# Beneteau 53 f5



## 224 (Mar 8, 2008)

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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

224...welcome. I will leave the numbers to others but I would expect this to be a very good performing cruising sloop given the design by Farr and a boat with great spouse appeal given the interior design. It is not entirely clear what your intent is with this boat...casual local and coastal cruising, some club racing or crossing oceans. Also there is a racing and a standard rig and a shoal IRON keel vs. a deep lead keel so performance will vary based on your combination. I would not call this hull a sea kindly design or say that it is easy to sail shorthanded as you have as much as 1300 sq ft. of sail to deal with in the 100% sail plans...more with an overlapping genny. I would think furlers on both sails and electric winches might be called for. Tankage is a bit limited for a long distance cruiser and the unprotected spade rudder is not a plus for voyaging however much it helps with speed. 
So...an excellent boat as a platform for shorter distance cruising, entertaining on and below decks and an enjoyable fast boat to sail. Caution on the keel and rig choice and ease of handling issues. Probably not the best choice for long distance ocean passagemaking.

I would also suggest that while some here do prefer more traditional designs...our "dissing" of more modern boats is generally unrelated to "looks" and more related to production shortcuts and the unsuitability of some modern boats for sea duty. Most of us would be quite happy with an HR or Swan!


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## 224 (Mar 8, 2008)

*Beneteau first 53 f5 suitability?*

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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

224...Thanks for the clarifications. As you may note, I have about the same size boat but it is nearly 20k lbs heavier and a ketch rig...sort of opposite ends of the spectrum. Nevertheless my wife and I feel quite comfortable i handling her and one major reason is the furling boom which allows us to safely raise or reduce sail in any conditions from the cockpit. Even with our split rig we found raising her main with manual winches do-able but hard on the old muscles so I would recommend that if you get a furling main, you also provide for an electrical assist. Be very careful about which furler you install as older boom furlers can be problematic. I am not sure how a Benny47 boom furler would work on a 53 given the sail area difference. How could you get a full hoist and still fit the sail in the furler? Seems like the performance of the boat would suffer quite a bit. FYI...the LiesureFurl and Schaeffer boom furling systems seem to get the best reviews.

My comments on Oyster/Swan were not meant to suggest you look at them...only to say that Euro *Style* is NOT hat we tend to disparage here...we tend to diparage poorly built boats of any style...and boats that are being considered for purposes they were not intended for. (i.e. "I am thinking about crossing the pacific in my Mac26...How much gas should I bring?" ) 
Sounds like the larger Bene's will be fine for your purposes. And the 53 with the tall rig and deep keel is good for your waters and the boat' performance. Good luck in your search.


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## 224 (Mar 8, 2008)

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## Robby Barlow (Apr 23, 2006)

224,
A good friend of mine owns this First 53.5. It's the racing rig version with deep keel, lazy jack's, 4 electric winches, generator, bow thruster, etc etc, and having sailed with him many times just the 2 of us, IMHO it's too complicated a boat for a couple to cruise in comfort. We race with a crew of 12, and on occasion wished we had more people on board.
It does sail beautifully and can be sailed short handed, but you have to know what you're doing, simple things like mooring are a ***** with only 2 people and no help from the dock.
Secondly, although the deck space corresponds to 53", due to the bow quarters with deck side access, below deck it's more like say a 45", so why pay for 53"?
The other thing is that, although I don't have exact figures, according to my mate, the running costs are horrendous. 
If you're considering purchase, I would definitely recommend an extended sea trial, to see if you feel comfortable with handling the yacht. 
Don't know the prices down under, but a Bavaria 46 (for example) will give you the same space below for in theory quite a bit less cash, and quality & sailing characteristics are more or less on a par.
Good hunting!


