# Our Sabbatical Cruise



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Anyone who has seen or followed some of my sporadic posts on here would know that my wife and I have been toying now for some 5 years with the dream of stopping our lifes and careers for a year or two and going cruising...It has been a dream we have always talked about however I guess we have been reluctant to actually commit to it.

Reality is there has always been reasons not too.... I truly wanted to cruise the world at 22 but really didn't know how to unfold a chart. We got married in our mid 20's and a month later I did buy a small sailboat so I could convince my sea sick prone new bride how good this sailing thing actually was..... Then well there were just good opportunities at work for both off us.....we bought our first house.....then there was another promotion, debt that couldn't be dismissed etc etc.

Well we have both now juts hit our 30s. My 'new bride' 6 years on now races twice a week and I have to book in with her to get her to crew on our yacht! Oh she is now also qualified to RYA Dayskipper standard and a few weekends ago when we were on a friends first 47.7, I looked on in amazement as she confidentally and happily climbed up the mast and pulled down the mainsail in 25 knots offshore. Our careers are both now stable....our finances are a constant balancing act sure but seem to be balancing better than ever before.

So why not now? Is the question we have been asking ourselves.....or more poignantly if not now than will we do it before our 50s or 60s???

And so on that basis we have firmly set next April down as THE date....ladies and gentlemen we are off! One year to see how it goes then extendable depending upon how we like it/money etc etc. We are in Sydney Australia, so the plan is up the east coast, and then either on to Asia through Indonesia, or turn right and do a leisurely loop of the South Pacific. 

We do still need the right boat.....thus why we are aiming for next April. Our current boat is a 27ft IOR Cruiser/racer type and is not the right boat. We have been actively looking for the right boat and over the past couple of weeks have it now down to a choice between two boats on the market. 

Boat one : An Arends 33. A full keeled Australian, Swanson designed cruiser, that has been there and done that. Amazing internal volume and storage for a 33 footer.

Boat two : A Mottle 33. A centre cockpit, Adams design that has a slightly more modern hull than the Arends and will point higher and arguably sail faster. 

Any other suggestions/thoughts on boats/itinerary/destinations/cruising philosophies very welcomed.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

You also might look at some of the Van De Stadt designs. His boats are generally well thought of and several have been used as long-distance cruisers.


----------



## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

Congratulations to you two, seriously. I know at your age it isn't the easiest decision, I think it shows a lot of spirit and courage to make the choice that you are making. You are not going to get any younger, and some day all you are going to have are the memories, it is important to make sure you have many good ones. Even at the young age of 30, there's already a lot of water under the bridge, live life while you can.


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Chall,
I'd be thinking the Arends myself. Much as I like Adams designs, for a medium long term cruiser the M33 has for me limitations in regard to tankage and overall stowage space that I'd find unacceptable. The M33 was a contender at the time we bought our Van de Stadt 34 but the above convinced us otherwise and I also find the aft cabin (particularly in the low cabin M33) somewhat claustrophobic. Personally I reckon 33' feet is too small for a centre cockpit. That said I am 6' tall, that is a consideration.

Cheers to you both and the best of luck to you. Good on you for giving it a shot.

ps - VDS34 is a great boat but most of them are steel and as I have said in any number of posts, 34' is too small for steel if performance is a criterion.


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

sailingdog said:


> You also might look at some of the Van De Stadt designs. His boats are generally well thought of and several have been used as long-distance cruisers.


There doesn't seem to be a huge volume of them on the market down here usually, but actually it looks like there are a couple at the moment. I must admit I haven't looked into Van De Stadt's as closely as some other designs.


