Halberg Rassy 38 v Wauquiez Hood 38 Mkii

[Hugh Meagher]

It seems a simple question but I still struggle.
I have found a good example of each for near enough the same price, the Hood is 5 years younger but both are old boats, '78 and '83. My wife, though a good sailor lackd self confidence. I intend to cruise and expect to sail short handed. The HR has in mast reefing, the Hood slab. The Hood has a much higher comfort ratio to the HR BUT THE HR is still good at 34.
I am concerned about the CB on the he Hood but love the shallow draft. I think the HR easier to single hand but the Hood to be a better sailor.
Thoughts?

[Hesti]

Let your wife decide. It will increase her buy in on the project.

[DeValency]

From the building quality and the offshore cruising capability the HR would have been my choice. HR is known as one of the world's best for stability and performance in difficult conditions. For shorthanded cruising, a furling main is definitely a significant advantage (I wouldn't consider non furled main for my cruiser). But there are other more specific per boat considerations such as engine (make, hours), sails, rigging, systems, layout and condition etc. etc.
Best of luck!

Originally Posted by Hugh Meagher

It seems a simple question but I still struggle.
I have found a good example of each for near enough the same price, the Hood is 5 years younger but both are old boats, '78 and '83. My wife, though a good sailor lackd self confidence. I intend to cruise and expect to sail short handed. The HR has in mast reefing, the Hood slab. The Hood has a much higher comfort ratio to the HR BUT THE HR is still good at 34.
I am concerned about the CB on the he Hood but love the shallow draft. I think the HR easier to single hand but the Hood to be a better sailor.
Thoughts?

[skipmac]

In general I really like the HR but, most came with teak decks and a teak deck that old could been past useful life and time to remove or replace, a fairly expensive or labor intensive project.

[Elegua]

What’s the use case for the boat? Which one has been better maintained? That’d be the key criteria for me.

I bought an 1984 Hood 38 to sail two-up with my new-to -sailing wife because it’s moderate, flexible, and easy for the two of us to handle cruising coastally and offshore.

It rates around 132 PHRF in New England, so its firmly in the cruiser end of the spectrum, but it does surprisingly well in light air even after adding most of the usual cruising accoutrements and it is stiff for shoal draft.

The C/B is more maintenance, but the trade-off is it adds flexibility with anchorages and is a useful aid to balance the boat under sail.

Construction-wise refitting the boat we’ve had a lot of it apart, apart from some small things, been happy with what we found.

The HR is also very good; I helped my friend buy one of the early 80’s vintage; perfect for his young family. The older HR have a very different performance profile than the newer ones.

A search of the cruisers forum will yield some good threads on the Hood 38 and there is an active and helpful owners community.

[Roniszoro]

If either have teak decks, don't walk away, run away. At about $1,500 per linear foot of boat to replace or remove, do the math.

Cheers

[Cheechako]

I really like the Wauquiez boats. I dislike in mast furling. So that's Hood+2 , HR 0.
BUT, it seems to me that the Wauquiez Hood is one of that line that is not as popular. Is that a mis perception on my part? Is that the one that is noted to be a bit "tender"? I had an acquaintance who bought one many years ago, but it was resold within a year...?

[Kalinowski]

After sharing all facts, let your wife make the final decision. Remember: "If mama ain't happy, no one's happy".

[westsail374]

How about the Bristol 38.8?

[Tia Bu]

They're both very good boats. Teak decks can be a major problem on both those boats at that age, though. If you're sailing on the U.S. East Coast or Bahamas, the centerboard would be a clear advantage. To me, the choice between roller furling main and jiffy reefing is a tossup.



Agree that you should get your wife involved as much as possible in the decision. She'll be interested in other things than you're thinking about, and, since cruisers spend 90-95% of their time at anchor or in a marina, she'll be thinking about the more important stuff!

[Tillsbury]

They’re both well respected boats from great builders. I would say 95% of the decision would be about condition with boats of that age. Either could be due work costing far more than the boat is worth.

[Bleemus]

I have a Hood 38 and love it but that being said I like the HR as well. For me it would depend on condition of engine, sails, rigging etc. to decide between the two.

[Hugh Meagher]

OK, thanks for the feedback. Both boats have teak decks and the Brooker for the HR38 has said the teak deck needs replacement. Now I certainly cannot afford $1,500 per linear foot.
Question, could I as a semi skilled DIY person remove the old teak deck, clean and plug the screw holes with epoxy, lay some additional glass fiber and finish with deck paint??

[Bleemus]

Short answer is yes but only if surveyor doesn't find moisture in the deck. Recoring compromised deck core is a big job.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Hugh Meagher

OK, thanks for the feedback. Both boats have teak decks and the Brooker for the HR38 has said the teak deck needs replacement. Now I certainly cannot afford $1,500 per linear foot.
Question, could I as a semi skilled DIY person remove the old teak deck, clean and plug the screw holes with epoxy, lay some additional glass fiber and finish with deck paint??

My experience one could replace or remove a teak deck for way, way less than $1500/ft of boat length unless paying the most expensive yard in the USA to do it all for you.

DIY you could remove the deck for nothing more that labor, a few tools and the cost to keep the boat in the yard. However it could take days of labor to strip the old teak away. Then depending on the condition of the underlying structure and how the deck was installed, some more days to fill all the screw holes. The big concern with this is if the deck is cored and has gotten wet. If not then pretty straightforward to fill all the holes with epoxy. Then more days to apply a non-skid coating of your choice.

Whole thing could be done for a couple thousand in supplies plus your labor and the yard bills.