Boat for family of 5

[B00B00]

Yeah I know exactly where you are coming from there...
We still have a house in pieces and like you I'm struggling to find the most suitable boat to make the trip work well with the kids and guests. I keep going in circles with boats I like the look of compared to what's the most practical.
It's a fine balance.
Been a huge few months getting the house ready for sale, done a major reno including a new kitchen. We are about 3-4weeks away. At least the property market in Auckland is pretty crazy so we should be able to sell quick. But it's a daunting prospect with how much we have to do before actually moving onto a boat in Europe...
Keep in touch if you do make it to the Caribbean early next year.

[CaptDAJ]

I too have made this decision and have similar family although kids are older, I wanted sail but for many reasons ended with a 32 sport fish for less than the 06 Catalina 36 I was eyeing. With my experience, master 20t and a family I need to teach, I decided I could easily spend many weekends and a few weeks enjoying great family time. I also realized sailing on a schedule is not always safe and I needed a boat that didn't have a 4-6kt passage planning window. Works great for us and all can sleep comfortably in AC. Good luck in your journey of discovery

[LotNick]

We have a Beneteau Cyclades 39.3 and it has served us well. I imagine a Cyclades 43.4 would be a good choice with 4 cabins of which one has bunk beds. They don't cost much, no complicated systems, easy to keep clean. Many say they are kinda bare but we are very happy with our purchase and are actually looking to upgrade to 43.4 as the family got bigger :-)

[Richwink]

Hi
Not sure on your sailing experience. We sailed on a Beneteau 393 3 cabin with three boys aged 8, 6 and 3 from Florida through Bahamas to Cuba and back to the Keys. With your budget buy the smallest catamaran you can live with. The separate spaces between bedrooms and salon, the flatter potentially faster passages, inherent redundancy with two engines (more maintenance) and more space are huge in the morale department.

After a year on board our plan was to which to a catamaran and keep cruising or work in the middle east whatever came first. The work came first so here we are but a catamaran is a must if we head out again.

Richard
Improving passages by any means possible | Exceeding the Drift

[theglo]

Great thread! I am in the same boat. We are shopping for a family cruiser. Our budget is considerably smaller. My favorite layout for our family of 5 (kids 3,4,8) is the Dufour 12000 CT. They only made about 30 of them though.

We currently have a Pearson 390 on which we split the aft cabin into 3 mini cabins. The rest of the boat is a total project though. Besides that, it might just work.

I'm in the market for anything sturdy and bluewater capable that has a set of bunkbeds. <45' would be a perfect size but bunkbeds don't generally appear until you reach 50'.

We looked at a Beneteau 434 but thought that the open floorplan, while modern, offered very little separation of living quarters - and the parents bedroom would be lacking. Separation seems trivial, but the Dufour 12000 CT manages to do it somewhat - if even with just a little step up from the bunk rooms to the living area.

Happy hunting.

[FSJunky]

http://http://www.yachtworld.com/boa.../United-States

http://http://www.yachtworld.com/boa...a#.WToAeGqwfjY

These have been mentioned before, hear are two great options. of Hylas47s. Well within your price range and from the looks of them set up for long term cruising.