Looking for some advice

[Papasail]

Boat certainly looks nice.
I've been looking a long time, and my shortlist starts with bomb-proof sea-worthiness, which (for me) means a double-ender. Next is heavy displacement, a long straight keel built as part of the contour of the bottom of the boat, (well protecting your rudder), then sail set/ a boat that gets up-wind being critical. On my lake, in light air, if you can't get up-wind, you Can't. Freakin. Go. Anywhere. Lake wind seems to be half that of ocean breezes, so the dynamics may be considerablly different han I imagine, but.... (excuse the pun) boatloads of articles I've read talk (a LOT) about windward ability.
I've generally read that AFTER sale, you (may) spend 30% of the boats cost in getting her outfitted for life at sea. I hear SO many say they use their showers as little as possible, and try to depend on marina facilities: humidity is the biggest issue (mold will set in)(lots of articles about ventilation and dehumidification).
Some that i like:
Tayana w/ hard dodger
Allajuella
Westsail
Jeanneau
Hans Christian
Southerly
Amel
Bavaria
Hallberg-Rassey
Pacific Seacraft
Southern Cross
Baba
Ta Yang

1st: Safest boat design.
2nd: Best construction.
3rd: Seaworthiness/ condition.
4th: Least wear and tear on crew
In bad weather: heavy displacement.
5th: Upwind ability (see "4th": there are hard tradeoffs here).
6th: Livability
7th: Love of the vessel.

*have FUN!
*be smart!
*buy, then (you) mold into the boat, not the other way around, and don't buy ***** for 6 months, until you've really "molded". Then you'll actually know what you need.
Bill

[sguerrero1971]

Thanks for all the good information, I apologize for not giving more information initially. Our plan long term is to cruise, but use somewhere in the Keys as a home base. We want to take the first year shaking down the boat we choose and get things figured out on board. I have had several other boats, never a sailboat this size, but I have always maintained my own equipment. I always feel more comfortable when I know what everything is supposed to do and that I have gone over everything to make sure it's doing what it should.

Live aboard \ Cruiser: We're hoping to make trips to Cuba, the Bahamas \ Exumas, The Virgin Islands, in whatever we end up with. As for passages beyond this, that isn't in our current plans. We are both 46 so we want to get on the water first and figure out where it takes us after that.

As for other boats, we took our ASA 101-104 on a Morgan Out Island and I really liked that boat. I wouldn't be opposed to one if I could find one that was well maintained, but most of what I have seen online are projects, which I am really not looking for. I want something I can sail, add or update systems if needed and live aboard comfortably. I'd rather spend a little more and get a good usable boat than spend less and have to spend time and money before I can sail it at all.

The reasons I liked the Morgan are the same reasons I liked the Beneteau I posted. They have a good flow you can be in the cabin and not have to climb over each other to get around. The only real negative is that in both instances the second head is forward so when you're underway it's a bit of work to get to.

My wife is a school teacher, she retires this year, and after that we are going to spend a few months getting on boats and finding the right one for us.

Hope this helps you help me, and thanks for the great info you have given me so far.

[Hudson Force]

I'm selling my well maintained Morgan Out Island now ('have a pending sale). Now, I love this boat and cruised it for 32 years & another Morgan Out Island before that for 13 years. All that said,- It's not likely the proper boat for what you want! We took 25 passages up and down the US East Coast and many trips to the Bahamas, but I would not want to use the Morgan OI to carry me to windward from Florida to the Virgin Islands. Some might do well with this, but with my very experienced use of the boat, I would not choose it for long windward passages.

All that said, the Morgan Out Islands excelled for the use that I put to them for 45 years!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Papasail

Boat certainly looks nice.
I've been looking a long time, and my shortlist starts with bomb-proof sea-worthiness, which (for me) means a double-ender. Next is heavy displacement, a long straight keel built as part of the contour of the bottom of the boat, (well protecting your rudder), then sail set/ a boat that gets up-wind being critical. On my lake, in light air, if you can't get up-wind, you Can't. Freakin. Go. Anywhere. Lake wind seems to be half that of ocean breezes, so the dynamics may be considerablly different han I imagine, but.... (excuse the pun) boatloads of articles I've read talk (a LOT) about windward ability.

(...)

Some that i like:
Tayana w/ hard dodger
Allajuella
Westsail
Jeanneau
Hans Christian
Southerly
Amel
Bavaria
Hallberg-Rassey
Pacific Seacraft
Southern Cross
Baba
Ta Yang

(...)

You may be mistaking heavy with strong.

From the boats you mentioned only some Jeanneau and Bavarias point well (which happen not to be heavy doubleenders). Some HR (the new ones) and SC will be closest to a mix of bombproofness and sailing ability while some Amels are closest to go anywhere boat.

So what I mean is you are mixing Bavas with HR and then you ask for a heavy doubleender that will point well.

Now listen to yourself.

Cheers,
b.

[sguerrero1971]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

For dockside living aboard, our previous Hunter 450 was great. Much more living space and costing less than what you're looking at right now.

You must have a look at one.

This is one boat I want to get aboard and check out. I like what I have seen online, but as I found out in Annapolis, what you think you like from pictures isn't what you like when you actually get on them.

Thanks for the suggestion.