Looking for a Chesapeake Bay Boat

[DanFleig]

Sailboat Owners,
What boats would you recommend for a family brand new to cruising in the Chesapeake Bay? We’re an Active Duty Military family, with a budget limited to $60K or less. For Family (Crew), I only plan on having myself, my wife Ali, and 3 year old Heidi on board, which means it’ll be important that I can single hand the boat 95% of the time. I only have limited sailing experience. I grew up sailing with my dad in FL and have sailed a 1985 Hunter 23 on the Bay for the last 2 years (and learned a LOT of hard lessons).

I’ve been looking at Tartan 37’s because of their seaworthy reputation, and enough room for my wife and I to expand our family. We’d like to use the aft double berth as a “Baby Room” (when necessary, hopefully next year) when sailing. I’ve also looked at some Beneteau 321’s because they’re affordable, and comfortable looking for short trips. I do worry about them not having enough storage areas though…. What would you all recommend?

We have a house on the South River, and will not be living on the boat full time, but plan on taking 1-2 trips max. When I retire in 6 years, we’d like the option to either cruise the Caribbean or cross the pond to the Mediterranean, but we don’t necessarily need to own a boat now that can do that (unless the price is right). What sort of minimum equipment should we be looking at, I think the longest trip I’d dare to take right now is from the South River to Virgina Beach and back…. Though I want to use the boat I purchase to practice for longer (and offshore) trips.

I appreciate your feedback!

Dan

 

[Gunni]

Dan;
You are shopping in the biggest boat market in the Mid Atlantic - lots of boats out there. While I doubt you will be able to find a seaworthy Tartan 37 I understand why you would like one, they are great cruisers! My suggestion would be to retain a trustworthy and experienced buyers broker. If you PM me I will give you the name of a great independent local broker that you can speak to. Good luck and welcome to Annapolis

 

[shemandr]

One thing you'll want to consider is the draft of the boat. While I don't know the Chesapeake I am aware that there is some thin water there. If you buy a boat with too much draft you'll either miss some great cruising or be constantly afraid of running aground. That's certainly true around here. 5' draft is about the maximum. Unfortunately, most modern cruisers in the 30+ length draw around that or more - especially if they have any performance in their pedigree.
Also, look for a fractional rig for shorthanded handling. They typically have a small headsail that can easily tacked which is really important in your situation. The main sail is easily adjusted with the backstay for power so you'll have a lot of control right there at the helm. There is no way you are going to want to haul in a big jib every time you want to change direction. This is a BIG item that isn't often discussed. After my wife had Chemo-therapy and radiation therapy there was no way she could do it. That made me crew and her the helm. That's fine but when the wind piped up she would get scared. We sold that boat for that reason.
Don't ignore the cat boats. For example the Non Such line or the traditional Cat boats such as Marshall. They typically have enormous room below and just the one sail to handle. On the Non Such the unstayed fiberglass mast bends off in higher wind, effectively depowering the rig. The Cat boats have very good stability because of their width and they don't draw a lot of water - most are centerboarders.
I hope I given you some food for thought. You are sure to hear from others with their ideas.
BTW I like the Tartan 37 (The old centerboard one).

 

[Benny17441]

Dan a Tartan 37 or other similar cruisers are not the kind of boat that you would take out for a couple of hours pleasure ride. These are boats designed for the open seas and are just not responsive enough to make them enjoyable in protected waters. It would be like driving a bus to go to the mall. I think that what you may need for the next 5 years is a boat in the 30' to 32' range that can be easy to single hand and inviting to take out at a moments notice for an evening sail. It would provide adequate room and stability for short trips and would be much less expensive to operate . I do understand that in the Bay there are military marinas that offer real affordable rates but even when visiting other towns you will not pay as much for a transient slip. Consider insurance costs and maintenance expense and the savings over 5 years will be a good chunk of money. You should be able to find a production boat in good condition for less than 50% of your budgeted amount. A shallow draft boat will expand your destination options. Purchase well, take good care of it and in 5 years you could probably sell it for what you paid for it and then go seek your heavy cruiser.

 

[MitchM]

look at the reviews in Good Old Boat and on the Boat US website: With your budget you could afford a well maintained 28-36' Pearson, Seafarer, Cape Dory, Ericsson, or S 2. I would not put a wife and 3 year old on a Marshall cat : wind comes up, you've forgotten to reef, and your family will be terrified.

 

[Ron20324]

I agree with the 5 foot draft limit. Since you looked at a B321, maybe look at a B323, my model. The wife will love "the bathroom, not a head" as people say. 4'9", elect fridge, standup room in the VEE. I can g9ve you oodles of DIY to add storage. I think a couple are still in the owner's mods.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Hrm....There are tons of good answers here.

You really have to consider how you plan to use the boat and what section of the Bay you will be on. There is a bit of a difference between the Northern Bay, the Middle Bay, and the Southern Bay. How long do you plan on being out at a time? How serious is your family about cruising with you? Do you plan to anchor or go into a slip? What features do you have to have? What features would be nice to have? What features can you live without? Answer those questions before boat shopping. You also want to find a boat with a good diesel that is in good shape. Check out the sails while you are on here because that could be a refit item that runs a bit in cost.

Here is something to consider. You say your budget is about $60K. That means that you need to keep your boat purchase closer to $50K because you will need left over money to refit the boat. When you are seriously looking at boats consider what money you will need for the refit.

Another thing to consider is your yearly budget. The longer the boat, the fatter the budget needs to be. If the boat needs a lot of work then that could dip into your budget. Find a marina that you want to keep your boat and find out the prices, the depth of the slips, the property tax for the area you will be living in, and all of the hidden costs. Can you find a DYI marina or do you have to pay the marina to do a bottom job for you?

The bay has a lot of shallow water, as others have said. Keep your draft less than 5 feet. I have spend most of my life on the Chesapeake Bay and I have even worked on the water when I was a kid. I know most of the Bay pretty well but my knowledge is a fleeting second compared to others around here. That being said, there are TONS of places to go, things to see, and things to do. There are great special event. Also, Tangier Island and Smith Island are a must see.

The summers can be brutal!! You want to have a bimini and probably a dodger. If you single hand a good autopilot is a must!

Someone has mentioned a Pearson. These are good boats but know what you are getting into before you get it. Get a good survey because, while they were well made, they haven't been made in some time. This is true for most boats that you are looking at.

You mentioned a Tartan 37. They too are good boats but I would really get it inspected well. If it is a centerboard then really have that checked. Personally the centerboard would make me a bit nervous. One other thing to know is that, while it is a nice boat and sails well along with a good reputation, the cabin may not be as big as other 37 foot boats.

Another boat to look at is a Catalina 34. They are good sailing boats, have a really good cabin layout, and perform well. My Uncle has been sailing an MK I Catalina 34 around for the last 10 years or so. You may be able to find an MKii Catalina 34 in your budget.

Actually, don't concentrate on the make/model of the boat right now. Figure out what you want and need and then find something to match that as close as possible. All boats are compromises.