Which Yacht for ARC/Med use?

[Barbican]

Personally I would avoid Hanse if you want to do the ARC. Sure plenty have gone across without issue, but the sail-plan (self-tacking fractional jib, swept spreaders, small coachroof winches) is better suited to marina-hopping around the Med than Ocean crossing.

If you want a Med boat that can also do ocean work, better to go for a mast-head rig like most Bavs, Jeanns, Bens.

Probably right there will be less chafe , but Distant shores cope with their fractional rig and self tacker and they do a lot of offshore etc.

http://www.distantshores.ca/boatblog_files/storm-spinnaker-transatlantic-downwind-sails.php

 

[Jamesuk]

Get a cat a hull each ;-)

I always bang on about Hallberg a 46

 

[AIDY]

If you are sharing the boat and might both use it together I'd go for something centre cockpit and sturdy.

Moody 42 should just come into budget, as would the Beneteau 44cc and the Bavaria Ocean 40/42

Moody for £95k http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/2003/Moody-42-CC-2786722/Spain#.VpLKoV_fWnN

Bavaria ocean 40 http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/2002/Bavaria-40-Ocean-2823083/France#.VpLLLF_fWnM

Beneteau 44 http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/1999/Beneteau-Oceanis-44-CC-2873832/United-States#.VpLLYl_fWnM


Frankly a 2003 Moody 42 is a bargain at sub 100k, before I looked I was expecting the ask to be £120-£140k.

The ultimate boat for your purposes would be a Moody 46 but I seriously doubt you'd get one for £120k but they are a seriously high quality machine - easily a match for mobo quality in the fit out.

Would not go for centre cotpit for med use... A large aft cotpit for lazing about in the sun is ideal... Okay downside is no big double bed at rear but who spends time downstairs it's too hot.

 

[GrahamM376]

Would not go for centre cotpit for med use... A large aft cotpit for lazing about in the sun is ideal... Okay downside is no big double bed at rear but who spends time downstairs it's too hot.

We've had aft and centre cockpit boats and prefer centre because of the aft cabin. All boats get hot in summers like last, 30+ degrees down below at times but large aft cabin less stuffy than crawling under the cockpit and quieter than listening to the anchor chain in forecabin.

 

[geem]

Amel Santorin without hesitation.

Not for me. They are painfully slow.

 

[Daydream believer]

You talk about a boat of 45 ft
have you considered how many crew you will need to sail it?
Once you start going up in size a small crew - say 2- will start having to rely on aids such as electric winches etc
I would have thought 40 Ft more than big enough if it is for 2

 

[Bobc]

You talk about a boat of 45 ft
have you considered how many crew you will need to sail it?
Once you start going up in size a small crew - say 2- will start having to rely on aids such as electric winches etc
I would have thought 40 Ft more than big enough if it is for 2

Simply not true. SWMBO & me cope with our 50fter quite happily without electric toys, and we even have a slab-reef main.

If you want to go cruising and do some blue-water stuff, then my advice would be to get the biggest boat you can. The extra speed, sea-keeping abilities and space make a huge difference.

 

[Tranona]

Simply not true. SWMBO & me cope with our 50fter quite happily without electric toys, and we even have a slab-reef main.

If you want to go cruising and do some blue-water stuff, then my advice would be to get the biggest boat you can. The extra speed, sea-keeping abilities and space make a huge difference.

Exactly. some people see size as a problem from their own perspective, often without experience of the pros and cons. The pros definitely outweigh the cons for ocean work, unless constrained by budget. The improvements in gear handling has made 40'+ quite normal for shorthanded crews.

 

[GrahamM376]

Exactly. some people see size as a problem from their own perspective, often without experience of the pros and cons. The pros definitely outweigh the cons for ocean work, unless constrained by budget. The improvements in gear handling has made 40'+ quite normal for shorthanded crews.

We found each time we moved up a size (from 26ft to 38ft) it became a bit harder work sail handling (we're now 20+ years older as well) but much more comfortable and less tiring on passage. 38ft does the two of us nicely but we meet many liveaboard and cruising couples on much bigger boats, a few of whom are into their mid and late 70's. Their biggest difficulty seems to be jumping off to tie up, not boat handling at sea.

 

[E39mad]

Really difficult query to sort this one as a boat needs to fulfil so many roles:

1) Have enough volume for not only long periods on board but for load carrying
2) Be easily driven yet also be easy to steer for long periods - directional stability eases workload on power consuming autopilots or fatigue of those on watch if steering by hand
3) Is the boat sailing back across the Atlantic? Setting it up purely for ARC will not necessarily be good for bringing it back
4) How long will the boat be at the other end (Caribbean etc) and if doing the USA and Bahamas then shallow draft or draft reduction should be considered.
5) Rig wise most boats can be set up for the ARC crossing - personally I would have twin poles and headsails of some sort.