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Windy- Thanks.
It hasn't been an easy decision at all, we have been lucky in some ways that for us at this age while not being easy at all it is at least possible......the reality is that if we wait then there will be the next house with a bigger mortgage and so forth and I believe our next opportunity will be in retirement.



tdw said:


> Chall,
> I'd be thinking the Arends myself. Much as I like Adams designs, for a medium long term cruiser the M33 has for me limitations in regard to tankage and overall stowage space that I'd find unacceptable. The M33 was a contender at the time we bought our Van de Stadt 34 but the above convinced us otherwise and I also find the aft cabin (particularly in the low cabin M33) somewhat claustrophobic. Personally I reckon 33' feet is too small for a centre cockpit. That said I am 6' tall, that is a consideration.
> 
> Cheers to you both and the best of luck to you. Good on you for giving it a shot.
> ...


For some reason I have had a thing for the Mottles for a while believing that the aft cabin was the great answer to onboard accommodation woes. You are however I think very right....

The reality of the low sided Mottles is that they are very cramped....I actually don't mind the aft cabin, but the crawl one has to do to get to it is less than ideal. Also the Head is umm beyond tight. The high sided versions I found though are a real improvement in both areas...

The Arend however showed up the Mottle completely in terms of space and room. Coming from a 27ft cruiser/racer I just couldn't believe how many lockers there actually were in this boat! The sense of space and real livability also made it a hands down winner.....however I worry about a full keeler...I have never been an 'old shoe' kind of guy but I must admit to really liking the Arends. It also just feels to me, and this may be partly subjective like a go anywhere solid sea kindly boat.

The kind of boat that will look after you when the cards are down.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

That's a big fuzzy rodent.



tdw said:


> Chall,
> I'd be thinking the Arends myself. Much as I like Adams designs, for a medium long term cruiser the M33 has for me limitations in regard to tankage and overall stowage space that I'd find unacceptable. The M33 was a contender at the time we bought our Van de Stadt 34 but the above convinced us otherwise and I also find the aft cabin (particularly in the low cabin M33) somewhat claustrophobic. Personally I reckon 33' feet is too small for a centre cockpit. *That said I am 6' tall, that is a consideration.*
> 
> Cheers to you both and the best of luck to you. Good on you for giving it a shot.
> ...


----------



## catamariner (Mar 3, 2010)

More space is good (so sayeth the Sea Wife). A 33' and more space didn't compute to me, but you have a much newer design than the one we sailed. I like the Arends for liveability, and the galley layout is superb. Two things: 1) PLEASE get an extended bimini - all the way to the helm - for the cockpit, sitting in the sun all day for long watches (or whatever) gets old even faster than your skin will. 2) You will want a little comfy folding stadium chair with good back support to pop onto the top of that transom seat you are expected to sit when you helm! Not having decent back (and butt) support for long hours at a time also gets old.

Doing your trip in your early 30s is a GREAT idea. We did the same in an old (1978) 36' Allied Princess in our early 30s, and then came ashore, sold the Allied, took up the careers again and had a child; now he is 11 and we are heading out again as a family! Don't worry, you do this now, and you will probably do it again, and pass it on to your kids (and grandkids?). You are starting in a beautiful place, and the safety factor is good: technology only improves -- you can afford redundant GPSs and a good SSB and EPIRB -- all are cheaper than they were when we did it, and often better, as well. Check the cockpit drains but with an open transom it should not be a big problem, getting pooped. Stay out there long enough and you will get into some seas that you're looking up at, and some will eventually try to come aboard for a visit, but you have a nice small companionway with boards (or lexan) you can leave in on passage and the cockpit looks like it would drain well... you are about to have some serious fun!

BTW, look at the prices other 33s of similar age are fetching before you make an offer -- if the asking price on the one you want seems unreasonably high, try offering 60% of the asking and see if they will negotiate a bit -- maybe wind up at 75%. Depends on how long the boat's been on the market, too, of course. I mention this because the asking prices for used versions of this boat seem to vary wildly -- from 29,000 to 110,000 (?!) on one site I visited. Of course, there could be mechanical reasons for the variation, see SeaDog's Tips & Tricks thread for stuff to look at carefully before paying for a survey. Fair Winds!


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

That would be the Boat Inspection Trip Tips thread I started, which is a sticky in the boat buying forum.


