Large boat purchase

Steve Dion · Mar 7, 2014

Some of the large Hunter CC 45-50 may fit the bill for this purpose. It is really a matter of what you "really" want. These boats probably have more interior room than anything else for their size/price range.

Joe · Mar 8, 2014

Larger doesn't mean better. In your price range you can get a hell of good boat, fully equipped for cruising and blue water capable.... in other words you go for quality... and a boat that is already fully equipped.. I'm not sure why a couple needs a 50 ft boat to go cruising. I don't think size is the main issue for your needs... the primary thing is that it is solid, safe and well found... there should be plenty of ground tackle choices, a cutter rig would offer more sail configurations, tankage is especially important... and boats designed for cruising or passage making normally have larger capacity fuel and water tanks.... a water maker is a good investment for cruising couples...

I have seen some very nice 40-45 ft vessels.... Caliber, Sabre, Tartan, Jenneau, Island Packet... with all the gear... radar, life raft, rib w/OB, updated electronics, full keel, refurbished canvas and strong diesel.

Spend some time on www.yachtworld.com .... look for boats within a few hours drive so you can go check them out .... but do as much research of cruising as you can.. so you will know the difference between an on the water condo and a true cruising, passage making sailboat.

In you price range, the 50 footers will invariably be Hunters and Beneteaus, Catalina doesn't make a boat that large afik. The Island Packets, Sabre's Tartans in the 150k-200k range will run in the 40-45 range, and be built in the 90's... take a good look at those because most of them are in great shape and are fully equipped.... That would be my strategy.... Spend 150 on the boat and have the rest for the inevitable upgrades and replacement items you'll want.. Good Luck... you lucky guy.

Caboteur · Mar 8, 2014

If you wish to transit the ICW your mast height.must be less than the 65' most bridges permit... Cape May and south Florida have several 55 footers... At the other end, you would wish for shallow draught: somewhere around 5 feet. These figures don't mix well with 50' boats.
Have a long thought process; define your needs and wishes and then look for a boat that fits them best.
Don't forget the perfect time window is after the last child leaves home and before the first grandchild is born... Do not delay!

gettinthere · Mar 8, 2014

Define down to the carib.

Some people consider the Bahamas part of th3 carib which techically is not.

If you want to go all the way down island in yojr timeframe, you will need to go offshore from someplace like Norfolk or Beaufort straight to Puerto Rico or the Virgin Isl. Now you get into serious offshore sailing, especially in the fall. Search out the Salty Dog rally and the Carib 1500. Every year it seems I read stories of boats getting trashed in gales. Are you ready to face 4 days of 40k winds and nasty seas? If not then the Bahamas are your practical limit and boat choice opens up quite a bit.
If you want to do the icw your practical mast limit is about 62' and draft should be less than 6', closer to 5 is better. A fall migration can get quite cold at times and a full enclosure is a must. Not all boats are easy to fully enclose. We've seen quite a few that coudnt come up with a practical solution to enclosing the entire cockpit. I'm also amazed at fhe number of boats with crappy visibility from the cockpit. Between dodgers, stuff on deck and helm position they have a tough time maneuvering in close quarters and seeing crab traps and other stuff in the water. That is all an issue cruising the icw.

Tankage is important. Some of the bigger newer production boats are pretty slim on tankage. For a boat in the mid 40s you should have at least 150 g of water and 100g of diesel.
If you buy a boat that is not cruise ready, you might have quite a bill for outfitting plus the time to get it all installed. Dink and davits, solar panels, that full enclosure, electronics package, perhaps ssb, etc. You could easily be looking at 50 grand to outfit the boat.

LOTS to consider! Good luck, thats half the fun.

RECESS · Mar 8, 2014

You should spend a little money and charter some boats in the 40-45 range. Bring them into slips that are located on a river. A river as you will always have a current. Then do the same with a 50. When we kept a boat in Carrabelle Florida the marina is on a river with a current of about 4 knots. A couple a few slips down had a 40ish Island Packet, awesome boat. The moved up to a 50 Gulfstar. They used to sail often. After getting the 50 their sailing went way down. I think a lot of it had to do with miserable times trying to get it in and out of a slip. There comes a point when the size of the boat becomes a hassle for two people. That size is probably different for everyone.

I would find out what type of boat you and the wife are more comfortable with first.

patrickince · Mar 8, 2014

Best Advice yet, Charter or crew for a day on different boats. Chartering made my mind up on what we wanted in our boat.

