Moody 336 (twin keels) or HR35 Rasmus?

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WindyOut

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I'm looking for a quality-built cruiser with a shoal-draft and have narrowed it down to a twin-keeled Moody 336 and a long-keeled Hallberg Rassy Rasmus.

Can any owners, or ex-owners, tell me what they like(d) and dislike(d) about these boats in practice?

I want to do coastal cruising around Europe, mainly single-handing but with 2 or 3 adults living aboard for a few weeks at a time. Performance is less important, and my priorities are comfort and safety.

Thanks in advance!
Windy
 
WindyOut said:
I'm looking for a quality-built cruiser with a shoal-draft and have narrowed it down to a twin-keeled Moody 336 and a long-keeled Hallberg Rassy Rasmus.

Can any owners, or ex-owners, tell me what they like(d) and dislike(d) about these boats in practice?

I want to do coastal cruising around Europe, mainly single-handing but with 2 or 3 adults living aboard for a few weeks at a time. Performance is less important, and my priorities are comfort and safety.

Thanks in advance!
Windy
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Can't help on Moody,but I have NAB35 sloop rig. Same as Rasmus,but completed by Freeman at Soton. Great seaboat,,separate aft cabin has + and - points( privacy,but access from cockpit).Sails well but needs a bit of breeze to get up and go. Surprises the lightweights when the wind gets up!

If it's a ketch you're looking at,the wheel may be on the bulkhead under the hardtop and the rigging seemed to get in the way of movement.
Oh,and we don't do backwards---not if there's a choice!

Otherwise easy to singlehand ,providing you have centre cleats.

Forgot to say,she turns in surprisingly good passage times!
 
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I had a Moody 336 bilge for a couple of years and in general found it a cracking boat. Surprisingly good sea boat easy to handle in a strong wind, good accomodation, reasonably solidly built and with excellent sailing performance - it will sail rings round your alternative. We won races with it.

On the minus side, its not a good single handing cockpit with main sheet and genoa winches out of reach for the helmsman. Cockpit isnt that comfortable either - shallow back rests. Mine hand reefing at the mast. That said the guy in the club who bought it from me always single hands

Bloody good boat but I never really gelled with it but it did get me into racing. So I sold it and went for a more racy fin.

P.S. Handicap figures suggest that a 336 would be 25% quicker on average which ties in with the HR having an engine size that says " motorsailer"
 
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Thanks so far.

Ludd, it's a hardtop sloop I'm looking at. Exceedingly well preserved.
Higgs, agree on the coamings. Re mainsheet, I'm hoping s/h would be feasible with a good autopilot.
And Pete, thanks for the link. Gold dust.

More comments very welcome :)
 
WindyOut said:
Thanks so far.

Ludd, it's a hardtop sloop I'm looking at. Exceedingly well preserved.
Higgs, agree on the coamings. Re mainsheet, I'm hoping s/h would be feasible with a good autopilot.
And Pete, thanks for the link. Gold dust.

More comments very welcome :)
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If sloop,wheel should be on pedestal,making single handed tackiing a doddle. Got to admit I have little experience of other yachts,so find it difficult to make comparisons. However,the big engine originally fitted was not a reflection on her sailing ability,more a case of fitting the same engine to various designs so as to maximise discounts---Volvo were at it even in 1968! People more experienced than I have been surprised at my passage times when sailing with me eg Lowestoft--Whitby 159 miles 26hours.
Rothesay--Bangor N.I. 86miles 14hours. All done in comfort!
The centre cockpit makes coming alongside or transiting the Caledonian Canal a breeze.
 
Thanks, Ludd. I understand the wheel-on-the-bulkhead was quickly dropped from production, so not many examples have it nowadays. I have to say I don't like it one bit. Also, the ketch doesn't appeal as the mizzen mast rises out of the cockpit seat - just where you want to lean against.

If your German's up to speed you might be interested in this magazine report on the NAB35/Rasmus from some years back. It says that when HR moved from timber to GFK (hull 4 onwards, I believe) it was so slow on finishing the boats that the German broker "Nautik Borchers" bought a load and had them finished in the UK under contract.

http://www.big-max-web.de/content/My_Sporting_Life/My_Boat(s)/Rasmus.pdf

Fair winds,
Windy
 
It's a very odd pair of alternatives.

Maybe, but aside from the keels they're both quality-built boats with a great following, generous accommodation and a reputation for seaworthiness and ease of handling. And both by very well-regarded designers. Thanks for your help.

Windy
 
WindyOut said:
Thanks, Ludd. I understand the wheel-on-the-bulkhead was quickly dropped from production, so not many examples have it nowadays. I have to say I don't like it one bit. Also, the ketch doesn't appeal as the mizzen mast rises out of the cockpit seat - just where you want to lean against.

If your German's up to speed you might be interested in this magazine report on the NAB35/Rasmus from some years back. It says that when HR moved from timber to GFK (hull 4 onwards, I believe) it was so slow on finishing the boats that the German broker "Nautik Borchers" bought a load and had them finished in the UK under contract.

http://www.big-max-web.de/content/My_Sporting_Life/My_Boat(s)/Rasmus.pdf

Fair winds,
Windy
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5 years ago, I was killing time in Oban, waiting for crew,and bought half a dozen old YM mags at Oxfam shop.One from 1970 had the test of the Rasmus/Nab and was extremely enthusiastic about the sailing ability and power..and of course the fixed windscreen and hardtop!

When I decided to live afloat,I took a year of research to find the type of boat and six months to find " El Viento" ---never regretted my choice.

