What's the best Bahamas cruiser?

[belizesailor]

OP: Define "best". Define "affordable".

The problem w such general terms is that everyone's definition will be different. To provide any useful answers we need to know your definition of both those terms.

[Group9]

Funny thing is, We go to the Bahamas a lot, and as a fun exercise in my head at night before I go to sleep, I take various boats (even really different ones like a 25’ inboard/outboard cabin cruiser, for instance) with different power, drafts, configurations, sail plans, and I replay our various cruises in the hypothetical boat, examining the pros and cons of the imagined boat in my head. Many are boats I have actually seen people cruising in there.

it’s actually kind of fun, and the conclusion I have come to from all that hypothetical musing, is that there are a whole lot of different boats that would probably be really fun to take to the Bahamas. Best? I still don’t have a clue.

[a64pilot]

Well affordable was brought up and that means different things to different people.
There is no one best of course, but the OI 41 in my opinion would be a very good choice.

[Tingum]

Anything with Air Conditioning and an ice maker!

[DSIMMIE]

Southerly 480. Draft (Keel up - 1m////Keel down - 3.2m)
My dream boat

[redstripesailor]

Presto 30.

https://www.adventureboatworks.com/design

[Matt Johnson]

Hard to beat a Gemini cat for the Bahamas. Super low draft (21"?), Great view from everywhere in the boat ,nice cockpit space and good sun coverage... I can't think of anything else needed for the Bahamas

Matt

[fred4936]

We have been planning cruising for a while sailing a Tartan 27-2 to "learn the ropes" of cruising. Both my wife and I have been sailing since our childhoods. But we just purchased a Pearson 34-2 as our boat to cruise the Bahamas, Great Loop, Northeast U.S., and wherever else we think of. We think the 4' draft, good sailing ability and roomy interior will work for us. We have a few more years of rat race, but at least we have the boat and the learning curve gets steep again! BTW, very nice Tartan 27-2 is for sale!

[jmh2002]

Wharram catamaran? Shallow draft, large wide open decks for outdoor tropical living, huge potential for solar power, and in the affordable category.

[Scout 30]

Many will tell you that it can be done with a deep draft but it's hard to deny that the less draft you have the better. The Bahamas & the Keys are 2 places where extreme shoal draft can really open up some neat areas to explore. But I have to agree that it you already have a boat that's the best boat to cruise the Bahamas in.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by jmh2002

Wharram catamaran? Shallow draft, large wide open decks for outdoor tropical living, huge potential for solar power, and in the affordable category.

Originally Posted by Scout 30

The Bahamas & the Keys are 2 places where extreme shoal draft can really open up some neat areas to explore.

Living the dream, Normans Cay, Exumas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFDdWilDggw

[LoudMusic]

Sailing catamaran with dagger boards. Get into the really shallow spots.

[wsmurdoch]

The "Best Boat" for the Bahamas is the one that is under you at the time.

We are sometimes asked what sort of boat you need to go to the Bahamas. Well, the near boat is a 22 foot Catalina sailboat and is worth maybe $3000. The larger boat is a 70 foot long Sunreef sailing catamaran and is worth about $3,000,000. Both are at Shroud Cay, both have the same view, and both are having a ball. (irish-eyes-to-the-bahamas.blogspot.com June 6. 2015)

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Adelie

My personal choice would be a C&C Mega 30.
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/mega-30-od-cc

Hah! that could be fun. I almost bought one a few years ago for "Fast Cruising" as a micro cruiser . Man they are lightweight stuff. The hardware and rigging especially!
Interestingly , I found a bargain with a bunch of used and hardly used sails that a 90 year old guy had. It was all blistered in fresh water. He hadn't been to see it for years. Luckily I tilted the boat and immediately below the waterline there were tons of quarter sized blisters. I had to tell him what was going on with his boat.
My guess is the hull is maybe 1/8" thick on the outer skin (cored hull) No way you were going to fix a blister job on one of those.
Another Mega had a wet core, but no holes drill through the core. I guess the skin was so thin the water just went through eventually...?

They are ugly, but fast and almost no draft, could be fun gunkholing in the Bahamas! Oh.. the isolated places you could go in 3 ft of water with lobster under every coral head!

[SV Toucan]

Hunter Legend 35.5, Cruiser/Racer with lots of amenities.