Which yacht (again!)

[rdalton]

At 6ft 3ins and stiffening rapidly I'm now looking for a 2 cabin yacht with enough saloon headroom and preferably with the ability to leave the bunk sideways (like a bed). We have a budget of 95k and would like the boat to be around 37-40feet. Most of ours is coastal sailing, nothing extreme hopefully. Whichever boat it is must also be 'woman friendly'.

Any suggestions would be welcome...

 

[V1701]

Moody 376, Bavaria 40 Ocean? The Bav will have better headroom I think...

 

[rdalton]

Thanks Djbreeze, I'll check these out. The Bavaria 40 Ocean is completely unknown to me!

 

[njsail]

As an owner of a Bavaria 40 Ocean I can give you a few thoughts to ponder. First and foremost it is extremely female friendly. I'll guess on what that means. My wife absolutely loves it. A shower you can sit/stand in separate from the head. The center cockpit leaves a huge aft Master cabin with plenty of storage and ventilation and a huge bed with seats on either side. I'm about 6'1" and have plenty of room standing in the salon and kitchen. you need to duck a little going through doors. Since the head is under the seat for the center cockpit you don't have the same headroom as the rest of the boat. The boat has a great galley that is friendly while under way. You can lean up against the engine room wall and have access to the entire galley (sink, stove, oven, fridge, and counter space. If you have any questions just let me know. The engine access is amazing on 3 sides. My boat has voyaged from the mid Atlantic US to Nova Scotia and back. It's built solid, is comfortable and sails great. A huge benefit of a center cockpit is the ability to put some cushy captains chairs on the back deck. My last boat had a standard aft cockpit and sitting in the cockpit is different than sitting on a teak deck with captains chairs. Just pointing out there are pros/cons to every design. I'm sold on center cockpits now.

Here is an archive of a Bavaria 40 Ocean.
http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/bavaria-40-ocean/bavaria-40-ocean.htm

If you have any questions let me know. Good luck in your quest.

 

[TQA]

If you can find one try a New Bombay Trading Company Explorer 44 You will have standing headroom throughout and an enormous loo/shower.

Look at a Hunter 42 Passage as well. It has a good centreline queen in an aft cabin and good headroom. The early ones seem to be solidly built and I prefer them as they have a backstay.

 

[lenseman]

Thanks Djbreeze, I'll check these out. The Bavaria 40 Ocean is completely unknown to me!

Yea, good boat. You can always put her up on the beach when the keel falls off!

See:

http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=ps...a&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=671fa9f81cc5a41b

 

[njsail]

Yea, good boat. You can always put her up on the beach when the keel falls off!

It's sad when people respond to things they don't have knowledge of. If you actually research your own Google links you'll see the problem was a particular model boat and particular type of keel....not The Bavaria 40 Ocean. There are many examples of high end production boats (non-Bavaria) with Keels that have fallen off with actual deaths involved. You can look at several models of high end production boats (non-Bavaria) that have chain plate problems where it's near impossible to inspect them with dozen of masts falling en-route. The list goes on. So lighten up on the brand bashing.

 

[lenseman]

It's sad when people respond to things they don't have knowledge of. If you actually research your own Google links you'll see the problem was a particular model boat and particular type of keel....not The Bavaria 40 Ocean. There are many examples of high end production boats (non-Bavaria) with Keels that have fallen off with actual deaths involved. You can look at several models of high end production boats (non-Bavaria) that have chain plate problems where it's near impossible to inspect them with dozen of masts falling en-route. The list goes on. So lighten up on the brand bashing.

Only a Bavaria owner would try to stick up for the brand.

Americans have no sense of humour (humor)!

 

[jonic]

Only a Bavaria owner would try to stick up for the brand.

Not necessarily the Bavaria 41 owners version has masses of headroom and a proper galley

 

[Neil_Y]

I have heard of other brands that have had keel fally off issues but wouldn't repeat them here unless I had first hand knowledge of the exact details.

As far as Bav's are concerned I had a 390 (40') owners version with huge aft cabin and probably the largest shower of any yacht I've sailed with nicely curved wall as an ensuite as well as a for'd shower head in the normal sized square cubicle.

I'm not sure about the newer Bav's but the 1991 version had an impact resistant design of keel to hull shape, its designed not to kick up into the hull at the rear. (If sailed on a Sweden 38 that hit a reef and the rear of the keel kicked up into the hull seperating hull ribs) The Bav also has collission areas on the bow reinforced with kevlar above and below the waterline. They also have carbon reinforced transverse floor beams to resist hull flex. Lots of head room great tough boat, in my view better made than a Sweden 38 of the same era (I've sailed both on transatlantics)

Woman friendly, the large shower was a hude hit as were the ventillation and light in the aft cabin.

 

[White Horse]

A Beneteau is particularly woman friendly IMHO!

 

[BlueSkyNick]

To have a centre line bed on a sub-40's boat, I think you are looking for a centre cockpit/aft cabin boat.

You dont say how old/new you want the boat to be, but I would be looking at Moody38's which will fall in your price range.

Very good boats, and an excellent Owners Association - there again, I am biased!

 

[jonic]

To have a centre line bed on a sub-40's boat, I think you are looking for a centre cockpit/aft cabin boat.

You dont say how old/new you want the boat to be, but I would be looking at Moody38's which will fall in your price range.

Very good boats, and an excellent Owners Association - there again, I am biased!

Got to agree, but then I am biased too as that is what I have

 

[rdalton]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, especially njsail. I'm aware of the keel issue to some extent, but ultimately buying any vessel, new or pre-owned comes with some risk and it's up to me as a purchaser to manage that risk as best possible.

The centre cockpit looks like the way I'll go ultimately, just need to convince the other half...

 

[V1701]

Yea, good boat. You can always put her up on the beach when the keel falls off!

See:

http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=ps...a&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=671fa9f81cc5a41b

FFS, there's always one isn't there?

 

[TQA]

As far as Bav's are concerned I had a 390 (40') owners version with huge aft cabin and probably the largest shower of any yacht I've sailed with nicely curved wall as an ensuite as well as a for'd shower head in the normal sized square cubicle.

Woman friendly, the large shower was a hude hit as were the ventillation and light in the aft cabin.

I bet my shower is bigger than yours!