Best 36-40ft cruiser-racers for... well... cruising

[Trevelyan]

Hi all,
I am looking for 36-38ft, maybe 40ft at a push, boat to go cruising quickly and for good light airs sailing (family friendly stuff in nice weather). Preferably twenty years old or less (not looking for a project!), ideally three cabins, preferably not straying too far into six figures either. I've started looking around to see what people are racing and looking up yachts with high sail area to displacement ratios. I'd be very grateful for suggestions please! To open the bidding, Beneteau First 36.7 or First 40...

Trevelyan

 

[ridgy]

First 40.7?

Perhaps cosmetically bruised but better maintained than most for 50k, owned by a highly experienced instructor:
https://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/beneteau-first-40-7-for-sale/818118

 

[mrming]

Hi all,
I am looking for 36-38ft, maybe 40ft at a push, boat to go cruising quickly and for good light airs sailing (family friendly stuff in nice weather). Preferably twenty years old or less (not looking for a project!), ideally three cabins, preferably not straying too far into six figures either. I've started looking around to see what people are racing and looking up yachts with high sail area to displacement ratios. I'd be very grateful for suggestions please! To open the bidding, Beneteau First 36.7 or First 40...

Trevelyan

Maxi 1100
Dehler 39 SQ / JV
Hanse 400
Dufour 40 Performance

 

[fredrussell]

X yacht? Elan 37 Performance?

Dunno if you’ll find something exotic and French within budget these days - Pogo, RM etc

 

[dunedin]

Arcona 370
X 37
Elan 37

 

[flaming]

If your key metric is light airs performance, then stay away from the Pogos and RMs. Too much wetted surface area to be good in the really light.

The good news is that the era you're looking at was probably the last real C/R era, and the boats were actually really good. Especially upwind.

If you can find one, and it's in budget, just buy the Grand Soliei 37. Incredible looking boat and wicked quick, especially in the light. The one we raced against was very much an object of desire from the rest of the fleet.

From the Elan range, the 37 and 40 are good solid boats. I spent years driving a 37 on the race track, and upwind it really was a fantastic boat. Reef early downwind in cruising mode..
The replacement 380 and 410 were arguably better appointed cruising boats. I never sailed a 380, but I did some time on a 410. 410 Wouldn't be my first choice as a cruiser, the loads got high, it was a serious boat, but the 380 seemed like it was just that step down.

The first 40.7 is a bit of a marmite boat. Can be made to go really well, but it would be rare to find one now that hadn't been absolutely thrashed, especially given how many ended up in the pay to play race charter game, and the interior is definitely geared towards a full race crew rather than cruising comfort. 36.7s are rarer this side of the pond, never come across a competitive one, and the cockpit layout is a bit odd.
The replacement first 35 though, that's a very decent boat. Don't discount it for being only 35 foot, it's got as much space as the Elan 37 for example. And has proven very fast on the race course. And especially in the light.

The Bavaria Match 35 and 38 went very well, but didn't seem especially well built. We raced against a 38 for a few years and they definitely had more than the normal number of retirements for gear failure.

Dehler 35 or 38 would also be excellent bets. Slightly older the 36 is also an excellent boat.

X 37 is also a good bet, though will probably be half as much again if not more than the others. You'll do well to find one too. Ditto Arcona.

Dufour 40, I'm biased here but that's such a sweet boat, my old man had one and I still miss it.

 

[doris]

Maxi 1100
Dehler 39 SQ / JV
Hanse 400
Dufour 40 Performance

I looked at the Maxi, Dehler and Dufour in 2005. The Maxi sails brilliantly but the tankage is pathetic and actually it’s quite a small boat, the very short settee plus average build quality put me off the Dufour. I bought a new Dehler 3 bed 2 bath 39SQ, Fantastic boat, v quick, terrific in heavy conditions but despite almost 200 being built there are very few on the market. The SQ was a significant upgrade.
Had it 11 years and selling it was a bad mistake.

