Best seakeeping boat 40-48feet

[marcochi76]

Hello all,
just curious, what do you think are the best seakeeping boats, within those currently under production.
It is often being said that today's boat are designed with confort and space in mind, and less about seakeeping capabilities.
So, between all current offers, what stands out?
I mean pleasure luxury boats, not special military or rescue machines...

Thanks

 

[MapisM]

Pleasure luxury boat hardly identifies anything.
I mean, Nordhavns, Magellanos, planing flybridges, opens, hardtops... Not to mention powercats.
All of them qualify as pleasure luxury boats, but the differences are day and night.
If it's seakeeping alone you are interested in, it's rather obvious that pure bluewater trawlers (Nordies and the likes) stand out.
But based on your avatar, I have a funny feeling that it's not what you're interested in - or are you?

 

[burgundyben]

I'd take a Nelson 40 out in a hurricane.

 

[Portofino]

The true deep V s .I mean deadrise in excess of 20 degrees .
Itama 45 s
Mangum 45
The Rivarama 44 ( or its equivalent ) whist not exactly a over 20 degree deadrise is right up there and you will feel a significant improvement to what you have .

Ck out the layouts etc for the practicalities that suits you .

Taking you mean planing boats btw .Something to swan around C d A in ? Looking cool
You not interested in solar panels , water makers , stabilisers or any true blue water extended @ anchor crap - semi surviving ?
You like the finer things in life .

 

[MapisM]

Now, why am I not surprised to see you suggesting an Itama as the first choice for anyone who "likes the finer things in life"?

I hope you will have at least some commiseration for those of us who preferred a humble DP56, or a Squadron 58, Princess 67, Canados 70, etc.
Let alone that sad jfm chap, who doesn't know what he will miss cruising with a shabby SL96 rather than an Itama 45...

 

[ChromeDome]

Ahem.
Please state what you need.
No boat is independent of the weather - even the biggest ships have to adapt to it.

Everyone stays in the marina when the real bad weather approaches, so interest in the ultimate boat is academic.
Going out in grim weather and wanting the comfort of home is an unsolvable task.

But why would you go out in it?

The folks at Video | safehavenmarine know a lot about it, but they don't make many leisure boats

 

[MapisM]

Everyone stays in the marina when the real bad weather approaches, so interest in the ultimate boat is academic.

Amen to that!

I always say that the ultimate luxury in owning a boat (as opposed for instance to booking a week of charter) is that you are completely free to NOT go at sea unless you're sure to enjoy it.
Cherry picking the weather is the name of the game, not cherry picking the boat.

 

[Portofino]

Now, why am I not surprised to see you suggesting an Itama as the first choice for anyone who "likes the finer things in life"?

I hope you will have at least some commiseration for those of us who preferred a humble DP56, or a Squadron 58, Princess 67, Canados 70, etc.
Let alone that sad jfm chap, who doesn't know what he will miss cruising with a shabby SL96 rather than an Itama 45...

Read the title …..” 40-48 ft “

 

[MapisM]

Please PF, don't pretend (yet again) to not understand my analogies.
I appreciate that you only understand your own voice, but there's a limit.

The OP asked about seakeeping.
You replied an Itama 45 if you like the finer things in life, which has bugger all to see with seakeeping, and is all about pose value.
If you don't understand that in any kind of serious sea a Nelson (just to name a boat that was mentioned) is a much better place to be in compared to any Itama - if nothing else because you can avoid getting wet down to the bones - that's your problem, not mine.

 

[marcochi76]

Hello All,
thanks for your comments. OK, my question was 'a little' too vague...
And I was expecting Porto's answer.

Let's try to reduce the scope to planing sport cruisers.
It is a real interested question. I know the qualities of the likes of Itamas, Magnums, Otams, ...
But what options exists?

When I think at sport cruisers of common brands (Princess, Fairline, Sunseeker, Cranchi, Sessa, ...) I do not perceive a real difference in seakeeping capabilities. Maybe I'm wrong?

Not to avoid the fact that they all come with stupid DPH or IPS...

This last week while I was cruising to St Tropez, I faced a nice head wind of +20knots .
And I had to reduce speed down to displacement to not hurt the boat. Maybe I am too careful but I really try to avoid any small slamming which happens time to time when I encounter irregular wind waves.

Obviously I love my boat and I have no short term plan to change it.
But it is nice in life to dream about a future upgrade.
My wife is enjoying cruising and boat life more and more.
It would be nice to be able to cruise in more irregular conditions with no stress.

Another example, next week I am planning a cruise to Portofino.
But a strong wind + sea is coming from "Golf du Lyon" since this Tuesday.
It is a 4h trip at planing speed, but if I have to go down to displacement... it's a different story...

 

[marcochi76]

Airon Marine boats seemed to have nice V-shaped hulls. But their models are all +10 years old.
Same for Windy: now they seem to focus on the walkaround market.
Sarnico produces solid boats, but they are all 15 years old!

Pershing 40, 45 were good options. I do not know about the 5X. It is sad they opted for IPS on the new 5X...
Maybe Rizzardi?

 

[Portofino]

Please PF, don't pretend (yet again) to not understand my analogies.
I appreciate that you only understand your own voice, but there's a limit.

The OP asked about seakeeping.
You replied an Itama 45 if you like the finer things in life, which has bugger all to see with seakeeping, and is all about pose value.
If you don't understand that in any kind of serious sea a Nelson (just to name a boat that was mentioned) is a much better place to be in compared to any Itama - if nothing else because you can avoid getting wet down to the bones - that's your problem, not mine.

