Advice desparately needed

[tjm]

Please, please advise;- in the process of 'boat hunting' our favourites are Beneteau
First 26, Jouet 760 and a Hunter Horizon 27 all will have to have either a lifting keel or twin/bilge due to our mooring (3'6")
Please advise on sailing capabilities, staying on board (my wife says it must be comfortable!) as we will be staying weekends etc.,
The jouet 760 we have asked around and not a lot of people have heard of it - would I be buying a pup as regards re-sale?


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[Talbot]

With that depth of water, you might consider a catamaran, wife will love you due to space and sailing upright. When you do dry out it is on an even keel (or should that be keels!) wide variety of types and cost to choose from and their performance varies from mediocre to superb - define what you want to do, how much you want to spend, and where you will be sailing.

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[Miker]

I've got a Beneteau 260 Spirit with a lifting keel which draws 0.85m. Sails well although a bit tender which means reefing early. Accommodation is supposedly for 4 but really is only two. The front cabin will take two but would be VERY cramped at the pointed end. I've converted one of the main cabin seats into a decent sized single bed. The other side is under 6 ft long because of the galley.
There is a small wash basin and rudimentary cooking facilities.
It is fine for my sailing with two aboard. We have a fry up or a pub meal and normally use the washing facilities in a marina.

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[Birdseye]

had a hunter 26 bilge (same boat as 27 but without the sugar scoop). sailed very well and was well made. also hunter are still in business so there is after sales service. had no trouble in selling it. only negative was that it was a bit dinghy like ie no question of being able to leave the helm alone for a minute or two. on the other hand , it always outsailed sadler 29 bilge keels in club races.

tried a jouet on a cross channel trip - it was ok but not a patch on the hunter IMHO

the ben 26's sail v well and the french go out in them in any weather. mind you, they go out in anything in any weather. must be the garlic!

now have a cat. would second what the earlier poster said. only thing is, they are less fun to sail but better to cruise. so it depends on your likely use.

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[Peppermint]

Re: What & where

What are your sailing objectives and where are you going to be sailing?

If your looking for a weekender to cruise from marina to marina in sheltered waters (i.e. the Solent or Clyde) your needs are a bit different to say a club racer or if you fancy longer trips in more open waters.

First 26's are quite lively and do benefit from a bit of weight on the rail if it blows up. Not quite standing head room as I remember.

The Hunters offer a good stiff seaboat with a good layout for a couple. If it's got a diesel, is factory built and is pretty standard it will offer the easiest sell when you want rid.

I'm not convinced that the depth of the water at your mooring or the eventual resale value should be prime in your choice.



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[jonjo]

Re: Mid 90\'s Hunters

A Hunter is a more substantial boat but watch out for mid 90's examples.

Hunter had a general problem with quality control in their laminating. A Hunter owner who missed the bad batch more by luck than judgment told me the GRP was so bad even osmosis could not form in the problem hulls.


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[EdEssery]

What about a lift keel MG C27 aka Contessa 27? They are roughly split between Fin Keels and Lift Keels with two or three bilge keel ones - about 120 built in total between 1985 and 1989/90.

Rob Humphries design - very fast - you'll leave many 30/32 footers in your wake. Spacious down below due to open plan layout. Easy to cruise (self tacking jib) with lots of options for bigger headsails if you want to play with the toys.

PM me for more details if interested.

Ed

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