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

We are off to look at another Arends this weekend and I will definitely put your tips to good use SD.

Catamariner- Thanks for the advice and comments. You are right the helming position on the Arends is a little exposed... Now the boat we are looking at on the weekend has already done a good deal of cruising around the Pacific and looks to be both well equipped and well loved. It already has a SSB, Radar and good Nav equipment. The tankage is original which means only 300 litres of water, I think we would add a second tank, in terms of gadgetry I am also pretty keen on an AIS receiver. 

The owners have moved on to a larger yacht and are keen for a sale, we are in no immediate rush to buy but will see how we go.


----------



## QuickMick (Oct 15, 2009)

dunno how the stack up from a preformance standpoint, but I've been climbing around a Choey Lee at the marina, and as far as space goes she is darn nifty... but i believe she is a 41'.

Cheoy Lee sailboats for sale by owner.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Good luck Chall...may you find a good boat at a decent price.


----------



## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Chall - this a great news! Congrats dude!

You guys are absolutely doing the right thing. Go have an adventure. Everything else can wait a bit.

Very, very cool.


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

41 is probably more boat than we were thinking.....theory being that by keeping the waterline length down we will also keep costs down....

I guess one concern with an Arends, is that being more of a traditional full keeler with shoal draft windward performance isn't great. 

We both come from racing backgrounds and so this concerns us a little as we have always sailed light more modern boats. I guess my question is actually how important is windward performance/speed for tradewind cruising??

I have also heard horror stories about trying to manoevour full keelers in reverse in close quarters....


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

sailingdog said:


> That's a big fuzzy rodent.


So you'd better watch out puppy dog.....

Chall,
If its the Arrends 33 at Brays then she looks a goodun. I wouldn't worry to much about the longish keel other than that she will not be happy steering in reverse. Reality is you will be mainly reaching and running once you set off and the A33 (with a decent assy) will get along quite nicely even when well loaded down. She may not be a racer uphill but she'll see you right in the end.

At just under $100 grand thats some $35K more than we paid for our VDS34 but I must admit I think the A33 is in many ways the better boat. Inside, the VDS's greatest weaknesses are no sit down chart table (A33 Tick) and a less than wonderful galley (also A33 tick). The Womboat is ten years younger and has a roomier aft cabin by the looks of things. Also her fin keel does make for ease of handling under power in reverse.

ps - I'd love to see her full specs...tankage etc....

pps - if the Mottle is also at Brays a mate of ours rejected it out of hand after survey. He/they ended up buying a Peter Cole Nantucket 33.


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

We had our second look at the Arends, and although there are limitations as you would expect with a 33ft boat we struggled to find much we didn't like....and we really tried! A few personal taste things, that could be easily solved, more tankage would be nice and also easily solved. 

Had a second look at the Mottle I liked as well, and while on it's own it was a very nice boat, IMHO the deisgn didn't stack up against the Arends for what I think we are looking for in boat.

Buying a boat is a strange experience.....combination of great excitement and nervousness.


----------



## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

chall03 said:


> Buying a boat is a strange experience.....combination of great excitement and nervousness.


My recent experience following the 'great excitement and nervousness' has been 'frustration and a hole in my wallet' - but methinks it's 'cause I'm trying too hard to fix things too fast! Given your quite reasonable target date, hopefully that won't happen to you.. 

Have you considered a Hans Christian?? There's a few around and the build quality is excellent.. but they're not everyone's cup of tea. Gut feelings are an important part of the decision if you're going to be aboard for any length of time, and from reading your posts it sounds like an Arends is the go for you.

Chall, if there's anything down here that you'd like me to give a cursory glance at for you - do let me know.


----------



## EpicAdventure (May 18, 2006)

Very exciting Chall,

We are looking to do something very similar to what you are describing. We are struggling with the same questions -- walk away from good jobs? will we find somthing else when (if?  ) we return... etc.

If nothing else, the planning, looking at boats, etc. is educational and fun! Good luck to you!


