Which boat would you get for 1-2 year RTW cruise on a $900k budget?

[sailingharry]

I know that money fixes many problems, and power "stuff" makes stuff easy. But at boat sizes over 50+, EVERYTHING IS BIG! Mooring lines. Jib sheets. Spinnaker bags. Whisker poles. Main traveler controls. Anchor snubber. EVERYTHING. Our 43' pushes our limits as a cruising couple. Not much, we could handle more. But just carrying the mainsail out the dock to the boat to put it on is a two person job. Mooring lines are hard to coil. We can't actually adjust the main traveler without luffing the main to take off the loads. And we desperately wish our jib winches were electric.


Lots of people sail 50-60 with a couple. But I really think it's more work than the comfort is worth. Try and get out on a 55' boat for a week, if you can beg/borrow/steal a ride, and actually sail it in 20 knot winds. Even better, offer to help the owner take the boat apart for the winter, or help out with some maintenance jobs. Learn what it takes to actually "handle" a boat that size.



Harry

[pas63]

As many eluded in this thread and many more have done, you may get out there and find out many years later you are enjoying the trip too much to stop. If you are looking at $900K all in you have a lot of boat choices. Cat's have a lot of advantages, roomy, fast, redundancy. They also have some negatives. All that room in the form of beam limits docking options, increases price. All those redundant systems means twice the work to maintain and twice the cost.

My guess is that you need a boat ready to go with minimal outfitting and/or updating? This eliminates a lot of great older boats that can be had cheap but would need a full refit.

My short list would be Hylas, Tayana, Passport, Amel. My number 1 pic would would be a 90's or early 2000 Amel Super Maramu - 53', set up to be a comfortable world cruiser able to be handled by a couple with occasional. You will probable find yourself sailing short handed more than not. Amel's philosophy was that the smallest person on the boat should be able to single had her. Check out videos by s/v Delos if you have not already done so.

https://www.jordanyachts.com/2490
This is a review on the Amel

https://preparetocastoff.blogspot.co...ying-amel.html

Joel Potter is the goto broker in the US for Amels
Joel Potter
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Office 954-462-5869
Cell 954-812-2485
jfpottercys@att.net

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by 4ndreas

What a lovely boat. Are you going to crew it just the two of you for the World ARC?

Have been looking at the World ARC too, and that is where i got the rough RTW time estimate from. It seems like many people on here find that routing to be quite rushed. Did you have any concerns about that when signing up for the rally?

Hi... I did the World ARC way back in 2010. Looking back, we should have got as far as the South Pacific, dropped out of WARC for 12 months to explore the area and then picked it up again next time around.

I did it in a cat with just my wife as crew. Long downwind passages were easy as we didn't get the rolling that can be a problem with some monos. Much more stable platform in the rolly anchorages of the South Pacific as well.

[sailr69]

Originally Posted by 4ndreas

Hi there

I'm exploring boat options for a 1-2 year cruise round the world. The total budget is USD $900k +/-.
The crew would mainly be my girlfriend and I (aged 27/35) but ideally the boat could comfortably fit 2-6 guests for extended periods.

We’ve grown up doing inshore racing and cruising on various dinghies and monohulls 30′ - 45′.

Given these circumstances, what would be your considerations when it comes to:

1) Price. Out of the $900k budget how much would you spend on the boat itself? Would you consider a boat loan to get the dream boat? (Can’t get over how beautiful that Beneteau First 53 is)

2) Size. What would be the sweet spot that is easy to handle for a couple, yet offers space enough for friends and family? How much would draft play into this decision?

3) Any suggestions? Any specific models you’d recommend looking at?

Thanks for any advice!

Andreas

the best boat for what you are going to do is without a doubt: a Corbin 39, not just my opinion. incredibly strong boat. fast too

[sailr69]

Originally Posted by 4ndreas

Hi there

I'm exploring boat options for a 1-2 year cruise round the world. The total budget is USD $900k +/-.
The crew would mainly be my girlfriend and I (aged 27/35) but ideally the boat could comfortably fit 2-6 guests for extended periods.

We’ve grown up doing inshore racing and cruising on various dinghies and monohulls 30′ - 45′.

Given these circumstances, what would be your considerations when it comes to:

1) Price. Out of the $900k budget how much would you spend on the boat itself? Would you consider a boat loan to get the dream boat? (Can’t get over how beautiful that Beneteau First 53 is)

2) Size. What would be the sweet spot that is easy to handle for a couple, yet offers space enough for friends and family? How much would draft play into this decision?

3) Any suggestions? Any specific models you’d recommend looking at?

Thanks for any advice!

