Malö 116, any opinions?

Kelpie

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...so, What did you end up buying?

Moody 39. Came very close to a Westerly Sealord as well but broker wouldn't budge on price. Also lined up a big Gibsea but it sold before we could get there. An open mind is very helpful.

We did view some newer Moodies, a 37 and a 376. Nicer in a lot of ways but we've ended up with a crazy amount of stowage space instead. No regrets.

In an ideal world we would have got a boat with forward lowers instead of the babystay, so that we could fit a bigger tender on deck. But hey ho, we bought what was available and we're now heading south down the Portuguese coast.
 

benoize3691

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As a comment on decks we have Flexiteak on the side decks and it does get hot even in Jersey and France in the summer but no hotter than teak and so far after 5 years no issues . If I was looking to take our boat to med my focus would be on buying kit here which can be serviced out there. We are 12.8 m so enough space for a couple and to fit in kit . I would be looking if you can for a vessel with water maker,davits generator and solar panels fitted, decent size diesel ,say around 50 but 40 is fine ,plenty of tankage for both water and diesel etc . So in your search draw up a list with a few features and start comparing. I suspect your problem will be the budget will force you down in size but if you can accept an older boat which has spent many years out in Levkas or such like you might find with a bit of tyre kicking older boats where their owners are retiring home, however these older boats might not be what you have in mind . In summary you end up I suspect with a mass market AWB like a Bav 39 with plenty of space ,built around 2005 say which has clocked up the miles, has what is today consider a dark wood interior but the kit will be all mainstream. I’ve never bought a med boat but it might be worth if you find such a vessel speaking to those who have I guess. Happy hunting and maybe once you have targeted some in budget share a few details here-it’s easy to fall in love with a particular boat but forumites will soon rip off those rose tinted spectacles . Just be wary though of the brand apostles . If you do find a brand many have owners websites so another source of views even if not neutral ones.
Thanks for you advice... Actually I am more in the camp of slightly older boats (+30 yrs old) than the newer ones. Newer ones might offer more creature comforts but I get more exited looking at a lighter older boat. I tend to gravitate towards the CC boats because they usually have a proper double berth in the aft. And I think I am also leaning more towards full keel boats or fin keels with skeg rudder
 

Tranona

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As Kelpie says limiting yourself to specific designs or hull/construction types is, well, limiting. Full keel and centre cockpit almost certainly means you will never find a boat because very few were ever built like that simply because the hull form does not have enough volume to fit one until you get well above 45' - and even then aft cabins tend to be poky because of the fine ends and the need to fit a decent size cockpit in.

The Moody Kelpie has (and its 33 and 36 sisters) was essentially the first of its type, a real game changer. It worked because Angus Primrose, the designer broke with tradition and designed a beamy flat bottomed hull with a bolt on fin keel. This set the pattern for just about all modern boats. He did this because his previous design with an aft cabin, the Warrior had a long keel and cramped accommodation, particularly in the aft cabin. It was a popular boat because there was nothing else on the market quite like it, but it was a bit of a dog handling wise. The Moody was a big leap forward and soon copied by others, particularly Westerly, Countess and Oyster in the UK and HR with the 352, although not such an extreme, for the time, hull shape.

So, if you are looking for an affordable centre cockpit boat under 40' the boats from the 80s and 90s with fin and skeg are the ones to look at. Most are British, but others such as Contest in Holland, Beneteau and Dufour in France and particularly Bavaria in Germany all made some centre cockpit boats. The last named is particularly popular with the Ocean series of the late 90s.

Having said that the numbers around are small because they were never made in large numbers, well dispersed because owners tended to sail away in them, and of course because of their age, some require significant work and expenditure to being them up to a usable condition.
 

ashtead

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Would an island packet be of interest? Nice long keel to hone your skills in the marina plus big interior sprung beds and large doors etc. They even do a deck saloon version . Bavaria Ocean as said were a premium product at time although don’t know how spacious the stern cabins are.
 

Tranona

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Stern cabins right up there with the Moodys and Westerlys with full height walkway and galley The 40 would be top of my list, although all getting a bit elderly now and some had horrible teak decks that are a PITA to remove.
 

benoize3691

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Would an island packet be of interest? Nice long keel to hone your skills in the marina plus big interior sprung beds and large doors etc. They even do a deck saloon version . Bavaria Ocean as said were a premium product at time although don’t know how spacious the stern cabins are.
Island packets are not really that readily available here in the EU. So if the are they command a premium price... But they are nice!
 

ashtead

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Yes I guess you might be lucky and pick one up in the Med from someone whose sailing days are coming to an end . We met an American couple at our marina in Gosport who had bought one in the med and we’re taking it back to the US -I think it might have been a 425 version .
 

Yngmar

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Did some boat maintenance on a Malö (around 40 ft) a couple years ago. Build quality was great, everything very sturdy, looked nice inside and out. I was however extremely unimpressed with servicability! It's a difficult to take apart boat and there's plenty of important service areas that you couldn't get to without cutting pieces out of the very nice swedish furniture. Like the chainplates for the forward lowers.