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Coudln't agree more Epic! 

Alas in our case we have been asking the same questions for 8 or so years now, and we reckon if we don't give it a red go now well then we would be nuts.

I haven't looked at a Hans Christian Hartley no....I know of them by reputation though. 

The Arends we were looking at has now sold....Damn it I should of made an offer, but I wanted to give myself a week or so to think it over. 

We have now looked at some Southcoast 36's and a Martzcraft 35.

The Martzcraft had potential but would need a few things done to make it cruise ready. Strangely the boom seemed quite low compared to other Martzcrafts I have been on. Like if sat at the helming position it would be a direct hit low! 

Now how big a deal would raising a boom be I wonder?? The Main would obviously need to be recut....If only by a couple of feet then hopefully reefing lines etc woudln't be too badly affected?? 

Just thinking out loud.


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Hey Cameron...nice to see you here. Ah me..the trials of the timber boat owner....can't say you were not warned...... Other than that , trust all goes well with you.

Chall....damn shame about that Arends it did look the go. Ref the Martz and the SC...both Roberts designs I think ??? Not exactly known for their zip. I'd have thought that both the Mottle and the Arends would show them a clean pair of heels. Martz does have a good rep however for build quality.

When we had our old boat...a Northerner 28 (predecessor to the Compass 28) the foot of the main gave out and I didn't have the dosh at the time to buy a new one so the sailmaker cut out about twelve inches from the foot (tapering towards the mast end ) which of course had the effect of raising the boom end. I noticed no downside partly because it had the effect of getting rid of bag in the old sail. The raised boom was an added plus.

Added in.....

Cameron, I'd think the Hans Christian would be out of Chall's price range. I'm not a fan I must say (to my mind they take the mock trad thing a wat to far) and would rather a Baba 40 or 33. They are however in short supply down under.


----------



## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

tdw said:


> Hey Cameron...nice to see you here. Ah me..the trials of the timber boat owner....can't say you were not warned...... Other than that , trust all goes well with you.


Thanks for the sympathy, TD, it's appreciated. I've been really busy fixing 30 years of neglect, starting with Sugar Soap and working from there. My folks came to stay with us last week and spent a few days helping out - starting up the front and working backwards just generally cleaning up what's there.

Yep, you did warn me - but I do think the end result will be worth it.  I had her out yesterday in the Classics in 10+kts flattish water and she just charged along quietly with none of the banging, thumping, splashing we get with the Hartley in the same stuff.

Looking forward to seeing you again sometime soon. Hopefully before Christmas..



tdw said:


> Added in.....
> 
> Cameron, I'd think the Hans Christian would be out of Chall's price range. I'm not a fan I must say (to my mind they take the mock trad thing a wat to far) and would rather a Baba 40 or 33. They are however in short supply down under.


Agreed.. I'm not a fan either, but my Dad seemed to be so we went to look at one recently returned from Tahiti and up for sale. Knowing there are a few around, I thought I'd chuck it in the mix on the off-chance it might be Chall's thing (not sure it is, though). Apparently they sail well enough and are well thought out down below, but everything else is a matter of personal taste.

When looking to buy, it sometimes it helps to have something at the far end of the scale you can look at to crystallise exactly what you're looking for...


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Hartley18 said:


> Thanks for the sympathy, TD, it's appreciated. I've been really busy fixing 30 years of neglect, starting with Sugar Soap and working from there. My folks came to stay with us last week and spent a few days helping out - starting up the front and working backwards just generally cleaning up what's there.
> 
> Yep, you did warn me - but I do think the end result will be worth it.  I had her out yesterday in the Classics in 10+kts flattish water and she just charged along quietly with none of the banging, thumping, splashing we get with the Hartley in the same stuff.
> 
> ...


I suspect you are thinking my sympathy was not genuine. That I am in fact laughing at you behind your back. You'd be right too. 

Still and all, a mere thirty years of neglect...should only take oh lets see now....thirty years to rectify ?

