Opinions please.....

[dog]

Having been brought up with broads sailing, small Hunters and Contessa's on the East Coast I am toying with selling my stinkie and buying a proper boat!!!

I like the look of the modern Beneteau/ Legend types- but what are they really like? Are they well built and long lasting? I also very much like the look of the older Moody 31's. Would I be better to look at something more modern, or stick with something slightly older. My budget would be 35-40k. I am also a fiddler so something older to tidy up is a viable option!! I would be using her around the Crouch/ East Coast area.

Any opinions/ experience very welcome.......

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[pragmatist]

Well done - you've turned the corner if you're considering becoming a raggie !

If I were considering the E Coast the most important factor would be ability to dry out - twin keels (see recent thread about what boat to buy where I extolled virtues of Sadler 29). It gives lots more scope for places to go and peace of mind too !

<hr width=100% size=1>a pragmatist is an optimist with a boat in the UK

 

[flaming]

I've sailed both a bilge keeler and a fin keeler extensively between Burnham and Aldeburgh as well as further afield. Only time I ever spent any time on the mud was in the bilge keeler! I wouldn't actually rate bilge keels as a necessity but a draft of about 1.5m or less is advisable to be able to visit the vast majority of east coast haunts.

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[steve_cronin]

Hunter Horizon 30 would fit the bill. Modern. You have sailed Hunters before. Build quality excellent. race against fin keelers of similar length and mostly win!

I sold mine for the sort of money you're talking about and it now lives on the east coast. We used to regularly raft alongside a Moody 31 on trips to Guernsey. I was always worried about how the deck flexed as I walked over it!

Steve Cronin



<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[DavidBolger]

Sadler 29, 32 or 34. Bought my 34 in 2001 in Burnham on Crouch and it is the best decision I ever made. The more I learn about her the more I realise how good a decision it was. You can get loads of info on Sadlers on the mike Lucas website. It also has a link to the Sadler owners website. Try mikelusacyachting.co.uk

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[DavidofMersea]

.. and what about a catamaran? They draw much less than a mono, and will stand on their own keels - bags of room and a good turn of speed - What more can you want?

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[Landale]

mmmh:

->I was always worried about how the deck flexed as I walked over it!

My '84 vintage 31 seems pretty solid and ideal for Cardigan Bay etc. Everything is now back to the cockpit. Avoid steps on the mast, my head never seems to so always denting the side of my head! Oh and the main halyard likes to hide behind them :-(

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