Any suggestions for next boat?

[TwinRudders]

Hi - we've just sold our Beneteau First 285 and are looking for a new boat for the new season. Having sailed a light boat with a lifting keel we're looking for something heavier & more sea kindly with a fixed shoal draught fin (Poole harbour) and a budget of up to around £55k.

Type of sailing: Weekends across to IOW and pottering around Poole harbour, holidays to Cherbourg/West Country.
Size 34ft max LOA 11ft beam (that's to do with the limitations of our mooring) So pref around 32 ft
Herself would like a shower and would prefer a wheel as well as a decent cabin and galley! Me I'm easy - yea right...I still want something that's fun and exciting to sail.

Boats we're considering:

Jeanneau 32 (not 32.2) or 34.2 (shoal) The Sun Odyssey 32 gets a very good report from James Jermain in 2002 (YM). The 34.2 doesn't seem to get such a good report from a sailing perspective.
Hunter Channel 31 - (tiller only)
Hanse 315 - although the interior is harsh in my opinion.
Beneteau 323

Older boats which are prob too big for the mooring but nevertheless are lovely:

Maxi 35 (1.5 draught)
Nicholson 35 - beautiful
Beneteau Idylle - sailed one in Norway for a week and loved it
Moody 336
Moody Eclipse - intreagued by this one, sailed with one from Falmouth across to Helford in the sumnmer and it saw us off easily.

Would welcome any suggestions/comments please!

Thanks, Jonny

 

[TigaWave]

Bavaria 350? maybe a bit big but a nice boat within budget.

 

[Sybarite]

My Feeling 920 with 5'6" draft ??? ;-))

For a lot less..

John

 

[Martin999]

Hunter Channel 31 - although it has a tiller when not sailing you will have a lot more space in the cockpit, and you get a shower and a very large aft cabin.

PS they sail really well too

 

[Sailfree]

I was really impressed with the Finngulf 33 YM test report but probably more expensive than your other options.

Good ballast ratio & AVS.

 

[matt1]

Sorry - you may get this twice (I have IT issues!)

Here's some comments on my Hunter Channel 31 (which I would of course recommend)

Positives....
Truly sparkling sailing performance in any keel variation, the self tacking rig is a boon in our crowded southern waters (you may want the genoa for offshore work or lighter winds), Shoal draft with twin keels, very well engineered construction, roomy for her size, reasonable displacement gives "big boat" feel.

Negatives - galley a bit on the small side and the aft cabin (like many similar arrangements today) will be a bit noisy with water slapping. The quality of finish may vary but the hull / deck and structural construction is IMHO amongst the best (which I guess is why it seems largely uneconomic to build them like that now)

Try Andy Cunningham at Michael Schmidt in Hamble or the Hunter owners website at Hunterassociation.org.uk I think there are a few for sail right now if you are interested.

Personally I would not dull the sailing enjoyment by having a wheel on this size of boat but again that's just personal opinion.

 

[madridpunch]

How about a Hallberg Rassy 312? Sail beautifully, some have a wheel, most with tiller. They have a nice forepeak cabin. Most of them have a shower fitted (The MK2s anyway) and they have a decent galley.

A 312 MK2 in decent condition (most of them are) would be pretty much on your budget and although would be significantly older than the other boats you mention, would be much better built.

 

[rr_123]

Not an expert, but i reckon the Nic 32 would fulfill your requirements perfectly. A quick search on boatshed reveals one that i would certainly look at if i didn't live a hundred miles from the sea and 30 feet from a river...

R

 

[alistairedw]

I spent two weeks sailing a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 32 in Greece last summer. Really nice boat. Easy to sail single handed.

SWMBO + teenage daughter both found it comfortable.

 

[TwinRudders]

Re the Jeanneau 32 - was that a tiller version. Wheel looks like it would be difficult to get to the main or genoa sheets on your own?
Thanks, J

 

[TwinRudders]

Re. the Hunter 31 - thanks for the post - interesting. Certainly liked by David Harding although he tested the fin version I think. Is it true to say that the twin keel version points slightly less than the deep fin but otherwise similar in performance?

The other thing he questoined was the lack of a mainsheet traveller - do you have one on yours?

The main reason why we were thinking wheel was because herself has found it difficult to keep control with a tiller on the 285 in a blow & seaway. How is the helm on your H31? I agree with you about the tiller on this size boat.

Thanks, J

 

[johnjd44]

Of course, everyone suggests their own boat! and I'm no different. How about an ETap32s? Shoal draft, good space below, sais well and their own version of a wheel (EVS) which combines ease of a trad wheel but takes up so little space.

 

[TwinRudders]

Yes but they are more like 70k+! J

 

[matt1]

have sent you a pm

 

[alistairedw]

It was a wheel version. When I needed to move forward I just put the wheel amidships and tightened the wheel lock. I know you are not meant to do this whilst at sea, but in calm conditions with nothing around us I think it was reasonably safe.

I would have prefered a tiller though.

 

[Whitelighter]

Moody 31 MkII is an excellent boat and very comfy for a family of four. Might even get an S31 for the budget, if the 336 proves to be a little big

 

[photodog]

How bout, a Hanse 331..... or a Deep fin Dufour 32 classic....
or, (and I dare not mention this.).. A Bavaria 34 circa 2000....or maybe a nice Barbican 33?

Good price size combo, you should have loads of choice and plenty of fun!
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Amphitrite]

Have a look at the Elan 333...

 

[wotayottie]

Bought a Moody 336 as an interim when we couldnt make up our minds on whether or not to buy a new Southerly . Its become a "permanent" because its a way better boat than I thought it would be. Well put together, very comfortable for our crew of two and would suit 4 well too, and above all sails really well.

I've been doing a little bit of club racing and therefore had to investigate handicaps for the boat. Discovered that on the Clyde the handicap for a 336 fin is slightly less than some of their Sigma 33 cruiser racers ie faster! According to the sailing sec there, slower in light winds but quicker on a beat into a sea.

And that really would be the comparison with boats like the Hunter or similar lightweights.

Things I dont like about it? The cockpit isnt the most comfortable, the floor by the cooker is at an angle, cockpit layout means single handing only possible with an autohelm, reefing at the mast (in my case).
Plus points : excellent light steering, seperate shower stall, comfortable aft berth, decent cockpit locker

If you want to chat about the 336 pm me your phone number

 

[Goldie]

A Sadler 34 is the right size, sails beautifully and is comfortably within budget.