Which sub 37 ft yacht to cross the North Atlantic in?

[thecommander]

No cruiser-racers?

Single handed / short handed crew.
The less tweaking the better.
Racers get overpowered quickly!

Contessa 38?

Beautiful boat. He likes it.
No tiller option?
Damn sight cheaper than a Rustler 36.

What "horror stories", particularly confirmed ones.

52ft Hanse loses rudder mid Atlantic. Family forced to abandon ship.
Cheeki Rafiki needs no mention on here.

He wants a simple boat..
Tiller steerage, no fancy mechanical or electrical systems.
A boat which is comfortable in heavy seas.
Small cockpit.

 

[sailorman]

Single handed / short handed crew.
The less tweaking the better.
Racers get overpowered quickly!


Beautiful boat. He likes it.
No tiller option?
Damn sight cheaper than a Rustler 36.


52ft Hanse loses rudder mid Atlantic. Family forced to abandon ship.
Cheeki Rafiki needs no mention on here.

He wants a simple boat..
Tiller steerage, no fancy mechanical or electrical systems.
A boat which is comfortable in heavy seas.
Small cockpit.

Well you seem to know all the answers already

 

[GHA]

He wants a simple boat..
Tiller steerage, no fancy mechanical or electrical systems.
A boat which is comfortable in heavy seas.
Small cockpit.

In that case, if steel is an option then as mentioned before an ebbtide 33 or 36 fits those exactly (I live on a 33)

Solid as a rock, cutter rigged so great sail plan in a blow, easy singlehanded and will bounce off containers/tree trunks/whales..

Seems maybe a bit over the top for just round the Atlantic though, if it's longer term to here be dragons on the charts then maybe not.

 

[doug748]

Beautiful boat. He likes it.
No tiller option?
Damn sight cheaper than a Rustler 36.
QUOTE]

It wasn't seriously suggesting the Contessa as it breaks quite a few of your chums guidelines........but it looks so nice and the price is attractive.

The early ones had tillers, rumour was they were a bit heavy on the helm, rumour has it Rustler 36s are a bit heavy on the helm.
A digression here,
Perhaps the truth is that you can sail these boats on their ear, beyond the point at which some designs will gripe up. Discipline is needed to reef as required, maybe.

 

[Captaen]

Dix 38
There is a great passage maker for sale in Crosshaven, Cork. A proven ocean going boat, well equipped and a good price.
Small cockpit, rigged for single handed (all lines to cockpit), comfortable ans safe in bad weather. Ready to go

 

[KellysEye]

>If only they had made one. It would make finding a secondhand one easier.

Oops Contessa 35 as here: http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/boats.phtml?id=848&mi=2386

 

[skodster]

This would be my choice;

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=490774

 

[Motor_Sailor]

. . . Oops Contessa 35 . . .

Yes a good one of those would be high on my short list for a short handed upwind crossing of the north Atlantic.

But like a lot of boats of that era, they're getting a bit long in the tooth and big re-fits aren't quick or cheap.

 

[Kelpie]

Not wishing to drift the thread but where can I find more info on this, I've not heard of it? Googling it gives me lots of gliding tips :ambivalence:

I think he meant sailplan, not sailplane.

 

[E39mad]

Vancouver 32's were tiller (many have wind vanes) - 34's are mostly wheel although there are some tiller versions out there. The 32/34 internally is very similar to the Rustler 36/Rival 36 in terms of volume.

Vancouver 36 is wheel only and slightly outside budget (on asking price!!) but would be my pic as is a BIG 36 footer.

Both are designed as cutters and are over rigged (twin back stays etc)

 

[jonic]

Vancouver 32's were tiller (many have wind vanes) - 34's are mostly wheel although there are some tiller versions out there. The 32/34 internally is very similar to the Rustler 36/Rival 36 in terms of volume.

Vancouver 36 is wheel only and slightly outside budget (on asking price!!) but would be my pic as is a BIG 36 footer.

Both are designed as cutters and are over rigged (twin back stays etc)

We have just taken one on and she's great.

We have sold 34's pilots and classics and 38's but this is the first 36. Huge interior and headroom for size and an impressive looking yacht.

http://www.jryachts.com/yachts-for-sale/vancouver-36/1418305

Interior video here shows the space and headroom https://youtu.be/4JlfJ9NiXzY

 

[capnsensible]

I think he meant sailplan, not sailplane.