The one other thing was that the owner was tall and ended up converting the main salon to a big bed for himself as he found the owners cabin one too short. But that may not apply to everyone :)
 

alexsailor

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This post should be pinned at the top of this fourm!
Very very good advice!

Don't know if you have sailed or lived aboard in the Med, but it is very different from sailing in northern climes for which the Malo (and many other similar boats) were designed. Inevitably, therefore more modern boats which are largely Med orientated are very different. No boats are really good for living on board, just some are much better than others. Most liveaboards spend 90% of their time stationary and in reality there is very little actual sailing except while getting there or passage making from one cruising ground to another. So mooring and anchoring are important. Most mooring is stern (or bow) to because there are effectively no tides, hence open transoms for boarding and swimming from. Anchoring means being independent of electricity, hence almost universal solar panels and big battery banks (plus big water tanks, toilet holding tanks). For most of the sailing/living season (April-October) temperatures are above 25 degrees and for much of the summer well above that so shade and air circulation are important, so Biminis (because you tend to spend a lot of time in the big cockpit) and lots of opening hatches are desirable.

I could go on, but already you can see these requirements are really not met by the Malo, lovely sailing boat and passage maker that it is. Sure many people do use this type of boat, but as I suggested earlier that is because most are N Europeans and have bought what is available where they live and they ultimately have to accept and live with the shortcomings. One of the ways of getting a better feel for what sort of boat is suitable is to charter a boat for a week or 2 to find out whether you actually like living on a boat in a hot climate. This is exactly what I did over 20 years ago when going through the same process. My dream boat was a Moody 37 - a sort of British equivalent of the Malo and popular with ocean sailors and liveaboards. I was lucky enough to be able to charter one in Greece but realised after a few days it was unsuitable for the job. Next year I chartered a Bavaria 42 and the following year bought a Bavaria 37 which we had for 10 years, holidaying and living aboard for short periods. Might not be as aesthetic as a Malo, or even the Moody, but far superior as a tool for the job. Not surprising that this style of boat and its newer equivalents are the boat of choice for the environment.

Regrettably though your budget - if it really is in US $ rules out many more modern boats of 34-40'. You don't say where you are located as this has a big impact on what sort of boats you can buy, nor what your overall plan is - for example if going to the Med is part of a bigger adventure you can perhaps tolerate the negatives for a couple of years in return for the positives of more active cruising in more demanding conditions. One thing to bear in mind is that whatever you buy, and however you plan to cruise, equipping the boat will cost a lot - at the level of the market you are looking at as much as 50% of your budget will go on preparation. So your $80k for the boat needs another $40-60k for preparation, or if your total budget is $80k then look at paying $50k for the best boat you can find. Of course some people are more tolerant of "economical" living and survive and run boats on very limited budgets - but the old chestnut is that "Cruising on a boat (on a budget) is really about fixing things continuously in nice places".

There are plenty of youtubes about folks who buy a boat intending to sail off into the sunset with all levels of budget on all sorts of boats. The common theme on them all is that old chestnut though - and many of them don't actually make it out of their home waters. Behind them are many more who buy a boat with an unrealistic view of what is involved, hence the rows of abandoned projects in many boatyards.

Sorry if it sounds negative - but if you are realistic and get going it is a great life for many.
 

Arcady

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Teak deck of my previous boat needed replacing.
Opted for Marinedeck 2000 (Stazo® marinedeck | Stazo).
Best thing since sliced bread.
Good anti-slip properties and acts as insulation. Keeps the cold out in winter and the heat in summer.
And you could walk on it barefoot in the midday sun - something which is not always the case with other synthetic teak.

Another vote for Stazo marine deck for all the reasons stated above. Details here Stazo® marinedeck | Stazo.

Edit - sorry: I have just realised I repeated the same link provided by Koeketiene!
 
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Laminar Flow

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If you are going anywhere with sun: do not get a boat with teak decks or even teak coloured ones, period.

My last boat had 50' of them and while they may look pretty they do get so hot you cannot walk on them with bare feet, not in the Med, the Caribbean and in Central America we could have fried an egg on them.

On interiors: You need to decide if you will be just living aboard, moving occasionally, or if you are cruising/voyaging, i.e. going places.
If you are cruising, the interior becomes a matter of practicality and decor one of irrelevance: All the real living will be done outside; below, you cook, sleep and use the heads, nothing else matters.

When cruising, I am more interested in where I arrive at than how the boat is laid out down below, with the exception that it is nice to see where you are while you are there, especially in bad weather, for which a deck salon or a wheel house is rather useful.

In hot climates, ventilation is very desirable: you need Dorades, wind scoops, opening ports, deck hatches and to be aware that your companionway will be open 24/7 and what it will be like if/when you have to close it all due to inclement weather.

You may want to consider length when cruising in the Med; moorage is expensive. Ground tackle is your best friend, in port and elsewhere.
 
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