The Annual "Which boat did you like best at LIBS" post..

beancounter

beancounter

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Feb 2003
Messages
1,334
Location
Cambridge
Visit site
The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

We spent a long time on the Southerly stand. Impressive. Even SWMBO was cooing over the 110.

Mind you, we could probably buy a couple of Jeanneau swing keelers for the same dosh...

Hey ho, dream on...
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

Cash no object, it would have to be the Sweden Yachts 42.
(It was hidden in a corner of the hall, so I guess lots of visitors missed it)
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

Just to prove it's different strokes for different folks, the 110 was about our least favourite of those we crawled over. More changes of floor level than a dodgy nightclub, and greenhouse windows that would be a liability in a warming world. Plus the keel box made access to the dinnette tough for fat bustards like me.

Was very impressed by the J109, but it's pretty much the same price as the HR 34 (gulp). OTOH, maybe you have to pay that price for the potential of 17kts downwind.
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

I'm sure it would have been the Discovery 55 - if the outside display had not been closed /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

for cruising the sweden yacht 42 yet again for racing the new J122
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

I'm not sure why people go to the Boat Shows to look at boats! There are thousands for sale out there between £10k and £20k that I would much rather have than any of the current offerings. I suppose someone has to make and sell enough new boats to replace all those that sink to keep the marinas full.
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

Liked the Southerly boats, very impressed with Northshore's enterprise and energy to renew their range, and good luck to them. Went on the 42RST which is pretty impressive. Found headroom a bit tight for me plus a couple of other minor niggles (cockpit a bit open, felt more like a weekender than a long distance boat, SWMBO concerned we'd lose the kids out the back) but I remain a fan, although not an owner. Prices are high though, wish they could knock them out a bit cheaper.

Went on the new Najad 440 but found myself strangely unengaged (as did SWMBO) which seems a bit churlish on such a posh high end boat. Always admired them but p'raps found new trendy interior a bit too cold and distant?? Deck layout and equipment superb though, massive locker space.

Wasn't allowed on the Oyster, but then again we never have been and didn't expect to. As Groucho said, wouldn't want to join a club which would let me be a member anyway, or sumfink.

Our visit to the Broadblue 385 was interesting and provoked a lot of thought. Enough said about this on other threads, but it's a lot of boat for the money.

Yes, I''m biased, but we still like the IP's and consider ourselves fortunate to own one. We sat on the 440 and it felt like a bigger version of home /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif although we prefer the centre cockpit 445 if we had the dosh. Exchange rates working in their favour too at the moment, good time for UK buyers (IP440 was >100k less than the Najad, same size etc). Nice if you have that sort of money. Or buy a cheaper cat and spend the savings on deck fluff /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Checked out the dinghies and there is an endless choice of grey and white plastic dishes with flashy string to play with. Definitely getting old now, doesn't grab me quite as much as it used to but I'd like a beach cat and the Topper one was cute. Average new 14ft-er dinghies cost as much as our Leisure23 did - staggering. You could get a complete Macgregor ensemble for less than LDC's keelboat... Different experiences I suppose. Still haven't found what I want here - a practical, transportable, davit-able, yacht tender with sailing rig we can let the boys use when we anchor. Walker Bay is close, Tinker tempting, but all compromises and quite a lot of money, relatively speaking. Another option for fun at anchor might be the car-toppable beach cat but I don't know where you'd store the hulls (pity the catapult is gone) - I see I'd have to buy a cruising cat to have the space to store it... errr don't tell Vagabond I said that

Cheers

Neil
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

'Cos it's mid winter, grey, rainy, cold, miserable and the show is indoors and warm!!

And it cheers us up until we can go sailing again!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

Agree with the votes for Sweden Yachts 42. The best combination of heavy stable cruiser but still agile enough to take home the silver from the regattas. And it is beautiful!
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

Moi Aussi. Sweden Yachts 42 (as in 2004 when I first saw one) was only boat that made me think if money were no object I would change my current boat for one.
Can any one advise me how to persuade SWMBO to sell the house and kids /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

Me too. But have a read at March's edition of the Confessional (YM) to see what really happened... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

We really liked the Bav 30, so much so we bought one!

By far the best value at the show. We looked at the Huzaar 30 - £10K more and all white plastic inside. It might sail better, but after a MacGregor, the last thing we wanted down below was white plastic.
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

I looked at the Bav 33 and the Legend 33. Thought the Legend was much nicer and only a little more money than the Bav.

For class - Halberg Rassey does it for me.
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

The HR was well out of my reach, I do agree, it's certainly my dream boat.

We looked at the Bav 33 - £15K more than the 30, for the same size aft cabin and the same size berth in the forepeak - and that was official from the Opal rep. So what did one get for an extra £15 K - oh, plus VAT!!

No wonder Opal said their best seller was the 30, then came the 37 and the 33 way down the list.

We looked at the Legend 27, but too small and no storage to speak of. So the Bav 30 it was. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

We thought the Bav 37 stood up very favourably in comparison to similar sized Jen and Bens..... only one with solid wood interior, better (much much better) engine access, only one with a decent sized chart table, and huge cockpit space..... and the only one in that size range with coamings that didn't finish 2" below the small of your back.....
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

After all the criticism on the forum of Bavs, I thought I'd take a close look at the 37. Ok so I was not able to check the sailing ability, but I was able to investigate the build quality and compare it with the other AWB's of the same size that were at LIBS.

Good size cockpit, the only thing I didn't like was poor access to the main sheet traveler and that the primary winches were to far forward, out of reach of the helm. Down below I thought the quality was pretty damned good. Solid joinery, with no more 'filler' than any of the others and the wood was thick and solid. A decent size chart table let down by a shallow chart tray below. A good aft cabin with good clearance even on the inner berth. The fore cabin was a good size even on this the three cabin model. I suspect on the two cabin version, the fore cabin would be huge, plus the cockpit locker would become cavernous.

The Galley was well laid out and all the cables I could get to see were well secured in black trunking. The only thing that made me say yuuck! Was the 'wood effect' trim around the ports and the instrument housings at the chart table, very 1970's Yanky car dashboard! There was another 37 footer I looked at (cant remember the name) that was a lot more money and looked real cheap!

Comparing like for like, if I was in the market for a 37 footer for coastal and channel cruising, at the money I would seriously give this boat a lot of consideration. If they could change the port trims!
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

[ QUOTE ]
only one with solid wood interior,

[/ QUOTE ]
Solid wood interior in a modern production boat - are you absolutely sure about that?

Even in a top of the range custom boat I would still expect to see a proportion of ply and veneered mouldings
 
Re: The Annual \"Which boat did you like best at LIBS\" post..

HMS St Albans

Certainly the most interesting and expensive exhibit there.

The ugliest: a toss up between the Island Packet and the big Sunseeker.

The prettiest: Elan 30 and the Merlin-Rocket.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top