Contessa 32 woe's

[dunedin]

You don't need a boat of that type for safe cruising in our waters - only a minority do so. The three you mention are actually very different types of boat although there is a connection between the CO and Sadler for obvious reasons.

There is a much wider range of boats available than long keel or even fin and skeg that make very good safe cruisers, and depending on your budget, looking at newer boats may get you better value.

By your own admission you know little about boats, so you might like to ask yourself why so few people own long keel boats.

+1. In my (limited) experience many French harbours have limited space and room to manoeuvre - a long keel would not be on my preference list due to difficultly under engine in small spaces

 

[lpdsn]

How about a She 31: http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/she-31/she-31.htm

Same era as Co32 but for my money the prettier boat. By all accounts they sail damn well and lacking the kudos of a Co32 they cost a lot less.

The SHEs are very similar to the Co32. I wouldn't say they lack kudos either, just maybe not as hyped. Remember that Lorelei which was famed for being able to rescuing people from another boat in the 79 Fastnet was a SHE 36, which was just a larger variant of the SHE 31.

http://www.yachtingworld.com/fastnet79/stuart-quarries-story-10510

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

... a wine cellar?! ... that could be the selling point that wins the debate!

We ARE serious!

Here's a glimpse of mine, taken this afternoon...

("this afternoon" means Friday)

 

[Rivers & creeks]

I see your wine cellar and raise you a whisky cabinet, carpenters installed it in the aft cabin with shaped insets for the various shapes and sizes of Scotch whisky bottles. There's one curious shape like a flattened diamond that I've not been able to trace a bottle for.

 

[Babylon]

Puff, what's your (equally lovely-looking) tender?

 

[sarabande]

"Puff, what's your (equally lovely-looking) tender?"

Ah, thereby hangs a Dragon Tale (? tail).

 

[Deleted member 36384]

We ARE serious!

Here's a glimpse of mine, taken this afternoon...

("this afternoon" means Friday)

My God! My boat has a wine cellar too and I always thought is was a shit cupboard (metaphorically, not literally). It was about to be chopped out so that I could add in a taller fridge (directly above it is my fridge space). The locker is just above the water tanks, above the bilge and is always cool.

I will make a tray to slide in and out for my wine. Wonderful forum.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Puff, what's your (equally lovely-looking) tender?

That's Murphy.
I wanted a small tender that looked the part but would be in GRP so as to cut down on maintenance and would be able to take knocks in its stride.... so I designed one.
It rows well and has never needed half the power from my ancient Yamaha 2B (now living in the garage). It is very stable and is unsinkable. One day I shall get round to sewing the dipping lugsail to see how she behaves under sail. Centreboard and rudder are in plywood, as is the cb case.
The name Murphy was my daughter's idea, a reaction to my continual moaning all through making the drawings, building the plug, forming the mould, extracting the first moulding from same, fitting out, etc., etc.

 

[jonjo]

The SHEs are very similar to the Co32. I wouldn't say they lack kudos either, just maybe not as hyped. Remember that Lorelei which was famed for being able to rescuing people from another boat in the 79 Fastnet was a SHE 36, which was just a larger variant of the SHE 31.

http://www.yachtingworld.com/fastnet79/stuart-quarries-story-10510

The She 31 is smaller than the LOA would indicate and is much smaller than the CO32 in terms of accommodation.

 

[jonjo]

As said Co32s are generally well built- I would expect it takes a lot to structurally damage one. But you are looking at an old boat that has been raced hard and crossed oceans.

Not quite, they are lightly built but benefit from a sensible hull shape that compensates for the light construction.

Jeremy Rodgers will happily relieve you of £40k to re-manufacture a CO32 which indicates the degree of deterioration a CO32 can suffer after 30 to 40 years.

 

[Babylon]

Lovely.

 

[amuges]

well.... thanks again for all your comments, thoughts, advice and ideas...

I've lined up 4 Nicholson's, a She 33 and a Centurion 32 to visit on Wednesday. I also visited a Feeling 356 fixed keel yesterday (very different from the other's I'm looking at I know, but I was attracted by the accomodation!)

I hope I manage to find something in that sample that I can get excited about and ask my surveyor to check for me.

 

[jonjo]

well.... thanks again for all your comments, thoughts, advice and ideas...

I've lined up 4 Nicholson's, a She 33 and a Centurion 32 to visit on Wednesday. I also visited a Feeling 356 fixed keel yesterday (very different from the other's I'm looking at I know, but I was attracted by the accomodation!)

I hope I manage to find something in that sample that I can get excited about and ask my surveyor to check for me.

It sounds as though you are quite new to sailing, if so I suggest you view many more yachts to clarify your requirements prior to making an offer. Sit on your cash for at least a month and view 20+ examples on the market. Given the designs you have mentioned I think you should add the Rival 32 to your list.

There is a wealth of yachting knowledge here and with more detail about your requirement people would be able to offer more targeted advice. Don't get too obsessed over tribal views regarding good and bad designs. There are few truly bad designs, the challenge you face is finding a design that fits your intended usage.

