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Mithril Bham · 06-09-2016, 10:55

Sailed a SC 39 for quite a few years and loved it. Not the fastest boat but weathered 84 MPH winds off Vancouver and have been a fan ever since. Get good survey especially core under deck.

barnakiel · 06-09-2016, 12:10

I like both designs.

We considered a SC31 as our step-up boat at a time.

I think, if I were going to sail heaps ... I might elect a SC31. However, the IP boat looks like better volume/layout/livability.

Try to match the boat you get with the sailing you are going to make. In 99% of cases, the IP will be the boat. A SC31 can be the choice for extended, long term, open water, sailing.

Cheers,
b.

ALAIN97133 · 07-09-2016, 05:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by arroway

Hello all. First post. New to the forum, somewhat new to sailing. Not new to boatsjust about enough knowledge to truly be dangerous.... Absolutes that we know: The Southern Cross needs updated electronics and has no shower at all (!). The Island Packet has a few odds and ends she needs, but nothing more than about $1000 in actual needs. (Note: obviously a formal survey may turn up more on either boat). For some reason, we just really love the SC - just seems to fit us like a glove. But that also might be a problem, maybe just perhaps too tight. I think both will be sluggish; we're not looking to race, though. We are going to get to take the IP out in a few weeks (not an official sea trial) but the broker is going to take us out, so we'll get to see how she sails. Not sure we'd be able to take the SC out before an official offer is on the table. Anyway, just curious as to what anyone's thoughts were on the two? I will note this: the SC is about 30% cheaper than the IP.Thanks!

I would pick up the Southern Cross if I intend to stick my nose offshore: I cruised non stop for 3 years from Southampton/England to Vancouver BC (Via the West Indies, New England, Panama, Marquesas, Tuamotu, Tahiti, Hawaii) in a Camper & Nicholson 31 Remember that you might need to fight your way to windward while a gale is trying to push you towards an unfriendly shore. This actually happened to us while sailing down between northern Spain & Madeira

The brave little C&N 31 with his 5 foot draft beat us, close hauled, away from the coast during a two day force 8 gale

no GPS (Back then) no celestial navigation, only 2 radio beacons, one from northern Spain & one from Lisbon that gave us an open intersection & therefore not very reliable one

PS: I now have a lighter displacement sailboat (Ericson 34) & I can confirm that for the same price, I would take a roomier/lighter displacement boat any day. By the way my last 4 sailboats displaced 6 metric tons which make them reasonable to crew alone (Or when your mate is sleeping)...
Good luck !
NICHOLSON 31 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
SOUTHERN CROSS 31 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
ISLAND PACKET 31 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

Hoodsail · 07-09-2016, 06:21

Can't speak to a comparison between the SC 31 and IP 31, but can speak to the seaworthiness of an IP 38. Sailed her from Bermuda to Annapolis being 1 of a crew of 4. We didn't sail quickly but did have her GPS record 10 knots when surfing down the face of wave. Spent a few days at 10-15 degrees heel and boat performed well. Even handled severe gust and jibe when crossing the gulf stream without more than a few wide-eyed crew and clean up down below.
Since books are considerably less expensive than a boat, would add "Sensible Cruising" by D Casey/L Hackler; "Ocean Sailing Yacht" by D Street- vol 1 and 2; "The Nature of Boats" by d Gerr; "Sell Up & Sail" by B/L Cooper; "Offshore Yachts" by Tech Com of CCA.
Good luck with your the pursuit of your boat and enjoy the hunt.
dave

ALAIN97133 · 07-09-2016, 06:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoodsail

Can't speak to a comparison between the SC 31 and IP 31, but can speak to the seaworthiness of an IP 38. Sailed her from Bermuda to Annapolis being 1 of a crew of 4. We didn't sail quickly but did have her GPS record 10 knots when surfing down the face of wave. Spent a few days at 10-15 degrees heel and boat performed well. Even handled severe gust and jibe when crossing the gulf stream without more than a few wide-eyed crew and clean up down below. Since books are considerably less expensive than a boat, would add "Sensible Cruising" by D Casey/L Hackler; "Ocean Sailing Yacht" by D Street- vol 1 and 2; "The Nature of Boats" by d Gerr; "Sell Up & Sail" by B/L Cooper; "Offshore Yachts" by Tech Com of CCA. Good luck with your the pursuit of your boat and enjoy the hunt.
dave