Pilgrimtex · Mar 8, 2014

The three brands you mentioned will take you were you want to go. Hunter not to get bashed but they went through a tough time and was purchased by Marlow and is now Marlow Hunter.
I have been there and done that. I placed a 200k figure on it as well however I wanted new. The reasons were that I wanted to sail and not spend time and money fixing or replacing. I plan to remain living on board till I die. I wanted the boat my way and not someone else's.
Also the bigger the boat the higher the cost in everything once you own her.
I opted for a new Beneteau Oceanis 37 Platinum addition. With every bell and whistle option you can get except teak. (Remember I wanted to sail and not fix). She is due in the end of June. Price with tax, title etc. came to 203k.
She will take us all over the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean and anywhere else I want to go. I will be outfitting her with an addition 55k in accessories including water maker, davits, dinghy additional fuel tank, solar etc. etc.
She will be truly self contained for very long passages.
I chose 37 feet because I can single hand her easily, slip fees, maintenance costs etc. She is also large enough for taking me and others where I want to go in comfort. Being new also allows me to maintain her condition to my higher requirements than many predecessors would have.
Think long and hard and don't rush to a decision. Also re-exam just what you want in a sailboat and what you prefer to do. Sail or fix. I reduced 68 years of clutter to a 10ft by 10ft square area in preparation for this. What size square will you fit into when you do the same.

Jackdaw · Mar 8, 2014

Pilgrimtex said:
Think long and hard and don't rush to a decision. Also re-exam just what you want in a sailboat and what you prefer to do. Sail or fix. I reduced 68 years of clutter to a 10ft by 10ft square area in preparation for this. What size square will you fit into when you do the same.

Awesome advice. We'll cast off someday soon, and I'm not looking forward to this process. I have 10 cubic feet of old sailing magazines.

woodster · Mar 8, 2014

Jackdaw said:
I have 10 cubic feet of old sailing magazines.

hummmm wondering what else one would need

............. nope can't think of a thing ....

regards

woody

Pilgrimtex · Mar 8, 2014

Jackdaw said:
Awesome advice. We'll cast off someday soon, and I'm not looking forward to this process. I have 10 cubic feet of old sailing magazines.

Old sailing magazines are handy if you want to balance your boat with ballast but I'd rather balance her with Booze and food. LOL

Gunni · Mar 8, 2014

Don't forget you will be sharing that small space with your SO. It is so easy to make an ill-informed decision regarding such a large investment. Especially if your coach is a boat dealer. Since you seem to have a bias for big, go do a 14 day charter on a 50 footer with your wife down in the Windwards, but bring a sailing buddy as backup. You'll get a lot of feedback and at the end of 14 days the experiment resets, no-harm, no-foul. Less is better. A 46' boat would be the limit.

gettinthere · Mar 8, 2014

Friend of mine with limited small boat experience from 20 years prior, bought a beneteau 473. 2 years later they left the great lakes and are now in the virgin islands having a ball. Sailing a big boat aint brain surgery.

higgs · Mar 8, 2014

I would look for quality as opposed to size. Crealock, Island Packet used are two good bets. How much room are two people going to use? Even on a fifty footer most idle time is going to be spent in the salon/galley area. The rest of the boat is bedrooms and showers.

redhead78 · Mar 8, 2014

boats

Caliber, cabo rico,gozzard, island packet.........Red

Stu Jackson · Mar 8, 2014

If I had $200K, I'd hire an adviser/consultant.

WADR, mebbe not, did you ask your mother which girl you should marry?

There are a lot of girls and boats out there.

Geez. I see this question being asked on many, many boating forums, usually preceded by "What's the "BEST"...???

For cryin' out loud, if you are in ANY of business/work, have you EVER thought about asking your clients or even your co-workers, what's the "best" thingie out there?

You probably wouldn't.

Why these questions keep getting asked is simply beyond me.

I'm off now to look for the BEST anchor, religion and battery...

I have also been shamelessly saving this reply up for about 35 years.

Good luck, happy hunting, and maybe you can be more specific in your future questions.

I'm sorry folks, but these kind of questions are beyond reasonable, and open up so many areas of discussion that your answers are highly valid and very helpful, but we have NO idea where the OP is coming from.

Did he and wife ever sail before? Does he know what the pointy end is called...

Sorry again, but what the heck...

Ron20324 · Mar 8, 2014

I feel your pain, Stu. There is no "best". It depends on what the owner wants/needs/can get by with that determines what is "best" for HIM/HER.

A forum member and his wife and dog went from NJ to the islands for 8 months on a 32-foot Beneteau like mine. Of course it was more than the stock boat, equipment-wise, but it goes to show- it CAN be done on any size boat that will fit you into a bunk.

Stu Jackson · Mar 8, 2014

Jimifive said:
1. ...I'm keeping the wife in mind as she like most women like more space found in the larger boats.

2. My biggest worry is that people say the production boats can't hold up to the beating of a "blue water water boat" mean while the boats at 50ft have over 100 gal fuel and water.

1. Nice. Ach, those wimmun, how dare they!

2. What utter nonsense. You might want to go to www.crusiersforum.com, they get a lot of these types of questions.

Ray Bowles · Mar 8, 2014

My wife and I bought a 1990 Island Packet 38 13 years ago and did what you want to do. The boat is a little more expensive than many of the boats mentioned above but is very well equiped from the factory with many items that are extra on other boats. Resale is better and ours sold in less than a week when we had to come home. We found that the 38 was way larger than we needed and would handle 2 extra couples if needed. The IP handled davits for the dink and carried our 300 foot all chain rode without any problems.
My recommendation would be to look at a smalller boat that is better equiped for the same price. Enjoy your adventure!!!
Ray