 

[Concerto]

Slightly older, but look at the Westerly Typhoon. Sails like dream. Unfortunately only 40 built, so rarely come up for sale.

 

[flaming]

Slightly older, but look at the Westerly Typhoon. Sails like dream. Unfortunately only 40 built, so rarely come up for sale.

Raced against one in a 2 handed series in the Elan 37 many years ago. It might have sailed well for its era, but things had moved on to the point where it wasn't even in the same class as us. Last rating I can find was a 0.951 from the 2019 fastnet.
The Elan at the same time was rating about 1.010. So that's nearly 4 minutes per hour faster, which is a lot.

 

[mrming]

Well off topic, but the Westerlys that really performed well on the race course were the fractionally rigged GK24 (outboard version) and the GK34. The Typhoon would still be a great boat for the OP but too old to fit their brief really.

 

[fredrussell]

…The Elan at the same time was rating about 1.010. So that's nearly 4 minutes per hour faster, which is a lot.

It’s a lot if you’re racing, but if you’re cruising as OP suggests, not such an issue perhaps.

 

[flaming]

It’s a lot if you’re racing, but if you’re cruising as OP suggests, not such an issue perhaps.

If the OP's starting point was a 40.7, current rating about 1.040, then a typhoon rating nearly 100 points lower is not really in the same league.

They were great boats in their time, but things have moved on.

 

[John_Silver]

The Finngulf 37, from the mid noughties, always looked like an appealing mix of comfort, quality and pace. Had one as a berth mate for several years in Poole.

EDIT Of a racier persuasion, but with a (to my eye) good standard of fit out below, there’s the J-109 to consider. Certainly goes well in the light….

 

[henhan]

The Finngulf 37, from the mid noughties, always looked like an appealing mix of comfort, quality and pace. Had one as a berth mate for several years in Poole.

EDIT Of a racier persuasion, but with a (to my eye) good standard of fit out below, there’s the J-109 to consider. Certainly goes well in the light….

Support the J. For three cabins you may have to look for J-122. In light air we keep up with the Xp 44

 

[flaming]

Not sure a J122 would be "not straying too far into 6 figures". Agree that it they are fantastic boats though. There's a previous generation, J120 on key yachting's books at the moment asking £99k.
2001 J Boats J120 - Key Yachting Ltd.

 

[Bobc]

Slightly older perhaps, but Sigma 38 or Dehler 36?

 

[dgadee]

Dehler 36cws has one stern cabin. 37cws has two. Electric winch for cruising. Sleek machines.

 

[Lightwave395]

As a bit of a Dehler fan (had a 35CWS and a 36db) I tried to find a nice Dehler 36 or 37 last year on my boat hunt but failed. Only a couple on the market then and they'd been for sale for some time with sellers adamant their price was right, the couple I saw were pretty tired, ended up with my Dufour 38 Classic which is growing on me significantly having a 'proper' pre-IKEA style interior, I have the so-called 'Prestige' version with upgraded deck gear and a lead keel and is surprisingly sprightly...

 

[dgadee]

As a bit of a Dehler fan (had a 35CWS and a 36db) I tried to find a nice Dehler 36 or 37 last year on my boat hunt but failed. Only a couple on the market then and they'd been for sale for some time with sellers adamant their price was right, the couple I saw were pretty tired, ended up with my Dufour 38 Classic which is growing on me significantly having a 'proper' pre-IKEA style interior, I have the so-called 'Prestige' version with upgraded deck gear and a lead keel and is surprisingly sprightly...

There was a cheapish 39cws for sale in channel islands last year. No idea why it was slow to sell.

Some have awful purple grp bits. I would have to spray those!

Mine is a Top version. Enough wood. Crew loves it.

Big 49 footer off south of Italy said, "When wind picked up you just took off". True.

 

[Leslie frank]

I had Dufour 36 classic which was very much a cruiser followed by a dufour 385 which was a lot more sporty. The build quality of the former felt much better but the latter was great fun to sail.