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## 224 (Mar 8, 2008)

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## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

I looked at some of the ex-charter Beneteau 53s and liked them; doesn't the f5 mean the 4 cabin / 4 head + crew cabin version? The number of heads was too high for me so I opted for a different configuration.
Did you know that there is a very nice Oyster 43 for sale in Sydney at the moment? I looked at it and was very impressed.
P.S. I was playing with the idea of purchasing an ex-charter vessel in the Caribbean and sailing it to Oz in order to sell it. If you look at the current prices of used boats (both privately owned and ex-charter vessels) in the British Virgin Islands you might want to rethink your purchase location.
One option is to buy there, add US$34000 for transport from Florida to Brisbane and then the nasty Customs/Excise costs for importing into Oz and you will probably rethink your purchase location.

[Update]
I checked up on the 53F5 and realized I had gotten the model wrong - but there are some good bargains to be had in the USA right now! I found the qpr (quality-price-ratio) to be pretty generally low in the Australian boats that I looked at. I did see this Beneteau 53 F5 for sale on the internet.


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## 224 (Mar 8, 2008)

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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

A Few Quick thoughts:

I beleieve that all of the 53F5's were firsts which is Beneteaus higher build quality, higher performance line of boats.

The F stands for Farr, Bruce Farr and Associates, designed the boat. They are certainly one of the top design firms in the world. That said, these boats were engineered by Beneteau's internal engineering staff and so I would not expect that the engineering would be as rigourous as the later Farr designed and Farr engineered first series boats.

Robby Barlow's comment about the apparent size of the boat may not be valid on the particular boat that you are looking at. These boats came in a wide range of layouts which included a racing vesion with a sail locker forward of the master stateroom and a huge lazarette aft, which I believe Robby Barlow is referring to. There is also a crewed charter version with a crews quarter forward and a 'owners edition' with a head forward. I disagree with the idea that these forward and aft storage compartaments, or crews cabins make these boats the equivilent to a 46 footer since this space provides vital functions if you need on a boat that large.

IMHO having looked at both Bavarias and Beneteaus side by side, I serious question that the Bavarias do offer better build quality. While I know that Bavaria tries to claim 'German Quality' the reality is that I have seen a lot pretty shoddy looking work on the Bavarias, more than I have experienced on Beneteaus of the era in question. 

I respectfully disagee with Cam's statement that these would not be seakindly hullforms. The hullforms on these boats are derived from Farr's offshore racers and cruisers, and while the Beneteaus are not as robust as his dedicated offshore designs the hullforms employed should be very seakindly indeed.

But I very emphatically agree with Cam's point on the size of the vessel being handled by small crews. More and more aI see couples trying to buy really big boats (boats over 42 or so feet) and more and more I see beginner sailors trying to cut their teeth on bigger boats as well. As I read 224's comments, it appears that this is his first boat, he is pretty new to sailing, and hopes to develop his sailing skills on this boat. 

If I am reading this right, and with all due respects, when things go wrong on boats this big, people get maimed or killed. Boats this big are no joke. The forces are huge. They take a lot of skill and a lot of judgement to sail safely. They are really too large to learn to sail well on and its dangerous to try. This is especially true on value oriented boats like the Beneteau in question, which will plenty robust for thier intended use, lack the kind of redundancy and safety margins employed on higher quality designs. 

I strongly suggest that you take your time, start much smaller and to learn how to sail well and how to operate a boat, a kind of seaman's apprenticeship, and once you have done that, you won't need us to tell you whether this boat makes sense for you.

The internet is a hard media to express genuine concern for ones fellow human. I don't mean any of this as a put down in any shape or form, and perhaps I misread your comments, but please take my comments as well meaning and no more. We all had to learn how to sail and how to own boats. Its not hard if you start with a reasonably sized boat. Its close to impossible with a boat this size.

Respectfully,
Jeff


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Why do you want such a large boat, that will take most of your budget and leave you less for refitting, modifying and upgrading. I'd second Jeff H's point that a 53 boat will generate forces that are likely to kill you if you make a mistake. If either of you are injured, it is also too large to be easily singlehanded. I would HIGHLY recommend that you look at boats down in the 35-40' range instead, as these will be far easier to learn on, far safer to make mistakes on and far easier on your wallet. Then, after you have learned what you are doing, and what you like or dislike about a boat... and you still desire to have a larger boat, then you can always sell it and move up. 

