Some more stupid questions! Long post.

[Steve101]

Right then I'm off to SBS on Sunday and just so I don't make a complete tit of myself (Oh what's the point in delaying the inevitable!) I thought I might call upon your services. Generally I guess these questions will only be able to be answered by Moody owners past or present, but I welcome anyone's opinion.

When I order my Moody 38 I've been recommended to have the heating ducting fitted, but have the actual heating fitted by a lorry company (This might be a wind up but I've been told it could save me over a grand!)

The Moody38 has no generator option, but on the 47 it does (At a whopping £10025). Can anyone recommend a cheaper solution?

I know, I know, I'm laying myself open to the criticism that I'm a lazy so and so, but I like the idea of electrically operated winches. Does anyone have any recommendations and are the Lewmar 16CST at an extra cost of £180 each in the extras book them (This seems unusually cheap for Moody!)

If I'm going to use a spinnaker pole in the future do I need to buy the gear with boat or should I wait a season or so when I feel confident in using it. (Please bare in mind that at this moment in time the extras are mounting up and my wifes new car has been sacrificed in lieu of other extras!)


Finally Air con. We have a dream of spending long summers in the Carribean and we both really fancy this extra. (Not available on the 38 extras list). Can anyone recommend an alternative? Hopefully one which doesn't cost in the region of £12000 like it does on the Moody47.

Thanks in advance for all your help again and if you havn't helped and I've made you laugh to yourself whilst you muse "Does this guy think he's buying a Mondeo?" then knackers to ya!

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[Steve101]

Thanks for the reply! I need all the help I can get!

 

[poter]

Steve I can't really answer most of your questions except AC.

In all Air con cases you have a blower or fan coil some refridge tubing and a compressor.

Theses components can come as a unit or seperatly.

If you are looking at a unit type AC there has to be a duct to pass fresh air over the unit.
If you are looking at a fan coil situation the compressor would be mounted externally or ducted. All AC compressors require maintanence and will require a regular service, not to mention the corrosion on the metal parts.
More impotantly you must also take into consideration that the starting and running loads would be a huge drain on your power source.

The easy way out, and IMHO the best, would be to get some air movment in the sleeping area only, using fans and natural ventilation, sure there will be some times when the humidity is around 90% and it is 40C but you will still have to work in it and any AC unit will require a huge capacity to cope with these conditions.

We spent many years in the middle east without AC and got by on ceiling fans only.
Yes AC is nice but for the amount of times that you would use it I think the cost would far outway the advantages.
Better to spend your dosh on a large freezer and make loads of ice and keep the beers really cold.


poter

 

[rallyveteran]

If you are going to spend summer in the Caribbean, the main accessory you will need is an umbrella - it's the rainy season.

Quite agree you don't need a/c there. Fitting a fan above each bunk will do just as well. The med in summer may be a different matter.

Are you sure you need a generator? The times you need one in Europe are very few. Divide the cost by the number of times you will use it, and decide if that is worhwhile. If you get away from support, bear in mind they are the least reliable (and most abused) piece of equipment on a boat. On a 38 footer, the generator will be small, high revving and squeezed in. All these factors will make it less reliable.

If you are planning on going to the Caribbean what plans have you made for your dinghy? (You can alway spot the Brits at dinner there because they are the ones with the flat-bottomed dinghies who got soaked on the way in with the Trades blowing across the anchorage) And you will miss out on a lot without an SSB. If you are not sure, at least get a copper strip bonded into the hull now, that you can use later.

 

[billmacfarlane]

How much have you been quoted to have a heater fitted ? Moght be worth phoning around a get a couple of independent quotes to fit one from scratch. I used Krueger Marine who are Eberspacher dealers and they weren't hoeeendously expensive. Heater ducting isn't a standard size so you might be limiting yourself to certain heaters if you do this.
I use a spinny pole to pole out the genny. Since I usually sail with my other half I bought a carbon fibre one which you can practically lift with your pinkie. Expensive ? Yup. But if you're going for electric winches why not ?
Someone has already mentioned the air con . Get a couple of wind scoops to fit over one hatch in the saloon and one in the forward cabin to get a draught through the boat. Save you a fortune as well. Good luck . It's a nice boat.

 

[Steve101]

Thanks for your reply. What's an SSB?

 

[Gunfleet]

This is getting silly. You're veering wildly between your first outing in a dinghy on a reservoir to what arrangements should you make to cool your beers in Barbados. If you don't know what a single side band radio is you are probably quite a few sea miles short of needing one. Go off and do some sailing.

 

[rallyveteran]

...or buy "Sell Up and Sail" by Bill Cooper. And read it

(It's a lot cheaper than any extras)

 

[tcm]

Re: wrong boat?

hi steve. Everyone has answered your questions very sensibly. So i'll spoil it a bit....

Are you sure that this boat is big enough? I mean, it sounds as tho you'll have time to spend ages on it, caribbee and so on? Wd it not be an idea to hang off a whil and buy a slightly more monster boat? I think so.

Reason for this is obvious- you fancy lots of kit for which your paying a fortune to get squeezed into a realtively small boat. On the smaller boat you can afford new - but the compromise is the amount of space it will use, and quality of the fitout given all this extra gubbins in restricted space and likely low-spec gear they will have to use to fit the damn stuff into the small spaces.

I must correct others: airscoops and fans and such are simply no substitute at all for real aircon, shut the windows and freeze in delightful comfort. Then come back on deck and search for the fire. Then realise that this is normal temp.

