Opinions on cruising yachts

roaringgirl said:
Also consider what they're set up for. Many plastic fantastics made for the med have a galley down one side of the saloon. Try preparing 3 meals a day for 4 weeks in one of those galleys!
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Didnt find that a problemon a 6 week passage from Antigua to Tahiti......:cool:

In fact with that big seat locker it was easier. Same on two transats with a Jenneau 45.
 
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geem said:
Our friends 46 has a tiny battery box. I am not guessing. I have helped him out with some battery issues. Its a stock boat with no modification.
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Not a stock boat then. The two Ive taken long distance and one I do some stuff on locally have gert big batteries under the starboard side of the saloon. The local one I helped change them last year and the one I took to Panama this year had snags so we put new ones in in Gran Canaria.

As you do.
 
capnsensible said:
Not a stock boat then. The two Ive taken long distance and one I do some stuff on locally have gert big batteries under the starboard side of the saloon. The local one I helped change them last year and the one I took to Panama this year had snags so we put new ones in in Gran Canaria.

As you do.
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They bought it new and have never modified the box. It has room for three batteries circa 110amp hr. one is the engine battery. They complain about the lack of storage. Lots of beds so it can store humans!
 
geem said:
They bought it new and have never modified the box. It has room for three batteries circa 110amp hr. one is the engine battery. They complain about the lack of storage. Lots of beds so it can store humans!
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pvb said:
The aft cabin on my boat is storage!
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Agree, my old Bavaria 38 had lots of stowage and hanging lockers and as you said the second stern cabin was one big storage area. It also had room 4 x 140amp batteries and 1 engine battery,
Even my current Bavaria 33 has room for 2 x140amp batteries and one engine battery.
 
jordanbasset said:
Agree, my old Bavaria 38 had lots of stowage and hanging lockers and as you said the second stern cabin was one big storage area. It also had room 4 x 140amp batteries and 1 engine battery,
Even my current Bavaria 33 has room for 2 x140amp batteries and one engine battery.
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Yeah thats the builder set up on the 42, 46 and 48. Those big batteries arent half flippin heavy.... and expensive.

The bigger ones with bunk bed cabin makes a great storage larder and handy tool box storage. Ive sailed them with 3 or 4 on board and had masses of space.
 
GattMLT, re how you cannot afford a cat, what is your budget for purchasing the vessel?
The secondhand prices of cats are coming down, especially in the Caribbean, and it might be possible to find one in your price range?
 
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capnsensible said:
Yeah thats the builder set up on the 42, 46 and 48. Those big batteries arent half flippin heavy.... and expensive.

The bigger ones with bunk bed cabin makes a great storage larder and handy tool box storage. Ive sailed them with 3 or 4 on board and had masses of space.
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Its all relative. Our battery box is original unmodified. It houses four 250 amp hr house batteries, two 110 amp hr starter batteries ( being a 24v boat) and a 110amp hr generator battery. We have way more storage on our 44 ft boat than on a Bav46 but we have less beds. Turning cabins in to storage is ok as long as you dont have to take salty wet gear down below. Far better to have wet storage for mooring lines, fenders, paddleboards, kite surfing gear, dinghy sails, rudder, daggerboard, etc in dedicated deck lockers. The problem with many boats designed for the charter market is they sacrifice good stowage of this type for more beds. You can pile gear on bunks and its not a problem but having space for heavy tools and spares and lockers for lots of food as part of the boat design is way better. Keeping weight low down is good. Everything you pile on a bunk is above the waterline so reduces the righting moment. Having water tanks under the floor leaves space under bunks for stowage. Very few boats built for the charter market have water tanks and fuel tanks under the floor boards so you lose lots of under bunk space to these tanks. There is always a compromise to be had. We know friends with a Catana cat that converted the front of one hull in to a store room as they didnt need all the beds. It was accessible from the deck so wet stuff didnt come through the cabin. It was professionally modified and worked very well. He had a work bench and vice to set up as well. A proper work shop. Having space to locate a watermaker that is easily serviceable is great. They tend to be salty when you change filter so working out where to put such items in any boat is something to consider. Can sea water drain to a sump or does it run through the whole bilge wetting anything you store down there. Good luck to the OP with you search
 
If you start with a specification for a cat there must be some concern over the viability of your plans for a RW cruise.
You can get good roll stability with a single hull and ability to withstand the odd rough passage with confidence.

