Jump to content

30ft-ish offshore-capable cruiser/racer?


Recommended Posts

A Lotus 9.2 as an offshore cruiser??? seriously? :shock:

 

PM Shanson. He is willing to talk turkey on price and with looking at some of those on offer that have been shown here, I suggest he might have to talk more Goose than Turkey.

The Cascade is a very capable Hull. A US design and popular up there. BP knows a little about them and may chime in. It's interior is dated, the boat overall is solid and well built. You tend to get two different kinds of builds from the US. Either solid dependable Ocean travelers or light weight lake boats that should never be taken out of the Marina. Sadly there are more and more of the later being built in that market these days.

The engine is an old Perkins, but runs sweet and starts well, is dependable and darn near bullet proof. Although I have heard they make better bullets these days.

It depends on how much refurbishment you want to do yourself and for the price you want to spend, you are either going to need to be prepare to get something that needs some TLC like shansons, or spend more, or buy something not so offshore capable like the little Davidsons and Lotus's etc. Don't get me wrong, there are nothing wrong with those Boats, but they are light entertainment, not solid cruising liveaboards.

Re Shansons boat, there are a few things I would change if she was something I was looking at and Shanson has been working on that idea for awhile. Re the rear cabin thing.

Here she is http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 087750.htm

As I said, he will be very negotiable. It's worth talking to him. Oh and he is on my facebook if you want me to couple you two up for a chat.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wheels, many go to sea in craft that many others would consider entirely inadequate for their purposes.

Boat choices are personal, really very personal choices.

Look at Webb he is 65+ blind in one eye and transiting vast distances in basically a day boat.

I well remember Mike Bailes and his Folk boat, once again a very personal style of boat.

The Lotus is more than capable of crossing oceans and many have.

There is a timber one on my marina that presents well but price wise is outside the budget BB describes.

Regarding buying a boat that will require a 12m berth over one that sits in a 10m berth well it is just a pure case of economics.

BB maybe you will have to raise your budget or lower your expectations.

There is a lot of crap out there and I do hope that you are being patient and have good advice to draw on.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My Choice..Whiting 29 Masthead version. These boats are pretty dammed bullet proof, a few have been offshore one was sailed back to the UK... Lots of room for 30ft and man they are strong, sail nicely and are easily handled by one person..Gotta say I'm biased as the family own two... :thumbup:

Have a look a Pukeko she is for sale and has been well cared for by her owner..

Link to post
Share on other sites
This would be worth a look. Moderate displacement significantly newer than the other boats you are looking at. Not very common in NZ tho.

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/yachts/keeler/auction-403479524.htm

 

Nothing to do with me just looks like a tidy boat.

That looks like a lot of boat for the money. Nicely maintained and good gear. Impressed!

Link to post
Share on other sites
Wheels, many go to sea in craft that many others would consider entirely inadequate for their purposes.

And two shipwrecked sailors sailed from the Auckland Islands, in a make shift dingy with a bot of a sail, to find NZ and even sailed through a Hurricane and still made it to NZ. Being able to sail 4 Kerosine tins tied together (twas how I was told one of my ancestors sailed from Sweden to NZ :wink: ) does not mean BB is interested in also having 4 Kero tins as her boat. Knowing a little about her, she has been a live aboard and her choice of new Boat will most likely reflect that, hence her requirement she asked for. Sure someone could sail a Lotus across the Pacific, but it is not a Cruiser, was never designed as such and so is not a Boat you would want to comfortably liveaboard. It has nothing to do with size, but more to do with design and layout. Not all boats the same length are equal, as you will know. I have seen more room in some 30fters than some other 45ftrs. And a classic example is one already mentioned here, the Whiting 29. A lot of room for a small boat.

But back to the Lotus 9.2, if you took the next step to the 10.6, now that is a whole different board game.

As for the little Davidsons, hey just my PO, but I don't view them as any better than weekenders.

Link to post
Share on other sites

What BB said in her first post was

 

Offshore capable (not looking to take it offshore, but want to be able to do some serious coastal cruising and not have to run for port at the first sign of a gale, and obviously if I buy overseas I'll need to get it home!)

 

So I would stand by my Lotus 9.2 suggestion. That besides the fact that plenty have made safe offshore passages , we ( my mates and I )often talk about people who actually go and do it in modest cost yachts rather than piss around talking about it or spending gazillions for all the toys.

