best boat under 80k cruising keys, bahamas, carribean.

[Lowcountry]

I second the IP suggestion (also biased). Shallow drafts, tremendous storage, not afraid of 30kt winds, good resale value, etc., etc. IP32 may be within your budget.

[Cheechako]

The OP wants more room.... not sure an IP 32 or 35 will give much of that over the Catalina....?

[Noname]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

The OP wants more room.... not sure an IP 32 or 35 will give much of that over the Catalina....?

IP's are notoriously beamy, offering abundant storage and room. My 31 has much more room than many more popular 32 to 35 footers.

[Cheechako]

I guess it dpends on the type of room the OP is looking for... More space to have alone time? Storage? Two heads in lieu of one? etc. Hard to say.
Cat 34:Beam 11.75 ft, LWL 29.8 ft
IP32: Beam 11.5 ft, LWL 28.6 ft

[Curmudgeon]

The IP 35 is a very roomy 35 footer. Good choice if you can find one in decent condition for under $80K. But its still not as roomy as the Kadey-Krogen.

IMHO two heads eat up too much space in a boat under 40 ft. In fact, I don't like two heads in anything under 45 feet. I'd rather have one roomy head with a nice separate shower stall. Use the 2nd bathroom space as a wet locker and use the space that would have been occupied by the second holding tank and the second thru-hull for a desalinator.

[Noname]

I suggest OP start looking at boats, physically vs. pictures, and make an informed decision. Seems we all suggest what we like in a boat. I have owned catalinas and odays and IP, and chartered csy's, morgans, dickersons, ericsons, j-boats and made ocean passages on oday 39, norseman 447, swan 68. They all have their own unique features and performance characteristics.

[Cheechako]

IMHO two heads eat up too much space in a boat under 40 ft. In fact, I don't like two heads in anything under 45 feet.

Yeah, I hear you personally I agree. OTOH, with a daughter aboard, it may be what works well for them.... Is the goal to get her a separate space?

[sworrjr]

Originally Posted by Seaduction

IP's are notoriously beamy, offering abundant storage and room. My 31 has much more room than many more popular 32 to 35 footers.

Sorry all, I have been out of town for the last 4 days with no access to the internet.

Something I forgot to mention is that I am 6'4. I looked at an IP 31 back when I bought my C34. I wanted to buy it, I thought the craftsmanship and just the overall feel of the boat was excellent. It just felt like a much better built boat then the C34. It my not be but that was just my "feeling". The problem was that I could not fit in any berth with my wife and be comfortable. That was a deal killer. My wife and I fit comfortably in the vberth or aft cabin in the Catalina.

I dont think I could afford an IP in the size I would want. There is an IP 38 for sale locally that seems to be very nice, it is a 1991 and they are asking 135k. Out of my range.

[Curmudgeon]

If you want headroom, look for a Niagara 35 (you might find an older one in your price range) or another boat designed by Mark Ellis (e.g a Nonsuch), whom I'm told is also 6'4".
Another possibility might be a Hood Wauquiez MK I (the MK II's will likely be too expensive). The problem with the MK I is the Swan style companionway, see:
1983 Wauquiez Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com Picture #7 shows the companionway that most folks dislike.

[Boatguy30]

Take the Catalina! You'll see more Catalina, Beneteaus, Jeanneaus in every anchorage in the world than Island Packet or any other marque brand. I'm not saying that some boat's aren't better built than others, but they're all made from the same stuff. Not much different in function and safety between a Toyota Corolla and a fully optioned Lexus.
Hell, a stock Bavaria 49 went thru the NW Passage 2 years ago!

[autumnbreeze27]

We have a C34 and want to go cruise -- so we're somewhat in the same boat. Everybody at our yacht club who cruises says try it with what you have.

We figure if we're going to go bigger, it would have to be to a 42-45 boat for it to be worth it (and be reasonably priced). We're still undecided... either try cruising on our boat now or go bigger.

[HeartsContent]

I looked at a Catalina 34 and it was very roomy but did lack the storage that comes with smaller boats. They gave up a large lazarette in the cockpit and that damaged it for me. Storage is king and there are smaller boats that can store more.

Thinking a 320 instead.

Big boats are a lot more work and expensive in every way so be careful!