Just remember, a larger boat may have more mechanical assistance, like electric winches, a powered windlass... but at the end of the day, none of that stuff helps you coil up dock lines that are 3/4" x 75' or lift the anchor 130 lb. anchor to stow it, or help you horse the much larger and heavier sails down off the roller furler or mast. I doubt that you or your wife is going to be happy about doing any one of those alone... and if either of you are sick or injured... that's what will happen. 

Cruising as a couple means that you are often singlehanding for long periods of time, as the other person will be down below cooking, sleeping, reading, or otherwise occupied. IMHO, you really don't want to get a boat so big that either of you can't handle it singlehanded. IMHO, it is very, very important that both of you be able to singlehand the boat in almost any situation. I've seen too many tragedies where the "sailor" of the couple was injured or fell overboard, and the "non-sailor" wasn't able to effect a rescue or take care of the boat and people on it—often requiring them to abandon the boat.


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## max-on (Mar 30, 2004)

Jeff_H said:


> A Few Quick thoughts:
> 
> But I very emphatically agree with Cam's point on the size of the vessel being handled by small crews. More and more aI see couples trying to buy really big boats (boats over 42 or so feet) and more and more I see beginner sailors trying to cut their teeth on bigger boats as well. As I read 224's comments, it appears that this is his first boat, he is pretty new to sailing, and hopes to develop his sailing skills on this boat.
> 
> ...


224, I do not have time to put together a fully explained post, but I must say that I agree with Jeff, SD, and Cam, as you are just learning to sail, and this is your first boat, I would consider a much smaller and easily managed boat. Also, putting the necessary knowledge and experience aside, you should consider the operating and use costs of a 53 ft boat versus a 40 ft boat, which depending on you financial ability could greatly reduce your enjoyment.


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## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

Croatia has some interesting prices, but due to the weak dollar and the strong Euro the deals are better in US$ priced countries such as the BVI. With the huge charter fleet that is continually being refreshed there are excellent deals on 3-5 year old boats. They probably all have less than a thousand hours on the sails but 3000-4000 on the diesels by the time they are phased out of the primary fleets. Croatia is also further away.

If you go to "www.yachtworld.com" and use the detailed search and limit it to the "Caribbean" you'll get a long list of boats. So far I can vouch that the ones in the BVI are "real" (I must have personally boarded and inspected 40 or so when I was looking for my boat). I have come to distrust a lot of the offers from the French speaking islands since whenever I asked about them the boats were "no longer available, but we have another boat you might be interested in...".

The quote for US$34,000 was for a 43" Jeanneau FOB Port Everglades to Brisbane via a broker but going through a company called "Dockwise". You can check the importing a yacht into Australia page but you will get much better information when you speak to someone (I did, and they did a great job explaining things to me).

I think that getting a delivery captain & crew will cost about $15K from the BVI but bear in mind that the boat will have wear & tear in the 3 months it is underway to Oz and you will still have to pay vat on the $15K! If you have the time and inclination then sailing yourself could be the trip of a lifetime. If you buy in the BVI you can outfit in St. Martin (duty free island), which is only a 90nm sail {upwind}.

Even with all those costs, I found that it was still a better deal to buy in the Caribbean than to choose from what was available in the Sydney area. Getting to the BVI from Oz is best done through a US airline - The destination you want is STT (Saint Thomas) and from there a short 1 hour ferry ride to the BVI. This is better than flying into the BVI (EIS is the airport code) as the connections to STT are better from places in the USA and the ticket is much cheaper. It is worth going there to do the pre-inspections and to talk with a surveyor and even better if you can watch the survey but all the rest of the paperwork can be done remotely.

If you would make do with a smaller boat, I am going to a larger boat and selling this one in the BVI but could deliver it to Oz within the next 4 months.

