X37, DH39, Dufour40 or.. chosing a new boat

[micheld]

Hello everyone,
I am 50 and sail in a duo with my wife on our 30 feets race-cruising boat in Normandy/Brittany/UK/Channel Islands for 8 years, it's time for us to discover more distant horizons and having longer cruises.
As probably a lot of you came through that process, I wanted to share our thinkings & questions. We love some boats for their design, performances, comfort, at the time to make a choice we are struggling to decde..

I like to sail fast and trimming my sails, my wife expect to have more comfort, when I talk of havng a X37 or Dehler 39 she replies it's maybe too sporty and demanding and we're going to get old..

Saying that, we have shortlisted some boats for different reasons, we try to make a +/- list based on what we read on the internet and discussions with onwers.

Sun Osyssey 40: the choice of the reason
+ robustness, easy to handle, large cockpit & bimini, comfort etc., price
- no traveller, difficult to find in a good shape, quality of the interiors

Dufour 40 perf (not the "E"): beautiful but fragile (?)
+ design, easy to handle, price
- bad reputation in terms of robustness, issues reported with the keels and the too much bridge flexibility

Dehler 39 SQ, X37 or X40: the choice of the passion
+ fast, beautiful, interiors seems wonderful
- is it a good choice for cruising in a duo? no bimini, large sail area, designed for being driven with a team etc.

As it's really difficult to test & try the boats in real conditions, I would appreciate your feedbacks based on your own experience.

Thanks in advance, michel

 

[Ian_Edwards]

I can't comment on most of the designs in your list, but I had a Dufour 40, from new for about 5 years.
1) Don't go for the shallow draft short mast version, they don't go to windward very well in any real wind.
2) They are flexible, the main bulkhead under the mast isn't bonded in, but sits in a recess in the hull and deck mouldings. You can hear it move. I'm not sure if this is a real bad thing, it seemed to me that the 40 was designed to flex.
3) Had a problem with the deck. It's a one piece vacuum infused moulding. The resin didn't get to all the extreme areas. There were voids under the non slip, which didn't show-up for 3 or 4 years. Not a structural problem, but difficult to get a really neat repair.
4) Avoid the teak trim, it's very thin and on mine not glues in place very well.
5) We found it a comfortable boat to live on, easy and responsive to sail, and we could get good passage times.
I think I would have kept it longer if I'd bought the performance specification.

 

[ChromeDome]

A budget indication and more detail about your intended use than "distant horizons and having longer cruises" might help people suggest makes and models. Are you planning all-season use (insulation and more)?

And if you have any blacklisted/undesired?

 

[micheld]

Thanks Ian for your contribution, I guess on a nearly 20y old used boat the issues of moulding should have been fixed. I am more concerned by the bad reputation (well-founded or not) of the fragility around the keel and as you say, the too flexble bulkhead that makes locks no longer close..

 

[dunedin]

Hello everyone,
I am 50 and sail in a duo with my wife on our 30 feets race-cruising boat in Normandy/Brittany/UK/Channel Islands for 8 years, it's time for us to discover more distant horizons and having longer cruises.
As probably a lot of you came through that process, I wanted to share our thinkings & questions. We love some boats for their design, performances, comfort, at the time to make a choice we are struggling to decde..

I like to sail fast and trimming my sails, my wife expect to have more comfort, when I talk of havng a X37 or Dehler 39 she replies it's maybe too sporty and demanding and we're going to get old..

Saying that, we have shortlisted some boats for different reasons, we try to make a +/- list based on what we read on the internet and discussions with onwers.

Sun Osyssey 40: the choice of the reason
+ robustness, easy to handle, large cockpit & bimini, comfort etc., price
- no traveller, difficult to find in a good shape, quality of the interiors

Dufour 40 perf (not the "E"): beautiful but fragile (?)
+ design, easy to handle, price
- bad reputation in terms of robustness, issues reported with the keels and the too much bridge flexibility

Dehler 39 SQ, X37 or X40: the choice of the passion
+ fast, beautiful, interiors seems wonderful
- is it a good choice for cruising in a duo? no bimini, large sail area, designed for being driven with a team etc.

As it's really difficult to test & try the boats in real conditions, I would appreciate your feedbacks based on your own experience.

Thanks in advance, michel

Get the X40 - brilliant boat, fast with lovely interior.

 

[micheld]

A budget indication might help people suggest makes and models.

And if you have any blacklisted/undesired?

between 80-150k€ max, I would prefer to keep margin for additional equipment.

Undesired:
- toilets only in the front
- traveler in the middle of the cockpit, blocking access to the rear
- teak on the deck
-...

 

[micheld]

Get the X40 - brilliant boat, fast with lovely interior.

Hi Dunedin, do you have an X40?

 

[ChromeDome]

For those not knowing
Brochure 2004-2010

 

[DJE]

It's easy to make a fast boat sail more slowly but there's no way to make a slow boat sail faster.