Help rounding out my list.

[bmiller]

This is not just another which boat thread. My wife and I are in the process of whittling down all the possibilities out there. We have a long list which we will work down to a short list of 3 or 4 from which to start looking at much more seriously.

What we want:
A cruising boat, safe and sea kindly 34-38 feet in length. Easily handled by a couple and capable of being singlehanded in a pinch, we're thinking a cutter rig. Not a tank but not a racer, we'd like to make decent speed. Aft cockpit, traditional interior preferably with a cabin and head that can be closed off from the saloon. Accomodations for the rare visitors, fold down settee is alright. Systems not that important but room if we want to addextras like a refer compressor. Budget, top end 100K.

Based on our criteria are there any we should add or delete from the following list?

In no particular order

Cape Dory 36 Lots out there for around 50K
Pacific Seacraft 37
Island Packet 38 Are they worth 150K
Valiant 37 Yea look out for blistering
Bristol 38.8
Cabo Rico 36 or 38
Tartan 37
Shannon 38 There are a couple on the market for around 100K
Morris Justine I can dream

The next are all question marks
Cal 36
Calibers
Sabres
Morgan 382
Pearson 367 a cutter rig similar to the popular ketch

[Pete the Cat]

You have a big spectrum in your list in terms of what I would call "liveability" and sailing characteristics. My years of delivering some of these boats and some extended cruising suggests that there is a big tradeoff spectrum between the boat you would enjoy sailing and the boat you would like to have in port. The decision really has to be what you really want to do with the boat and what is important to you. What you will get here are the preferences of the respondents and I am not sure how helpful it will be.

Suggest you look also at Cal 39.

[Stevens 47]

Look at a Baba 35.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by bmiller

This is not just another which boat thread. My wife and I are in the process of whittling down all the possibilities out there.

Not to be contradictory but it kinida is...

What makes this query different.

I think it boils down to kissing a lot of frogs in order to find your prince...

[delmarrey]

No one ever finds the right boat, but just accepts the one they can afford.

Like said above, it all comes down to what your cruising intentions are. And that can change depending on where you are (location or weather wise).

If anchored out or tied up, a big fat tall house boat would be nice. It the tropics a flat top catamaran for diving/swimming with shaded areas would be nice. But out in that stormy sea that long keeled heavy Bristol would be the choice.

Now, it all comes down to what you want to do and where your going, that's the hardest choice.

[John Drake]

Not at all a bad list to begin with. Most on the list will do the job and you would be very happy cruising aboard. Keep in mind that purchase price is just the beginning of the expenses. Budget at least an additional 20k for fitting the boat out. It is not a bad thing at all to keep within a most reasonable range in terms of price and size. You will find it gives you more options in terms of places to go, places to anchor and much less cost...so you can cruise longer.

Of course sailors and cruisers will dissagree, but your list contains some very well known boats that are noted for exactly the purpose you have in mind:

Pacific Seacraft 37 - elegant, sturdy, pricey. She is gorgeous down below..but her more narrow beam limits interior space....something not generally noted by owners that are very happy with its nice cabin.

Island Packet 38 - nice for living aboard, sailing ability and blue water capability have been debated, but you see A LOT of them. Pricey

Valiant 37 - a well known couple cruise on this boat extensively (Winterlude). I have chatted with them over the past 2-3 yrs and they are very happy with their choice. Not an easy boat to find.

Bristol 38.8 - IMHO, a great design and a great boat...however, I would look at the Wauquiez version...a bit less expensive and a little better outfitted for offshore. Also has a second private stateroom that the Bristol does not. The Wauq came in two versions: the MKI and MKII. The MK I has the baltic/swan style companionway and is thus priced some 20k less than the MKII verson.

Cabo Rico 38 - nice boat, full keel.

Tartan 37 - probably the boat on the list that would do what you want for the least amount of cash to buy the boat. These boats have dropped dramatically in price over the past few yrs. For some reason...the interior has always seemed ...to my eye...smaller than the specs. Not sure why.