If you''re looking to take crew then you'll need 45-50 feet for living space. If just the two of you plus offspring you'll find more than 42 feet a worrying handful from the sail handling point of view - you'll need a good fore and aft cabin within that parameter.

Finally, don't forget the amount of gear you'll take with you - you just have to for the route you've chosen.

As for soundness of construction, that's not a concern if the boat is well surveyed in advance. You might like the easier motion of a heavier construction but it comes at a price. Some Dutch and US marques fulfill this spec well.

Travelling at least part of the way with one of the round the world cruise outfits is a smart move - and provides sociable camaraderie. It's a very large ocean out there.

The very best to you - many have dreamed of this trip and at your time of life too. It's a wonderful world - go see it close up.

PWG
 
LittleSister said:
Many different types of boat will circumnavigate the world, few wives would. You can always replace your boat on the way around if it proves sub-optimal, but changing your wife is more problematic.
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Changing the boat or wife?

Please take it from me, doing either is expensive but changing the wife can open up huge opportunities for the future.
 
We circumnavigated on a Beneteau423 2009 to 2015. We had the same dilemma when we were deciding what boat to buy but went for the lighter more modern boat and were pleased we did. The boat was only 4 years old when we bought it and it meant that the kit was all newish and went on working . For the same money we would have had to buy a HR or similar 20 years old with all the potential problems. I admit we never had really testing conditions so maybe luck played its part. If you want to know where we went we kept an extensive blog with mailasail. Just search Gryphon on their site. Good luck ! PM me if you have any other queries.
 
OP. Your net worth and your income or some other guidance on budget is required. Without that the question is far too open ended.
 
One other factor, which I consider as important, is your wife's abilities.
Should something happen to you that renders you ineffective, would your wife be able to handle the boat and a 21/2 year old child in severe weather?
Since you are in Malta you could easily assess this ability by going out in a boat that is similar to what you have in mind; there should be ample opportunities for experiencing foul weather in a couple of months.
 
If the OP wants a Jeanneau or Beneteau I understand the view that the Jeanneau 37 is a good boat but suggest the OP looks for a Jeanneau 45.2 from the late 1990's or the slightly earlier 45.1. These boats are well built and have a strong masthead rig which is relatively small for the boat size. Unlike the later Jeanneaus they really were designed to be ocean capable. I understand the point about the lengthwise galley in the saloon but there are handholds and a rail in front of the cooker to clip on to.
 
There was a US ouple who recently arrived in our marina in an Island Packet they had sailed back from the Med -not a boat I would use in the Solent /cross channel as manoeurving in marina seemed a challenge though but for worldwide trips with a lowish mast for size but a plus for ICW purposes might be worth a look around the boats for sale in Med -seem to have plenty of storage and space (watermaker genset etc) if a slightly unusual internal configuration and useful double headsail set up .
 
ashtead said:
There was a US ouple who recently arrived in our marina in an Island Packet they had sailed back from the Med -not a boat I would use in the Solent /cross channel as manoeurving in marina seemed a challenge though but for worldwide trips with a lowish mast for size but a plus for ICW purposes might be worth a look around the boats for sale in Med -seem to have plenty of storage and space (watermaker genset etc) if a slightly unusual internal configuration and useful double headsail set up .
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Why do you think a low mast is a good idea? For me a taller than standard mast is a great idea. The ability to sail more of the time rather than resorting to the engine is far better. You can always reef.
 
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