Well I did but my iPad had other ideas.

 

[lw395]

It's best if the OP's 'friend' sticks to his own prejudices, because crossing the Atlantic either gets stressful or dull at some point, and you don't want to be blaming other people for the choice of boat.
Personally, I would go for wheel steering every time, with a decent autopilot. And I say that as someone who really is not bothered with autopilots for coastal and cross channel sailing. There should be nothing in any decent wheel system that you can't refurbish to be good for several years, let alone a few weeks across the Atlantic.
Most of the yachts discussed are quite old and have a great many fittings on them which will be worn and a failure risk. If one is afraid of maintaining e.g. the 3 pulleys and 2 cables in an Edson steering system, then what of the other thousand or so 30 year old moving parts?

Secondly it is about the individual yacht, not the history of the class. For instance people will bang on about how seaworthy Contessa 32s are, but I know two of these quite closely. One is the most sorted yacht I've been on, nearly everything has been replaced, better than new. The other breaks something every time I race against it, the owner has had it a few years and is yet to get on top of decades of stuff wearing out.

Sorting a boat of unknown history to a good standard for the Atlantic takes a ton of time and money. Of course a lot of people get away with things not being fully sorted. If you can buy a boat with the right history it helps.

 

[doris]

We have just taken one on and she's great.

We have sold 34's pilots and classics and 38's but this is the first 36. Huge interior and headroom for size and an impressive looking yacht.

http://www.jryachts.com/yachts-for-sale/vancouver-36/1418305

Wow, that a smashing boat John.

Interior video here shows the space and headroom https://youtu.be/4JlfJ9NiXzY

Gosh, that's a smashing boat John!

 

[doug748]

It's best if the OP's 'friend' sticks to his own prejudices...

Other people's ideas are always prejedices when we disapprove of them,

requirements when we don't care and

sage and far seeing judgements when we are in agreement.

 

[lw395]

Other people's ideas are always prejedices when we disapprove of them,

requirements when we don't care and

sage and far seeing judgements when we are in agreement.

Fair to say my own prejudices are out of line with the OP's.
But that's what they are.
A good boat is a good boat. And it can be long keel, fin and skeg, spade rudder, or multihull.
A good example of virtually any 35ft upwards boat will get you across the Atlantic.
Some you will want better weather, some will take a bit longer.
There are weak skeg rudders, and there are strong spade rudders. And v/v.
There are examples of both that have been halfway beaten to death by previous owners.
But the point I was making or trying to, was, go with what you like, crossing an ocean, self reliance needs to start before Falmouth, preferably well before you get the cheque book out. If you don't know what yacht you want, you possibly don't want it enough?

 

[Neil_Y]

Fair to say my own prejudices are out of line with the OP's.
But that's what they are.
A good boat is a good boat. And it can be long keel, fin and skeg, spade rudder, or multihull.
A good example of virtually any 35ft upwards boat will get you across the Atlantic.
Some you will want better weather, some will take a bit longer.
There are weak skeg rudders, and there are strong spade rudders. And v/v.
There are examples of both that have been halfway beaten to death by previous owners.
But the point I was making or trying to, was, go with what you like, crossing an ocean, self reliance needs to start before Falmouth, preferably well before you get the cheque book out. If you don't know what yacht you want, you possibly don't want it enough?

Exactly what I was thinking. I've only done three crossings but have sailed a wide variety of yachts on long passages from Twisters to Rival38's to Fast 40, to a water ballasted Open 30.

 

[thecommander]

The long list.

Rustler 36
Contessa 38
Vancouver 36
Rival 36
Oyster Heritage 37
Contessa 32
Island Packet 35
Vancouver 32

Vancouvers...
Would a Vancouver 27 do it? He could save a ton of money buying a smaller Vancouver and have plenty in reserve for a refit.

 

[sailorman]

The long list.

Rustler 36
Contessa 38
Vancouver 36
Rival 36
Oyster Heritage 37
Contessa 32
Island Packet 35
Vancouver 32

Vancouvers...
Would a Vancouver 27 do it? He could save a ton of money buying a smaller Vancouver and have plenty in reserve for a refit.

A V27 might just make it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ9Qh9hv8eQ

 

[Fr J Hackett]

V27s, 28s, 32s and 34s have all crossed by both Northern and Southern routes although windward work is not their strong point.