Moody 31, Fulmar, Sadler 32

[tyce]

Its time to upsize my boat, my new boat must meet the following requirements-
Circa 30k
Bilge keels or able to take the ground.
Good accomadation for a family of four, the roomier the better.
Decent sized engine.
And most important it has to be a nippy but good seaboat and capable of being reasonable in small club racing.

I have made the following shortlist Moody 31, Fulmar and Sadler 32, has anyone got experience of these boats, another thing that concerns me is a lot of the Fulmars have had osmosis repairs at sometime in their life, so this is obviously a common problem with them, are all the other boats as prone.

Any comments welcome, i want to make absolutely sure i am making the right choice of boat.

 

[benw]

This may be your lucky post!
We have a BK Sadler 32 and will be looking to advertise imminently.
PM me for more info.
We are a family of 5 and who have enjoyed some great sails in this sea worthy, solid and dependable yacht.
Have just returned from a Nth Sea crossing and the AIS on board was essential.
Ben

 

[Pete7]

Tyce, I will have to declare my hand as we have a Moody 31. Before buying I spent 3 days reading through the owners association forum. Couldn't find anything worrying so bought one. Our 2 teenagers have a room each at opposite ends to stop them fighting (brother and sister ). Sails well but fin has lower handicap. 4 years on, no complaints and one of our better buying decisions.

Forum under Info Exchange:

http://www.moodyowners.net/moa_home.shtml

Pete

 

[zalophus]

Oh boy, this should be an entertaining thread! All 3 boats well regarded with plenty around, and each has a loyal following. So any ranking is almost bound to provoke controversy. For what it's worth I would rank build quality as:
1. Moody
2. Sadler
3. Westerly
but I've sailed in excellent examples of all 3, and I would rank club racing capability as:
1. Sadler
2. Westerly
3. Moody
but I've had a lot of fun racing a Moody, and Fulmars are so common you can almost have class racing at some clubs.

Oh and I'm inevitably biased as I sail a deep fin Sadler 34.

My advice would be to get a ride on a good example of each, and have a good talk to owners who are not trying to sell you their boat.

 

[Spyro]

For me it would be the Moody it looks and feels like a more modern boat. The main advantage would be the layout of the Moody with a seperate rear cabin. Definite advantage with a family of four.

Have you seen this site?

http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives.htm

 

[snooks]

We have a Sadler 32 and spent 3 months on her sailing around Scotland last year. We looked at Moody 31s and Fulmars before choosing the Sadler.

So why did we choose the Sadler? Well it was the best condition out of all the boats we saw. I didn't like the athwartships chart table on the Moody, and I felt the cool box was too small for extended cruising. I didn't like the Fulmar because the all westerlies we saw had saggy head lining. I prefered the interior layout of the Fulmar which is very similar to the Sadler. In the end the Sadler is a tough boat, sails like a dream, easily handled by just two people.

I preferred the look of the Sadler, but that's my personal choice. All three boats should serve you well, just shop around and find one you like the look of.

 

[BAtoo]

handicaps should give an idea of "speed" see here:-http://www.byronsoftware.org.uk/bycn/byboat.htm

Moody 31 996/1047 (fin/twin); Sadler 32 1004/1031 (fin/twin) (which fin though as they have deep or shallow?) Westerly Fulmar 964/1017 (fin/twin)

So on the twin its Fulmar Sadler Moody for speed.

IMHO - build quality is probably similar - all somewhat overbuilt.

Sadler (I had a deep fin version) is a bit tight on accommodation due to its narrow stern; the other two seem to have a better "go" at a double aft berths/cabins.

I presume you have seen this site:- http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/westerly-fulmar/westerly-fulmar.htm (No S32 here though)

If they have had osmosis repaired then its not a problem (or shouldnt be); pretty common in Sadlers too.

 

[ianat182]

Not sailed the Sadler or the Fulmar,would like either.

The M31 is very good but the wheel version rather than tiller which is rather heavy in only moderate airs to windward, this apart they are excellent boats, also handle well ahead and astern under power. Fin keel for performance.

Be lucky to get one for the figure you mention though, they were about £44K in 1989,and hold their price pretty well.

If racing oriented sailing, the Moody336 is a superb boat and worth the extra beer tokens in performance, and comforts below including showers and aft cabin.

M336 is wheel and fin keel.

ianat182

 

[SJF]

We have a Moody 31 mk1 (Katy Girl) however I don't think you'll go far wrong with any of your options although I agree with others about the lack of stern space on the Sadler. Having a seperate aft cabin is extremely beneficial.

Our '85 Moody 31 had osmosis when we purchased her, she was professionally treated at the time of purchase (approx '94) and has shown no signs of it returning since so I'd have little worry in purchasing under the same circumstances again.

Ours is the fin keel version and certainly performs well for it from the informal cruisers racing I do but given the choice again, I'd still opt for a bilge keel version for the ability to do some ditch crawling again without the worries.

Good luck with your search

 

[30boat]

As a biased owner I say the Fulmar first.The sagging lining is a problem so I got rid of mine.Acomodation is very good as these are big boats inside.Storage space is also very good.osmosis is common in boats of this era and is to be expected.Sometimes one gets lucky and finds a boat with no blisters which doesn't mean there's no osmosis.
As for sailing I've seen 11 knots on several occasions while surfing down waves in strong conditions.It's also incredibly well balanced.As I said,biased.

 

[sighmoon]

Of the three, I think the Moody would be the less prone to Osmosis because of the resins used, but an early epoxy job on the others would negate this advantage.