Andreas

the best boat for what you are going to do is without a doubt: a Corbin 39, not just my opinion. incredibly strong boat. fast too
just be aware of some off the finished by owners , some of these boats are just terrible.

[Cynara]

Hans Christian 41 would be my choice

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by 4ndreas

I'm exploring boat options for a 1-2 year cruise round the world. The total budget is USD $900k +/-.

Hello Andreas,

Context: I am a naval architect and marine engineer (mostly warships) on my third career as a delivery skipper. I've sailed a lot of boats. Also forty years of racing. I'm afraid I've aged out of foredeck. I can't keep up with the kids up there anymore. *grin*

I would expect that in a circumnavigation you'll spend most time at most stops at anchor. However, the bigger the boat the greater the cost for dockage. This includes the time it takes to get ready to depart. That's bleeding money. In addition, the availability of large slips and tee-heads is limited so sometimes there simply is "no room at the inn."

You have a pretty healthy budget for a relatively young couple. Good for you. How are you going to stay connected so that you can transition back to positive cash flow when you return? I strongly recommend some solid work/office space on the boat.

Try to find a layout with a head at the base of the companionway, preferably with a separate shower. The shower will be were wet foulies go and the rest your day head. This is amazingly important.

For long term cruising I really like a center island queen in an aft cabin. It's comfortable at anchor, comfortable underway, and when you are on off-watch the watchstander can get you to help by just jumping up and down in the cockpit.

Try to keep systems, especially electronics, simple. Remote switching for example such as C-Zone is cool until it fails, often doesn't have manual bypasses, and presents EMI/RFI problems that conflict with navigation networks, VHF, HF, and satellite systems. Newer and bigger boats are subject to a lot of technology for its own sake.

When Jimmy Cornell founded and owned ARC he collected a lot of failure data. I don't know if the current organization still does that; I certainly haven't seen it. Generators and watermakers were the most substantial failures. Bear that in mind.

On that note, there are DC boats and AC boats. In my opinion, anything mission critical should run off DC. Amels, for example, are the opposite. Way too many systems running off AC: refrigeration, watermaker, sometimes cooking. Oh - electric cooking is stunningly stupid. Don't do that.

Cooking is important. I have current customers who are perfectly happy with a diet of completely dehydrated food. Others are great cooks. Be self aware and build cooking and eating needs into your requirements.

I think there are a couple of sweet spots. 40'+/- is trivial to handle and the cost and availability of dockage is sort of a baseline. Two plus six guests would be really tight. For me, someone would die. Maybe me. 48'+/- is another sweet spot as you get a really useful third cabin (office?). Still not hard to handle. The bigger you get the more you'll spend on maintenance. The bigger you get the bigger the loads are and the greater the impact of failures.

Handling is mostly about the operator, not the size of the boat. I've moved boats up to about 80' by myself; no dockhands (in my opinion dockhands are the single biggest hazard to recreational boaters). It's about practice and preparation and judgment.

I like lots of halyards. I have two main halyards and a topping lift (and a solid vang) aft of the mast and two jib halyards, a spinnaker halyard, a staysail halyard, and a topping lift forward of the mast. Does an outboard lift on a crane count as a halyard? *grin*

I'm a fan of German Frers designs. The hulls are good and the boats can move.

Level changes are bad. Handholds are good. Fiddles are good (one of the reasons I don't like catamarans much for long distance cruising).

Big deep cockpit lockers are important.

I like the Scandinavian boats. I like Hylas. I like the older Moody's. I'm not fond of Garcia or the larger Jeanneaus. I don't like deck saloons at all.

[TrentePieds]

Andreas:

We have a member circumnavigating the world out of Copenhagen. Presently he is on the west coast of North America. I'm sure you'd enjoy a conversation with him. He sails a boat very similar to what I gather you are contemplating. I believe that having already been where the coconuts grow, he's now gonna go and check on the ice bears :-)

Let's see if he checks in!

Venlig hilsen,

TrentePieds

[TrentePieds]

Auspicious:

What a splendid précis - yours #52!

Do you have any publications we could read in their entirety :-)?

TrentePieds

[JRO]

Unless you are looking for passage making bragging rights… I would not buy a boat. I’d fly-charter, fly-charter, fly-charter… Why limit yourself to the sea. In some places you may want to charter a camper-van and see the interior or stay in a Paris hotel for a few days. Being tied to a boat and dingy ALL THE TIME can get a little monotonous and the last thing you want is to breakdown and burn your time fixing a boat. And no matter how much in love you are you might find yourself in stressful situations that can end your relationship. I have a friend stuck in cold weather right now for repairs instead of being in the warmth of the Bahamas. I spent a year in the Bahamas… It didn’t suck but I would have loved to fly to the mediterranean for a month and then Fiji and then and then and then a camper van trip throughout New Zealand. Just a consideration….

