dunedin
Well-Known Member
With a decent budget, look at an X 4.0 (or recent second hand Xc42), Arcona, HR etc
Best40 foot yacht
- Thread starter simonizy
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With a decent budget, look at an X 4.0 (or recent second hand Xc42), Arcona, HR etc
dunedin
Well-Known Member
We bought a 40 ish foot expensive (but fortunately second hand) boat in preference to a 50ft MAB. For coastal cruising, there are a lot of places we could get into easily, that would have been more tricky for a bigger boat.
And it’s like cars - I prefer a smallish but very high spec BMW to a bigger / lower spec car. Each to their own, but whilst length is good for Blue Water, it often isn’t in short handed coastal cruising.
doug748
Well-Known Member
Check out Sunbeam:
SUNBEAM 40.1: Relaxed and sporty at the same time - www.sunbeam-yachts.com
Their USP is quality and attention to detail but you budget would take a hammering.
Long term inmate and all round racing guru - flaming - has sailed the Moody and I think he said he was impressed. He might be along in a bit.
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SUNBEAM 40.1: Relaxed and sporty at the same time - www.sunbeam-yachts.com
Their USP is quality and attention to detail but you budget would take a hammering.
Long term inmate and all round racing guru - flaming - has sailed the Moody and I think he said he was impressed. He might be along in a bit.
.
flaming
Well-Known Member
Such an open ended question... And such a generous budget! A very nice problem to have.
To narrow down the choice I would think hard about the type of use you want to get out of the boat, and be very honest about the experience you have and just as crucially the experience you want to give to those who are going to sail with you.
For starters if your usage is going to be coastal and channel cruising with a reasonable weather forecast then any modern 40 footer is going to be more than capable of that brief. Which one is going to be personal choice.
But some boats will be more comfortable than others. But will also provide a more "staid" sailing experience. Whilst others will be a little less comfortable to live on or sail, but will provide a faster, more exhilarating, sailing experience. And a rare few will be both comfortable and exhilarating. But much more money... And of course one person's exhilarating is another person's terrifying.
Please don't take offense to this, but the way you phrased your opening question leads me to suspect that you are reasonably new to sailing? Nothing wrong with this and welcome! But it would lead me to suggest boats towards the "comfortable and reassuring" rather than "spartan and exhilarating" end of the market.
To give some idea of what sort of boat that is, of those mentioned above I would put the Hanse, Dufour, Moody, Halberg Rassey in that camp. With boats such as the Arcona and X-yachts and Grand Soliei a step towards Exhilarating.
Not that a vaguely competent person would be overwhelmed by the Arcona etc, but they might be capable of a performance that you don't need, and sacrificing a little in the way of on board comforts that you might want. Or putting it more bluntly, comforts that the people you would like to take sailing with you might want. Sod all point in having a marvelous wizzy boat if nobody wants to sail it with you.
To narrow down the choice I would think hard about the type of use you want to get out of the boat, and be very honest about the experience you have and just as crucially the experience you want to give to those who are going to sail with you.
For starters if your usage is going to be coastal and channel cruising with a reasonable weather forecast then any modern 40 footer is going to be more than capable of that brief. Which one is going to be personal choice.
But some boats will be more comfortable than others. But will also provide a more "staid" sailing experience. Whilst others will be a little less comfortable to live on or sail, but will provide a faster, more exhilarating, sailing experience. And a rare few will be both comfortable and exhilarating. But much more money... And of course one person's exhilarating is another person's terrifying.
Please don't take offense to this, but the way you phrased your opening question leads me to suspect that you are reasonably new to sailing? Nothing wrong with this and welcome! But it would lead me to suggest boats towards the "comfortable and reassuring" rather than "spartan and exhilarating" end of the market.
To give some idea of what sort of boat that is, of those mentioned above I would put the Hanse, Dufour, Moody, Halberg Rassey in that camp. With boats such as the Arcona and X-yachts and Grand Soliei a step towards Exhilarating.