So why did we choose the Sadler? Well it was the best condition out of all the boats we saw.

When you're buying an old boat, that's what it often comes down to.

If you think you'll be happy with any of the above, you're probably right. Have a look at some of each, and some more which fit the requirements and the budget. Hunter (both the British and the American brand of the same name) also offered bilge keels, for instance.

Get the one that's in regular use, where it looks like the owner has been spending lots of money.

 

[status]

As a biased owner I say the Fulmar first.The sagging lining is a problem so I got rid of mine.Acomodation is very good as these are big boats inside.Storage space is also very good.osmosis is common in boats of this era and is to be expected.Sometimes one gets lucky and finds a boat with no blisters which doesn't mean there's no osmosis.
As for sailing I've seen 11 knots on several occasions while surfing down waves in strong conditions.It's also incredibly well balanced.As I said,biased.

+1 (including, finaly, no headlining)

Did a weeks charter in scotland with friends, took two boats, a Sadler 32 and a Fulmar. I loved the Sadler's sailing, especialy up wind, but SWMBO was not keen on the accomodation (I will agree, due to the fine ends it is not as roomy as the Fulmar). The Fulmar's performance over the week was so close to the Sadlers as to be irrelevant.

SWMBO said I could have a boat and I could look at any type as long as it was a Fulmar, who am I to argue?

Now of course, I can't understand how I could have thought of any other boat as Fulmars are the best in the world.......
Stuart

 

[ditchcrawler]

I looked at the same boats.The Fulmars I looked at were very tired and I prefer the aft cabin on the M31(which I bought).We have crossed the north sea several times and she sails well,mind you I do have new laminate triradial sails and a KIWI prop.I opted for a smaller 130% genoa and have not regretted it.The help on the Moody Owners website is fantastic.

 

[tyce]

Thanks all for all the excellent insider info, i must say i leaning towards the moody and fulmar, the moody as its got the aft cabin for locking the kids away and the fulmar for its performance the only thing putting me off the fulmar is the lack of a double berth aft.
As the racing / fun of sailing side is very important to me i dont want to go for the moody and be disappointed, has anyone any experience of the fulmar and moody in club racing.
I currently sail a Parker 27 which sails like a dream, i know i will miss its performance by going to a twin keel but i would like something that will still perform, in an ideal world i would go for a Parker 325 but its out of my price range.

 

[30boat]

Thanks all for all the excellent insider info, i must say i leaning towards the moody and fulmar, the moody as its got the aft cabin for locking the kids away and the fulmar for its performance the only thing putting me off the fulmar is the lack of a double berth aft.
As the racing / fun of sailing side is very important to me i dont want to go for the moody and be disappointed, has anyone any experience of the fulmar and moody in club racing.
I currently sail a Parker 27 which sails like a dream, i know i will miss its performance by going to a twin keel but i would like something that will still perform, in an ideal world i would go for a Parker 325 but its out of my price range.

If performance is important to you then the Fulmar is the one.
The Moody is a more modern design and IMO better looking.Its aft cabin is quite tempting but the Fulmar is faster.

 

[seumask]

We have recently changed to a Fulmar bilge keel from a Hunter delta lift keel, family of four, kids 4 and 8 and currently we use the forecabin and kids share the large quaterberth. However as they continue to grow we may have to swap to kids in forecabin and us salon or quarter berth. We have used the saloon double berth to port and confirm that it is good for 2 adults. As to performance tested in a F6 up the Solent and back a couple of weekends ago and very reassuring. Happily pugged to windward with main fully reefed and half jib exposed overtaking most of the equivalent modern boats out there. Very happy with the sailing capability as it is delightfully well balanced on the tiller and will sail itself up wind in moderate conditions. However under engine it needs attention to the tiller as it will steer off course unless tiller is clamped. I like the simple fractional rig with the more manageable jib. We like the layout, masses of storage and big saloon/ galley area, it felt good to move around in a seaway.

 

[MoodySabre]

Another Moody 31 owner here. Well built - just had a windy and very bumpy North Sea crossing and she takes all it can chuck at her. I have a fin but have also done a crossing in a bilgekeeler. The only difference was a bit of pointing ability and the noise from the windward keel in a swell. Decent sails on a bilger would be the same as old baggies on a fin. I now have new sails on a fin

When we looked around I thought that the Fulmar looked dated compared to a Moody and the Sadler didn't have the accommodation. Try to get a Moody 31 MkII - the chart table orientation and sugar scoop are worth the extra bucks.

 

[bert49uk]

bit more, but the Moody S31 is a much better boat.
i am selling my Bilge keeler if you are interested

 

[KREW2]

Thanks all for all the excellent insider info, i must say i leaning towards the moody and fulmar, the moody as its got the aft cabin for locking the kids away and the fulmar for its performance the only thing putting me off the fulmar is the lack of a double berth aft.
As the racing / fun of sailing side is very important to me i dont want to go for the moody and be disappointed, has anyone any experience of the fulmar and moody in club racing.
I currently sail a Parker 27 which sails like a dream, i know i will miss its performance by going to a twin keel but i would like something that will still perform, in an ideal world i would go for a Parker 325 but its out of my price range.

The Westerly Storm has the best of both worlds, it's large Fulmar with an aft cabin and sugar scoop stern, ( the wife's priority for boarding from a dinghy) built like a tank, and sails like a dream.

 

[tyce]

Really useful info from first hand experience which is just what i was after so many thanks, as regards the storm and S31 if i thought i could get one for my budget then they would be in the shortlist but i think they would be to expensive, i would certainly like a s31 twin keel.