Which New or Nearly New 25' Boat Would You Buy?

[philsboat]

Re: Is there a lot of choice out there?

The 1986 Mirage 25 with 10hp Yanmar is my choice.Bought one 8 years ago and love it.
Phil

 

[budcurtis]

I just wanted to second the vote for the Seaward 25. My wife and I started out with a Catalina 250. It was a great boat for a day sail, but scared my wife to many times in Colorado winds. Eventually we sold it and bought the Seaward 25. We wanted a little more mature day sail and anchor out over the weekend boat. We took her for a week to Kentucky Lake and enjoyed the trip immensely. The Seaward with wheel, diesel, and shoal keel was the ideal boat for us, and I think my wife fell in love with it.

 

[soggysocks]

You can't go wrong with a Benny! (Beneteau)

Great boats - well built - good reputation and they feel great!

Easy to buy and easy to sell - very clean lines.

David

 

[Ross]

As I recall Quickstep was a boat model from the 1990's. Any connection?

 

[Marchhare]

25' Sailboat

We had a 25' O'Day on Long Island Sound for more than ten years. It had tiller steering, centerboard and a 9.9 Evenrude electric start. The outboard allowed us to avoid winter lay up. Our slip was on a river with tidal effects. We sailed every month for more than 5 years. We also sailed her for extended trips in New England's waters in the warmer months. As to what to buy? I would look to the used market and some of the older boats. O'Day and Catalina models were made like tanks and easy to maintain and sail.

 

[fifedog]

Re: 25' Sailboat

A quick check of one of the local brokerage websites revealed a very nice Com Pac 25 for sale up in Oxford, MD. Worth a look, imho.

 

[jeff from saint cloud]

a mac 26 is always my first choice, and the one i own but if i had the money for a new top of the line . i would buy a hake yacht a little pricy but ...i like the 32 , they also sell a 26 , both are trailable that would be the one i would buy to sail the great loop

 

[John Knisley]

Loved our Hunter 25

We are looking into the future and we are considering a 25' sailboat. We like the size for what we do, which is 95% day sails. At this point we prefer outboard for ease of maintenance, but I'd really like wheel steering so I guess an inboard is the compromise. If you were in the market for a boat this size, what you pick and why?

We purchased a Hunter 25 - 2005 and loved it. Was great in the bay. Had steering wheel and outboard - bimini and handled 4 adults easily. We sailed the Chesapeake Bay in it and had no problem what so ever with handling etc. Now on a bigger Hunter but enjoyed the heck out of the 25.

 

[breweraz]

I bet your head is swimming with all of the advice so i will addd some more and the process we went through in picking our boat.

1. Honestly define how you are planning to use your boat and what type of sailing you will do.

How many people will you be regually taking out to sail
Will you overnight or just truly day sail
Will you take it to different waters (trailer capability)
Are you harbor or deep water sailing (keel, shoal draft or combination)

2. Set your budget - not just the budget to buy the boat but the budget to maintian and store the boat (slip, trailer or mast up lot.) The more toys/convienience items you have the more expense to maintain i.e. (outboard vs inboard, water systems, shore power, etc. see step one to define what you need vs what you want)

3. Setting the boat up for your needs: When considering a new boat make sure you price out the configuration you will need to set up to sail in the waters you ae planning. You will quickly find that you will need to add 5K - 10K or more to a new boat"s advertised price. Most used boats in your area will already have many of these items included.

Cost of ownership (time and money) - Do not just consider the buy price but the yearly cost of ownership price. Where are you going to keep your boat in a slip, mast up storage lot for a trailer boat, or offsite storage where you will have to step the mast each time you use it.

Each of these scenarions have different cost, time and convienience parameters you need to consider. If in a marina consider cost of slip, bottom paint, haul out fees, club fees etc. If a trailer boat, consider do you have the right vehicle to launch and retrieve, time to step the mast or can you find a mast up storage lot.

