yacht model suggestions

[mont]

Hi Forum,

Would appreciate any suggestions .....

We currently have a much loved 10m Nimbus motorboat. We like the idea of going over to sail but are really struggling to find any yachts that meet our criteria.
We are and intend to stay med based so its very hot in summer and berths over 12m are scarce & expensive.

Basics :
Cruising use with semi live aboard
Budget c.£100,000
Size up to 12 metres max
Berthing for 4 persons is fine
Reasonably new say year 2000 onwards

Essentials
A decent master / owners cabin with at least some full headroom, wardrobe space and a proper double berth. Foward large master is fine with then a passage / coffin berth in the stern. Some of the aft cabin m/s can be ok but generally the newer nauticats etc are £££'s over budget.
A large outside cockpit area
A light well ventilated saloon ideally with a view out.
Not too many steep steps, cramped areas and different levels
Looked at lots of mainstream builders at Sibs but almost all have very cramped berths / coffin berths - no good. Generally cockpits are also small / restricted on most.

Any sensible suggestions of models we've perhaps overlooked ?????

 

[jonic]

Hi Mont

This Jeanneau 43 DS would cover all your accommodation needs, and as its the owners version has one of the largest aft cabins I have ever seen in a boat this size, with very good standing headroom. The second head was professionally converted to a storage cupboard too. The cockpit is huge, and the saloon is very light and airy. The problem is all that space means it's over your 12m limit.

However Jeanneau made a 40ft version, and I have never been aboard one, so do not know if it is possible to have a similar aft cabin, but it would be worth investigating.

 

[Searush]

With that budget, just ask a broker, they will fall over themselves to offer you boats. Most on here have less than a tenth of that to spend & brokers simply laugh at us.

 

[Seven Spades]

From your description I would say a Moody 36 is probably the boat you are looking for.

Here is a nice one:-

http://uk.yachtworld.com/boats/1997/Moody-36-1898626/United-Kingdom

 

[mont]

Thanks for your input.
The J 43 ds is a possible although perhaps too long for the proposed berth and lots of levels and steep steps. The 40ds on pics seems to have a restricted aft cabin or feet first narrow bed forward berth ??
Have had a look on web at the Dufour 43 atholl which is quite radical as deck saloon, same berthing problem though and its very beamy as well. It seems to have a lot of moody 45ds styling, without the refinement, which is liked but £££'s over budget. I've read that as a sailing yacht the atholl is rated poorly and styling is radical / unusual but it does seem to have the accomodation / cockpit that perhaps suits. Not sure again about the berth trauma again though.
Remember we are moving from a spacious, albeit 10m, mobo to a yacht so dont want to end up cramped, low down saloon without a view or awkward.
Any views on Dufour 43 Atholl ?? - be kind !

 

[mlthomas]

Hi Mont
We moved from a prestige 32 to sail and to sell and buy last year. Nothing is going to shortcut time looking at boats and there are plenty of them available. I agree with searush, let a broker do the legwork and line things up for you. Jeanneau DS is a cracking boat, we opted for the Benny 43 Oceanis and also looked at a Bav and Hanse.
There is a cracking Hanse 400 in Whitehaven that is up for sale – epoxy hull et al. Not sure how flexible on price it will be or even if it what your looking for.
Anyway, best of luck.

 

[ditchcrawler]

I sail with a friend on his Moody36.Huge walk around bed in the stern cabin with dressing table etc.Available for 95k ish

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Any sensible suggestions of models we've perhaps overlooked ?????

No - I think your problem really is a different issue. Because you have plenty of power in a mobo by comparison and because you dont have the same heeling issues, you can design a mobo to provide more internal accommodation ( ie much nearer rectangular) and deck layout is far less important than in a raggie boat. So if you could get the same accommodation in a raggie of the similar length to your mobo you would find that it was very poor as a sailboat. Or to put it another way, in a sailboat good accommodation by mobo standards and good sailing performance dont go together

There's another issue too. The mentality of sailors as a whole is different - its all about the journey and the handling of the boat and rather less about the boat as a caravan. So take this advice from a life long raggie - dont buy a sailing boat on accommodation alone. Buy it for its sailing performance because there's nothing worse than a sailboat that sails so poorly you end up motoring a lot of the time. As motorboats they are mediocre and to you as an ex mobo man they would be very frustrating

Sure these are all sweeping generalisations but there is reasonable truth in them.

 

[mlthomas]

We've swapped, best move ever - enjoy the brief five year journey (so far) on
www.yachtconosur.com
I would suggest getting some sail time too, charter something, it could save a fortune in the long run.

 

[V1701]

How about a Bavaria 38, the 2 cabin version. Actually a smidgen over 40 feet, here...

Sorry I just realised that's over 12m. If you were going to go over 12m the 40 Ocean definitely worth a look...