Was it the 5' draft or the 4' shallow draft+centerboard version ?
I don't like less than 5' draft & I much prefer 6' or 4'+7'centerboard such as the Tartan 37.
ISLAND PACKET 38 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

Lowcountry · 30-09-2016, 06:23

I owned and cruised an IP35. Good coastal boat, great Bahamas boat, great marina boat. Not a great ocean boat. The chainplate design on those boats is a fatal flaw. If you're going to windward, your IP will sail about as well as a trawler will sail (meaning not good at all). You will do lots of motoring.

Scout 30 · 30-09-2016, 06:38

It would be interesting to hear what the OP decided.

cjsfsm · 02-11-2016, 13:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Hi, & welcome to CF!

Hope you’ll forgive my starting out being blunt, but you sound like a teenager who’s found his/her first love, & are in need of a bit of reality to fix such. Meaning that when it comes to the SC31 you’re shopping with your heart. And that’s a bad idea in boats, especially when you’re new to them.

Also, this is a huge amount of info, so go through it one piece at a time, so that you don't melt your brains. It's a couple of decades of learning condensed into a "chapter".

BTW, what’s your age, ball park? And I gather that you’re part of a couple? Boat budget equals? Are you up to speed on the boat buying process & steps involved? How about that the boat is only 1/3rd of the fiscal equation. Another 1/3rd is tuning her up & fitting her out. The next 1/3rd is your boat/cruising kitty (in theory). And then there’s another 1/3rd+ for overruns

Anyway, given the size & layout of an SC31, it’ll literally be like living & sailing in a small bathroom. One which sails poorly at that, & doesn’t have much storage space.

Sailboatdata.com is the worlds largest sailboat database. should become one of your new friends for doing basic statistics checks on boats. And in this case the listed SADR – Sail Area to Displacement Ratio on the SC31 is about 14. Which means that it’ll take 20kts of wind to get her north of 5kts, AKA she’s Very slow.

In normal cruising at least half of the winds which you’ll encounter will be under 10kts. Which you need an SADR on the north side of 20 to be able to sail in, with 25 being preferable. Though such numbers can include some extra area from overlapping jibs. But then you also have to figure on having a few thousand pounds of gear & stores onboard, including liquids.

For example, my Ranger 33 with a 135% genoa sailed well down to about 6kts of wind, when she’d drop to 2kts. In 3-4kts I could coax 1.5kts out of her using racing tricks. And my 2-tonner, a racer, with an SADR of 25 with a 150% jib would do wind speed down to 4kts, & 2-3kts in less wind than that. She weighed 9t & had a big rig. But converted into a nice cruiser, who sailed incredibly well. My preference.

The IP31 will have almost twice the livable space inside vs the SC31, both for lounging & sleeping, & especially in the galley. Which is key when cruising, as it’s the heart of the boat. Plus she has a much better SADR, amongst other things. Ergonomics included.
Avoid canoe sterns, it’s like lopping 4-5’ off of the boat in terms of room & hull volume (load & cargo carrying space & ability).

Attached below is a “Sticky” which I've been putting together, given that a lot of folks come looking for help with finding boats. My apologies for it’s length, though it’s FULL of information. And aside from perusing it, especially the links. Go to as many boat shows as possible, & take cameras, voice recorders, video, notepads, & also backpacks for all of the literature you’ll bring home. Start early, stay late; including a few days before & after the show. Meet people Dale Carnagie style, ask questions, learn, make opportunities, sail as much as possible. Leave exhausted, sun burned, & happy!
.
Catch the one in Annapolis next month if at all possible. SIC. It’s a semi-global fav.
Try out bunks, cockpits, everything & anything that brokers & owners don’t expressly forbid you from doing. Both at shows & when viewing boats. Yep, go full on kid in a candy store, & Have Fun!!!