Hey Wombat be careful....there's a certain Mrs Hartley out there who could probably give you a good kicking.

A timber is its own reward mate....one of the Herreshoffs once said when seeing one of his designs in fibreglass for the first time "it looks like frozen snot". A timber will never do that to you. (and they don't rust either.)

As for the absence of banging and crashing.....a coupla of tones of lead will do that for you.......

Salute..and hi to D.


----------



## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

tdw said:


> I suspect you are thinking my sympathy was not genuine. That I am in fact laughing at you behind your back. You'd be right too.
> 
> Still and all, a mere thirty years of neglect...should only take oh lets see now....thirty years to rectify ?
> 
> Hey Wombat be careful....there's a certain Mrs Hartley out there who could probably give you a good kicking.


Nahh, you're just being your normal Fuzzy self... but if you ever come down here on "holidays", expect to be given a paint brush and put to work!! 



tdw said:


> As for the absence of banging and crashing.....a coupla of tones of lead will do that for you.......


Makes for slow tacks too!  One of my crew sails on the Enterpize from time to time and was heard to remark that there wasn't much difference in tacking speed... (I would have tossed him overboard, but I needed him to handle the sheets & braces..)

Reminds me: I must start a thread on A-S about that. 



tdw said:


> Salute..and hi to D.


Thanks TD, I will... and i'm off now. This is Chall's thread and I've no wish to Shanghai it further. If he needs me, I'm sure he'll find me. 

Our love to Mrs W.

Cheers,


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Hey Shanghai away guys!

The Hans Christian does look to sit outside our budget I think.

Like I have said we did very much like the Arends, not alot of examples on the market however. We are going to keep looking around and so any other suggestions are more than welcomed!


----------



## Kenif (Jan 6, 2010)

Chall,

Good luck with your search. As an Aussie designed boat the Arends has an extremely good reputation for handling our conditions.

I sail regularly on a Phantom 34 and it also appears to have a good reputation for cruising. The one i sail on has done a similar trip to what you intend and I know there area a couple available in Sydney.

Whatever you do do not look at prices of boats in the US or Europe! It is real depressing to us buyers downunder.

I have just pruchased a property in Inner Melbourne and in 7 years should realise approx $275K profit - so that's the boat and the kitty 

Cheers 
Kenif


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

That sounds like a good plan Kenif.....

Sigh, I have made the mistake of looking at US boat listings before. With the free trade arrangement, and our dollar nearly reaching parity with the US$ at one stage there it wasn't such a silly idea. Sure that pesky Pacific Ocean presents one hell of a shakedown cruise. There is actually a guy who posts on here that bought a US boat and sailed it across. 

In reality however I think it is beyond my experience at the moment, we'll start with the East Coast and go from there....


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Chall,

Me and the Wombet have the idea of buying in the US, preferably west coast and preferably PNW. The PNW very high on my wish list of places to cruise. If we were to buy PNW area then the plan is to leave the boat there for a couple of years before sailing her home. It bears thinking about provided all your cruising dreams are not wrapped up in sunshine and warm water. 

The other alternative of course is to buy in the US and ship back to Oz. I once did the sums and it is doable and economical provided the US is near AUD.90, the boat is over USD$100.000 and its a west coast boat. 

I did admit to the Wombet that if we were to buy and ship it would probably break my heart.

The other alternative of course is Europe where prices are not as keen as in the US but with the Euro at AUD.70 the buying in real terms is quite good though the getting home becomes another matter altogether.


----------



## ScottUK (Aug 16, 2009)

TDW

What were the figures you came up with for shipping? What size of boat? I'm wondering why the boat would have to be 100,000USD.

Cheers


----------



## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

chall03 said:


> That sounds like a good plan Kenif.....
> 
> Sigh, I have made the mistake of looking at US boat listings before. With the free trade arrangement, and our dollar nearly reaching parity with the US$ at one stage there it wasn't such a silly idea. Sure that pesky Pacific Ocean presents one hell of a shakedown cruise. There is actually a guy who posts on here that bought a US boat and sailed it across.
> 
> In reality however I think it is beyond my experience at the moment, we'll start with the East Coast and go from there....


