Advice sought on Sigma Yachts

[JamieB]

Hello, I would love your input on boats and in particular from any Sigma owners.

Based in Scotland, family of 4 (two small children). Would like to be able to cruise with another family of 4 occasionally (I.e. sleep from 4-8). Would also like to be able to do West Highland Week with mates - want boat that can sail well but doesn’t need to be competitive - this is Scotland! Have sailed/raced all my life but never owned a cruiser.

I think I like Sigmas - solid, sail well, not too expensive.

Sigma 362 looks ideal - does any know if you can feasibly sleep 8 people onboard given technically 7 berths?

Is a Sigma 38 too racy for family cruising?

Am I missing other boats which would fit this criteria and be in the same ballpark price range?

thank you, Jamie

 

[RJJ]

Hello, I would love your input on boats and in particular from any Sigma owners.

Based in Scotland, family of 4 (two small children). Would like to be able to cruise with another family of 4 occasionally (I.e. sleep from 4-8). Would also like to be able to do West Highland Week with mates - want boat that can sail well but doesn’t need to be competitive - this is Scotland! Have sailed/raced all my life but never owned a cruiser.

I think I like Sigmas - solid, sail well, not too expensive.

Sigma 362 looks ideal - does any know if you can feasibly sleep 8 people onboard given technically 7 berths?

Is a Sigma 38 too racy for family cruising?

Am I missing other boats which would fit this criteria and be in the same ballpark price range?

thank you, Jamie

Hello, i I did many miles on a 362 (3 fastnet races) and several offshore passages on a 38.

Excellent boat. We slept 9 at one point on the 362.

You can install removable pipe cots above the main saloon berths. Not very difficult or intrusive. So you get 2 in bow, 5 in saloon (port side is a double), 2 in aft cabin.

8 on a 36 footer is always going to be "busy". Personally I would like to do it for a weekend but probably not a week. But it's perfectly achievable.

8 people on a 38 is much more sustainable space wise. Sailing wise, the 38 is more a handful than the 362 but you can make it work. The main thing is a really good lazy jack system so you can drop the main short handed. Under way It's only slightly more twitchy, you'll still be safe with the family as she handles. The runners needn't worry you much, the rig should stand up to a controlled gybe without them, and the genoa is typically less overlapped and easier to tack, with bigger winches, than on 362.

The cockpit layout, mainsheet and rig are much more satisfactory for racing on the 38

We have just spent a year with the family on a 44 footer where I was regularly doing all this on my own, so it's entirely feasible.

 

[Blueboatman]

Isn’t there ( wasn’t there ?) a distinction between a masthead and a fractional rig S38?

There was one in Brighton that was cruised pretty effortlessly down to Portugal and back just for a summer holiday ..??
I’ve always liked ‘em

 

[V1701]

Anything without either two aft double cabins or pipe cots you're going to struggle with that many people and there aren't that many sub 40ft boats that have them which somewhat limits your choice. I don't know if any of the Beneteau First range have either pipe cots or those small berths outboard of the saloon settees whatever they're called?

 

[TLouth7]

Sigmas are very small for their LOA in terms of stowage and interior space, certainly compared with yachts from the 1990s onwards. To cruise in a 362 or 38 would involve shuffling kit around every morning and evening to clear the saloon, and you would need bags on the floor at night. This can be done (we used to do it as a family of 6 in a 33), but gets tiresome and you would have to get on with the other family extremely well. Would you be happy to stuff all the children into the saloon and let them get on with it?

On the West coast of Scotland I guess you could take a tent and put all the children or one of the couples ashore for most of the nights.

I'd suggest something a bit newer with two double aft cabins and more stowage around the galley: you could almost certainly get this extra volume in less LOA and the same sail area. As a bonus you wouldn't need so much rail meat to sail such a boat to her potential.

 

[dunedin]

Pop in to Tobermory today and you will see various Sigmas in, as part of the West Highland Yachting Week fleet
Good boats. But any boat of that size is going to be v crowded sleeping 8 on board.
Yes students can fit 40 people in a Mini. And can camp with 8 on board IF dry weather, as gear if not people will overnight in cockpit.
But will they still be friends after a wet weekend on board ?

 

[Motor_Sailor]

Sigma 36 has lots of bunks and can manage 8 easily.
Much cheaper, but better performer than the 362.

But 362 is the 'nicer' boat. And if you want one, StormCruiser is for sale on the south coast. Has had a major refit with lots of upgrades. ( Home | My Site. )

 

[laika]

I've been on a 38 with 7 people for 2 weeks. Probably fine for rufty tufty racing dwarves. I wouldn't recommended it for proper dutch-sized civilised folk. But then I think more than 4 on my oceanlord is "crowded"...

It's 18 years since I sailed a sigma 38 but I remember them being an excellent cruiser/racer but do you want to be messing about with running back stays on a family cruiser?

 

[penfold]

May want to consider the Sigma 400 if you want more space.