Plan and decide? Type of Monohull?

[Linguini]

Hi there!

The plan: within the next years we will early retire from a long time of hard work :-). My wife and I are in line, small house or flat at the sea (maybe a houseboat) and a Sailing Boat to cruise longer then we do today. Today the longest cruises are 4 weeks (6 weeks maybe 2018). But we sail every! weekend at a lake with lots of wind but no waves on our 25 feet.

So I check the boats that are build these days or the past 3-5 years. So they will come affordable after 4-5 more years with an age of 6 to 10 years.

I will check at the next boat fairs (Germany, France, Denmark) wich will be inside the list and what boats are completely out. But so many boats to check - I have to downselect by the experience of the todays owners. A new boat mostly is nice and everything is working.... :-). The selected candidates will be stalked for the next 4 years before we will buy the right one. I plan to need 1-2 years to buy one and refit everything and of course know and handle the beatuy

Budget will be around 200K (€/$) as an all inclusive budget. So the boat maybe 160 and 40K for refit, new sails and so on.

Region of Cruising will be mainly all around europe and med sea. Northern regions prefered but also south down to Cyprus (depending on the politics progression).

But we also want to jump to the United States. Yes, not the caribean! Ok we also will visit the caribean but we are more in Georgia S/N Carolina up to Maine. We have relatives in every State - so it will be a reunion journey :-)

The todays requirement catalogue is pretty much simple:

Spacious enough for 2 plus max. 2 Guests only a couple of weeks/year
Easy handling with a low complexity. Hallyards at the mast for example
The interieur should be some kind of modern, bright (wifes priority)
The pantry should be well equiped and not to small. (my priority ;-) )
Center Cockpit would be fine but the number of CC modells are decreasing. For CC I maybe could take a smaller boat - more space.

The boat should be from a good quality but hey, the plan is to sail for 5 to 10 years. 10 if everything stay perfect (health). So the boat should work for this duration - don´t need a tank that last for 100 years.

And, I like to sail fast :-) doesn´t mater if up or down!

So the main question is, what boats are right or wrong to check out in detail.

So far I have some candidates ( in the order of interest)

1. Wauquiez Centurion 42/45s
2. Sunbeam 42.1 or maybe the 37 - both Center Cockpit
3. Elan 400
4. Grand Soleil 42
5. Jeanneau Odyssey 440
6. Beneteau Oceanis 45

I could add boats like the Maree Haute Django 12.70, exceptional boat, to the list but I don´t think this is suitable for a long time cruising. I sailed with the 7.70 Django. Extreme fast, absolute perfect build quality (had a detailed guided tour at the french shipxard).

So I would appreciate your opinion, your thoughts, mybe your experience.... anything *smile*

Thanks :-)

[a64pilot]

All I’ll add is that in my opinion a Center Console is a great design, but it takes a bigger, not smaller Boat to make it work well.
You want to go fast, and more than anything else, that seems to be a factor of waterline length, which also points to a bigger Boat.
Problem is big boat means big money.
Get a boat that motors very well and has a good comfortable helm position ideally one you can stand comfortably and sit.
The Intercoastal is almost completely a motoring and hand steering experience.

[Linguini]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

All I’ll add is that in my opinion a Center Console is a great design, but it takes a bigger, not smaller Boat to make it work well.
You want to go fast, and more than anything else, that seems to be a factor of waterline length, which also points to a bigger Boat.
Problem is big boat means big money.
Get a boat that motors very well and has a good comfortable helm position ideally one you can stand comfortably and sit.
The Intercoastal is almost completely a motoring and hand steering experience.

Understand! So my understanding was wrong and geee yes, CC is pretty much expensive. With intercoastal you refer to the US? Intercoastal sailing at the french atlantic coast up to the north sea is pretty much sailing / windy.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy Linguini!