Chall,

Sorry, I was away and so missed this thread back when you kicked it off. Congrats on the decision to head out cruising!

Also sorry you missed on that Arends 33. I don't know if it was the one you were considering, but I glanced at an ad for one in Aus and it looked like a nice solid candidate for your itinerary.

As far as boats go, I'll just echo the comments of tdw about looking at the North American market. There really are a tremendous number of good candidates over here, at prices that seem discounted compared to Aus.

Since you have some doubts about full-keelers, you might look at the offerings from Pacific Seacraft (PSC). These U.S.-built cruising boats have cruising fin keels with skeg-hung rudders, and the propeller in a protected aperture. We sail a 31, but the next model up in size, 34', might be worth comparing to some of your boats down under. If nothing else, it's a good data point.

You can do a Yachtworld search and see a bunch of PSC 34s. They have been in production since the mid-80s, so prices run the gamut and they are sprinkled all over the U.S. east and west coasts. Boats from the late-80s-early-90s should be in your price range. Here are a few examples:

1990 PSC 34, Great Lakes

1990 PSC 34, California

1989 PSC 34, Georgia (U.S. East Coast)

Anyway, all the best of luck and keep us posted!

P.S. Howdy, Hartley! How about some photos of that project?


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Thanks JRP. 

The Arends we were looking at was indeed very tidy, had been there and done that and you knew from first glance that she had been well loved by previous owners.

Prices over there seem certainly much more reasonable than here....not to mention that there is a also a larger range of suiatable designs and boats to take your pick from.

It also seems that for the era boat we would be looking at the finish and fitout was much more professional in US built boats at the time. The local industry here in the 70's and early 80's was still very much selling hull + deck packages with owners doing there own interior fitout....exceptions like the Arends really stand out.

I will have a good look at PSC 34s.......

Does anyone have an opinion on the Columbia 34?? 
There were a bunch built in Australia under license in the late 70s, so they tend to be 10 years younger here than their US counterparts but otherwise the Aussie boats appear to be fairly faithful to the original design. 

I wonder if there are differences in build between the Aussie and US Columbias??


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

ScottUK said:


> TDW
> 
> What were the figures you came up with for shipping? What size of boat? I'm wondering why the boat would have to be 100,000USD.
> 
> Cheers


Scott,

Only because the shipping costs are a flat rate, fixed cost per length. For instance I costed moving a 42'er from east coast USA to Australia and it came out to over AUD$40.000. Now on a USD$100.000 boat that has a market value in Australia of say USD$150.000 that is an economical proposition albeit borderline. As the value of the boat decreases however the % of freight to purchase price becomes greater and reduces the economic benefit. The actual break even point is going to vary but I cannot see it working for anything under $USD100.000.

That is not to say that a sub $100.000 vessel that you sail home is a bad idea. There is great value (and the cruise of a lifetime) to be had if you are prepared and experienced enough to make the trip.

Our friend SimonV who did just that is a happy man for having done so. Even if you were pressed for time (within reason) the trip home to OZ can be done relatively quickly though for me that would be a shame as I'd like to explore the PNW first. If I remember rightly Simon only made a couple of stops twixt California and Queensland.


----------



## ScottUK (Aug 16, 2009)

tdw

Thanks for the reply. I guess I still don't understand why the minimum cost would have to be 100,000USD. The mitigating factor would be the differential of the cost in the US to the value in Aust. If a boat costs 80,000USD rather than 100,000 USD and have a value of 150,000 Aust. That is an added 20,000. I am noy trying to be cheeky. However looking at boat prices in that area compared to the US prices can be over double!

Did you ever cost shipping a boat from the west coast of the US? If so how much was it?

I agree, having previously lived in the PNW, it would be good area to cruise.


