30ft or 40ft...

oGaryo

oGaryo

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got chatting to some of the guys in East Cowes with the larger mobo's on pontoon G and one of the lads advised to go straight for a 40 footer and bypass the 30's should we ever upsize... now, unless someone sprinkles some fairy dust on the bank account, a 40ft boat is just a distant dream but in a couple of years a mid 30ft mobo is certainly doable if we save our pennies hard...

we're enjoying our current boat enormously so there's no immediate desire to change but I do expect us to want to increase to a 6 berth at some point... so, those good people with 30fters, are they any good as a 6 berth crusier or are they just a tad too small for 6 folk on board?
 
Hurumph..........

No matter how big your "new" boat is it will shrink alarmingly within a few weeks of purchase.
On your first boat,you will happily squeeze half the world on and get them to stay for weeks on end.
But a few boats later you will begrudge even your offspring staying for more than 30 mins and cannot wait to get the boat back all to yourself again and peaceful silence. :)
 
Six on board during the day is okay, so long as they are boat-trained, and keep their elbows and feet in.

Four to sleep overnight.

Anything more, and it all starts to get a bit like 2nd class on the New Dehli Railway.
 
Yep agree, 4 overnight on a 30-33ftr is OK as in many cases there are two sleeper cabins or areas, but you still need to be good friends or family. For trips out 6 or even 8 is OK but space deos get tight when its food time. We have a 33ftr and wish we had a 40ftr. But if we had a 40 we would want a 50.... and on it goes. If we were buying again, we would stretch to a 37-40 to get that extra room, even though there are usually only two of us.
 
My P35 which is the same as a modern 40 Ft boat, has masses of room for the two of us.

She can accomodate 20 or 30 for parties.

WE put up with one or maybe two for the odd night. She will berth 7.

It's the **** around that causes the iritation.
 
FlowerPower said:
Six on board during the day is okay, so long as they are boat-trained, and keep their elbows and feet in.

Four to sleep overnight.

Anything more, and it all starts to get a bit like 2nd class on the New Dehli Railway.
Click to expand...

Not that we have ever tried it but 4 would comfortably sleep on our boat: 2 forward and 2 in the rear cabin. There is also a way of turning the mid cabin table into another berth, but that would really be pushing it. On an open plan boat you would have to be family or very close friends to feel comfortable.

Outside 6 can comfortably fit on seats. I think 8 would be pushing it as people would be getting in each others way a lot.

My feeling is that for comfortable living accommodation a 42 footer would be fine. Now, if my means stretched to keeping the new Sealine F42 that would be a nice sized boat for spending time cruising the med etc. In the real world I will be glad to get my 28' 10" hull back ;)
 
Gary,

Rafiki is 33ft, and has 3 separate double berths, fwd and mid (both permanent) and dinette area.

The mid is quite narrow for 2, but plenty long enough, note SWMBO and I are quite tall both just either side of 6".

Cockpit is good for 8-10 quite happily. Saloon with probably seat 4 adults comfortably, obviously more if children.

So Rafiki is great for the 2 of us. If and when we trade up, I think the SC35 will suit us best.
 
I did have a 35 footer that would sleep 6 in 3 cabins now i have a 43 footer that will sleep 6 in 3 cabins but neither boats I would be happy with 6 people sleeping over (unless they were all nubile young wenches) 4 people yes, don't forget 6 people on a 35ft boat with one loo would be a bit frustrating in the morning!

I have been selling boats for years and my advice to people who often ask the same question is this, be a bit selfish in your approach to having a boat,its your boat and you will probably use it more by yourselves than with guests(not always the case) if you are having guests then they will probably put up with sleeping on a 'put-me-up bed' for the odd night because they will be privileged to be asked to stay on your boat in the first place!

Unless you have loads-a-dosh then it don't matter!

Just my opinion of course
 
We have too decent doubles on our boat (Ocqueteau 975) which sleeps the family pretty comfortably but as has been previously said, it is the other space that is important too such as toilets and cockpits etc, hence why she is on the market and a plan to trade up yet again! I think it also depends on what your plans are... We spent three fabulous days at Cowes and then the Folly, but were then ready to come home. Our hope is that a bigger boat will be more practical for longer periods, especially now we are moving away from the coast. My fear is that 40ft will make it more difficult to find marina space for visitor berths or anchorages in our favourite "tucked away places." A bigger boat also means IMHO that you have to go further to make good use of her! The good news is that I can start dreaming about putting a rib on the back though!
 
I love my actual size (36 feet LOA) which is a good balance of space, comfort, and affordibility. We can be 5 in good comfort, and if an owner happens for her I think I will stay more or less the same size.

