Any thoughts on the Dean 441?

[Brandywine]

Looks like a reasonable set of compromises. Any have any more feedback or info on the company or boats…

[2Hulls]

I went aboard the model at the Annapolis show last October and first went below. My initial reaction was that this boat seemed bigger than ~44 ft. Very livable and very attractive. A lot of interior wood and nice finish. Then I went topside and figured out why it seemed big down below - it's built out close to the ends, i.e., there's hardly any tramp/open space forward. Similar problem as the Lagoon 420 - use up more of the length to create more space below vs having longer overhangs. Cats with longer overhangs supposedly have less pitching and less adverse consequences if sticking their bows into the back of a wave. That said, the Privilege boats seem to do very well with a similar setup. But this is no Privilege. Whether this is really important depends on what's important to you. JMHO The rake-ish mast looks cool - is it required by the short overhang forward (and mast step further forward than it might otherwise be)?

Dave

[Adaero]

I looked very closely at the Dean at last years La Rochelle show and spent a lot of time talking to Peter Dean.
The good points are that when you buy a Dean you sort of join a family, they send you maintenance reminders every month and the service is very personalised rather than just being a Hull number. The interior finish is superb (in my opinion, as good as Privilege) and the layout can be adapted to whatever you require. If you want a workshop and only 2 cabins they can accomodate you. The price is very competitive for a boat of this quality.
The reason I didn't buy one, as mentioned above, the very small tramps, access around the boat isn't as wide and flat as others, at one point during the show there was around 12 people on board and the bottom step of the sugarscoop was underwater, it is not a very fast boat and is not sold as such but as a comfortable cruiser.
I think the Dean is a fine boat that will cross oceans and be very comfortable at anchor, just not for me.
Adaero

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Adaero

they send you maintenance reminders every month

Sounds like spam to me

[Brandywine]

I spent some time looking at some older threads on this topic and did not turn too much new up... Why is the Dean limited on performance? She looks to have finer hulls then the corresponding FP, Lagoon... and sail area and displacement seam to be comparable...

I guess I will just have to take a look at the Miami show…

[2Hulls]

Originally Posted by Brandywine

I spent some time looking at some older threads on this topic and did not turn too much new up... Why is the Dean limited on performance? She looks to have finer hulls then the corresponding FP, Lagoon... and sail area and displacement seam to be comparable...

I guess I will just have to take a look at the Miami show…

Hi Brandywine - I have no info on its performance. Based on the high amount of interior volume, the Dean may be heavier than other mid-40s length boats except those also having high volumes, e.g. L420. I suggest you scrutinize the weights and be wary of what the manufacturers tell you.

What is your budget and are you considering used boats? Have you chartered any? Where do you plan to cruise? I strongly recommend you charter several of different manufacturers - and have some fun in the meantime. Good luck!

Dave

[Brandywine]

We have chartered a few cats (Leopard…) and been on a few test sails... (Gemini, FP), currently we have a hunter 36 mono on San Francisco bay, but we are looking for a Cat for the next stage of our sailing….

Being on the West coast there are just not that many cats and it has been a bit of a struggle, we are heading to the Miami boat show hoping to get to spend more time with some of the current offerings. Used is an option, and I have looked at one Catana 48, and some other misc. cats but again the selection out here is very limited.


My final budget is not yet set… I am concerned about the situation with the dollar and its impact on price, also on lead times from the manufactures. I would rather buy a nearly new Cat say a Catana or Dolphin based on the new price 3 or 4 years ago… but I will just have to see what happens the next 6 months…

[2Hulls]

I understand the west coast shortage. Can you take delivery else where?

The dollar exchange rate vs Euro and costs of resin has had a pleasant impact on those of us already owning European built boats. I just had to raise my insurance coverage $100K. My boat has appreciated quite a bit in the past year.

Another option is to place a boat in charter in the Caribbean and take possession in a few years, which may coincide with your schedule. I expect you're smart enough to have already figured this out. Let me know if you'd like to communicate off-forum - I'd be glad to share what we learned in our search.

Dave