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Carib said:
Hmm.. based solely on the observation that new boat reports rarely criticise anything, and the almost torturously diplomatic phrasing, I suspect they really wanted to say "stowage and tankage were utterly pathetic for a boat of this size".
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Maybe, or maybe they just misread the specs? The tankage data in the linked report says "Water: 70lt (81gal)" - so which is correct?
 
pvb said:
Maybe, or maybe they just misread the specs? The tankage data in the linked report says "Water: 70lt (81gal)" - so which is correct?
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Good spot - it's 370L according to the Beneteau website. But by way of comparison an HR46 has 920L capacity (although the review comment applies to stowage as well). More of a comment on boat reports though, rather than Beneteau bashing!
 
Whatever it is, I think tankage is such an important feature. I accept for day / w/e sailign it doesnt matter, but for a serious blue water yacht I alwasy fail to understand how tankage is often so pathetically small. Ok mine is 50 foot, but I have 300 gallons of diesel and 350 gallons of fresh water, and every gallon of it is nice to have.
 
Why the hang-up over tankage? If sailing long-distance - 3-4 weeks away from land - I'd want a boat with a water maker.

I would also carry a considerable amount of bottled water in case of contamination - which can be distributed all over the boat.

Why would I haul around a metric tonne of fresh-water when I can make it?

Massive tankage is a hangover from the days before water makers. ;)
 
Baggywrinkle said:
Why the hang-up over tankage? If sailing long-distance - 3-4 weeks away from land - I'd want a boat with a water maker.

I would also carry a considerable amount of bottled water in case of contamination - which can be distributed all over the boat.

Why would I haul around a metric tonne of fresh-water when I can make it?

Massive tankage is a hangover from the days before water makers. ;)
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Interesting perspective. And yet another shift in direction towards higher tech, higher ongoing costs.
 
Old design or cutting edge new tech design....it does not matter. What I think matters is that you get something you can afford to buy, keep and maintain safely. I am sure everyone would love a brand new super yacht but in reality its beyond most people. I bought my fist boat a year ago, I could just about afford to buy her, moor her and keep up the condition, which to be fair to the previous owner is really good for her age ( 50 next year ) But apart from being due for some antifouling paint she does not really need anything doing. The engine fix was the biggest job and to be fair the Vetus was 30 years old so spending £500 on it was not unreasonable. Is it as good as a new boat in terms of quality ? not really, but it was a quality boat in 1971. production is a lot different these days. Does it sail as good as a modern boat....well it makes me happy and having done some training on a new boat it feels much the same, I am sure a seasoned expert could say different. So to answer the original question I think is impossible as there are so many different and quite valid views that there is no definitive answer.
 

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Kelpie said:
Interesting perspective. And yet another shift in direction towards higher tech, higher ongoing costs.
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I'd rather carry spares for a water maker and have a couple of moderate volume roto-moulded plastic tanks than face replacing or repairing an old 500l fresh water tank buried deep in the bilges ? ... even older boats fit water makers so thus have both potential problems.
 
I've not spent huge amounts of time cruising on boats with watermakers, but enough to realise that - while the advantages are large and obvious - they are also expensive, power hungry, prone to breaking down, generally maintenance intensive, and cannot be run at anchor in many harbours (due to potential contamination). That said, while very large tanks are also a nice thing to have, I've been across the Atlantic with a total of only 250 L with a crew of two. So neither is essential.
 
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KompetentKrew said:
With a 34' boat I would imagine one could find plenty of magnanimous owners of larger Hallberg-Rassys to anchor next to. ??
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Not owning a larger HR, I can't vouch for that, but would have no objection if someone wished to bring drinks across to our 34. HR members have very good pontoon parties, displaying total indifference to any surrounding boats, of course. The parties tend to descend into competitive canape competitions, though we were all defeated in St Helier by a local member who arrived with freshly picked and cooked Jersey Royals dripping in butter.

