Best Bluewater Cruising boats?

I suppose everything here is "imho" ... although after a while some things become somewhat more proven and less a matter of opinion. This forum is distinctly under-representative of those who have made numerous long trips and been able to choose their vessel to suit. The OP made the post about the BEST bluewater boats, and the mags and their editors love the nice pics of the pretty boat in the exotic anchorage... but still don't much address the issue of long-term living on a boat UNLESS they try it on a catamaran.

My first time in a big catamaran, at anchor, a fast speedboat came really close by, and I was suitably indignant and oh jeez hang on! ... and then realised that the boat hardly rocked or moved at all. Not a matter of opinion in this and other issues.

Becalmed in a catamaran - you should still be able to motor several hundred miles no issue - cos your two small engines will allow 6knots motoring at around half a litre per nm. Same size mono uses double the fuel or more. Not a matter of opinion either...
 
tcm said:
I suppose everything here is "imho" ... although after a while some things become somewhat more proven and less a matter of opinion. This forum is distinctly under-representative of those who have made numerous long trips and been able to choose their vessel to suit. The OP made the post about the BEST bluewater boats, and the mags and their editors love the nice pics of the pretty boat in the exotic anchorage... but still don't much address the issue of long-term living on a boat UNLESS they try it on a catamaran.

My first time in a big catamaran, at anchor, a fast speedboat came really close by, and I was suitably indignant and oh jeez hang on! ... and then realised that the boat hardly rocked or moved at all. Not a matter of opinion in this and other issues.

Becalmed in a catamaran - you should still be able to motor several hundred miles no issue - cos your two small engines will allow 6knots motoring at around half a litre per nm. Same size mono uses double the fuel or more. Not a matter of opinion either...
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I guess it's like bungalows. Very sensible, especially as people get on a bit. But doubt anyone's soul was ever stirred by one.
 
Unless I'm imagining it, there are quite a few forumites who have switched back to monos. I think things like berthing difficulties might have come up. Running (as in, servicing) costs of two smaller engines might be higher than one larger one.

Personally I just have no desire to get aboard a cat and be transported in a flat plane to my destination. I actually quite enjoy bashing to windward on a well balanced tiller steered boat. But then I've never had to do it for days on end to cross an ocean.
 
I've delivery crewed about 2000 miles in a 55', fast, and gorgeous-looking cat, and the middle bit, where the dining table and nav station are, slammed horribly every time a moderate wave hit the bottom, enough to totally disrupt eating or reading.

Is that common? The Lagoons etc seem very high, perhaps to avoid this Achilles heel?
 
steve yates said:
The thread title is a bit of a misnomer.
I'm just a beginner, but the article is actually the most popular, not the the best.
Important difference surely.?

I wonder what the same list would look like if compiled from all the independent ocean crossings, as opposed to mass rallies.?

It's also noticeable that apart from the bag 42 by a smidgeon, none of them are under a quarter of a million dollars in price.

If I had one, I think I would flog it, buy an old fashioned one for around 50-60k and buy a house with the rest or stick it in the cruising fund.
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By just considering ARC boats you get a distorted view of the market.
The ARC appeals to a more affluent skipper/owner. When we cross in two years we will only have my pension for income.
Whilst you won't find me selling The Big Issue any time soon, I certainly won't be paying some organisation so I can sail my own boat across the pond.

Also, when you're looking for a boat, don't get too hung up on brands/badges.
List what features are essential for you and then thry to find the boat that ticks the most or even all of your boxes.
There's no benefit to be gleaned from badge snobbery.
 
So. as always, these threads boil down to just one thing.

One hull, two hulls, long keel, ketch, schooner or whatever. Doesn't matter. You will see all sorts doing it out there. Thousands of them.

So what is the''best one' ??

Its The One You Can Afford..........
 
tcm said:
Mono's are more for weekend or beam-reachy sailing fun, perhaps racing, but always a nice marina at nights with proper bar and/or someone else to do the cooking. Catamarans allow you to live on the boat to the extent that (for example) you would be fine to complete your transat ... and on arrival - to sit at anchor for weeks at a time. I mean- without bothering to go ashore at all. On a mono, you'd be looking forward to getting off the dang boat ASAP and might frequently "treat yourself" to a marina - a clear indication that being on a mono long-term is an awkward way of life.
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You opinion is obviously a minority one, bearing in mind that the vast majority of liveaboards and long distance cruisers prefer mono's, for whatever reason. Hard to say what the ratio is, maybe 50:1? We find sitting on anchor for long periods on a mono suits us fine.
 
