Good Center Cockpit Boats Under 40' ?

[SaltyMonkey]

Doe's anyone have a feel for what center cockpits exist under 40 ft that are good for blue water long distance sailing, and possibly under $100k? I know there are opinions that anything under 42 feet or so is not good.

What are your thoughts?

[Vasco]

Northern 37

[skipmac]

Not under 40' but not too much over, Pearson 422. Can be found for under $100K.

C&C Landfall 43 and Landfall 39.

Morgan Out Island 36. Very shoal draft, doesn't really sail upwind that well.

[SaltyMonkey]

Interesting - there's a boat I never knew about - N37!

[SaltyMonkey]

Thanks skipmac! That's totally new food and education for SaltyMonkey's list!

[cgaskell]

Corbin 39. Under 100k or there abouts. I own one, and have grown to appreciate it as a very fine offshore boat. Flush fordeck ( a real conveniece offshore ), comfortable below decks and very well built. Compromise is that the cockpit is small, but that is safer offshore. If I didn't own a Corbin, I would consider a Nicholson 39.

[SaltyMonkey]

Corbin 39's are top boats cgaskell. It's one of the tops on my buy list. Unfortunately, on the top of my budget, but the sailing stats on her are very very strong. Do you have inside steering? If so, I wonder how easy it is to get in and out of it during tacking.

Nicholson 39 - the 38 is high on my list. I'll have to look at the 39.

[speedoo]

If 4 extra feet does not bother you too much, see if there is a Kelly Peterson 44 in your price range somewhere that's in decent shape. Great offshore boat, fast and great looking too, IMO.

[SaltyMonkey]

We keep climbin' speedoo. Looking for something that I can single handle as well. I'll check it out though! Thanks!

[speedoo]

Have to admit you are the first person I've run into who wants a center cockpit boat for single handing! But I assume you have your reasons, so...

Check out the owner's website at kp44.org. Tons of info there.

The KP44 is a cutter, so you have that flexibility. The mainsail is BIG so an electric halyard winch would be nice if you were hauling it up daily. With a good below decks autopilot and a wind vane it could be single handed pretty well, IMO.

Hit me up with any questions as I know the boat well.

[SaltyMonkey]

Not sure I actually want one at that size (40++), but main reason is more flexible storage below, protection from elements and an aft cabin. There are some steel boats in the mid 30 ft range that offer that kind of cave below, and so I am at least exploring the possibility in the plastics (since they are rare to find available in metals). Most of the blue water cruiser boat lists (suggestions) do not list any CCs at all.

[Richard Jordan]

The under $100k, less than 40', aft stateroom sailboat is one of the Holy grails of boats. The other Holy grail is the under $100k, greater than 50', aft stateroom sailboat. These are difficult to find combinations. Here are some random thoughts:

* Pearson 422: I second this recommendation by skipmac. The only problem is that these are so rare and in demand that it is hard find one. A quick search on YW shows none for sale at the moment. Don't confuse them with the Pearson 424's. There are also Pearson 419 center cockpits. There is one of those in Indiantown for sale. All these have the same Bill Shaw hull.

* Corbin 39: These come without aft staterooms too. Corbin had multiple deck molds. They were sold in varying states of completion. You never know what the interior will look like.

And finally I will add the C&C 37/40+. This has the aft cockpit and aft stateroom orientation. They come in tall or short rigs with fin or wing or centerboards. There are 37/40R versions that are more racey with a different cockpit mold. They sell for right at $100k or a little more.

[SaltyMonkey]

Thanks jordanship. Since you started...

Let's open up the threads suggestions to aft cockpits with aft staterooms as well.

[s/v Breakaway]

Do you consider the C&Cs bluewater boats?

[Richard Jordan]

It depends on the model, and I would have to study it all better to advise on exactly which ones. There was a thread here or on sailnet not too long ago about a fellow with a new C&C which reportedly had the mast stepped off center. That scared me, and the whole situation did not reflect well on C&C/Tartan who appeared to be covering it up. The old Landfall series were really nice racer-cruisers...and real cruisers too.

The Hylas 42 is another aft stateroom and aft cockpit design for around $100k.