Sailing the North Channel

[Tinman83]

Hello all,

I am looking to purchase a boat for the North Channel of Georgian Bay this season. I have been sailing down in the Virgin Islands on Beneteau 47 a few times and would now like my own boat. There are so many options out there that I am getting a little overwhelmed and could use some advice.

I am looking for a 30-35 foot boat that has some performance. Not really looking to race just some performance. Most of the time there will only be 2 of us on the boat for a week or so at a time.

Some of the boats I am looking at right now are
1988 Beneteau 350
1980 Niagara 35
1994 Beneteau 352 ( this one is in the US and has spent some time in salt water)
2001 Dufor gib-sea.

I am open to looking at anything at this time and could really use some direction. My budget is around $60-70k

Thanks in advance

[MSN-Travelers]

We have an Oceanis 352. It is a transitional model that is based on the 351's hull and incorperates interior aspects of the 361 that was about to replace it. The 352 was produced for model years `97 (?), `98 & `99. A `94 would be a 350/351 has a salon table supported by two legs.

The three cabin layout has the galley along the port side of the salon. The two cabin layout seems to be more common and is what we have. At some point they switched from a Perkins to Yanmar for the diesel. I have been told the Yanmar is the better of the two and is easier to support over the long haul.

In any event, we love our 352 and confidently sail Lake Michigan in all sorts of conditions. We are often out for 2-3 weeks at a time.

Enjoy!

[svHannabel]

There are literally 100's, if not 1000's of boats in your budget that would meet your needs of being North Channel cruise capable with a good turn of speed. Keep in mind, many anchorages and entrances in the North Channel can be daunting if you have a draft over 5'.

Of the boats you listed, I'd personally choose the Niagara simply because I prefer more traditional aesthetics and really like the alternative cabin layout offered in some Niagaras.