Moving on from our Sparkman & Stephens 34

sniffyjenkins

sniffyjenkins

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It feels a bit mad to write that title, but that's what we're doing. We need a bit more space and comfort for cruising for our two sets of increasingly aged bones. I'll be very sad to see Kite go but it's time to move on. We need a bigger boat.

Would be interested to hear experiences and opinions (I know you all have opinions...) on any or all of the craft we're looking at. To whit, and in order of 'difference' to my S&S 34:
  1. a She 36 - a legend, a stunning beauty, but not that much more interior space
  2. a Sigma 362 - sporty, pretty, more space
  3. a Granada Atlantica 375 - an outlier, very little info on them but looks good?
  4. a Moody 37 - OK getting away from the lookers here but people seem to love them and WHAT an aft cabin
  5. and an, ahem, Westerly Corsair. Mainly because it's got the word 'corsair' in it. But also because of the room. And it seems like a tough old boat.
We're trying to get a balance between sailing ability, room beneath, comfort, for cruising around these here parts (south coast, France, CIs, etc.), within our budget of 40K. We've looked at a lovely Rival 36 but its teak deck was original and not OK so NOPE. We've seen two Rival 38 CCs, what enormous beasts! Fabulous but somehow not right for us. Seemed a bit cramped for such large boats? We've seen two Ohlson 38s, stunning boats, but both need too much doing. We're happy to do work but are not in the market for a project again.

So there we are.

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doug748 said:
From your list I would be tempted by the Sigma. A lovely thought would be a Starlight 35 but that could bust your budget by 50%.

In the summer I stopped by this boat:

Contessa 35 for sale UK, Contessa boats for sale, Contessa used boat sales, Contessa Sailing Yachts For Sale 1975 Contessa 35 - Apollo Duck

Which might suit but the pilot berths are a bit of a white elephant when short handed cruising.

.
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Yes I’d also dreamed of the Starlight but as you say. Money. And agree about the pilot berths in the Contessa.

The Sigma is indeed really interesting, possibly the best balance of what we’re after.
 
I've cruised on a she36 - fabulous sailing boat but not spacious at all and (because of the legendary status) they look overpriced to me. I'd still fancy one, just because.
There's a lovely Sigma at my club, I'd be very tempted (and a lot more comfortable)
 
I have a SHE 36, we moved up from a Sigma 33, the SHE felt a big boat and solid by comparison. We have mainly cruised the west coast of Scotland over the last 11 years with 4 or 5 as crew, raced a couple of West Highland Weeks once with 8 onboard for a couple of days, that was most definitely cramped. All told she has been a fantastic boat and a joy to sail in all conditions. [Content removed]
 
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Bedlam said:
I have a SHE 36, we moved up from a Sigma 33, the SHE felt a big boat and solid by comparison. We have mainly cruised the west coast of Scotland over the last 11 years with 4 or 5 as crew, raced a couple of West Highland Weeks once with 8 onboard for a couple of days, that was most definitely cramped. All told she has been a fantastic boat and a joy to sail in all conditions. Unfortunately now on the market, any questions please ask
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Thanks so much, this is lovely to hear.
 
With aging bones the bottom end of your list (Moody, Westerly) will obviously be more comfortable down below. But considerably less fun to sail. If I day/weekend sailed, a SHE or Sigma would be well up my list. If I wanted to spend weeks aboard cruising (or staying in a marina), then the others will excel.

History of maintenance and replacement will matter.

Just back from time around the Baltic and I was surprised by the number and range of deck saloon/pilothouse models of 30-40ft beyond the few models that filter into the UK. A pilothouse is very kind to aging bones......
 
I think you should look for a good Westerly Corsair, they are no slouch and you can go anywhere in them. You can get a poor one well below your budget and spend the balance refitting it. Westerleys look like tubs but they don't sail like that.
 
Concerto said:
What about a Westerly Typhoon. Designed for fast sailing and certainly a lot more spacious than a SS34. Certainly not a typical Westerly as were very sporty and although rare, can be close to your budget.

Typhoon 37 - Westerly-Wiki

Westerly Typhoon archive details - Yachtsnet Ltd. online UK yacht brokers - yacht brokerage and boat sales
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Very interesting…
Seven Spades said:
I think you should look for a good Westerly Corsair, they are no slouch and you can go anywhere in them. You can get a poor one well below your budget and spend the balance refitting it. Westerleys look like tubs but they don't sail like that.
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The one we were looking at has been sold, but we’ll keep an eye out…
 
We bumped into a bloke on a Granada Atlantica 375 today in Padstow. He very kindly invited us on board. What a great boat. Very much looking forward to viewing one on Wednesday…
 
sniffyjenkins said:
It feels a bit mad to write that title, but that's what we're doing. We need a bit more space and comfort for cruising for our two sets of increasingly aged bones. I'll be very sad to see Kite go but it's time to move on. We need a bigger boat.