[Addenda] I noticed that there were 2 posts written before mine that I didn't read before writing mine. I didn't really intend to plug my boat for sale when I wrote this post, but I do think a 53 footer set up for speed is a lot of boat to handle. I sail alone and my 43DS is set up for easy single-handing and it makes a good, solid boat that is large enough for a first boat.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

BTW, Beth Leonard, author of the Voyager's Handbook, clearly states that she was glad that she and her partner had started out on a smaller boat. She continues on to say that the new, larger boat, requires far better seamanship in sailing her than the older smaller boat did, since the smaller boat was much more forgiving of errors. 

For instance, if the headsail wrapped, on a smaller boat, the headsail was light enough and small enough that you could often use brute force to unwrap it... on the new boat, you just have to make sure it doesn't happen. If you accidentally gybe, the forces generated by the smaller mainsail are far less likely to kill you—although on a 40' boat, they're still likely to do a lot of damage.


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## 224 (Mar 8, 2008)

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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

My concerns are predominantly about the size of the boat. This is a very big boat, too big in fact to allow you to develop the skills to handle her while you are trying to handle her. Simple mistakes that we all make starting out can easily take off a finger or whole hand.

My gripe is not so much with the specific boat in question, since her lighter displacement and easily driven hull should make her easier to handle than other choices in this size range. Her more robust construction, fractional rig, more easily driven hull form, and better hardware will make her a much easier to sail choice than a Beneteau Oceanis of the same length.

I really think that you can buy a well, used 30 or so footer, of a popular design, in decent shape and sail the living daylights out of her for a year or two. At that point, you will be way ahead of the game bothg in terms of your skills, and your finance position, than would be if you went out and bought this boat.

My suggestion is that you look for a minimally 10 years old (less depreciation) reasonably high production volume, responsive, fin keel spade rudder, sloop (ideally fractionally rigged). Nothing bigger than a Farr 1020 but something along those lines. 1984 Farr 1020 Boat For Sale

Respectfully,
Jeff


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## max-on (Mar 30, 2004)

Again, I agree with Jeff. To be frank, this is your first boat, you know very little about owning and operating a boat, any boat, and you do not know what you want / need in a boat, you may think you do, but trust me, you do not. Given your need for volume, I would recommend something in the 37-39 ft range (14,000-18,000 lbs), which is still a big boat for a first boat, but can be a go anywhere boat. 

Second, you do not know how to sail and be a 'captain' of a boat, great you have taken some classes, but that is a far cry from knowing how to sail a sailboat and to being a competent seaman. You know, I really noticed this when we purchased our boat, a Dehler 33, two years ago. I have been sailing a long time, day sailing to offshore from New Englad to Bermuda, to the Carib, and Florida, but as I did not own a boat I always was crew, even if just two of us on board. When we purchased our boat that was the first time I was the most knwoledgeable on board, I was the captain, I was responsible. I think you are setting yourself up for unpleasant times if you try learning the necessary skills on such a large boat, I opine that at the end of the day it will be an expensive dock condo, which you do not sail because it is too big, and it will still be too small if you and your wife are expecting house-size amenity for liveaboard. 

Third, in my opinion, you just cannot learn to sail on a 53 ft boat, and the learning curve for the various systems on board - plumbing, electrical, mechanical, is steap.

Last, have you seriously estimated the operating costs of a 53 ft versus, say a 40 ft boat. Again, given your financial situation, it may not matter, but for most people the values are significant. 

It is too comon that people in similar situations and reasoning to you, buy a boat that is much too big, the costs are higher than they could imagine, and they only sail the boat when the wind is less than 5 kts and they can gather a crew of grandsons to go sailing because coming back to the dock is not an enjoyable event. Buy a smaller boat you will use and enjoy it more.

If you are asking the question can you single-hand a 53 ft boat, then for you, the answer is no. Do I know guys that can, yes, but they usually have decades of experience crossing oceans.