Not that 40 or 50 etc is not better. It's all about what you can afford IMO!
 
Definitly Mapis! But I cannot afford the cost of the beast, altough there is a nice refitted Magnum 45 with a modified inteior offering three cabins, newer 710hp Cats that I would be very much tempted for. Look for her on MB rrrggg

Same goes with some Itamas and XL Marines. BTW that new Tornado 50 looks also nice and heard good things about her. She is with IPS but at cruising she drinks about 90 LPH meaning not costing an arm and a leg to run.
 
oGaryo said:
good people with 30fters, are they any good as a 6 berth crusier or are they just a tad too small for 6 folk on board?
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We used (4 of us) to cruise with a Cranchi Zaffiro 34, also for longish periods. And she was fine - just.
But if by "6 berth cruiser" you really mean a boat capable of cruising confortably a party of 6, I'd rather wish something even larger than a 40'...
 
MapisM said:
Geez, where did they fit the 3rd cabin, between the two Cats? :)
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They removed saloon and galley from below, and moved all on the main deck and there you have them. Actually if you have the galley in the cockpit on an open you hardly use the one below. Looks quite well finished have a look here.

http://www.mondialbroker.it/detail.taf?B=285799&K=BPS

The Bestia in both 50 and new 51 did in fact use the hull of the old 45.

For this 45 what I am not so sure is that it does not look to have a fore flush deck, how I know it to be. Altough Magnum has been known to present modified custom versions to some of the boats.
 
Newsailor,

I have a P385 (1988) which is 38'9" of hull. The little teak bathing platform is extra, and not included in the length. A modern 40' boat has maybe 3' or 4' of moulded grp bathing platform, which is invariably included in the LOA. Hence, a P35 is 'almost' as big as a modern 40' (generalising, of course...) I think this may be HLB's point.

Interesting to put my 38' boat against a Sealine or Broom of similar official proportions - all three boats are very different in LOA and more importantly useable space.... In fairness, I think my Princess is actually the worst for useable space, the Sealine most optimistic about it's length (but well designed for useable space), and the Broom possibly pessimistic about LOA.

My friends Ocean 42 is huge - no way is it only four feet longer than my Princess!!
 
rosssavage said:
Newsailor,

I have a P385 (1988) which is 38'9" of hull. The little teak bathing platform is extra, and not included in the length. A modern 40' boat has maybe 3' or 4' of moulded grp bathing platform, which is invariably included in the LOA. Hence, a P35 is 'almost' as big as a modern 40' (generalising, of course...) I think this may be HLB's point.
Click to expand...

Where are you getting that figure from?

Taking the builders own figures, the P35 LOA is 35’ 3” (37’ 11” inc bolt on bathing platform). Compare this to say a Fairline Phantom 40 whose LOA is 41’ 1” with a comparible difference in beam as well. The weight difference is huge as well being a declared 6.3t for the P35 and 11.4t for the Failrine

Then take the fact that the Fairline has two heads while the Princess has one and the Flybridge on the P35 is tiny compared to the Failine and I just don't get the comment that the P35 is the "same" as a modern 40 footer.

Not trying to be argumentative, I happen to think the P35 is a great boat, it's just not the same as a modern 40 footer. I think you need to look at the 415, or maybe at a push, the 388 from that era to make a correct comparisson.
 
OAF said:
I did have a 35 footer that would sleep 6 in 3 cabins now i have a 43 footer that will sleep 6 in 3 cabins but neither boats I would be happy with 6 people sleeping over (unless they were all nubile young wenches) 4 people yes, don't forget 6 people on a 35ft boat with one loo would be a bit frustrating in the morning!

I have been selling boats for years and my advice to people who often ask the same question is this, be a bit selfish in your approach to having a boat,its your boat and you will probably use it more by yourselves than with guests(not always the case) if you are having guests then they will probably put up with sleeping on a 'put-me-up bed' for the odd night because they will be privileged to be asked to stay on your boat in the first place!

Unless you have loads-a-dosh then it don't matter!

Just my opinion of course
Click to expand...

Agree entirely. I think 6 peeps sleeping over on even a 40 footer is too much unless you know each very well. Also agree on the need to be selfish. Its your boat and you pay for it so the master cabin needs to be big enough for your needs and the guests just have to put up with whatever they get. IMHO, having 2 heads is also critical, one en suite to the master cabin only and the other for guests. Personally I dont like guests sleeping in the saloon either; it creates mess and then there's always a sense that the evening has to finish early so that the guests in the saloon can go to bed. IMHO, if youre going to have 6 peeps on your boat regularly you need 3 cabins, 2 heads and at least a 45 footer
 
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