Moody 31 Mk2 v Beneteau 35s5 v ?

Paul_S123

Paul_S123

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Upgrading from a Pegasus 700 to a larger boat. Leaning towards a really nice Moody 31, but I am torn between that and a similar aged...but perhaps a little more tired Beneteau First 35s5.

Going to make my final decision next week.

If anyone on here is selling a ~1990's 30ish foot boat, send me a pm.
 
For what it is worth I bought my first boat, a Moody 31 Mk11 last year and after running up around 500 miles of sailing since then I must say that I am delighted with the boat. My only experience with the Beneteau was a day trip in a lumpy 4/5 in the Thames Estuary and found that she was very spacious but bounced around a lot more than the Moody.
 
If you want solidly built boat go with the Moody if you want a lightweight AWB then go with the Beneteau. My choice would be the former they heel less and have a more sea kindly motion.
 
KellysEye said:
If you want solidly built boat go with the Moody if you want a lightweight AWB then go with the Beneteau. My choice would be the former they heel less and have a more sea kindly motion.
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RichardS said:
I wonder if using the term AWB is "loading the dice" somewhat. :rolleyes:

Richard
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It might well be loading the dice but isn't it basically true?
Which one the OP prefers will probably depend on what type of sailing he does and with whom.
Pottering round the Solent with a family of four, the lighter, more spacious boat might be the better bet.
 
Love my bilge keel 31, it rewards well balanced sailing, can load the helm a bit if pushing it but will not round up horribly it just lets you know with weather helm so if racing I keep pushing if cruising reef the foresail and it's great.
Goes really, really well to windward for a bilge but does need a bit of breeze to get it going.
Would only change mine for a bigger one as the family grows.
And I think they still look beautiful for a near 30 year old boat, the original VP 2003 still runs faultlessly.
 
Difficult to compare these two boats as they're both so different. I'd say it would come down to what you want to use it for.
 
Spyro said:
Difficult to compare these two boats as they're both so different. I'd say it would come down to what you want to use it for.
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I think this is right - if you want to enjoy living on it in marinas and anchorages, want to sail quickly or long distances then the Beneteau does it but if you want to explore local creeks, motor in light winds and sail comfortably in stronger ones then the Moody. And a lot will depend on what you want to see when you row away - a beautiful boat or second home
 
I raced/crewed for 3-4 years on a moody 31 - they are slow. The cockpit is an impressively uncomfortable place to spend any amount of time. I haven't sailed the Beneteau, but the french do seem able to make a boat that is fast, and comfortable. Just my 2 cents. But I know which boat I would be looking at.
 
The Moody 31 is slower than a lot of boats but faster than a lot of boats as well. I have sailed my 31 against other boats in "timed passages" as technically we don't do racing and come first a few times on the water and on handicap against varying boats from 25 to 34 feet. I do have laminate sails and a feathering prop though and have raced many different boats, mainly sigmas 33 and 38s, sonatas and 45 ft one off racers. The Benny 35 is certainly faster than the Moody in the order of 6/7% according to the Byron handicaps.
As others have said they are two very different boats and it depends where you are sailing and what you want to do with your boat. What I can tell you is the Moody will look after you in any weather, I have sailed mine across the North Sea many times to France, Belgium, Holland without a problem. The Moody Association is fantastic for information and help.
I am sure the Benny Association is likewise good.
Good luck with whatever decision you make.
 
Goodness i cant believe some of the posts here , a ben 35s5 will do everything a moody 31 will do , only faster and with more space . I would rather be in a 35s5 beating in heavy winds than the moody , not because theres anything wrong with the moody , just because its bigger , perfectly capable of taking anything the weather gods chuck at it .

Ive seen moody 336 s flat on their sides with keels in the air ( big bro to 31 ) , but so what .

Not sure some folk bashing ben 35s5 actually know the boats, and are just generically criticising them .

At end of day surely moodys are awb too ,

And whats wrong with an awb ?

It really is beyond me ,

Some folks think that if your not sailing a half tide rock at 4 knots it aint a proper boat , jings ma boab , i like them all .

No im not even remotely suggesting that moody is a htr either
 
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markhomer said:
I would rather be in a 35s5 beating in heavy winds than the moody , not because theres anything wrong with the moody , just because its bigger , perfectly capable of taking anything the weather gods chuck at it .