 

[Bobc]

Really difficult query to sort this one as a boat needs to fulfil so many roles:

1) Have enough volume for not only long periods on board but for load carrying
2) Be easily driven yet also be easy to steer for long periods - directional stability eases workload on power consuming autopilots or fatigue of those on watch if steering by hand
3) Is the boat sailing back across the Atlantic? Setting it up purely for ARC will not necessarily be good for bringing it back
4) How long will the boat be at the other end (Caribbean etc) and if doing the USA and Bahamas then shallow draft or draft reduction should be considered.
5) Rig wise most boats can be set up for the ARC crossing - personally I would have twin poles and headsails of some sort.

only difficult if you want to make it so.

Anything over 40ft will have enough space.
Anything over 40ft will go ok and will be fine to go both ways accross
Anything over 40ft with a good autopilot (like a Raymarine SPX) will steer you all the way (so long as you have a good battery bank and some solar panels)
You can fit twin headsails and twin poles to anything quite easily.

 

[E39mad]

only difficult if you want to make it so.

Anything over 40ft will have enough space.
Anything over 40ft will go ok and will be fine to go both ways accross
Anything over 40ft with a good autopilot (like a Raymarine SPX) will steer you all the way (so long as you have a good battery bank and some solar panels)
You can fit twin headsails and twin poles to anything quite easily.

Don't agree about the anything over 40ft with a good pilot will steer you all the way. When I did ARC in a 48ft fin and blade ruddered fast cruising boat we had to hand steer it across which was extremely tiring especially in rougher conditions. A long fin would be on my list and preferably encapsulated.

 

[Tranona]

A long fin would be on my list and preferably encapsulated.

Very restrictive - and the majority of the ARC entry does not have that feature, but seem to manage just fine!

 

[E39mad]

Very restrictive - and the majority of the ARC entry does not have that feature, but seem to manage just fine!

It's a personal preference - realise that not many boats are built this way these days. Most modern boats are designed as chartering caravans and not ocean passage-makers. Whilst most modern deigns are capable of crossing that does not mean that they are the most suitable designs for doing so.

Again it's personal but I would want the "insurance" of items such as twin backstays and additional rigging so that the rig is more likely to remain up in the event of a knock down or one stay failing.

 

[Twister_Ken]

When I did ARC in a 48ft fin and blade ruddered fast cruising boat we had to hand steer it across which was extremely tiring especially in rougher conditions. A long fin would be on my list and preferably encapsulated.

Might I suggest that the pilot wasn't a good one? I have a fin&blade fast cruising boat (albeit 14' shorter) and a Raymarine SPX10 steers it brilliantly. OK, It hasn't done an ARC, but it has done several 300nm+ passages in trying conditions.

 

[E39mad]

Might I suggest that the pilot wasn't a good one? I have a fin&blade fast cruising boat (albeit 14' shorter) and a Raymarine SPX10 steers it brilliantly. OK, It hasn't done an ARC, but it has done several 300nm+ passages in trying conditions.

Autohelm 7000 on an Oyster Lightwave 48. Some other boats were also steering by hand in the first four to five days.

 

[Daydream believer]

4) How long will the boat be at the other end

hopefully the same length as it was when it left - or do they shrink in the sun

 

[jonic]

Autohelm 7000 on an Oyster Lightwave 48. Some other boats were also steering by hand in the first four to five days.

Happens quite often, so I fitted a Hydrovane.

Brilliant.

No power drain and redundant rudder too.

 

[Bobc]

It's a personal preference - realise that not many boats are built this way these days. Most modern boats are designed as chartering caravans and not ocean passage-makers. Whilst most modern deigns are capable of crossing that does not mean that they are the most suitable designs for doing so.

Again it's personal but I would want the "insurance" of items such as twin backstays and additional rigging so that the rig is more likely to remain up in the event of a knock down or one stay failing.

Oh not this again... the "charter caravans" chestnut.

There's nothing wrong with a fin keel and blade rudder. If you can't balance the rig so that it's finger-light, you have a rubbish boat, and if your autopilot can't deal with steering the boat in anything up to an F8, you have a rubbish pilot.

My boat is a fin and blade config, and it self-steers everywhere quite happily. It has an SPX10 and has done across and back, self-steering all the way.

 

[Bobc]

Autohelm 7000 on an Oyster Lightwave 48. Some other boats were also steering by hand in the first four to five days.

Was this a non-giro? I find the giro on the SPX very helpful in a rolling swell.