find anything better than a late 80's, early 90's boat from the signposted by DoubleWhiskey.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by contrail

Many cats are very blue water capable and most will have been built since 1990. They usually cost more than an equivalent length mono, but they have a lot more room, too.

I know I'll stir up a bunch of crap. I would question the blue water capability of a cat in his LOA request? A tri OK but pitchpoling wouldn't be my favorite sport. A knock down in a mono that's good, at least will right it self. May have lost rigging?

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by RainDog

I really like the Sagas. They were designed as cruising boats, but are more modern. Also Caliber 40. Not as modern, but designed in the 90's.

I like the Sagas too but don't anchor near one if it's blowing. They sail so much at anchor it isn't funny!

[Paul L]

Look at J/35c, J/37 or a J/40 or if you can afford it a J/42. The first 3 are generally available at a decent price. They sail great and with some updating can a make a decent cruiser. I cruised a J/37 from Alaska to Panama and up the US east coast.