Not that a vaguely competent person would be overwhelmed by the Arcona etc, but they might be capable of a performance that you don't need, and sacrificing a little in the way of on board comforts that you might want. Or putting it more bluntly, comforts that the people you would like to take sailing with you might want. Sod all point in having a marvelous wizzy boat if nobody wants to sail it with you.
flaming
Well-Known Member
Ha! I haven't sailed the 41, but I have sailed the 45. And yes, sailing wise it was better than I expected, and I could really get used to that deck saloon....
RJJ
Well-Known Member
I completely agree with all this. Having suggested the Arcona, of course.... it's absolutely true they aren't as spacious inside as the more dedicated cruisers, but I would submit they are still comfy enough.
My only add is the following. You may not think you ever want to sail upwind in a force 5, for example. But what if you either got caught out, or you really "had to" make it back across the Channel? In my view the big detractor of some of the modern big cruisers since about 2010 is they are simply vast inside and out, and not necessarily designed with sufficient stuff to grab onto/lean against/clip on. The boat can certainly handle tough weather, but can it look after you while doing so?
If you intend longer passages then I would say it's hard to promise yourself that situation will never arise.
Clancy Moped
Well-Known Member
For me it would be N395 CC – A true Mini Superyacht
flaming
Well-Known Member
To be honest I think a lot of this is fairly overdone by detractors of whatever the latest boats are! I've crossed the channel in some very nasty stuff in a Legend 336 which if you went by comments on these forums etc should sink if hit by the wash of the red jet... It was fine, we were fine, we could sleep happily, we could make tea, nobody died etc... Yes it could have been slightly more comfortable in something a bit more "traditional" but that was a small price to pay for the accommodation being so much better suited for a nice family holiday for the rest of the 2 weeks.
alexincornwall
Well-Known Member
As the owner of a work-in-constant-wallet-draining-progress Bowman 40, I can confirm that they are indeed the best 40 footer!
But if I had £500K burning a hole in my pocket and wanted something younger, I could be very easily swayed by Mr Rustler...
Wansworth
Well-Known Member
Something with a proper wheelhouse
matt1
Well-Known Member
FWIW I hankered after an XC or Rassy before I bought my Hanse. I probably couldn't have afforded the Rassy, but in all honesty even if I could I think the only justification I could have for buying one would be if I lived on it 100% of the time. Let's face it, most manufacturers are using Selden masts. Yanmar or Volvo engines, Elvstrom sails, Lewmar deck gear, Raymarine or B&G etc. In the case of a premium brand you would be paying twice as much to have your hull and interior joinery built / assembled in a different way. All the main components are are the same. Could I justify that difference for (at best) 5 weeks use per annum? I could if I was retired, had all the time in the world to sail, and was very wealthy. But would I get to Cherbourg any faster or discernibly more relaxed in a Rassy Vs a Dufour? I doubt it. (OP mentioned channel sailing, rather than liveaboard world cruising).
Interestingly I met a guy who did a lot of sailing on an XC42 and told me it was a real handful and very twitchy. Which surprised me, given it's cruising credentials. My current boat has shown me that although boats can look similar and have similar figures on paper, there is a world of difference in how balanced they are. I don't get how a 40' boat with 4.2m beam and a single rudder doesn't round up...but she doesn't.
Interestingly I met a guy who did a lot of sailing on an XC42 and told me it was a real handful and very twitchy. Which surprised me, given it's cruising credentials. My current boat has shown me that although boats can look similar and have similar figures on paper, there is a world of difference in how balanced they are. I don't get how a 40' boat with 4.2m beam and a single rudder doesn't round up...but she doesn't.
flaming
Well-Known Member
Chines, in a word.
matt1
Well-Known Member
Nope! Mine doesn't have chines ;-) It baffles me and defies everything I previously understood about boat design
dune16
Well-Known Member
I too haven't yet had my Dufour 430 round up although it does have chines
KompetentKrew
Well-Known Member
That's very nice. That style of galley is considerably underrated IMO.
The conditions really don't have to be that strong to make cooking more challenging, and a longitudinal galley allows you to jam yourself in.
flaming
Well-Known Member
ashtead
Well-Known Member
I guess the N395cc might be nearly 50% more than the Hanse though so a lot to pay for what is an attractive galley. That said a second hand 460 Najad would be on my list if I was thinking of upsizing.