Answers to the following questions will help people help you:

• How long do you intend to keep the boat?
• How many weekends of DIY ashore do you consider reasonable each year?
• How many months of post purchase fixing up are you prepared to allocate before your yacht is ready for offshore passage making?
• How many days you you expect to sleep aboard each year?
• What will be the typical crew size?
• How far do you expect to voyage in the next three years?
• What proportion of you time will be singlehanded?
• How much budget do you have for upgrades post purchase?
• What is the maximum wind force you venture out in?
• How many out and back to home port sails do you expect to have each season?

 

[HDA]

If like many people you plan to keep the boat in a marina and visit other marinas frequently then a long keel may be best avoided. I have a long keel, full length keel, 34 feet long boat and I love the boat so I avoid marinas.
It's entirely possible to handle this type of boat in a marina but a crew and a lot of patience help. It makes me laugh when I see modern fin keelers reversing around corners and all that. It must be great, seriously useful and practical and make life a lot easier.
But boat ownership is not a practical matter. It is all about how it makes you feel. So do by all means get a Nich or a Contessa of course, just be aware of limitations. I personally think it's worth it but majority of people like more modern, more spacious, more comfortable and more manoeuvrable designs.

 

[Birdseye]

I am trying to find the truth, right now I feel as though someone is not telling me something, in the meantime, any pearls of wisdom from the gurus on this forum would be really helpful.

Thanks in anticipation

Michael

To the contrary Michael ( and its your 8th post not your first). You have lucked out. You have been warned off something FOC. Take this gift and benefit from it. There are loads and loads of boats for sale and out there is a good one entirely suitable for you.

 

[lpdsn]

It sounds as though you are quite new to sailing, if so I suggest you view many more yachts to clarify your requirements prior to making an offer. Sit on your cash for at least a month and view 20+ examples on the market. Given the designs you have mentioned I think you should add the Rival 32 to your list.

There is a wealth of yachting knowledge here and with more detail about your requirement people would be able to offer more targeted advice. Don't get too obsessed over tribal views regarding good and bad designs. There are few truly bad designs, the challenge you face is finding a design that fits your intended usage.

Answers to the following questions will help people help you:

• How long do you intend to keep the boat?
• How many weekends of DIY ashore do you consider reasonable each year?
• How many months of post purchase fixing up are you prepared to allocate before your yacht is ready for offshore passage making?
• How many days you you expect to sleep aboard each year?
• What will be the typical crew size?
• How far do you expect to voyage in the next three years?
• What proportion of you time will be singlehanded?
• How much budget do you have for upgrades post purchase?
• What is the maximum wind force you venture out in?
• How many out and back to home port sails do you expect to have each season?

Good advice.

I'd go even further and suggest the OP sits on his cash for a couple of years and gets as much sailing in as he can in the meantime. Far easier to filter out useful information from other peoples' opinions and experience if he has opinions and experience of his own.

 

[Tranona]

Good advice.

I'd go even further and suggest the OP sits on his cash for a couple of years and gets as much sailing in as he can in the meantime. Far easier to filter out useful information from other peoples' opinions and experience if he has opinions and experience of his own.

See post #29. The OP already seems to have experience sailing on a wide range of boats, including modern ones. However he seems to be set on older long keel designs, despite all the warnings here about the downsides.

 

[lpdsn]

See post #29. The OP already seems to have experience sailing on a wide range of boats, including modern ones. However he seems to be set on older long keel designs, despite all the warnings here about the downsides.

I saw that, but not sure his other posts give out the same impression of a depth of sailing experience.

Nothing wrong with older long keel designs if that's what you want. I know someone who went that route based upon a lifetime of experience on fishing vessels, commercial vessels and small yachts. He knew what he wanted and it suited the sort of sailing he wanted to do when home from sea.

 

[amuges]

I saw that, but not sure his other posts give out the same impression of a depth of sailing experience.

Nothing wrong with older long keel designs if that's what you want. I know someone who went that route based upon a lifetime of experience on fishing vessels, commercial vessels and small yachts. He knew what he wanted and it suited the sort of sailing he wanted to do when home from sea.

Guys, I've been sailing for over 40 years, racing, cruising, dinghy's and big boats - I'm not a complete novice but I do know that the man who thinks he knows everything is a fool! I'm open to any, and all advice and experience.

I am aware that my selection criteria might seem 'wide' but it's all about compromise - if I buy a long keel boat, it'll be great going upwind in a blow, less fun getting onto a finger pontoon in a tight marina, if I go for a racy modern design it'll be a handful in a blow but probably nice and easy to manoeuvre in a marina (as long as it's not too light with too much wind-age)

Anyway, as I said, I'm grateful to anybody for sharing advice, I'm not a novice so I'll probably understand the points you are making, my interest is in knowing peoples experience of boats similar to the ones I do know about

 

[Tranona]

You have just described extremes and in between there is a vast array of boats that are not extreme and make very satisfactory cruising boats. If it were otherwise the majority of cruising folks have got it wrong. The general consensus (particularly evidenced by how people spend their money!) is that a mainstream modern cruising boat does the job and the choice of particular model is down to personal preference on the characteristics where there are measurable differences. The choice is made on the basis of what the individual thinks suits him or her best.