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## Robby Barlow (Apr 23, 2006)

224,
I assumed from your OP that racing was not your prime objective, so I figured that a couple of knots more or less would not be of major importance.
As regarding the bow storage/quarters, to me it's still lost living space compared to other 53" boats, which should have more than enough storage for 2 people anyway.
The extra on maintenance I think might be due to the racing nature of the boat, as it is far more complex as for example an HR, Nadjad or similar of the same length, designed for cruising, than the First designed more for racing.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Robby, while I see your point, the thing is that on these big boats you end up carrying large objects like spare ground tackle, harbor awnings, passerelles, spare sails, spare sheets and guys and so on, that you don't want to drag through the cabin to stow. Historically this gear would have gone into sail lockers under the cockpit seats, a space that is now occupied by aft cabins. These bow compartments are common on boats this size and they often have watertight bulkheads that are designed to prevent sinking after a collision. 

Jeff


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

224 said:


> I have only recently started sailing (retirement) & intend to purchase a boat, which initially will be cruising coastal waters of Australia & live aboard with my wife... We are currently on a very steep learning curve & are having "formal" sailing lessons and would appreciate any assistance.


224,

Most novice sailors work their way up, beginning in daysailers/dinghies and gradually progressing to larger and larger designs. Many top-out in 30-40 footers, some go on to own 40+ footers if they need or want something that large. Only very rarely does someone jump in to a large cruising boat as their first, and it's virtually unheard of to start-out in a 53 footer. Those that do usually have permanent, experienced, hired crew.

As Jeff and others have pointed out, a 53 footer is BIG boat. Even a 40 footer is considered by most to be in the LARGE (read: challenging) size range. Recognizing that you want a certain amount of comfort, I would urge you to reflect on the well considered advice to start out with something in the mid-30 foot range. Build experience, then upgrade when you're ready. Much cheaper than broken dreams or bones.

Jeff,

Not having studied this boat overly, I will only comment that I do find some merit to Robby's observation that this is not the roomiest 53 footer. One of the first aspects that struck me about this design is the extremely drawn out reverse transom, which is a space killer. This may be a 53 footer L.O.A., but the L.O.D. has got to be 5-6 feet less than that. Which has the effect of pushing the "aft" cockpit almost as far forward as it would be if it were a center cockpit design, without any of the benefits.

Reverse transoms have some merit, but when they are drawn out to this extent one wonders if the design brief stipulated a 48 foot boat that could be marketed and sold as a 53 footer.


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## artbyjody (Jan 4, 2008)

As John stated....you may also be stumped due to purchasing after / before the fact on the insurance...as most marine insurance companies will request your 'sailing resume'....and thus this is also a factor - as most are relatively selective in granting coverage....this goes in conjunction with John's observations...


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## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

224 - I wouldn't let yourself be talked out of a big initial boat:
- If you are willing to take some lessons from an accredited instructor aboard your own vessel
- realize the financials involved
- start sailing carefully and perhaps with others onboard with experience

Enjoy the big boat!


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

I'm with Zan on the size of the boat...particularly for the type of casual coastal cruising you want to do. The 53F5 may not be the RIGHT big boat for you and maybe something in the 47-50 ft. range that is more forgiving and less race oriented would be best but I do suggest getting a boat with the amount of room on board and below that you both will feel comfortable with. Visit more boats and climb around on them. Take a look at a couple of center cockpit boats that are a bit smaller and see if those have appeal. No rush!


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## Rancho (Mar 19, 2008)

My first boat was a 50ft, no problem, but then again I had several atlantic crossings under my belt already. However, I agree with some other people here that this is probably the wrong model boat for you.


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## 224 (Mar 8, 2008)

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## peptobysmol (Apr 30, 2009)

224 said:


> Belated Update.
> The voyage started out badly as we had to leave in such haste to catch a weather opportunity we had no beer aboard. 224


From reading your story, it makes me wonder what kind of bad weather you missed by leaving hastily 

No doubt you matured more quickly as a sailor than if you had good weather!
Glad to hear things are going well for you. Fair winds!