4. Creature comforts - Are you looking for a race boat or a cruiser. How important are cabin comforts. In this category the boat usually finds you. You will know when you climb aboard what feels right to you and trust when you find it you will know what I mean. Just try to get both husband and wife on the same page.... good luck with that one.

Going through all of this here where we ended up:

In our case we live in AZ where we sail in lakes. Our marinal slip fees are very high ($500+ a month with full year committment) but they do offer a reasobnale fees for a mast up lot, so we wanted a trailer boat. We can rent a overnight slip for $20 a night when we want to enjoy the club and marinal functions. We enjoy sailing in san Diego Bay and some light coastal waters so we have the option of trailering the boat but knew we were going to be limited on the sailing conditions due to the boat we picked. We sleep over on the boat (on the hook and in the marina) so a larger cabin and berth were important. We usually have another couple join us for day sails and wanted a roomy cockpit/cabin, easy access to the water for swinmming and a good look. We are more wine and cheese sailer than racers so more emphasis was on the looks than performance and rigging. In our case a Hunter 260 met most of our criteria and afer some looking we found one within the budget we set.

By the way it is a tiller with an outboard. I am of the camp that wheels are not for this size boat but that is a different discussion.

Good luck. My advice is to defiine your parameters than find the boat the mets your requirements; understanding no boat will met them all and you will need to compromise ... then bigger boat bug bites and you get to start it all over again.

Tim

 

[Les]

Let me add to the confusion as well. I recently went through this activity of looking for a smallish (24' to 28') sailboat as we wanted to downsize from our Hunter 380. I didn't think to ask this group--probably should have as there are many worthwhile comments. And like Marcia, we wanted a day sailer and overnighter--my wife and I agreed at our age long distant cruises were probably a thing of the past. But we still wanted to sail. So in 2008 as we sold the 380 we looked.

We bought a Hunter 27 for the following reasons. Roller furling main and jib. Yanmar diesel with Max prop. Small galley--mainly one burner for heating water for coffee. No refrigeration but a cooler for day sails in the summer. A marine head (I'm an old guy--what can I say?). We preferred wheel steering but would have taken a tiller. It came with a Lewmar folding wheel. And it came with shore power as well. A nice addition. We added a diesel forced air furnace as I like to use the boat at the dock during the winter months. Also came with microwave.

What we found out.... Big stern beth--nice for a nap now and then. Standing head room in main cabin--also nice. Good seating in main cabin for a couple of friends from time to time. Microwave nice at the dock.

We added wind/boat speed/depth and autopilot (all Raymarine). Luxury items--nice to have. Autopilot has been very helpful at times single handing. Also put on a VHF radio for safety with a command mic at the pedestal. We changed the anchor to a Fortress but have never used it. We also added a dodger which we think is a necessity here in the northwest.

It is a good sailer, still hard to get the main pulled out but once out works well. Nice boat speed--around 5 to 6 knots much of the time. Powers well--engine purrs which surprises me as it is a two cylinder. Doesn't use much fuel. Quite dry going into waves. A real delight coming into our slips. I back in much of the time but the boat is light and I can jump off and hold it easily. I also bought inflatable fenders which I have used on two occasions; really nice to have because they take up little room in the boat.

I also like the walk through transom. And the stern seats. We bought Bottomsiders from this web site and everyone like those...easy on everyone's sterns.

I have a very nice day sailer, nice cruiser (from Bellingham to Friday Harbor) and a great place to enjoy myself at the dock. And my wife is enjoying sailing again.

I wish you well on your search.

 

[Tom Black]

Several good ones

Depending on your use and your budget here are 3 you may want to consider....

A great boat available with wheel steering and reasonable cost would be a Seaward 25 about late 80's or early 90's. For a new or newer boat the Seaward 26RK is a great boat bu a bit pricey. For another older boat the Nonsuch 22 is a superb boat with the feel and room of a much larger boat.

 

[dserrell]

Beautiful 25' Seaward Tom! Seaward would be an excellent choice! Fair weather!

