Suggestions please... day cruiser in the med?

[OLG]

Need some expert opinion and suggestions to give me some direction. I’m feeling a bit of overwhelm with the amount of choice and only having had experience of boating in Northern Europe with smaller boats (currently have a nimbus nova in Sweden).

What would you get or shortlist in the following situation..?

You have a villa/apartment in the med somewhere, let’s say Mallorca. You do not have any boats anywhere else which you’d bring over. You want something to spend the wonderful summer days on the water with the family, priority being anchoring somewhere nice, swimming and having fun in and around the boat.

You might overnight once or twice in a season, but really it’s something for the day. You might have up to a very maximum of 10 friends and family join you occasionally and they need to be accommodated comfortably.

Finally... too big and it will just be too expensive and potentially wasted, too small and SWMBO will just complain about lack of space and being uncomfortable.

So what would you choose..? What would be the sweet spot in terms of size..? Flybridge..?

I have a few ideas but would be great to hear from the panel who have experience in the med and generally more experience boating.

Thanks all ??

 

[Bigplumbs]

Accommodating 10 people means quite a big boat I am afraid particularly if you want a bit of comfort. That is a 33 footer plus me thinks

 

[Portofino]

You have not indicated a budget .
If around €200K an Itama 40
Or an older 38 , there’s plenty of well maintained ones for € 60/80 less .
Verills in Mallorca will look after it and winter hanger it .
Your wife won’t complain about comfort especially when it’s running between the islands .

 

[julians]

That's a tricky one, as your requirement for 10+ people and your requirement for it to not be too big conflict with each other. Although you don't define what too big is, but I would say that anything over 40 feet and the costs start to ramp up considerably. But then 40 feet is not big enough for 10 people to spend the day on comfortably.

I'd be going for a sports cruiser not a fly bridge as its intended to be a day boat not a boat to stay on for extended periods.

If you drop the 10 person requirement down to 6-8 people then any sports cruiser from the last 10 years in the 35-40 foot bracket is going to fit the bill well. But I'd be going for something that prioritises speed and performance over internal space, so maybe an axopar 37, any of the 30+ foot windys, fjords etc etc.

As an aside I use a windy 25 for exactly what you describe and its does it well, but realistically only for 4-6 people.

 

[Bouba]

You actually say 10 friends and family to join you. That’s 12 people!

 

[petem]

Axopar 37 certified for 10.

https://www.axopar.fi/range/axopar-37-sun-top

 

[MedDreamer]

Sessa Key Largo 36 would tick all of those boxes for me

 

[MapisM]

What would be the sweet spot in terms of size..? Flybridge..?

As a famous poet would put it, expect no other answer than your own.
For myself and swmbo, the sensible limit for inviting friends onboard our 56' flybridge and offer them a civilized experience is 8 people including ourselves.
Otoh, sometimes I see parties of 10 (if not more) on 20' RIBs, and they give the impression to enjoy it, so who am I to argue?

 

[OLG]

Thanks all for the very quick replies..!

Just to clarify 2 points raised by a few, and probably my fault for not making it clearer in the opening post.

First, the number of people would be a very maximum of 10, including me and my family. I assume the boat usage would be something like 60% just my family (4 of us), 30% us and 1 other family (8 people) and 10% up to the maximum of 10. Hopefully that makes more sense.

Second, budget. At the moment I don't have one! I'm keen to work out and find the best size and style of boat for my needs, then work out whether I can afford it, whether it needs to be used etc etc. If I base my decision purely on budget then it will result in a boat that is not fit for purpose.

As you were...

 

[Bouba]

This may not be helpful, but anytime you have more than four people aboard, you spend all your time serving drinks

 

[jrudge]

Other have beaten me to it but if you have a Villa and want a day boat get an axopar

For the 1 day a year it is not big enough either put up with the squeeze or charter for the day

 

[Portofino]

Other have beaten me to it but if you have a Villa and want a day boat get an axopar

For the 1 day a year it is not big enough either put up with the squeeze or charter for the day

passerelle to get on / off easily?
Enough sun pad areas ?
Equally large shade outside in a breeze under a Bimini.
Large bathing platform to access the sea to swim or store toy ( s)
Geny to assist prepping a meal thinking prawns
Air con if you go away for few days visiting another island .
Open airy feel for a breeze to cool as opposed to a 1/2 the boat a green house .
Big table that’s solid and does not wobble .
Two fridges one on deck + POSs optional ice maker @ Bouba they help themselves btw .

I don’t see theses features hanging strong enough in the Axpoar range .
I see Axpoars great for Scandinavia archipelago island hopping all year round ice permitting.

Others candidates
Baia B 1 or B 40
Pershing 37 , 43 HT or older opens .
.
Major on outside space , sitting and sunbathing + access to sea and boat ( passerelle )

Running cost and turn key ness avoid any aged outdrives imho .
If those special days are treasured esp more so with guests etc then an aged outdrive will highly likely be unreliable , showstopper and drain you of €€€ or both .

