next boat, any recommendations

Erwin Swart

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Having my Moody 31MKII for sale I am looking for my next boat.
Do have several brands on the list though difficult to choose as they all have their benefits

Hallberg 36, great design, good exterior and interior, good sailing performance, shaft drive, downside teak decks
Breehon 37, great design, small interior, good sailing performance, optional teakdecks, optional shaft drive
Sweden 37, great design, interior is decent, good sailing performance, downside teak decks, available in shaft version?
Moody 38S, great design, good exterior and interior, good sailing performance, available in shaft version?
Moody38CC, great design, good interior decent sailing performance, shaft drive, downside rolling main, CC??
Najad 36, great design, good exterior and interior, good sailing performance, shaftdrive, downside teak decks

Any suggestions or ideas are welcome
grtz
 
After a succession of shaft drive boats, I'm now on my first saildrive. I'd say there's less vibration, and certainly no drips - I only have dust in the bilge! Don't rule out saildrives.
 
My concern with saildrives is the big rubber seal which I think can leak catastrophically. However I've never heard of one failing in this way.

I had a close look at my old rubber seal when it was replaced and was a bit miffed because it didn't look worn or perished at all, it was also still flexible and showed virtually no sign of wear that I could see.

Then I started thinking .... we all drive along motorways and autobahns at considerable speed and trust our lives to tyres ... which although the compounds used are different, suffer orders of magnitude more abuse in normal use than a saildrive gasket ... tyres do fail, but how many fail catastrophically without external damage or while parked and pumped up to 2,4 bar?

I can understand the concern, the hole for the saildrive is pretty big and scary, but in the real world I don't think it's really that much of a problem. I would really like to hear of anyone who has had a saildrive seal fail.

I did find this ... http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f54/2009-saildrive-diaphragm-failure-163725.html ... but it appears the engine was moved which contributed to the demise of the seal.

... and just for balance ...

A: If you’ve been out and about in boats long enough, you’ve probably seen those moments when someone throws it into reverse to stop before crashing into a dock, and the shaft comes loose from the coupling, resulting in the shaft and prop spinning off astern. This also occasionally happens when sailboats are sailing along and the crew hears a thump astern as the shaft slides out, fouling the prop with the rudder, and water begins pouring in through the shaft hole. If the shaft has come all the way out, the water might come in at a rate greater than your bilge pump capacity. (Always use extra capacity bilge pumps.)

Propeller shafts usually are secured to the coupling at the transmission by set screws tightly screwed into dimples in the shaft, and sometimes the coupling clamps the shaft and its key. There’s a simple trick that can help stop the shaft from backing out if it loosens from the coupling, but first a thought about preventative steps.

https://www.soundingsonline.com/news/qa-securing-the-prop-shaft

No system is perfect, but in excluding saildrives you are constraining your choice of yacht quite a bit, especially anything built in the last decade or so - even HR have moved to saildrives.
 
Looking at your shortlist, I think a Starlight would be a good addition.
Build quality is in the same league as the ones on your list, especially the mkII built by Rival Bowman. Performance will be better than most on your list and they are very seaworthy. They have shaft drive.
They are pretty rare though.
No, mine is not for sale ?
 
My concern with saildrives is the big rubber seal which I think can leak catastrophically.

Good servicing helps prevent this. Yanmar saildrives have two seals if the first leaks you get a warning of the leak but no water entering the bilge.
The Scandinavian boats HR, Malo, Najad are great boats and as said I would consider a Starlight 35.
 
Seriously though, does seaworthiness vary from one boat to another or are all 35' long keelers better than, say, 35' bilge keelers with sugar scoop?
I must say, I've seen several posts like this over the years and most responders recommend their own boat probably because they chose the parameters in the first place. They're not generally very useful to a prospective purchaser.
 
Just moved from an S31 with a similar target list in mind …… in principle, we would have liked another Moody, but not keen on centre cockpits + S38 is a MASSIVE boat for short arses! The Starlight's and Maxi 1100's we looked at hadn't stood the test of time particularly well. If you don't mind CC, you should add Moody 35 to your list?
 
I viewed a Brehorn 37 a few weeks ago - very nice, but not for me. The interior is a bit small for a boat of that nominal length. Oh, I see you noted that. It's sailor's boat IMO, rather than a cruiser's boat.

Was this one: https://www.botentekoop.nl/zeiljachten/breehorn-37/86923663-6838-41a0-bb09-c795fb184665

Hopmans is the seller himself, not a broker, and he's only selling, he said, because he managed to get a deal on a slightly larger Breehorn (a 42?). He liked his 37 a lot, but I looked up the larger one and it's notably more spacious.


I also looked at a Contest 38, and didn't like it as much as the Hallberg-Rassy 38 and Trintella 38 I looked at (both 1980). I'm 6'2" and to me it felt a little cramped. The Trintella 38's use of space is marvellous - its bow locker in particular.

This one: https://www.uwjachtmakelaar.nl/en/sailboat/137653/137653/
Broker was a lovely bloke.
 
We are going bigger and very different, so our (non teak deck) Contest 36s is reluctantly up for sale. We bought her to replace our Moody 38 when we came back from our blue water trip. She has been brilliant, and is now a bit special. http://www.jryachts.com/yachts-for-sale/contest-36s/1739750

Very nice indeed, but on the subject of the new boat you can't say things like "we're going bigger and very different" without telling us!
 
Thanks for all responses.
Plan is to pottering around at North Sea, Baltic Sea and Solent but want a little more space and (sailing)comfort.

Happy with my current shaft drive and not afraid to change to saildrive. Both are safe but see some benefits for shaft drive, cheaper, less maintenance, prop walk and less debri in prop.

Teak decks seems to be the standard on these size of boats.

Breehorn and hallberg 36/37 seem to have highest chance or you have to change my mind.

Though first to sell my Moody 31mkii ....pm if interested

https://www.botenbank.nl/zeiljachten/moody-31-mkii/cd7b8c24-4687-4ba2-96c0-f47bcc057cb0
 
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