Moody in the Med?

[Hippohay]

Hello. We are thinking about quitting our jobs and cruising the Med for a couple of years (so original!). We aren't very experienced sailors - a couple of Med flotillas and trips across the North Sea in a friend's yacht.
Friends have recommended a centre cockpit boat - mainly so we can get a large, full-height aft cabin - and suggested a Moody 36 or 38 because, although it'll be expensive initially, should depreciate slowly and relatively ease to sell at the end of our jaunt.
Is this good advice or would we be better off with a Jeanneau/Beneteau/Bavaria - which would be cheaper to buy and possibly more suitable for the Med?
All advice much appreciated.

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[tcm]

um, not sure a large aft cabin is an absolute definite "must". I wd be much more keen to ensure that you can (both) lie down for an afternoon snooze in the cockpit (which may not be easy in some centre cockpit boats), and that a boat either already has or can have decent protection from the sun. In the med, this means that not only a bimini but also little pieces for the (normally open) sides of a bimini to protect against hot afternoon sun from the side. Key thing for a cool boat is to have a white deck, not teak deck. Of course, teak in the cockpit is nice tho.

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[jerryat]

Hi tcm!

Agree with your points. It does surprise me why an aft cabin so often seems to be such a priority especially in Med based boats. Most of my friends with CC boats there, have major problems in keeping them cool enough to sleep without lots of fans and things guzzling amps, and the saloon is often shoved right forward to accommodate it! And yes, many of the cockpits have such shallow coamings you've nothing to lean back against, the seats are too short to stretch out on etc etc.

If I was going to go larger than my Fulmar, I'd definitely go for an aft cockpit, decent coamings and sensible seat length ..... at least you then have the option of sleeping out there where it's cooler!

Cheers

Jerry

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[Sunnyseeker]

Ventilation, big hatches...big cockpit (with fitted cushions) full canopy at anchor to shade deck and side windows. Staying cool is pretty important, aft cabins often get very stuffy. Our aft cabin had two full size hatches one over each side of the double + five opening port windows, and ventilation into lazerette. Aft cabins under cockpits are often shaded by cockpit canopy keeping them cooler. Fore peak cabins the deck isn't as easy to shade, but the through draft is better.
You wont know until you try it somewhere hot, trouble with the med as opposed to trade wind areas is the lack of wind to help cool the inside of the boat, so its even more important there. Good luck searching, just have a look at lots of designs even those you havn't thought you would consider, our boat was not on my original list.


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[charles_reed]

Centre-cockpit, aft cabin

boats are frequently chosen for their roomy aft cabin.

Some more recent boats have their forecabin designed to be the "best", roomiest, owners cabin.

The centre cockpit comes with some disadvantages - a higher floor increasing the effect of roll, reduced saloon space and frequent problems with routeing controls.

Most boats designed for N European waters suffer from 2 disadvantages, too little ventilation and too small an engine.

The French and German volume production boats are cheaper to buy in the first place, designed for Med recreational sailing and are easier to sell.

For the above reasons I'd definitely advise against a Moody (though fine boats) and would suggest looking at boats other than those with cetre cockpits (after all you spend more time in the saloon than the sleeping cabins).

Though I've spent the last 4 years in the Med, I'd suggest it's an overrated sailing destination - apart from the sun and the historical interest it's vastly inferior to oceanic sailing - more expensive, nasty short sharp seas, overcrowded, always too much or too little wind, with far less reliable weather than we enjoy in the UK. The farther east you go the better the sailing scenery. Mediterranean Spain is the pits.

Buy your boat down there - it'll be cheaper than in the UK, though the scenic route down the French coast and round the Iberian peninsula was the best part of the trip. However with the limited time at your disposal you'd do well to avoid the delectations of S Brittany and the Galician Rias - start with Marseille and the Cote d'Azur and work E.

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[rwoofer]

Re: Centre-cockpit, aft cabin

I have chartered many Bav/Jen/Bens and own a Moody and I would definitely say that the aft-cabin in my Moody has better ventilation (4 openings in total).

With the Bavs etc. I'm usually in the forecabin with the hatch wide open. Because there is usually just one hatch it does not seem to get the air flowing as well. If you are unlucky to be in an after cabin, you will be lucky to get two small hatches. Combined with the tight space under the cockpit I found them the worst place to sleep.

I can only suggest that you go aboard a few and try them - don't write off Centre cockpits yet.

RB



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[Hippohay]

Re: Centre-cockpit, aft cabin

Thanks all for advice, really very useful - but what about question of depreciation? Moodys seem to be few on the water in the Med but Jeanneau/Bavaria etc are two a euro. Yes, we can buy an Oceanis with all stuff for good price but how long would it take us to sell after a coupla years and at what cost?

