Honest and knowledgeable opinions, keep current boat or change to older heavier?

[nortonscove]

Originally Posted by michaelratinter

p.s. The surveyor said I could use her for an icebreaker.

And you bought this? I would not repeat that around those of us that have spent some time in heavy ice.

[michaelratinter]

Nortonscove,

The surveyor simply meant she is heavily built. 8^)

[Grandwagoneer0]

IMO go with what you have and know.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by Grandwagoneer0

IMO go with what you have and know.

I agree. Buying a new used boat for cruising, with all the potential (unknown) problems, seems more stressful than going with the boat you know and trust.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by sailingfarmer

Anything beats a Hunter... That's the YUGO of sailing boats... get the better made boat...

BUNK !

I've surveyed 144 Hunters (my files can't all show up in one screen shot) and I'm convinced you know nothing about them.

[jharding]

I loved my hunter on the fingerlakes, but once I got in rough seas in the ocean its flat bottom pounded, boat handled it but I didn't feel comfortable. Once I got a different hull shape that cuts into waves instead of pounding I would never go back to a boat that isn't seakindly. Its so much more comfortable and confidence inspiring.

[AKA-None]

So you have a boat you know and want to change it for a boat you don’t know. Plan on spending time to get to know the new boat and fixing it up.

In short you best be getting something other than a little better boat but a much better boat.

[davethedog]

Yes, we like the boat we have BUT need more space (the bunk room we are missing) and also use this as an opportunity to get a more suitable boat for our circumnavigation skills.

Trouble is we do not have an unlimited budget and so are a bit limited to what we can get regarding age etc

DTD

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Grandwagoneer0

IMO go with what you have and know.

I agree with this statement BUT a lot depends on what you originally bought that boat for.

There have been any number of posts on this forum by people who originally bought boats for coastal cruising and, years later, now have a hankering to make a passage...I was one of them. In many cases their original purchase was appropriate for coastal cruising but the boat may not fit the bill for doing a ocean passage for any number of reasons.

A boat should be matched for the use and waters it will be traversing...you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. That doesn't mean that some poorly matched boats haven't made successful passages, they have but that doesn't make them good choices or fall into the category of good planning...I call them outliers.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[davethedog]

We bought the current boat and fitted her out for the Med really and she is a lovely boat and we know she could take us across the Atlantic fine but now we have been here in the Canaries we have met a lot of very experienced ocean sailors and circumnavigators. All have offered us a lot of very good advice and for what we have decided to do next, the current boat (although will manage) is not ideally suited.

What we have decided we need are:
Heavier construction.
Centre cockpit.
Larger fuel and water tanks.
Better and stronger keel (current boat is a shoal draft of 1.6m).
Longer waterline length.
Better sail plan (inner forestay as a minimum extra).
Wind steering (preferably version that doubles as a spare rudder).
Extra storage space.

And then add in of course water-maker, solar panels, generator ...the list goes on

So, we have been thinking long and hard and decided that we are willing to buy an older but more suitable boat and then sell the current one.

Thanks for all the advice as usual!

DTD

[Happ]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

And there you have the ever ongoing post about boats

The believers of only the old school heavy boats. Doesn't matter what users of the other boats or that they have now been out there over 20 years

Facts are facts. The newer boats are faster by design but have flatter bottoms. Offshore in seas mean more pounding. Speed? With the added waterline length probably close to the same. Heavy displacement older boats. Yes theoretically they are slower in light air. reality is once you get them going the momentum they create carries them forward. Another factor that hasn’t been discussed is how is the interior built. Better built interiors as in older boats (better materials attached in more places) means less creaking as the boats twist. Interiors built as part of the hull stiffen the boat as well. Newer boats depend more on hull design (pans are inserted to the inside of the hull).

So if you crossing the ocean once. Coastal cruising from the on it comes down to what do you like and feel more comfortable in. Sailed sensibly, both will get you across the ocean. If you aren’t great reading the weather I suggest a Weather Router. You can talk to them enroute via SSB or Sat Phone which can be rented for the crossing.

Good luck! Enjoy the ride!!!

[SeeMonstrEd]

I also would not buy a Hunter. I looked a lots of them before I bought my Jeanneau. They all had Deck/hull joint leaks and other manufacturing issues. The hunter in the slip next to me nearly sank because they used brass fittings attached to thruhulls below the waterline. If I had not heard the bilge alarm it would have been on the bottom. The brass was gone and the boat was only a year old. NEVER Hunter.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by SeeMonstrEd

I also would not buy a Hunter. I looked a lots of them before I bought my Jeanneau. They all had Deck/hull joint leaks and other manufacturing issues. The hunter in the slip next to me nearly sank because they used brass fittings attached to thruhulls below the waterline. If I had not heard the bilge alarm it would have been on the bottom. The brass was gone and the boat was only a year old. NEVER Hunter.

That is simply not true. I've surveyed hundreds of Hunters and never seen a brass throughull or seacock ... However I've never seen anything other than brass ball valves on a Beneteau, Hanse, Bavaria or Jeanneau... they don't even use proper flanged seacocks !
They even use NPT to NPS threads ! https://pbase.com/mainecruising/seacock_primer&page=2

[SeeMonstrEd]

So I guess Boatpoker was there with me on all those boats and on the boat next to me while it was sinking and I was closing the seacocks to keep the boat from sinking. BTW I did not say the seacock was brass. It was the fitting after the seacock that failed. I don't know if the seacock was brass or bronze I did not look at it.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by SeeMonstrEd

So I guess Boatpoker was there with me on all those boats and on the boat next to me while it was sinking and I was closing the seacocks to keep the boat from sinking. BTW I did not say the seacock was brass. It was the fitting after the seacock that failed. I don't know if the seacock was brass or bronze I did not look at it.

So you trash hunter because some idiot owner added a brass fitting !