Tough and safe family boat

[EQJim]

Originally Posted by Seman

Don't dismiss a 40 - 45 cat.

I dont want to dismiss the cat. Main reason we started to look at monohulls was because of the "bang for the buck". It is my impression that you get a better quality monohull for, lets say 150k, than a cat.

[EQJim]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

My advice buy a modern 2015 plus mainstream European production boat. Spares and knowledge readily available and with little prep you are ready to go. Don’t worry about ocean crossing , go sailing

Old boats have tired equipment , I have a friend redoing a HR , he’s spending a fortune replacing systems. A Bavaria harken winch is the same as a HR Harken winch except Bavaria will buy it at half the price of HR.

the purchase price is the least of your worries.

Any production production boat 45 foot and up will take you anywhere you want to go , except some crazy latitudes. You can prep these boats as needed for long voyages if that becomes “ your thing” you may also find it does not become your thing , one can spend a decade sailing the med !

One thing CATS in the med are increasingly attracting high differential berthing charges , this is only going one way

So, looking at our budget this means also looking at ex-charters, no?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by EQJim

So, looking at our budget this means also looking at ex-charters, no?

There’s nothing wrong with ex-charter boats. Often they are well maintained , they can be tired for their age . Definitely include suitable ones in your search , the benny 50 beside me is ex charter and she’s immaculate.she is a 2016 boat.

[Don Sloma]

Think charter boat brands, whether you buy an ex-charter boat or not. Charter boats have to be easy to sail. Solidly enough built to withstand abuse. Easy to work on. Parts not hard to find and not too spendy. I bought an older Moorings charter and kept it in a local charter company long enough for it to pay for its own refitting as I learned the boat over a half dozen years. By the time I took it out of charter, I had replaced the rigging, sails, motor, electronics, fridge and interior cushions. It came with 150' of chain, a CQR and electric winch I still use along with all the stuff charter boats have. Look at 3 to 5 year old Beneteaus coming from Moorings in the BVI. There are some clean 50s and some dogs. All are solid enough for off shore. Comfy. Fun to sail. Easy to work on. Easy to find parts. Good luck.

[EQJim]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

We will be looking at a lot of boats the coming seasons, mostly to get our bearings and trying to see what boats cover most of our priorities. All while sailing our 26 obviously

@Don Sloma: We are familiar with Moorings. Any other charters corps we should take a look at inventory wise?

[more]

Originally Posted by EQJim

Dear cruisers,

This is my first post, so let me start off with a short intro.
We are a family of 5 with three boys aged 7, 5 and 1.
We are looking to start cruising for a period of time, starting end of 2026 and seeing where it will take us (and for how long).


. This brings me to budget: As it seems now we have a budget between 300-350k EUR (350k + in USD) by end of 2026.

My advice buy new factory nude boat. Prepare cash , and outfits boat but you.
on this way you know very bolt in boat. if you don't know how to maintenance and repair boat money just fly .

For example i make solar arch for my boat 2x150 watt mono hul i spend under 100€ SS316 if you order this arch from me i charge you 3000+€ without blinking in eyes

but for my Bav 44 i don't have time because come in late spring i hire college he charge me 2000€ also 2x 160 solar panel.

this is only this small part
when you buy new boat you have 6-12 month hard work but after this you are calm 6-10 year.

with cash you always can arrange 10% discount from list price .

Find now some charter management program and buy new boat and on 2026 you have couple year used boat.

[more]

i forget where you are,(tax residency) and where you planing keep boat and sailing area.

[EQJim]

Hi More,

but wouldn't you agree that looking at our budget a new boat would be asking too much from our budget?

We are EU citizens (Dutch) and would like to keep our destination open.

[goboatingnow]

a new boat is not within the budget the OP mentions. Adding all the bells costs more money.

If the OP is Dutch and sailing the EU coast, then he needs a VAT paid boat , so this is best done by buying in the EU , as the vat tends to get depreciated out over time. Hence European charter companies. There are many good boats bought out of charter.

My other advice , if you intend to sail into the sun buy a boat in such a “ sunny “ area , it will tend to be equipped according at similar pricing.

For example at the end of 2019 I went looking to buy a second hand Benny 393. The asking price in the uk and around Europe was quite similar but the southern med ones came with extensive Biminis and solar panels , while the uk one had a diesel heater. Adding things afterwards that turn out to be necessary can be very expensive ( budget 10 - 15% purchase price for upgrades , or 5k minimum )

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by EQJim

Hi More,

but wouldn't you agree that looking at our budget a new boat would be asking too much from our budget?

We are EU citizens (Dutch) and would like to keep our destination open.

Yes , you also need to keep 20% in reserve

[EQJim]

Right, so far we feel like 150k EUR is the top of our bandwidth since we need to expect (hidden) issues and might need to improve on the equipment/inventory.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by EQJim

Right, so far we feel like 150k EUR is the top of our bandwidth since we need to expect (hidden) issues and might need to improve on the equipment/inventory.

Take about 110-120k max as the actual budget , you will spend 2K minimum on the buying process alone.

This will typically get you into 10 year plus production boats of you want to approach or exceed 40 feet , it will be mainstream brands like beneteau , jeaneaux, Bavaria , Dehler , etap , Delphia, etc. But there’s good choice in these brands,

At the moment the market is over heated, and prices are high and choice is a challenge. But it’s entirely do-able.

Given the inflation situation which looks running for a while , your budget for 2026 will of course buy you less , unless we see a change in the used market ( which may happen )

[EQJim]

Yes I agree. Inflation will takes its toll but honestly: who knows where the market will be in 5 years?

Who knew Covid was around the corner beginning of 2019? Death and taxes

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by EQJim

Yes I agree. Inflation will takes its toll but honestly: who knows where the market will be in 5 years?

Who knew Covid was around the corner beginning of 2019? Death and taxes

Yes but by and large 150k in 2026 will buy you less then today , so factor that in.

In my case I took a 100k euro budget in early 2020 and spent 40k on a 36 footer ( there is only the two of us ). We will never cross oceans in it , but everything else it does acceptably well. We spent 10k on getting it to the way we wanted it ( I’m fussy ) it’s now.

Cut your cloth as they say

[Joh.Ghurt]

Jim,

most boat can take more than the crew can. So in tight spot, the boat will get you through.

The biggest aspect of safety at sea is to know when to go and when to stay. As soon as you're sailing with a timetable, you start taking unnecessary risks.

In your situation, you should put much focus on getting a boat you can single-hand. This will make everything more comfortable if you both an do something, while giving you the option to sail when your partner is out of order or has to take care of the children.

Then you should consider how much time you'll want to spend fixing the boat compared to sailing. In case of doubt, go for a smaller but newer boat that offers the space you need instead of the bigger ones needing more work.

And lastly, going by you +/- list of the boats you've already seen, you aren't ready to buy a boat yet. You need to spend a lot more time on boats before you'll start to see the important things. For example, do you have a realistic idea how much time you spend inside that a dark interior or whether an IKEA-vibe makes a big difference? Or what kind of investments your wife needs to make to personalise those to your likings compared to having to replace the engine on a boat with a nicer colour-scheme? Things of importance in a house aren't always as important in a cruising boat.

Just as an example I'm sitting here in a boat with no portlights in the hull, all dark teak and only two hatches (in the saloon and in the forward cabin). Sounds pretty dark, but here in Spain isn't. In Norway in winter, I might see the situation differently.