The finer things in life was a dig at the kinda displacement boats you put up ……You know expedition exsisting in lonely bays eating fish kinda experience of spending weeks @ 6 knots in a Nordhaven crossing the Atlantic .
Its certainly wasn’t a neg comment on SL s Fairline , bigger FB boats How you arrived at that puzzles me . You have taken that phase a million miles out of context P .Stop hunting for meanings that aren’t there.

I twigged what he meant and seemed I was right as he’s kindly further qualified his needs post #10 , but I kinda figured that out from his Avitar , his current cruising ground , the type of boat and vaguely recalling hid previous post etc .
You not gonna find him ( + wife ) in the news drifting for 6 weeks on a catamaran off the coats of Mexico .I figured that out .

@ the op .We were in exactly the same place as you once if it’s any consolation with our Sunseeker Porto , we are just 15 yrs further ahead . Talking from experience.
Try before you buy and keep watching while you are on the water of what’s sliding by when it cuts up rough .
We never slow down to D .We might drop to 22/24 knots still planing in big head seas .There’s been days in the St Tropez bay where its only those boats I listed still planing .

You have the basic tools .

 

[Fishtigua]

I used to testdrive AquaStars and the odd Seaward. In British waters, nothing better.

 

[harvey38]

I used to testdrive AquaStars and the odd Seaward. In British waters, nothing better.

Ahh, Aquastars, love 'em. Big, solid, chunky boats, double glazed windscreen panels, solid side rails and sliding doors that keep both water and thieves out.

 

[MapisM]

We might drop to 22/24 knots still planing in big head seas.

That means nothing about the seakeeping of your boat.
It does mean a lot about your idea of big head seas, which is beyond a joke.

 

[Portofino]

That means nothing about the seakeeping of your boat.
It does mean a lot about your idea of big head seas, which is beyond a joke.

Blimey!
I know the cruising grounds of the op .I had near as dam it the same boat , just different builder .
Had identical experience inc head winds in the Porto off St Tropez = had to drop off many times exactly the same .
Set off on mini cruisers one day in nice sea states only to find the rtn problematic exactly like the guys posting .

NEVER ever had to drop off the plane since making the switch to the Itama .

I didn’t choose it , I didn’t Google it ,
I asked dealers .
The first port of call was the Riva dealer @ Monaco after witnessing a 44 glide past us on its plane while we were floundering in the same sea state having to drop down to D or risk breaking the boat .
There 44 only had one cabin ( fam of 4 then ) .
They advised Itama .
Brokers concurred
Dealer in St Trop concurred saw 3 in a hanger along with Pershing + other juicy stuff .Wife liked the interior and “ hotel “ side of the Pershings why wouldn’t she ? Dealer , because the boats were in a hanger got all technical and started to show us both the V bottoms and go deep into sea keeping .
He ranked the Itama s , iirc a 46 , 54 , 60 above everything else in the hanger .
NOT me !

So what should we do ignore the overwhelming professional advice ?

I later went away and slept on it .My S Sker was sold within 2 weeks of listing at the end of season 2014 when all this happened.

Still warm , not cooled down I contacted a broker in it will come as no surprise Naples .
Theres hundreds in the Naples area so a good hunting ground .
This broker sells everything, but used to pre 08 crash sell Itama in St Tropez for 8 yrs before relocating back home .
He knew everything about them , had contacts in the nearby Apea Mare yard where for a short while FG transferred manufacturer, so a lot of old staff were still kicking around .

I went on a test drive in the after math of one of those named hurricanes that devastated the Caribbean that year .It’s tail came across Europe.I thought bearing in mind the sea state waves crashing over the sea wall in down town Naples it would be obviously cancelled .Nope .
We went all the way to Capri and back .My turn to helm I asked if I could WOT it etc .I did although not at wot turn it into all the sea directions .We never droped off the plane either .

I have never taken it out , been out with wife in those kind of sea states again while its been my tenure .

We have been Billy no mates at a local island Gallinara ( where because it triangular shaped you always find a lee anchorage ) by being the only nutter going out .Yes it’s has returned caked in salt .But always on the plane and all flap deployed in bad conditions.

They are recreational boats P not expiation Cape Horn things .

I 100 % identify where the ops coming from .But I am struggling where you are coming from with this thread .

 

[benjenbav]

If I was thinking about a mid-40ft non-f/b boat for CdA (I’m not, btw) I would definitely look at a Mochi Dolphin 44.

 

[Hooligan]

Personally I cannot see the enjoyment of being in any pleasure boat in big seas unless you have to. As said earlier most of us want to enjoy good weather, good company and the feeling of being on the sea. There are times when you have to brave bigger seas either because you F ed up on the weather read or an absolute need to get from A to B. Personally I would rather cruise at D speed and enjoy the beauty. But to everyone their own and I have no problem with someone wanting to ride the high seas at 28 knots. Just not for me so no Itama for me plus it’s ugly and doesn’t have space . Back to the OP. My first boat was a S58, which I know bigger than your question but I will say that if I ever were to get caught out I don’t think there’s a boat I would rather be on. Handles great in most seas.

 

[petem]

If you want to look at Princess, Sunseeker and Fairline look at the specs for something on shafts, nice and heavy and not too beamy.

 

[stelican]

If I was thinking about a mid-40ft non-f/b boat for CdA (I’m not, btw) I would definitely look at a Mochi Dolphin 44.

View attachment 160480

Would be interested to hear more about this model.