IMHO, you should buy a bigger boat with all this gear alrady in place, praps slightly secondhand when all the depreciation has made it worth prpecisely zip, and with decent sized kit rather than the tiny stuff to fit that won't really do the job. On a 38, with a genny rattling away AND the airco, it'll be a right racket, imho. I'm afraid that you need minimum fifty foot boat with air and a decent genny already in place. You also need a watermaker and icemaker!

For transat, have a look at www.shantooti.co.uk to see all the gear they have.

cheers, and sorry!

 

[bedouin]

I can't answer the specific questions - but as a matter of principle I am always suspicious of the cost of manufacturer fitted extras. You may be able to save a lot of money by buying as few extras as possible from Moody, and getting the rest fitted yourself afterwards.

I'ld be interested if anyone can give definite figures to confirm or deny my suspicions!

 

[Twister_Ken]

Bear in mind what happens if you don't take to the sailing life.

You're going to be trying to sell a yacht packed with kit which your avg weekend sailor ain't going to want, and certainly ain't going to want to pay for.

Fitting all the bells and whistles will put up the price you pay, but you're unlikely to recover very much of the extras cost when you come to sell.

 

[Jeremy_W]

If the extras list allows you to up-size your winches, go for it! The larger winches will allow younger/lighter/less fit passengers to become useful crew. In my experience of modern cruising yachts they are under-winched.

 

[JeremyF]

Steve,

You are rushing ahead of yourself again; I thought we discussed this before, naughty boy!!

Spec your lovely new Moody 38 out for Channel cruising. If you want to do some sailing in the Caribbean, charter a luxury Moorings catamaran with all the toys you want.

If, in 5 years time, you want to chuck it all in and sail round the world, then sell the Moody 38 (which wont depreciate as long as you are sensible on the extras) and buy a true live-aboard.

<font color=blue>Jeremy Flynn/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif
Dawn Chorus</font color=blue>

 

[davel]

Re: wrong boat?

Steve,
despite his introduction, tcm has made some very valid points.
Aircon is great but the noise can be horrendous -it usually has a low frequency hum that thuds through the boat. The genny adds greatly to the noise. In a 38 footer it's likely to be unbearable and unuseable.

Windscoops work OK if there's a breeze and it isn't raining - I've spent many a happy night rushing up and doen opening and closing hatches whenever a shower comes through (showers in the carib tend to be a wee but heavier than a shower in the UK.

If you're not planning to head off to Carib right now, buy a boat suitable for your immediate needs, get familiar with what works and what doesn't then spend money on boat for the blue water stuff when you need it.

Dave L.

 

[jimi]

Agree with JeremyF, when you're at SBS get some charters arranged. You & your family will then get a feel for what its really like.

Jim

 

[Guest]

For Heating getting the ducting factory fitted, the hardest job and then getting Krueger to fit the rest was the advice I received from Krueger and followed. The winches on the 38 are sized correctly and even slender guests can use them. Electric winches mean more battery power required. A friend had them on his HR42 but I have never been convinced by them. Aircon well...as others have said that might make the boat hard to sell if you changed your mind, the Ebespacher has a fan function so it blows cold air. Generators talk to Ian at Moodys, plus say Greenham marine, I would have thought for the West Indies you will also need to think about solar panels BUT all can be retrofitted, I think there is enough space in the engine room for a genset but they can always be fitted later. I would tend to get your spinacker / cruising shute gear from point of order, mast mounted pole etc, I didn't and think I may regret it. Still haven't ordered the heating though...last winter Radar was added instead!!!! Factory fitted options tend to be expensive compared with the yard at Swanwick. We had sprung mattresses made for the aft cabin, wife has a dodgy back, from the factory the quite was £900. The same guy made them for us and shipped them to Swanwick for a little under £500, get the picture!!!

Bruce Hastie is going to love you!!!!!

cheers

Pete

 

[pkb]

I've followed your previous posts and can't make up my mind if they are a wind up or if you're really serious.

As I recall you have little if no experience so just by going for a 38 footer as your first boat is a huge step most of us wouldn't contemplate. Your wallet is making a commitment which is probably way beyond your experience level.

And now you're talking about aircon and electric winches and sailing in the West Indies and generators. This is fantasy.

If you insist on going for the Moody 38 then do what another contributor has advised and equip it for Channel cruising and spend a few seasons on the South Coast. For novices a first Channel crossing to, say, Cherbourg can be daunting enough so put any thoughts of an Atlantic crossing to one side for several years.

And forget about electric winches. Moody aren't known for overspecifying when it comes to winches but their manual variants will be perfectly adequate for a boat like a 38 which has a reasonably moderate rig. Also forget about a generator for all the reasons outlines elsewhere in this thread. Think about an invertor instead but what exactly are you going to use it for? Central heating is a good idea and I had a very good experience with Kreuger who supplied me with an Eberspacher Airtronic unit - good output and frugal on the amps.

Forget about a spinnaker pole - you can have one fitted very easily when the time is right which certainly isn't right now. Chances are you'll go for a cruising chute or just settle for poling out the genoa.

Go for a reasonable level of spec on your new boat but don't overdo it. Live with it for a while and then decide on the basis of experience what would be really useful.

And think again about whether a 38-footer is right for a first boat. Sailing her in open waters won't be your problem but trying to tuck her into a tight berth - indeed any berth - certainly will be. How are you going to cope in close quarter maneovering situations with wind and tide being extremely unhelpful. My guess is badly - we've all been there.

You need to get back to reality.

Nonetheless, best wishes in whatever you decide to do.

Peter

 

[Steve101]

Pete as always your answers have been to the point and exactly what I needed to know. I would PM you but don't want to appear a nuisance. For a start I didn't know the heating system blew cold aswell (I suppose it's obvious really!) Who's Bruce Hastie?

Cheers

Steve