Time to Let Her Go...

[Simon Sexton]

Hey Everyone,

I am sad to report that we are selling Valiant, our first boat. She's been great fun, and has stuck with us through thick and thin, but we are ready to move on to something that offers better performance, and more comfort. This being said, I have already been scouring the internet in search of a boat that could impress me enough and win me over to be our next. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know! Thanks!

God Bless,
S.S.​

 

[jmce1587]

Congrats on the sale and your next boat adventure. For a replacement (and I am biased) look at a mid eighties H31. They handle well on the bay and are good coastal cruisers for Tx coast and the Ms gulf coast. Also prices on the market are reasonable if u want to put in a bit of sweat equity. Look for deep draft 5’6” vs shoal. Good luck.

 

[william24424]

I am in the same boat. Newport boat show and google search has some interesting suggestions. 1) X-yachts cruising 35 2) Elan GT 5 3) Dufour 382 and a few too many to mention... double digits speed, and comfort.

 

[Jackdaw]

Initial acquisition budget?
First year renovation budget?
Annual maintenance and upgrade budget?

Until known all suggestions are meaningless.

 

[rgranger]

Simon

There are a lot of sexy boats out there and it is easy to buy the wrong boat.
Get out a note card and write down a realistic list of HOW you will use your boat.

1. Cruising vs. Racing?
2. Coastal Cruising vs. Day sailing?
3. Day sailing vs overnight camping
4. Camping vs. comfortable living on board
   1. Living for long weekends or longer stays.
   2. How many people need to be able to sleep on board?
5. Leave it in a slip or on a trailer
6. Are your sailing waters deep or shoal?

Once you have a clear idea of the type of sailing you will be doing then post the same question with a list of hard parameters for example... I sail in a deep lake and can leave my boat at a marina BUT I really enjoy taking my boat to the outerbanks of North Carolina. So I need a trailerable sailboat that is shoal draft but can sleep up to 5 people comfortably for three or four nights at a time.

So I have a water ballasted, trailerable, swing keel boat in the 26 ft range. I gave up some speed and stability for those compromises. If I were living on the coast and sailing in deeper waters, I would have gotten something in the 31 to 40 ft range with a deeper draft.

 

[Alansails]

Here is our recommendation-Check the Catalina 310- Shoal draft
Good sailing/comfortable
When Gerry Douglas designed it he wanted a boat that has 8 for drinks (In the cockpit), feeds 4-cockpit or below decks and sleeps 2 (On the queen size innerspring mattress forward (Also sleeps 2 more in the aft berth)
Wide decks, easy to singlehand!
we came from a 25 to the 310!
Great association! Great Tech support-Our tech editor lives aboard his in the BVI!
Also Affordable!

 

[HMT2]

Congrats on the sale and your next boat adventure. For a replacement (and I am biased) look at a mid eighties H31. They handle well on the bay and are good coastal cruisers for Tx coast and the Ms gulf coast. Also prices on the market are reasonable if u want to put in a bit of sweat equity. Look for deep draft 5’6” vs shoal. Good luck.

Plus one on this. I have one a year older than Jerry’s and I have fallen deeply in love with her.

 

[Apex]

wally yachts: Tango
If that doesn't impress well.....

oh and what JD and RgRanger say combined into an exhaustive and definitive list to start dreaming.

 

[Kings Gambit]

My general advice, whatever you might get, is to go up 10 ft in length if you can. Look among 34-, 35-, or 36-ft boats; less than 20 yr old; less than 10 yr is better.

 

[rgranger]

My general advice, whatever you might get, is to go up 10 ft in length if you can. Look among 34-, 35-, or 36-ft boats; less than 20 yr old; less than 10 yr is better.

KG is making my point for me... I had a larger boat at one time but I was unable to trailer it. And it was hard to single hand. So I went smaller. But if I ever get an opportunity to live near the coast, I will definitely be looking for a larger boat because the WAY I will want to use it will change.

 

[Brian D]

wally yachts: Tango
If that doesn't impress well.....

oh and what JD and RgRanger say combined into an exhaustive and definitive list to start dreaming.

That's not a boat, that's an aircraft carrier. Really? Someone wants to day-sail that thing? LOL

 

[uralite]

I’m a fan of gaff rigged ketches, with tan bark sails

 

[BigEasy]

Simon,
I am not going to recommend a specific boat....you know better than anyone what you can afford & the design that you’re looking for. I would definitely look for something with a shoal keel ( <5 ft) for use on the Gulf Coast. With a deeper keel, you’re going to limit where you can go.

 

[kloudie1]

I agree with BigEasy.. I have a 5'6" draft and would be better off with the shoal draft version.. Galveston Bay is much more accessible with a shallow draft.. Yes, you give up some performance, but being stuck in some mud is not fast either!

 

[PGUTIERREZ]

A travel lift operator told me to avoid Hunters because he told me many of the older ones tend to buckle and compress when lifted from overhead, then he receives complaints about leaking windows attributed to hull compression while in the travel lift sling.