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[porth]

Re: Centre-cockpit, aft cabin

If its that bad why have you been there for four years?!

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[TonyD]

Re: Centre-cockpit, aft cabin

Charles, I have to disagree. The aft cockpit Ben/Jen/Bavs are all designed with very little ventilation in the aft cabins. Since they are squeezed under the cockpit, they have very little room for air circulation and are always hot and stuffy. Centre cockpit boats such as the Moody 38, Maxi 38+ have plenty of space and at least one large hatch to aid ventilation. We rarely need much space in the saloon as most waking hours are spent in the cockpit, but around 8 hrs a day are spent in the aft cabin!

However, sleeping in the cockpit can be hampered by the designers' penchant for curving the cockpit sides, so you have to learn to sleep like a banana!

I agree with your comments about the Eastern Med - from Corsica/Sardinia, Croatia, Greece & Turkey are all brilliant cruising areas and the further East you go, the better and cheaper it gets.

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[charles_reed]

The sailing is terrible

but the history and ruins fantastic.

Mind you the Maddalena archipelago is nearly as good as the Scilly in endless sunshine and Corsica has some fantastic walking country which makes the Lakes look very 2nd rate.

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[Ric]

Get a Jeanneau or Beneteau. Why do you think they are so popular in the Med?
1. Main sheet on cockpit roof, so you can have a huge bimini shading the cockpit even when under sail.
2. Huge sugar scoop stern with bathing ladder so you can sit dangling legs in water with a beer.
3. Big spacious cockpit to have an afternoon ziz in.
4. OPENING hatches below the deckline so you can get a nice crossbreeze down below.
5. FORWARD opening top hatches that catch the breeze at anchor
5. Zippy saiing performance with deep fin keel.

Moody's don't have any of those features. Forget your big rear cabin - you only get into the cabin to sleep at the end of the day. Rest of the day is spent on deck and in the water.

I'd consider buying a French flagged boat then putting it onto SSR (if you don't want the hassle of the French regs). The reason being that the French boats are homolgated to have opening hatches below the deckline and forward opening top hatches - I understand these are illegal under UK nanny-state rules. But somebody might correct me on that if I am wrong.

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[Sunnyseeker]

Re: Centre-cockpit, aft cabin

Depends which version?
Our Bav 390, had a huge well ventilated aft cabin, two full sized hatches (so you can see the stars) 5 opening windows, and four locker hatches .5 x.5 m that open into lazerette which sucks air out the back through vents. Maybe the new ones aren't as good? Have a look http://www.sailonhoneypot.com/images/pict2040.jpg
http://www.sailonhoneypot.com/images/pict2038.jpg, the light is coming in throug the two hatches that open fully.
Best room in the house (boat) in lots of very hot places, with no need for fans either! Okay I'm biased..

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[rwoofer]

Felt compelled to respond:

1. CC boats have mainsheet aft of cockpit rather than forward, therefore no difference in size of bimini. One other benefit of my Moody is that you can get some nice teak deck chairs on the aft deck and sit in comfort under an aft bimini.
2. Don't all boats come with that, my Moody even has two sets of steps to the sugar scoop (port and starboard)
3. I would say that most aft-cockpit boats have bigger cockpits because the seats are wider apart. That does not make the seats any bigger. I once chartered a Jeanneau SO40 in Greece which had 2 wheels. Because of this there was no place you could lie down because the bench seats in front of the wheels were only 5 feet long. Chartered Bav 40 last year the seats were so curved that you couldn't lie on them either
4. That is not a function of CC vs aft cockpit. For the record, my aft cabin has a hatch below the deckline.
5. This is more true of North European boats vs Southern European boats, just look at any beneteau CC
5(again). Moody's may not be the fastest, but they are not slow either. - especially as the wind gets stronger. My Med experience has been that there is either no wind or lots of wind with not much in between. That tends to even things out a bit.

Ultimately comes down to personal preference and the pro/cons of each design. Why I chose a CC boat:
- the aft cabin, cause I'm 6ft 6in
- mainsheet and traveller next to the helm, which means that I can properly trim the main singlehanded (my previous boat was an out and out racer so can't help but tweak the sails all the time)
- the aft deck
- the well designed and built Moody interiors that just make staying on board so much more enjoyable for my wife.

The cons I have noticed so far:
- harder to see under the genoa because you are higher up
- less feel thru the helm because of the longer steerage system


RB

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[rwoofer]

Re: Depreciation

All I can say is that my 9 year old Moody cost more than it cost new. I think that Moody command very goods prices in the UK and less so abroad (but not by much)

RB

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