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Sessa Key Largo 36 would tick all of those boxes for me

Yep, that would be my choice as well. Atlantis Verve might also be worth looking at.

 

[Hurricane]

Axopar 37 certified for 10.

https://www.axopar.fi/range/axopar-37-sun-top

I was thinking just that, Pete.
I was going to post exactly your comment.

But it would need qualifying.
The 10 people IMO on board would be too much of a squeeze and there isn't really comfortable enough accommodation.

So, I would alter the requirements.
Th OP suggests Mallorca so everything is reasonably close for a day boat.
So, I think I would consider the smaller Axopar or RIB.
Maybe it could then be towed away during the times you aren't using it thus keeping the ownership costs down.
That then limits the requirement of 10 people and the overnight requirement.

So, I'm really applying the Pareto Principle.
For those who don't know - in most cases, you can achieve 80% of the any result using 20% of the effort.
So, in this case, IMO you could achieve 80% of the OP's requirements with less than 20% of the costs.

 

[OLG]

I don’t see theses features hanging strong enough in the Axpoar range .
I see Axpoars great for Scandinavia archipelago island hopping all year round ice permitting.

This.

The Axpoar is sadly not going to be enough boat. The wife would certainly be complaining about it being too small and not comfortable enough.

Keep the suggestions coming :encouragement:

 

[petem]

passerelle to get on / off easily?
Enough sun pad areas ?
Equally large shade outside in a breeze under a Bimini.
Large bathing platform to access the sea to swim or store toy ( s)
Geny to assist prepping a meal thinking prawns
Air con if you go away for few days visiting another island .
Open airy feel for a breeze to cool as opposed to a 1/2 the boat a green house .
Big table that’s solid and does not wobble .
Two fridges one on deck + POSs optional ice maker @ Bouba they help themselves btw .

I don’t see theses features hanging strong enough in the Axpoar range .
I see Axpoars great for Scandinavia archipelago island hopping all year round ice permitting.

Others candidates
Baia B 1 or B 40
Pershing 37 , 43 HT or older opens .
.
Major on outside space , sitting and sunbathing + access to sea and boat ( passerelle )

Running cost and turn key ness avoid any aged outdrives imho .
If those special days are treasured esp more so with guests etc then an aged outdrive will highly likely be unreliable , showstopper and drain you of €€€ or both .

Porto, I know that you think the Itamas are the perfect boat for everyone but....

Axopar has a T-Top or Open so not a greenhouse (extra sun shades available for fore and aft decks)
Axopar has extra two cockpit fridge as an option
Axopar has forward and aft sunpads as an option
Axopar on outboards, not outdrives so arguably a simpler ownership experience.

 

[petem]

This.

The Axpoar is sadly not going to be enough boat. The wife would certainly be complaining about it being too small and not comfortable enough.

Keep the suggestions coming :encouragement:

OK, how about an Invictus GT370 (certified for 12)

http://www.invictusyacht.com/?page_id=868

 

[Portofino]

Porto, I know that you think the Itamas are the perfect boat for everyone but....

No I don’t Pete but they imho best fit the brief given thus far along with a few other Italian “ opens “ with shaft drives .

A lot of Itama owners are also Med property ( inc me btw ) owners and use them as day boats to enjoy the pleasure ( not worry or hassle ) of sea , sun and relaxation .

They are beamy and come in all sizes from 38 up to 75 and budgets up to €4 million .

There’s an established Itama outfit called Verills who can take care of everything, service , antifoul, winter storage and plonk them will in the water for 3 months at the owners request.
There’s on in St Tropez called SunCap too who also have a site in the Balearics .

They are unlikely to scare guests or delicate wife’s if the wind gets up and it gets choppy as they all have a deadrise over 20 degrees and mid engines = better balance less bouncing about .
In fact I know they won’t :encouragement:

 

[Portofino]

Here’s another prospect https://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/2019/pardo-50-3542849/?refSource=browse listing

This very boat moored next to me last week , the wife said see “told her husband she preferred an Itama “
They where staying in a villa as well .

Moral of the story get “ her “ approval or she will let everyone know you have not !

Husband was not impressed when the wife spontaneously said she “ loved my boat and wanted one just like it “

It’s a quality finish right up there and the price reflects.

Your kids will want toys and you need a place to store them .Where do you put the paddle board and tender on a boat with outboards - like a rib - any one ?





Fjord do a similar open T top range , for property owners , top draw quality if you prefer this type ?

 

[Portofino]

Axopar on outboards, not outdrives so arguably a simpler ownership experience.

Talk me through accessing the sea and storing water toys Pete .
Say 4/5 folks wanting to sit with a drink and dip feet into the sea as an example of typical usage ?