PS: Take your sailing gear bags too. With a pair of lightweight foulies always In your daily boat show backpacks, for those impromptu sailing invites that you’ll wrangle.

STICKY:
These are some past threads on assisting people with finding boats, which are full of info in general. They also include a couple of full on critiques of a couple of specific designs. Including those, which for many, comprise (some) desirable features in a cruiser.
Albeit these most of these Threads/write-ups were targeted towards college students/adults just getting started. And thus, were on very limited budgets. Though the Threads definitely have some pointers in terms of what to look for in a boat. And, FWIW, no 2 people, or family’s needs are the same.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...is-153569.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...al-158939.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1918582
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...al-149790.html

This thread (below) has an AMAZING amount of info on the realities of cruising, & what one Needs in a boat. Along with examples of same, & the why behind same.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-148171.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2107532

A common theme in sailing & cruising, is that both parties, & or everyone onboard, needs to both be able to handle all of the jobs onboard, as well as be comfortable doing them. Otherwise, it can create a Lot of stress, & even end a cruise or a marriage. Thus the inclusion of the below.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-161019.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2043259

People wanting fast boats is another common theme. Although, misconception, is perhaps a more accurate term. Given how many people want boats that will do 200nm days. So, attached are some yardsticks to compare the speeds of various boats. Also see some of the links & articles on this, & other things at www.BethandEvans.com Beth Leonard & Evans Starzinger's website.

One listing below if of the PHRF rating of a large number of boats. PHRF being an acronym for Performance Handicap Rating (Rated) Fleet. So basically it lets you know how fast one boat is as compared to another, in seconds per mile, over most courses,under a general range of sailing conditions. PHRF New England - Handicapping - Base Handicaps

These are some links to pages which make you ask yourself some serious questions about; you, what you plan to do with your boat, & to quantify such. Like how much time you figure to spend in marinas vs. anchoring, where you’ll cruise, climate wise, amounts of stores, etc.
Plus, what features you Need in a boat Vs. what one may desire in one, & how to go about gathering more of this information, down to small but important details of a multiplicity of designs.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f74/whats-the-best-boat-youve-ever-owned-163428.html#post2082019 <- <- <- READ & STUDY THIS To Assist You in Making Your Own Must Have Features Checklist.

Mahina Expeditions - Selecting A Boat for Offshore Cruising <-- They professionally help folks find boats also, & have a recommended boats list. In addition to teaching all kinds of offshore sailing skills, hands on like.

Sailboat Reviews of Offshore Cruising Yachts : Bluewaterboats.org  LOTS of boat evaluations, reviews, & links to info on all reviewed designs on the website

Atom Voyages - Home  Evaluations of LOTS of boats 32’ & less, plus voyages made in them.
Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List

More stuff to read which has questions you need to ask yourself in order to choose the right boat, regardless of the number of hulls that it has.
Kurt Hughes Multihull Design - Catamarans and Trimarans for Cruising and CharterKurt Hughes Multihull Design - Catamarans and Trimarans for Cruising and Charter
https://www.morganscloud.com/
https://www.morganscloud.com/2016/03...ut-you-4-tips/

The fiscal side of cruising often comes up; sometimes to folks pleasant surprise, & the reverse for others. Meaning that, yep, it does cost money, & that living on $200/mo even on a boat, is still quite a challenge. However, the resources below are a big aid in terms of staying on a small budget, if you so choose. And while the last one, Annie Hill’s book, is dated, the principles still FULLY apply today. And she & her then husband lived Very frugally. Beginning with the boat’s design, & how much maintenance she’d need. Their boat that is.

https://www.morganscloud.com/2016/03...what-it-takes/

Not all who wander....are lost

http://www.amazon.com/Voyaging-Small...rds=annie+hill

EDIT: When you're up for some serious reading via some awesome professional sailors, go to www.SetSail.com& download (for free) Steve & Linda Dashew's books. Especially their Offshore Cruising Encyclopeida Vol. II

Excellent "Uncivilized" post