Starlight 35 Alternatives....

No body has commented on the Maxi 1000. I was lead to believe that they were very good, but no comments made yet!! I certainly would love to have one of the larger ones as they look lovely & one of the few boats whose blue hulls that do not seem to fade as much as other manufacturers boats.

Obviously as a Hanse sailor I would go & look at the Hanse 34 & i like the ST jib option & ease of sailing etc. But I am bias as I prefer faster boats. The Moody 31 , for instance is not a particularly quick boat ; yet comments above suggest it is. It is just how some perceive performance. But they are said to be good sea boats & probably marginally better motion than my 311. I expect that It would certainly be directionally more stable. I would have to sail one to know But a 31 is smaller than the 35 ft that the Op really wants.
But speed is not everything & if one is going to do long offshore passages then boats with a longer keel & a bit of weight will certainly be more suitable to the OP. Perhaps Sadler 34s might be easier to find
It might be a long shot but If I was looking for the Hanse I would try Inspiration Marine to see if they have a P,ex coming in & want to do a quick sale to a cash buyer, to turn a new boat round. They may have a 37 which could be cheaper if they can off load it quick.
 
A friend recently bought a 39 for £35k. Its in reasonable condition
Yes I think I looked at the advert for that a couple of times. A bargain hopefully! Otherwise boat prices have gone bonkers! ? I will wait maybe two years until people realise the reality of boat ownership and start selling them off and going to the Costa del Sol again for their holidays!
 
A friend has a Starlight 35 and took it across the Atlantic and back. I sailed with him a few times and, were I looking for a boat in that size and budget, It'd be one of the first boats to go on my list. Tough, respectable performance and an effective interior

Just be careful where you park it...

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I’ve never been on one, but they do look like a lovely boat and have a good reputation. I suppose one benefit of the high residual values is that I expect they tend to be well cared for by owners wanting to protect their investment. Shame a lot of them seem to have been fitted with teak decks, which I find a bit of turn off.
 
We owned a srarlight 39 for 12 years. They are brilliant boats, quite simple to sail and you will always feel safe. They don’t slam they punch their way through when going to windward. You will very quickly get used to the size of a 35/9. They are faster than a Swan 38 on all points of sale except upwind. Up wind a Swan 38 can sail closer to the wind and will sail away form I a Starlight. There are many more starlight 35’s around than 39’s but I would buy either if you can find one in your budget. The ones built by Bowman are the nicest and if you can get one with cherry interior that is a bonus.
 
It is hard to think of a replacement for a Starlight 35 that combines all its qualities of moderate design with decent performance. A friend sold a lovely 35 about three years ago but to my surprise it took a while to sell and they had to drop their price, which was not overly high. My own HR 34 is vaguely similar, but although more modern in rig is somewhat smaller and not really an alternative, gaining in handiness but shorter on the water.
 
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