Bigger boats for less number of people

[ChrisTheWrench]

Howdy all, recently found this site! Background, I sailed smaller (j24 largest) as a youth and during my 20’s. Now 15 years later we(wife and I) are sailing more and more on borrowed and rented boats(San Diego, primarily). We like boats in the 35’ish-high 30’s range for comfort out in the ocean, docking ease, slip price and the stability we ‘feel’ in that size boat. We’ve been looking at buying a boat for cruising to Catalina, Baja and other SoCal ports, maybe get it up to the pnw…

Now onto the question… im 6’3”, so the well documented ‘what boat has headroom’ question is a concern but thats not the topic today.

We keep running into boats that are designed to carry more and more people with the berths getting tighter and tighter.

What’s a cruiser that is designed for TWO people?

Id gladly give up some saloon size to slide a bulkhead aft and make the vberth larger and more comfortable. Berths under the cockpit are not to my liking(atleast that ive seen).

I dont want to bring anyone else, besides our dog. I was on a benateau 37 the other day that stated slept 8, but they all sucked(in my opinion).

Im not super concerned with price or even quality at this point, I mainly want to see some layout examples…

Thanks
Chris

[mako]

Chris have you thought about buying the best boat regarding condition and features, and then hiring a carpenter to remodel the interior? Trying to find exactly the right layout for you in any boat may be tough. And if the boat is older then it could use a spiffing up inside anyway

[rslifkin]

Depending on the layout, you can often ignore the claimed number of berths. They're going to list the highest number they can, not the number of people you'd reasonably want to sleep. Personally, I'd consider that Beneteau 37 to normally sleep 4 (2 couples). 2 people forward, 2 aft. For 1 couple, you sleep in whichever space you prefer and the other becomes storage or an empty guest cabin.

My own boat technically sleeps 6, but that's only in a pinch. Working around the folded out couch in the salon is awkward and you wouldn't want to do it regularly. 4 is comfortable though, assuming 2 couples.

[Indolent58]

In that size range you can find a number of boats available in a 2 stateroom "Owner's version" with a big bed in the aft cabin. Catalina 380 has large aft centerline bed and various Hunters like the 356 or 36-2 can have a large pullman style bed.

[Chotu]

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the center cockpit boats because they have so much living space below deck. But you have to make another jump up in size for those to really work.

[ItDepends]

Chris,

You need to get away from the mass market boats designed and built for the charter market. So NOTHING from Group Beneatu at all. Anything that is sold as an "owners version" is a chater boat that has been tweaked. Avoid them. They are all built ot the demands of their largest customer: The Charter Fleets.

Look at Halberg Rassy, Amel, Hylas, Island Packet.

Just as an example, an Amel 53 is built with 6'4" headroom, and to normally support 2 couples, although more can be squeezed in if needed.

Charter boats are built to cram as many people into as little space as possible. This leads to serious compromises in both interior layout and hull design.

If you want a real cruising boat, buy a cruisng boat, not a charter boat.

[ChrisTheWrench]

Originally Posted by mako

Chris have you thought about buying the best boat regarding condition and features, and then hiring a carpenter to remodel the interior? Trying to find exactly the right layout for you in any boat may be tough. And if the boat is older then it could use a spiffing up inside anyway

That's part of the reason Im looking for examples. I build and fix stuff(houses, furniture, etc) for a living. So I have the hammer and saw skills, but still enjoy inspiration. Also, relocating bulkheads is a bit more scary....

[shimari]

Good advice so far. We sail as a couple and went for a two cabin 48'.

The only issue with two cabins is to make sure you have a decent sea berth or two for passages.

I really liked the older Jeanneau DS models. But, we wanted a bit more displacement and a swing keel. The admiral was very happy with the raised salon as well.

[JPA Cate]

Chris, if you haven't been looking, you could cruise https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat for layouts. They don't have a scale, but it may give you an idea. There is an Australian built boat designed by Joe Adams, called the Nought 40, not the other Adams 40. It has 3 cabins, a pullman forward, and two aft cabins. One head. One of them just might do you. Some friends of ours have done a lot of cruising in one (we've been aboard a lot), and the pullman might be long enough for you. I never measured it. It is an older boat, and may be too far away for you to consider, unless one comes up for sale in So Cal. They are aft cockpit boats, our preference.

If you think you need a king size bed, you'll be stuck with a center cockpit boat for sure, unless you can find a one-off built for a tall man.

A lot of people report the older Hunters as having longer bunks.

Ann

[wingssail]

We bought an old race boat and built our own interior. We are not tall so we didn't need a lot of headroom, but our bunks are all 8 ft long.

[sailorboy1]

The best couples layout i have seen is the Outbound 44/46 in the newer Perry 1 head layout

[shimari]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

The best couples layout i have seen is the Outbound 44/46 in the newer Perry 1 head layout

The Outbound 46 is a great boat.

[ChrisTheWrench]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

The best couples layout i have seen is the Outbound 44/46 in the newer Perry 1 head layout

Outbound 46!
That is what I was looking for. wow! That is a beautiful boat.

I see a few places that floorplan could be trimmed down abit and still yield some of the attributes I really like. The 'walk around' v berth, has been in my head for a long time!

[letsgetsailing3]

I emailed Outbound Yachts.


They couldn't be bothered to respond.

[sailorboy1]

another smaller great couples boat layout is the Hunter 356