Differences between the 34ft and 40ft range ???

[Nick1150]

I was wondering what is the differences in any aspect between the Cruisers, sport Cruisers, 34ft range and 40ft range, and when I say any aspect, please feel free to add anything you like. I know I am asking obvious things here, and theoretically one could give answers with an ease, but I would very much appreciate personal experiences arising from motor boats owners from both of these categories, or better from owners which have experienced both of these categories.

First things to talk about would obviously be marina expenses, fuel consumption, possible differences in repairs, service and maintenance, ease of use, one person handling ability, seaworthiness, needed crew, interior and exterior space, autonomy range, ....... and of course there is always the legs vs shafts issue here which changes all parameters... So it's getting more complicated... please feel free to add anything you like in this list.

I personally believe that boating upgrade transition should always be smooth, one step at a time, but this range (34ft-40ft) looks so similar that perhaps it makes sense to skip and go directly to the higher levels of it ( ? )

Thank you in advance for your thoughts,

Nick

 

[oldgit]

Big positives.Volume and Stability.
Outdrives....Your not serious are you

 

[burgundyben]

I think the major difference between the 34ft and 40ft boats is about 6ft.

Hope this helps!

 

[DavidJ]

For me purely a cost issue, nothing else. I bought a new 37 footer because I couldn't afford a new 42 footer.

 

[kashurst]

positives:- the longer the boat the better they seem to be in bigger seas, also more room inside, and you start to get the choice of drive system. the longer they are the higher the maximum displacement speed so pootling becomes better. the bigger the boat the easier they are to park.
negatives - they cost more to fuel, mooring UK will be more, mooring in the med will be the same if you are on a 12 - 15m berth. servicing probably not much different, I found insurance doesn't go up that much either.

 

[rlw]

Hi Nick,

My experience from going from 31-38 ft sunseeker to 40 ft targa 40. is that there is a huge difference in seakeaping. each couple of feet extra waterline lenth makes a lot of difference. You will find a 40 foot sportscruiser a lot mor planted than a 34 foot. Not much difference in maintenance cost as roughly same engines & systems in my case. (ad41 to kad 44). Crewing same. Increase in berthing and storage costs but different league in interior volume. Most noticable negative difference for me is when I am AF or waxing/polishing as it als ways supprises me how much extra surface are 2 metres extra lenth gives.

Happy hunting

Rob

 

[alt]

I went from a 34ft Cranchi to a 37ft Cranchi.

The most obvious difference was interior / cockpit space... just wow! Only 3ft longer (hull length) and 1.5ft wider but it was like double the boat!

Handling wise: I use the boat on fresh water lakes so no experience of swell, just short, sharp waves. You can definately notice the difference. With the 37ft hull it seemed to ride over them and you wouldn't notice the slam at all. I'm guessing this is due to the longer hull and extra weight piercing the waves rather than lifting over them.

No regrets from this side anyhow... servicing isin't any more expensive and extra fuel isin't really noticed. However the main advantage is that I don't have to worry about rip-off marina prices

 

[Andy Bav]

Initial outlay is obviously an issue as are on going costs, but I guess it all boils down to what you personally feel comfortable with within the bounds of your requirements and budget. For us we likened the whole process to house hunting where you pretty make up your mind within 30 seconds of walking through the door.

One dealer told us that in his opinion beam was more important than length and he would rather have a beamier boat that was shorter than a longer but less beamy one - but that was his opinion.

Another thing to possibly consider is freeboard - possibly the bigger the better, but again depending on what you want. Ours is pretty high and in some parts we have over 7 feet of headroom - which adds to the feeling of spaciousness. Against that, its a big old slab to get caught in the wind .....

I came across this forum after we had made our decision on our latest boat and read many posts - on threads just like this - and realised that we had travelled the route of most newbies in that we moved on from our first and second boats very quickly, but thankfully the consensus also was to "buy as big as you can afford" rather than taking little steps which is just what we did moving up from a 26 feet to 39 feet, and it seems as though you may also be considering a similar sort of jump.

For handling, she is the easiest we have had, and as for crewing, personally we are more than comforted by a couple of 50 - 60 foot + boats in our marina that are owned by couples in their late 60's and they get in and out of their berths with the greatest of ease. In fact it is quite a sight to behold to see a chap in his late 60's - early 70's effortlessly piloting a massive Sunseeker out of quite a tight berth after his wife has released the ropes, particularly as we wont think about moving anywhere without a helmsman, 2 crew on the ropes and a spotter / coach (for Dad)

Good luck with whatever you decide ...

 

[CharlieAlpha]

I think it as others have said it about volume and purchase price. When monies not an issue it might be were you want to visit [getting the boat to fit] or feel you can handle for me it would be about 50ft mostly due to the former, as if money was not an issue I could afford the GRP repairs caused by the latter