One of those (not young )couples quietly go off to the islands in their 9.2 two handed, they always take the main down at night so the jib can be furled easily if the wind pipes up, they do it.

I didn't suggest a D28 for offshore, but that is exactly what a D 35 or 37 is for.

A demon 10 would be rather nice too but probably well out price range.

Link to post
Share on other sites

All of the boats listed a page or 2 back are as safe as the next one and they have all proven that over many decades. The most dangerous thing any of those will face is the user of them.

 

They all, or very easily could, fit the requirement list.

 

If that list was the final list all BB needs to do is work out exactly how much she wants to spend and whether she wants to beat E5.9s or not. Oh and maybe over come some apparent preconceptions based on myths that have no factual basis, of which this thread seems to have more than it's fair share ;)

Link to post
Share on other sites

sort of relevant , 2 boats we met in South Minerva a few years ago were single handed guys in 'cheap' boats they'd bought in the US and sailed down here and back and forth to the islands for a few seasons. They were really modest boats and they'd each only paid about 25 K US for them ( or so). They had spent quite a bit of coin on upgrades/ maintenance though.

Still , it really opened my eyes , One was Downeast 32 , a little mini clipper ship of a design but he's been in all sorts of bad weather in it and done all the miles, I wouldn't have believed it. The other one was an old Halberg Rassey 35, same story.

Good guys , living the life, cheap boats.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi folks, just catching up after a few days on the water - thanks again for all the input.

 

At the moment I'm reconsidering both Whiting 29s (I can see one on TM at the moment - is this the 'Pukeko' someone mentioned? It certainly looks like the interior theme, so I'm guessing same boat, but the listing says fractional rig?) and actually having another think about Marauders too...

 

Cascade 36 - could certainly have a look next time I'm in AKL, but I think it would probably be a no-go owing to the potential re-saleability (if it's been on the market that long, presumably it's a bit of a hard one to shift??)

 

Reinke, Hallberg Rassy, etc... maybe in a couple of years! At the moment I'm looking for a 'stopgap' boat that I can cruise potentially anywhere around NZ (but 90% of the time likely to be Northland/Hauraki/Mercs, etc), yet also get involved in the odd club race. If my perception of certain NZ designs is wrong then please set me straight! As I said I basically decided Marauders were a no-go due to concerns about safety/seakeeping ability in rough weather. But sounds like I could be wrong? I mean I'm not an idiot when it comes to storm tactics either, and I'd like to think that with any reasonably safe/seaworthy boat I wouldn't have trouble coping with rough weather.

 

Sadly I think the Lotus 9.2 is outside of my budget, so not really worth considering. Easy to say "just borrow the rest" but not when you're already tapped out and trying to build two houses! I've got to be realistic and the budget is the budget.

 

Think I'll pass on the McGregor... :wink:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Pukeko is ex Tailgunner and has completed either around NZ or North Island race - can't remember which one.

 

A Marauder, Wisecrack, has completed single handed race to Moloolabar across Tasman.

 

Both capable but I think the Whiting would be kinder on crew.

Link to post
Share on other sites

BB, take the Merman with you and try out the Whiting 29 forward bunk etc.With your clothes on of course :D .

Everything in this size range is a go to be a compromise of one sort or another.

If you and the Merman are built like Oscar Pistorius you should be ok but If you are more of the Reeva Steenkamp configuration its going to be a very very tight tight squeeze.

Being able to lie down comfortably wether it is in the cockpit the saloon or a sea berth is IMHO quite a critical design feature.

Also the shin kicker traveller is to be avoided if possible.Bloody hard item to relocate on most craft.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nightcap is due to be hauled for prettification before putting on the market. Teak decks are the only compromise but she's fractional with beefed up shrouds (re-rigged 07). Storm sail on seperate track, reefing and all other controls lead back to cockpit, 1500 hours 2GM20, 3 way fridge, massive galley. Had 9 people stoned on kava in the cockpit and 9 people for dinner inside (not at the same time). Custom build, which for cruising is far superior to original W29 design. The berth is full queen size with plenty of headroom for those energetic times. Takes 3 minutes to make it up and take it down (we never regretted this feature which we designed ourselves).

Too much other stuff to list here but she's seen us through a whole lot of NZ coastal and around 10,000 miles bluewater without breaking and can certainly kick up her heels still around the cans.

We're looking for 40k neg and the boat is in Vanuatu

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...