At any rate...just $0.02. No doubt others will add more info and discussion.

Hope this helps

John

[MarkJ]

These are just thoughts for you

I note you don't have any of the modern production cruisers in your list. Many of the modern French and German designs are derided in conversations with people who have little knowledge of them but whom like to hark back to days of the 1970’s designs that appeared more ‘seaworthy’. There may be great fun in restoring a 30 year old boat to its former glory however there may be more fun to look at a much more recent boat built to withstand rigors of modern callous cruisers and nothing to varnish.

As for livability the modern cruising designs have been designed to whack in as many horizontal people as possible in lavish cabins called Staterooms – nothing at all named ‘pilot berths’ that have always made me feel like slippin’ into a coffin, let alone the chance of a canoodle. V berths with a cut out between the snoozers heads was obviously designed by a church for sailors prior to marriage!

If you fully intend to be a voyager that does numerous extended passages in the higher latitudes (30 and above) in a 34-38 footer then some may argue for your list. However if its just ‘normal’ cruising of island hopping, and ocean passages infrequently and at the right time of the year with weather windows then you might decide the strength of a Sherman Tank is not appropriate, but a HummV with pop-top would suffice.

One other point I touched on above and I really would like to bring out as long as no one here even begins to take offense… Varnishing et al: Buy a boat that needs moderate or extensive refitting (you say $40k) could have you shore bound for years… literally 2, 3 4 or 5 years or more, and by the time you have finished the boat its ready to be redone!
My thoughts are to consider boats on the total lack of refitting. Jump on and clear off into the sunset. Use the $40k for cruising goodies of AIS, HF radio, Radar and restaurants and saunas ashore more often.

Clearly if you were able to get an Island Packet for your price range it would be significantly elderly and would need a careful, knowlegable and generous touch of a loving owner who needs to stay near a yard for a while.

So theres the thoughts for you to ponder:

• Am I going sailing off into the sunset now? Or do I want a project at home for a few years?
• If I sail off will I be a Chay Blithe or a Chitchester? Or a gunkholer?
• Am I comfortable holding a specialized tool to hone a douverlacky, or do I prefer just to hold my loved-one?
• Can my finances mean this is my one boat for life? Or can I replace this with a more modern version in 5 to 10 years?

In any event sitting down and listing boats, checking their specs and looking at their qualities is an exciting moment! Have fun with it. I am sure your final decision will be the right one... If its not just crack another beer and watch the sun set over some tropical island


Mark

[Pblais]

This is not just another which boat thread.

Well actually it is I would agree with about everything John Drake offered up. The price range is probably the tie breaker in all of this. You can have a long list of boats and I wouldn't agonize over cutting it down much, because you won't find the "one" perfect boat that is left at the end. All the boats in the list for good reason are great boats but all the ones in your price range are older. An older boat fixed up might retain more of the structure than a less well built boat and it is more insurance. The issues mount up quickly when you need to add new sails (maybe) all new canvas (I would on most any boat) and all new safety gear (raft, EPIRB, Life vests and such) and these would be almost sight unseen. The rest gets into what you find when you start actually looking.

I think you'll end up seeing just a few of the boats in the list that are local, for sale at the time and something about them you just like better. You'll then have to debate if the extra costs of updating on one boat out weighs the not so much cost of another. When you get into those arguments the main concern is if you basically found the boat qualified. That is all the list should be. It's just the first tool to get into the game so don't make it a post doctorate science project. Sounds like you need an all expenses paid round trip to the Miami boat show this February. Sure would be nice if we had a contest to win one.

BTW, if you found a deal on a Gozzard 36 they would be nice too.

[bmiller]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I was just hoping to get some input on a few of the many boats out there. We'll look at a lot of boats in the coming months. Sometimes things just have a way of working out and "the" boat will turn up. One thing for certain is we have time to wait for her.

[delmarrey]

Try typing in each of the boats of interest in our search block. There maybe more info on each just out of sight.