Since you are located in Europe, and you have some desire to cruise in a faster than average boat, or not in a very slow boat, I encourage you to visit the excellent blog created by one of CF's members, "POLUX." His blog features excellent illustrated articles about a wide variety of European built boats, and many of his posts discuss the merits and design features of the "fast cruiser" type boats, including the most cutting edge designs. He makes several recommendations. I think if you visit his blog, you could spend hours reading there and get a broad view of the market for European boats, and most specifically the more modern and recent designs.

POLUX has added many boats to discussions here on CF, but those are generally found in threads about other topics, and so I don't have a link to them handy.

Here is a link to his blog, and if you look at the menu on the right column, you will see many interesting articles listed.

This particular page may interest you, but I think there are many others on his blog that will also fit your desired topic research.
Interesting Sailboats: LONG RANGE CRUISING IN A REAL FAST BOAT (charter)

Good luck on your boat hunt, and Bon Voyage!

P.S. I recently sailed to Newfoundland on a J42 (a boat built in America and designed as a "fast cruiser"). While the boat was fully loaded with cruising gear for months of cruising: water, fuel, extra fuel, food, spares, outboard motor, full interior, extra water, liferaft, heavy anchor and chain, RIB, etc, it was still cruising along at 7,8,9, and even 10 knots under a reefed main and jib (no spinnaker used) and was doublehanded easily too. So, a faster design boat, even a cruising boat, can be a faster than another design, and more fun. It was fun to watch the speedo go from 8-9-10 knots, while reefed!

You can find J42 boats from the 1990s for sale in the USA.

[Linguini]

Thx, I also sailed on J´s :-) J´s are pretty much represented in NL and GER.

I will check with Polux

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Linguini

Thx, I also sailed on J´s :-) J´s are pretty much represented in NL and GER.

I will check with Polux

Good. Yes, I know some of the J Boat line was marketed in or available in Europe, So there may be some located there too.

The J42 is a design from the 1990s. There may be other more recent "fast cruiser" designs in that brand, but I don't know their model numbers at this time.

Good luck.

[barnakiel]

Since you said something like 'all over Europe' I will say stick to some sort of pilot house design. All over Europe is where it tends to rain quite a bit.

Mind that some of your preferences (e.g. ease of handling = halyards at the mast) may and may not match otherwise experience. You cannot tend halyards at the mast and rudder / engine control all at once especially when your wife enjoys the bright and modern interior.

So, my tips:

- look towards some form of PH design,
- consider all things central as an alternative vision of 'ease of handling',
- reject older proven designs only if they have an obvious cost/maintenance hazard (e.g. old teak deckcs, screwed on), etc.

I have recently visited our friends on their new (to them) Waquiez Amphitrite (make II - the one with the PH and some 45' long). Imho a stunner. They have sailed her from the Med to here and now will go onwards to the other side. Just two onboard and the first mate is not all that great a sailor. The guy operates the boat mostly by himself and LOVES IT. The first mate was also all superlatives about the comfort underway and huge storage.

To sum up, I think keep your mind open for boats that are not exactly how you envision them perfect at this stage. At times something unexpected enters the picture and makes heaps of sense in the cruising sense.

Have fun shopping, dreaming, restoring and SAILING her!

Cheers,
barnakiel
LP

[Linguini]

thx barnakiel! yes Waquiez are one of my favorite boats (see my list). My Wife is a full equivalent skipper :-) so double handed is normal but single handed is a must anyway.

Like life, at the end you have to make compromises. :-)

Cheers, Peter

[SteveSadler]

The Med has a huge selection of boats for sale at very good prices.
With your budget you could have a way bigger boat than is practical.
Every year in October thousands of charters boats go on the market.
They have been well maintained, come with all the equipment they charter with. Granted they need work. mostly aesthetics. In April the new replacement boat needs that slip, so best offer takes it.
We bought a Jeanneau 49DS with in mast furling for 2/3rds the asking price.
Added 2 solar panels and a bigger tender
and cruised the Med for 2 seasons.
Now in the Caribbean.

[demacsea]

You may well have seen this article before, but I've given the link to it again as I'm sure it will help you through the decision process:~

Choosing a Cruising Sailboat...