HR tankage has tended to be larger than that of AWB types. I was surprised when a friend's Bavaria 34 (2002ish) only carried 90l of fuel, compared to our 145l. When you take into account that you are not going to risk going much below 1/4 full, the difference when cruising is quite marked, and he was forever looking for diesel stations.
 
johnalison said:
HR tankage has tended to be larger than that of AWB types. I was surprised when a friend's Bavaria 34 (2002ish) only carried 90l of fuel, compared to our 145l. When you take into account that you are not going to risk going much below 1/4 full, the difference when cruising is quite marked, and he was forever looking for diesel stations.
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But surely that's because most HR owners do a lot of motoring! ;)

My old HR352 had 240 litres of fuel; my 2014 Bavaria 37 has 150 litres.
 
Are people on here so insecure that they would chose a marque of boat based on other people's perceptions ?

What terribly sad, shallow lives some must lead.

One example I knew of was an employee of mine. He liked black cars but at every change would chose an alternative colour ... "so the neighbours would know" . One of HIS neighbours used to have their new car delivered at midnight on the first new registration day "to impress the neighbours"

Good grief.

Who really calls boats floating caravans or a modern soap dishes? Why? And who cares? I'm sitting on my "large" yacht now and have just helped out someone with a 22 footer with a dodgy outboard. God how I sneered at him ... not.

Pleasant guy, just made a 150 mile solo-passage ... if it wasn't for social distancing he'd probably be on board tonight tucking into "anything but Fray Bentos ??"

My wife and I seem to make friends wherever we go, not necessarily bestest-buddies but certainly ""keep in touch".

Their choice of boat is of total irrelevance to us and I think it's very sad that people think that possessions = status.

Just a last thought ... one of our neighbours is a member of the RYS. He owns a Bavaria and drove a VW Phaeton. He, like I, actually understand what's really important in life and it's NOT anything to do with size, cost or other people's perception.

I can't be bothered to tell some of you what it is ... you just wouldn't get it ☹️
 
pvb said:
But surely that's because most HR owners do a lot of motoring! ;)

My old HR352 had 240 litres of fuel; my 2014 Bavaria 37 has 150 litres.
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I'll have you know that my 34 sails perfectly well, but the realities of summer cruising are that motoring forms a significant part of the process, not because we want to but because we oldies have limited stamina and need to keep the passage time down to sensible amounts. Jilling around in the Southern North Sea for two or three days is not on, and an overnight trip usually means that the wind dies at some time. Traversing the Netherlands also means using the engine, often for several days. Even the young who still have to work can find themselves time-constrained and need to get a move on for something like a two-week Channel cruise.
 
johnalison said:
I'll have you know that my 34 sails perfectly well, but the realities of summer cruising are that motoring forms a significant part of the process, not because we want to but because we oldies have limited stamina and need to keep the passage time down to sensible amounts. Jilling around in the Southern North Sea for two or three days is not on, and an overnight trip usually means that the wind dies at some time. Traversing the Netherlands also means using the engine, often for several days. Even the young who still have to work can find themselves time-constrained and need to get a move on for something like a two-week Channel cruise.
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It was a gentle gibe; like many HR owners, I used to motor to get to places. After all, the standard engine power in mosts HRs was higher than strictly necessary.
 
Baggywrinkle said:
I'd rather carry spares for a water maker and have a couple of moderate volume roto-moulded plastic tanks than face replacing or repairing an old 500l fresh water tank buried deep in the bilges ? ... even older boats fit water makers so thus have both potential problems.
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Each to their own. I would never set off on a passage without enough water to see me through, plus a healthy margin. I presume you're the same, just a slimmer margin.
There's a fair number of things have to all work in order for a watermaker to be reliable, including the power source. Tanks are nice and simple :)

(FWIW our MAB has four brand new stainless steel water tanks in the bilge, making up a total of 400l, plus another 50l in jerry cans. )
 
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