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by 4ndreas

Have been eying cats too Just never sailed one bigger than a Hobie so it's a bit foreign. The Seawind 1370 looks v nice but probably out of budget.

Are they that much faster than a 45-50' modern monohull cruiser though?

I think at two years, a cat is your only option. Something cruiser style capable of transocean - you'll need to look at lightly used boats in your budget - it takes about two years to order and build one but they typically cost more than you've got. Cats are very popular just now but if you could find a 40 to 45' Seawind, Outremer, Knysna or even Leopard in decent shape about for $500,000 with some money left over for light refitting (they all need something) and I'd budget about 4k a month for your cruising budget just to be safe.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by 4ndreas

Hi there

I'm exploring boat options for a 1-2 year cruise round the world. The total budget is USD $900k +/-.
The crew would mainly be my girlfriend and I (aged 27/35) but ideally the boat could comfortably fit 2-6 guests for extended periods.

We’ve grown up doing inshore racing and cruising on various dinghies and monohulls 30′ - 45′.

Given these circumstances, what would be your considerations when it comes to:

1) Price. Out of the $900k budget how much would you spend on the boat itself? Would you consider a boat loan to get the dream boat? (Can’t get over how beautiful that Beneteau First 53 is)

2) Size. What would be the sweet spot that is easy to handle for a couple, yet offers space enough for friends and family? How much would draft play into this decision?

3) Any suggestions? Any specific models you’d recommend looking at?

Thanks for any advice! Andreas

Your young and appear to have plenty of money.

1) Out of that budget I would plan for no more than half to purchase the boat new or used. You can plan on up to half of the remainder getting it configured to your needs/taste. Never finace a depreceating asset.

2) Go for the mimum size to suit your sailing lifestyle for a round-the-world passage. Look at those couples that have already done it and make a decision on size...something in the 40s I presume but base your selection on the boats specifications (ratios) rather than the LOA. Friends and family guesting on your boat has a very large impact on your sailing schedule and can have negative affects on safety in distractions and trying to meet scheduled pickups/drop offs; the rule is to schedule location or dates NOT BOTH.

3) Two years is too short. Go with Jimmy Cornell's recommendations as a starter. Your experience doesn't list any offshore passages and there is a tremendous difference between racing and an offshore passage to say nothing of round-the-world. An offshore passage is not about speed but, rather, just keeping the boat together, everything working, with the crew safe and happy...some people have said, days of boredom and moments or terror. With your budget don't choose one of the mass production boats. Base your selection after comparing ratios and pick something designed for long passages with suitable tankage placed appropriately in the boat. If you are buying used your selection will be among those boats that are available; buying new you may have to wait for manufacturing. Then, no matter the selection, there is outfitting and time spent learning the boat and getting confidence in it.

Spend lots of time researching and planning...the devil lies in the details!

Good Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[captain38]

Originally Posted by 4ndreas

Hi there

I'm exploring boat options for a 1-2 year cruise round the world. The total budget is USD $900k +/-.
The crew would mainly be my girlfriend and I (aged 27/35) but ideally the boat could comfortably fit 2-6 guests for extended periods.

We’ve grown up doing inshore racing and cruising on various dinghies and monohulls 30′ - 45′.

Given these circumstances, what would be your considerations when it comes to:

1) Price. Out of the $900k budget how much would you spend on the boat itself? Would you consider a boat loan to get the dream boat? (Can’t get over how beautiful that Beneteau First 53 is)

2) Size. What would be the sweet spot that is easy to handle for a couple, yet offers space enough for friends and family? How much would draft play into this decision?

3) Any suggestions? Any specific models you’d recommend looking at?

Thanks for any advice!

Andreas

Buy and read a few good books! One to two year circumnavigation... no way!

[aerocanard]

Here is a 55' Jeanneau Catamaran that we refitted better than new with huge upgrades and ready to cruise around the world. He is the link: https://www.catamaransite.com/catama...au-lagoon-55s/

She is set up to be handled by my wife and I and her size makes her a great cruiser that can travel 200+ mile days. Make us an offer and you will be ready to start your trip....

Jeff
S/V Vitesse
Bocas Del Toro, Panama

[Eder]

Something with a lot of sails...cutter rig with a code zero.

Ketch wastes too much deck space imo...especially if you have more than 2 guests.
2 staterooms is plenty, 1 head is not enough...room for more storage. Surplus guests can sleep outside or on a settee...underway sharing the aft cabin & settee's are pretty standard anyway.


I like my own boat but there are many to choose from with your budget.