Not sure some folk bashing ben 35s5 actually know the boats, and are just generically criticising them.
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From what I've heard the 35s5 shouldn't be out on the local boating pond let alone salt water ;)

Donald
 
If the extra length does not cause you any mooring/cost problems and you don't mind the "over-designed" (Philippe Starck) interior then the 35s5 has a lot of advantages. Much more cabin space, faster in almost all conditions. You can always easily slow a faster boat down: you can't speed up a slower one much.

The one circumstance in which I might prefer the Moody is if based in (say) west Scotland, where you often get a lot of gusts coming down from the hills in otherwise light weather. Older designs usually cope better with this: in more modern boats you're either undercanvassed so as not to round up in the gusts, or have to play the mainsheet a lot. The Moody though is still a reasonably modern design: it's not a Twister or Rustler, though it might cope with a little bit more heel than the 35s5 before misbehaving.

The Moody is probably slightly more sturdily built than the Beneteau, but in truth there isn't that much in it. The Beneteau, like almost all modernish production boats, will keep sailing if it has to in conditions you really don't intend or want to be out in.
 
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Thanks for all the replies.

I did put down a deposit on the Moody....so subject to a decent survey should be sailing it next month.
 
Aja said:
From what I've heard the 35s5 shouldn't be out on the local boating pond let alone salt water ;)

Donald
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Tell me more , my two friends with 35s5s who sail short crewed ,husband and wife , on west coast of scotland would be delighted to hear !
 
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markhomer said:
Tell me more , my two friends with 35s5s who sail short crewed ,husband and wife , on west coast of scotland would be delighted to hear !
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Gosh, a perfectly sound AWB thread and yet here we have another post bereft of tired cliches, unsubstantiated partisanship, or wild generalisation.

I'm sure you can do better ;)
 
Paul_S123 said:
Thanks for all the replies.

I did put down a deposit on the Moody....so subject to a decent survey should be sailing it next month.
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Good luck with the decision. I have had a number of boats over the years and started with a Moody 31. It may not be the fastest around (it has a relatively short waterline compared to the Beneteau, so you should expect that) but having owned a Bavaria 40 (across the Atlantic with that one) and another 25,000 miles in a Beneteau 50 (current boat) through Biscay several times now in the MEd, I have never felt safer than in the Moody. We didn't do the Atlantic with her but were across the Channel so many times (arguably more challenging weather than an Atlantic crossing) but she does have a good motion for a small yacht, didn't creak and groan and didn't slam in bad conditions. A big thumbs up from us for the 31

Hope you have many happy years and miles in her!

Alan
 
stiknstring said:
Good luck with the decision. I have had a number of boats over the years and started with a Moody 31. It may not be the fastest around (it has a relatively short waterline compared to the Beneteau, so you should expect that) but having owned a Bavaria 40 (across the Atlantic with that one) and another 25,000 miles in a Beneteau 50 (current boat) through Biscay several times now in the MEd, I have never felt safer than in the Moody. We didn't do the Atlantic with her but were across the Channel so many times (arguably more challenging weather than an Atlantic crossing) but she does have a good motion for a small yacht, didn't creak and groan and didn't slam in bad conditions. A big thumbs up from us for the 31

Hope you have many happy years and miles in her!

Alan
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Thanks a lot Alan.
 
thecommander said:
Nice boats are the Moody 31s, but people are looking silly money for them (30k average).
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Prices seems to have changed little since we bought ours before the credit crunch, perhaps buyers value quality over age. What is interesting is the value of the M31 and Beneteau 35s5 Paul has looked at. There is about 20% difference in price, but the Beneteau is a decade younger. Some have said the Beneteau is bigger, yes with a tape measure on the outside, then I looked at the photos. You could have a dinner party for 6 on the swim platform, great for dangling your toes in the water in the med, but Scotland? waste of the overall length. Nor does the main cabin look much bigger, so the usable space may not be as big as a comparison with some other 35ft yachts. It probably comes down to the condition and age of big ticket items like engines and sails plus the finish inside which isn't great on the particular Beneteau hence his other post about engines.
 
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