Would be interested to hear experiences and opinions (I know you all have opinions...) on any or all of the craft we're looking at. To whit, and in order of 'difference' to my S&S 34:
  1. a She 36 - a legend, a stunning beauty, but not that much more interior space
  2. a Sigma 362 - sporty, pretty, more space
  3. a Granada Atlantica 375 - an outlier, very little info on them but looks good?
  4. a Moody 37 - OK getting away from the lookers here but people seem to love them and WHAT an aft cabin
  5. and an, ahem, Westerly Corsair. Mainly because it's got the word 'corsair' in it. But also because of the room. And it seems like a tough old boat.
We're trying to get a balance between sailing ability, room beneath, comfort, for cruising around these here parts (south coast, France, CIs, etc.), within our budget of 40K. We've looked at a lovely Rival 36 but its teak deck was original and not OK so NOPE. We've seen two Rival 38 CCs, what enormous beasts! Fabulous but somehow not right for us. Seemed a bit cramped for such large boats? We've seen two Ohlson 38s, stunning boats, but both need too much doing. We're happy to do work but are not in the market for a project again.

So there we are.

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Westerly 33 Ketch. You can get a very well equipped one for about 17k (i.e. mine)!
 
@sniffyjenkins I just saw Kite on Marinetraffic stooging around off the west coast of Barbados - are these new owners on board now?
Ship KITE (Sailing Vessel) Registered in United Kingdom - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 0, MMSI 232004693, Call sign MAGM9

I have a very soft spot for S & S 34's, after sailing on Morning Flight from St Maarten to Maine 30 years ago via Bermuda, Newport and the Cape Cod Canal.
In fact 30 years ago today we were probably quaffing Dark N' Stormies at the White Horse Tavern (a legendary watering hole) in St Georges, Bermuda.
She was an absolute joy to sail - only two of us on board, and on my watches I would disconnect the Monitor wind vane and hand steer - not that she needed much helm really as she was perfectly balanced, and the more it blew, the more she dug her shoulder in and tromped along
 
Bajansailor said:
@sniffyjenkins I just saw Kite on Marinetraffic stooging around off the west coast of Barbados - are these new owners on board now?
Ship KITE (Sailing Vessel) Registered in United Kingdom - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 0, MMSI 232004693, Call sign MAGM9

I have a very soft spot for S & S 34's, after sailing on Morning Flight from St Maarten to Maine 30 years ago via Bermuda, Newport and the Cape Cod Canal.
In fact 30 years ago today we were probably quaffing Dark N' Stormies at the White Horse Tavern (a legendary watering hole) in St Georges, Bermuda.
She was an absolute joy to sail - only two of us on board, and on my watches I would disconnect the Monitor wind vane and hand steer - not that she needed much helm really as she was perfectly balanced, and the more it blew, the more she dug her shoulder in and tromped along
Click to expand...

Ha ha, yes. WHAT a story...

We sold Kite to a young American who had never sailed a day in his life and whose plan is to a) sail across the Atlantic single-handed and then b) sail around the world single-handed WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT HE'S DOING. His whole schtick is that it's a madcap dangerous comedy nautical adventure (barf) that you can follow on YouTube. Honestly horrifying. We begged him to get training etc., helped as much as we could and genuinely didn't believe that he would embark on this journey in the way he said he would. But he did. There have been many MANY mishaps along the way, as would imagine. His trip across the Channel from Chichester Harbour "to any French port" (?!) took almost two days during which he completely shredded the genoa. It also involved the French coastguard and rescue service emailing and phoning me - because they had my details - and ask why the boat was drifting at night in the shipping lanes without either a) lights or b) AIS and also not answering hails on the VHF. Various ships called it in and had to avoid him. He was rescued by the French services off Cherbourg in a storm, and was most miffed about it. He's learned a bit sailing down to Brest and then across the Bay of Biscay (without a main because he 'lost' the halyard). It took him over a month to cross the Atlantic because he decided to do it without any - ANY - navigation aids, including a compass. He ended up at the mouth of the Amazon River. But he's now in the caribbean. He occasionally calls for advice on stuff and he's broken a TON of things on the boat *huge sigh* We took such good care of her.

BUT. He's made it across the pond, which is a lot more than we ever managed. Now he plans to rip everything out of the boat - including bulkheads I think? - in preparation for a round the world trip. With his dog.

I find it mostly horrifying to watch and but somehow can't look away...

If you want to follow along and watch the enraging madness from his arrival in the UK and us handing over the keys he has a YouTube Channel:

Captain Kimmer

Oh and he films himself vomiting. A lot. You have been warned.
 
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