David

 

[30dave]

We purchased a 2000 Hunter 270 in April. It's a 26' hull with a 25" wheel and outboard option. We're strictly daysailers but have plenty of room to entertain. We love this boat but with a wing keel we won't be trailering it often.

 

[Arkcaptain]

Re: my 2 cents

I agree on the Cherubini 25'. 74 to 83 these boats are tanks. Bot mine in February from a guy in Kansas and the nice thing was I could trailer it myself back to Arkansas. Found that older boats are going to need maintainance (in this boat, core problems that I fixed). Yet, for the money and sturdiness of the boat this one is well worth it.

Subnote: someone described "tank" as something negative. Tank by definition is a strong long lasting piece of equipment for a specific purpose. My statement is if my budget is $35000, by all means by new or nearly new with all the new frills. But fiberglass boats last a LONG TIME and I have found that my first boat at 8500 bucks on a trailer with a little elbow grease was very practical, and IT IS A TANK in that it has been through 32 years and is still strong. I think a one man cockpit with a jib furler setup, tiller steering, outboard with 10 hp motor is fine for daysailing. If you have owned a while, ready to trade up, have the money, buy any of the other ideas, as there are obviously a lot of biases for reasons sound.

 

[higgs]

It would seem you have more advice than you will ever need. Let us know what you decide.

 

[30dave]

We like our Hunter 270. It has a 25" wheel and outboard motor. It has a 26" hull and a wing keel. It's simple and relaxing to sail.

 

[DesertSailor07]

As I am asking a very similar question, all the feedback helps me too, let us know what you settle on.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

I need to know more about your sailing activities. Where are you sailing? Inland waters, coastal waters, offshore? Do you have a lot of water, or is it shallow sailing waters? Are you going to daysail, or stay on it over night or for longer periods of time? Do you trailer your boat, or keep it at a dock in a marina or perhaps on a mooring? Do you want to be able to step the mast yourself? Do you intend to race? These are all questions one needs answers to before one can start suggesting what sort of boat might work for you.

 

[timebandit]

Light, fast and easy to sail.

How fast, it can go from the cold northeast to the warm southeast in less than 36 hrs. if you push it regardless of sea conditions.

No worries about ducking into the ICW if the weather gets bad on the way up or down the coast.

Just think, you can enjoy 10 days out of a 2 week vacation sailing the Keys and working on your tan.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7076785769434785211

 

[sloopy]

"Not new, but probably a stronger 25 than most anything built today is the Cape Dory 25"
That's a great response! I just sailed my CD25 from San Diego down to Ensenada...actually, we motored that leg as winds were very light. We left 11:30 p.m. and arrived Coral Marina, Ensenada around 1 p.m. next day. Eventually, I sailed my CD25 solo south from Ensenada about 120 miles. Actually got up to 9.8 MPH as I was running. That first night, when the winds stopped I was caught in short, steep 7' swells. Rockin' & Rollin' for several hours trying to get engine started, new Autopilot was defective and wind vane wouldn't operate properly with the wrong lines WM had sold me. Once wind came back up from NNW, i sailed back to San Diego. What an experience...about 20 miles off shore, 2 a.m., going up and over the swells, moonlight on the caps, a billion stars out...a night I won't ever forget! I've had my CD25 for about 10 years now and I can certainly attest to two things......1. A very sturdy, well-built vessel! 2. A very forgiving boat. I love it! Now back in San Diego the Autopilot has been replaced and the lines to the Norvane Wind Vane have been changed out. It does take some wind to get her going but once in the groove, watch out! I've beaten Catalina 27's several times! and I'm not a racer! Took my wife and I two years originally to redo her from top to bottom....you can't go wrong with a great coastal cruiser like the Cape Dory 25! Now looking for a crew member to go to Cabo San Lucas with me this Oct/Nov.
Sloopy,
Cape Dory 25, 1977
Hull #541
sv "Gladys Erzella"
full photos of restoration on flickr.com