ohmaggie said:
I guess it's like bungalows. Very sensible, especially as people get on a bit. But doubt anyone's soul was ever stirred by one.
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I kind of like the idea of a cat and the 2nd favourite boat at Boot this year for me was the Bav cat..doubly surprising as I have an extremely low opinion on recent AWB's and Bavarias in particular.( I didn't get a good look at the Bavs as the queues to get onboard were long so that comment might be unfair. I did get a good rake around the Oceanis 38 and 41- something ... and OMG! The word that springs to mind is ' shoddy' )

I liked the space and the layout on the Bav cat- for somewhere warm and sunny but:

They are fugly and and hard to look at and like.
Id never feel safe at sea
Most cats are even uglier than the Bav one
 
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OR4751 said:
By just considering ARC boats you get a distorted view of the market.
The ARC appeals to a more affluent skipper/owner. When we cross in two years we will only have my pension for income.
Whilst you won't find me selling The Big Issue any time soon, I certainly won't be paying some organisation so I can sail my own boat across the pond.

Also, when you're looking for a boat, don't get too hung up on brands/badges.
List what features are essential for you and then thry to find the boat that ticks the most or even all of your boxes.
There's no benefit to be gleaned from badge snobbery.
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You can hardly call some of the marques (Jeanneau, Beneteau, Bavaria) mentioned in the article "badge snobbery" boats.
 
alant said:
You can hardly call some of the marques (Jeanneau, Beneteau, Bavaria) mentioned in the article "badge snobbery" boats.
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Why not, I'm Irish, prob not the most polished bunch -- proud yes, snob no -- come to think of it p'raps you're right!
 
The thread is about the beat blue water cruising boat. The OP then points to a survey for boats that have crossed with the ARC. However I think that if instead of looking at this article you were to look at the people who are doing circumnavigations on their own then I think that in reality the majority use boats built for the job like AMEL, HR, Bowman, Rustlers, Hylas etc etc. There are lots who use older equally more solid boats.

My choice however would be a deck saloon like a Discovery, Oyster or possibly a Southerly, I really like the new Walqueiz 48, but wonder if it is too light weight/volume wise. But in reality it is a bit like asking what is the best colour for a car? There is no right answer to this question.
 
You could perhaps argue that those boats undertaking ocean crossings without the support of the ARC might actually be better boats, since their owners are confident enough in them to do so without a safety net.
 
Kelpie said:
You could perhaps argue that those boats undertaking ocean crossings without the support of the ARC might actually be better boats, since their owners are confident enough in them to do so without a safety net.
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Or better owners?

Most boats could cross the pond, but would you want to in some of them?
 
Lyndsey Doyle said:
I've delivery crewed about 2000 miles in a 55', fast, and gorgeous-looking cat, and the middle bit, where the dining table and nav station are, slammed horribly every time a moderate wave hit the bottom, enough to totally disrupt eating or reading.

Is that common? The Lagoons etc seem very high, perhaps to avoid this Achilles heel?
Click to expand...

It's common if the bridge deck is low. And sadly lower is the cheapest way to build a cat. So frinstance the very common R+C Moorings cats have low bridgedeck. Lagoons better but by no means ideal imho - not sure any are ideal, really?...
 
Bowman 40, 10 transatlantics, monohull, wouldn't swop it for anything else on the market.
Sturdy, dependable, simple to repair.
Lived aboard full time for nigh on 17 years. Plenty of space for the two of us to have all our creature comforts around us.
Draw 1.5 metres so get close in to those idyllic desert islands.

Sails like a dream, hunkers down in a storm.

Horses for courses and all that but antifouling one hull is quite enough for us!
 
Gerry said:
Bowman 40, 10 transatlantics, monohull, wouldn't swop it for anything else on the market.
Sturdy, dependable, simple to repair.
Lived aboard full time for nigh on 17 years. Plenty of space for the two of us to have all our creature comforts around us.
Draw 1.5 metres so get close in to those idyllic desert islands.

Sails like a dream, hunkers down in a storm.

Horses for courses and all that but antifouling one hull is quite enough for us!
Click to expand...

And beautiful! To my mind the Bowman 40 is the epitome of elegant functionality. I would have one in a flash but swmbo perfectly reasonably has her own priorities, chief of which are a decent swim platform and a big bedroom - compromises I am happy to make to have a happy wife who will actually want to come sailing with me.

But when, the summer before last, we dinghied each evening to the pub in Dittisham from our visitors buoy, it wasn't Nooka that set my heart pounding, nor even the Disco 55 we were rafted against that I lusted for, lovely and impressive though she was. It was the timeless and beautifully maintained all white Bowman 40 we passed- somehow they just look 'right' in the water.

I'd better take a cold shower!
 
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