Just had a look at the German mag. First TWO were in mahogany(they're still sailing,I believe) and series production started when Hallberg was taken over by Rassy. Take a look at the HR website,Rasmus/Nab have their own section.
Bloody hell, you've turned me into an anorak!!
 
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Ludd, do you live aboard your NAB? If so, what's it like?

BTW, your comment about centre-cockpits and ease of the Caledonian Canal is of interest as I do my sailing in the Netherlands which is lock-city-Arizona.

Windy
 
If centre cockpits appeal, there are many other Moodys in that format- in that respect the 336 is rather atypical for Bill Dixon designs,being an aft cockpit. Moody 34 and especially 346 could be candidiates- you can get links to the boat specs from the MOA site link above (MOA Home Page -Links- Boat Archive)
 
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RobBrown said:
If centre cockpits appeal, there are many other Moodys in that format- in that respect the 336 is rather atypical for Bill Dixon designs,being an aft cockpit. Moody 34 and especially 346 could be candidiates- you can get links to the boat specs from the MOA site link above (MOA Home Page -Links- Boat Archive)
Click to expand...

I agree with this, there is so little comparison between the 336 and Rasmus, its irrelevant to compare them.

The 346 is a better comparison and based on their numbers (over 300) , as well as their ongoing values, it is by far and away the best option.

(Says he who owned one for 3 years)
 
I've lived aboard since I bought her--6years. Get good heating(I fitted an Eber) and no probs.
Centre cockpit in canals: you are close to widest point of boat so can hold on to steps easily. In the Caley,I throw my stern line to lock -keeper,who passes it round bollard and back down to me. I then pass it thriough a strop on the same aft cleat and tail goes to cockpit. I then do same with headrope and stand amidships holding both tails.Sounds complicated,but I can DO it quicker than write it! The strops act as a brake and relieve the effort required to control the boat.If required you can put tails onto sheet winches for more control.

Just noticed there were 300 Moody 346 s built(as opposed to only 760 HR 35 S) but let's not start an arse kicking contest!!
 
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I sailed and lived aboard a HR35 Rasmus for 4 years in the Med and Baltic.

There were serious design problems for Ocean sailing.

The worse was that the saloon had no bridge deck just a large sliding door flush with the cockpit floor. Any boarding wave (all of it) ended up in the saloon.

The large Volvo was accessed by a large hatch in the cockpit floor as well as removable steps in the saloon. The large hatch was a problem and only just past its point of balance when fully open. More than once the heavy hatch closed on me while I was working on the engine before I learnt my lesson and tied it open securely.

The hard-top over the forward part of the centre-cockpit was incredibly dangerous. It weighed about 200 kg and was screwed on with half inch set screws. About 30 of them. Not one through bolt anywhere. One boarding wave would have propelled the whole thing into the helmsmans face.

Other than that she was OK in the Baltic for which she was designed. Sailed well for a motor-sailor. Very thick hull and a secure deck.

When I sold her, the noise from the cheer of instant relief travelled round the world three times before dying away.

Oh and Ludd is correct, don't even think of reversing.

Would I buy another one. No.

BTW to offset the above I must state that the person I sold her too, made modifications to engine access security and the hard-top, then sailed her round the world. I would have made the same mods but I baought her in the Med and had to put up with the designed attributes because of no facilities. Difficult to make major mods while living aboard at anchor.
 
I have a Rasmus too

Ludd has fought the cause well already

I looked at lots of Moody 33s when i was looking for my boat - i had a list and was looking for a centre cockpit yacht that was solid and would look after the family.

Condition per pound made me buy the Rasmus. Most Moodys I looked at were well worn and were being sold on reputation rather than condition. The HR build quality stands out in time. Mine has been privately owned all its life and all the woodwork down below is in good nick and made from real wood.

I hate the blue loo and tartan cushions in old Moodys. Wouldn't have one just for that.

Don't agree with the above comments re hardtop. Mine is well screwed on and is going nowhere. Also the design expects you to put in the bottom washboard when its rough to stop green ones going downstairs.

You need a strop to hold open the hatches - so what!

MD21A was a robust engine - mine and Ludds are both going fine (assuming it still is since last summer!)

Mine is also the sloop. It doesn't point brilliantly - too shallow a keel and it has an old fashioned short mast long boom rig. From a few points off the wind its as fast as the moody in cruising mode and I've passed a few.

I generally sail mine pretty much single handed while the crew do their own thing. its dead easy with the centre binnacle, main sheet straight behind you and winches to hand.

I did the Crinan canal short crewed using similar technique to Ludd, block at the bow and stern and long lines lead to either winch. I could tail both whilst standing in the cockpit.

Goes backwards like a pig - you learn coping mechanisms.

next generation Moody 34 I really like but was >10k more than my boat and over budget.

What are you trying to do with the boat?
 
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If you are going to forego the performance of a fin keel, why wouldn't you want to gain the advantage of being able to take the ground, afforded by bilge keels? The Rassey is the worst of both worlds, IMHO -- won't sail to weather, slow, won't take the ground.
 
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The Moody 336 was one of the last bilge keelers and as such had decently designed keels and quite good peformance to windward. Sure it wasnt up to fin keel standards but maybe no more than 5 degrees off - I used to race mine in a mixed fleet inc fins from J boats down, so I had a fair knowledge of how it went.

As I said earlier, the PY handicaps suggest that the 336 would on avrerage be 25% faster than the Rasmus under sail - which is what you would expect when comparing a relatively modern bilge keeler with and older motor sailer. And it will motor astern as well!

But it all depends on what you want the boat for.
 
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