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

224 said:


> Belated Update.
> For those previous contributors who may or may not be interested in my eventual decision I submit the following. I eventually purchased a Beneteau Oceanis 523, manufactured in 2006 rather than the Ben. 53f5 (1999) about which I still have very fond memories and indeed some regret. You may also recall I was going to retire (almost happened), my wife has had a life long ambition to sail, we had three (3) weekend lessons and hence the boat. The vessel I purchased was very very well priced but unfortunately came via USA. This meant the electrics had been modified (110 v) and a lot of "luxury" items fitted that I don't want eg air conditioning and the list goes on and on. The boat was more than 1000 nm. from where we live so we had to sail her home. This meant that our first voyage was oceanic and required a lot of night sailing as well. I hired a bloke to help me and the three of us set out. The voyage started out badly as we had to leave in such haste to catch a weather opportunity we had no beer aboard. We had some extremely bad weather with winds in excess of 45 kts. and 2.5 m waves on a 3 m swell. To make matters worse the waves were running south and the wind north which heaped the waves sharply. This storm was the worst recorded for 60 years according to the weather bureau. There was nowhere to shelter so we had to sail through the day and night. Next night in Brisbane another storm struck and the marina we were moored in was hit with lightning strikes to boats, a 50 ft. ben. was lifted out its cradle and dropped on the ground, houses deroofed , trees uprooted and flooding etc. The second leg of the voyage was much better, we had beer but the weather if anything was worse with a southerly buster bashing for a full night again in very high seas and strong winds 40 kts. plus. May I say that I was glad for every foot of length of our vessel. For 2 nights the bow was constantly being buried completely under water and our only vision with heavy rain was the lightning strikes that surrounded us. The two weeks sailing did demonstrate a lot of variety of sailing conditions and though not ideal gave us some experience of rough going. *The most dramatic aspect was the incredible sound and the shudder being transmitted though the hull when the boat would "slap" down off a wave. *
> Since our delivery voyage my wife and I sail as often as my pseudo retirement allows and love it. We live aboard for a week or so at a time anchoring whereever and only go ashore for essentials. The bride is helmsman, navigator and cook and I am fairly busy but we sail her fairly well and to date have not disgraced ourselves.
> Our only other excitement was the first time that my wife and I sailed alone from our mooring when, having slipped the mooring lines, the boat had no motive power because the folding prop was jammed folded by the dreaded crustacea. The boat drifted quickly with a strong wind and tide running in the same direction and rotated us very quickly through a large number of very expensive large yachts. Luckily we got the anchor down and were able to have enough room to swing without hitting any vessels, although I had to push off one vessel. It's amazing the amount of strength that's developed by fear.
> 224


224,

I see you wisely ignored our advice.   

Seriously, it is very good of you to come on back and let us know how it all turned out. Sorry your delivery trip was so miserable -- but it sounds like a good learning experience if nothing else. Yes, one trade-off of those newer hull designs is their propensity to pound in a seaway. The 53f5 probably would have been better in that one respect, but in most others I think you got the better boat in the end.

Here's wishing you continued success with your new boat.


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## 224 (Mar 8, 2008)

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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

224, thanks for coming back and sharing your experiences. Best wishes for your future adventures from another Aussie.


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## CharlieCobra (May 23, 2006)

Nice to see closure on a purchase thread. 224, it's amazing what a maiden voyage through a heavy storm does for one's sailing skills and appreciation of the boat.


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## sailortjk1 (Dec 20, 2005)

Nice job, congrats on the new boat and thanks for the update.
Job well done, indeed.


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## 1121 (May 18, 2011)

*for 221*

I've read with interest this whole discussion, as I am in a similar vote (only from the point of view of looking for a boat - tho sailing experience all my young life AND definitely far from retired!!! have been thinking about the overseas option. 224 if you or anyone else know, I am interested in how long the trip from the US (west and/or East coast), to OZ generally takes, and dollar/paperwork expectations for bringing a boat to Oz, along with how much things like the conversion of 110 to 240v changes cost etc.
thanks!


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## WDS123 (Apr 2, 2011)

224,

Glad to hear you survived the delivery after only 3 sailing lessons. 

I would strongly suggest spending a couple of thousand on a beat up 15-20 ft dinghy which you and your wife should practice sailing on for as much as possible - thousands of hours of sailing time - before you do any serious offshore work.

You learn quickly in a dinghy, plus any mistakes ( you'll make plenty ) will be easily recovered.


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