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Scott,

I suppose I should have said in my original post..."it appears to me that USD$100.000 is about the minimum to make it worthwhile". Poorly worded on my part. 

From memory the one time I did cost a 40'er from Seattle to Sydney it was around AUD$25.000-$30.000 but that was a while back and I don't remember the USD-AUD exchange rate at the time. 

I guess the major point would be that the cheaper the boat the less the real difference twixt Oz value and US value, while the shipping costs remain static. A USD$50.000 boat is probably only going to be worth USD$75.000 in Oz at best. Take out brokerage fees if you sold, import duty and gst (oz vat/retail sales tax) on entry and their is little to be gained unless of course the boat you end up buying is impossible to obtain in Australia. 

Remember this is opinion on my part based on personal experience. 

No big deal btw....your question was quite valid.


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Kenif said:


> Chall,
> 
> Good luck with your search. As an Aussie designed boat the Arends has an extremely good reputation for handling our conditions.
> 
> ...


Kenif,

We looked at a Phantom on the weekend and were quite impressed, however I don't know a great deal about the design or history of these yachts, possible issues to look out for etc.

Does anyone have any more info on the Phantom 33's?? They seem to be fine coastal cruisers, wonder if there anything specific issues that would stop one from taking them to somewhere like Vanuatu(6-7day passage)?? In short are the blue water capable??


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

chall03 said:


> Kenif,
> 
> We looked at a Phantom on the weekend and were quite impressed, however I don't know a great deal about the design or history of these yachts, possible issues to look out for etc.
> 
> Does anyone have any more info on the Phantom 33's?? They seem to be fine coastal cruisers, wonder if there anything specific issues that would stop one from taking them to somewhere like Vanuatu(6-7day passage)?? In short are the blue water capable??


Chall,
I was looking at one on the water on the weekend. Good looking boats. No direct experience with them however. This might be of interest if you havn't already seen it. I doubt you'd have any major concerns re a Pacific cruise.

http://www.rbyc.org.au/site/yachting/rbyc/downloads/2008-2009 Season/Cruising News/NOV 2008 CN.pdf

Have you had a look at that Northshore 33 that Brays are listing ?

Cheers

Andrew


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Thanks for the link TD, good info and it does reinforce what our general consensus was... 

No we haven't seen the Northshore 33......it looks interesting though, I do like the idea of buying a re-engined boat in the age range we are looking at.....


----------



## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

The Phantom 33 is built by Phantom Yachts, designer Nick Stein. Not much help, I know..

Northshore's are very seaworthy and no slouch if sailed well - there are a few in the Twilight races down this way. One guy I know of regularly single-handed cruises his NS33 to Lakes Entrance and along top of Tassie - but the cabin layout is not to everyone's liking..

If you were down here, I could ask him to take you out for a spin.


----------



## Kenif (Jan 6, 2010)

I got this stuff below from an owner.

Phantoms : The first ones were 32's with a 12m mast length, and a single spreader rig. Performance poor in light winds.
By mid 80's Nick Shein was fitting a double spreader rig on 12.6 m masts.
Nick can't be found these days, but we know that some 32's had a wider transom to fit a true double quarter berth for chartering.
Then some charter co's wanted easier boarding, so a "sugar scoop" was added to the hulls, and they are great for swimming, boarding, loading from a dinghy, etc., 33 ft loa.
Some then wanted a double quarter berth AND a sugar scoop and these became 34's.

Everything else is identical to the 32's, and my guess is that the design is originally German, and is a "raised deck" shape, no cabin.
Once I intended starting up a Phantom owners support group by sending a letter to Afloat free magazine.
I got 15 good replies but got distracted and did not get it off the ground.


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Hartley18 said:


> The Phantom 33 is built by Phantom Yachts, designer Nick Stein. Not much help, I know..
> 
> Northshore's are very seaworthy and no slouch if sailed well - there are a few in the Twilight races down this way. One guy I know of regularly single-handed cruises his NS33 to Lakes Entrance and along top of Tassie - but the cabin layout is not to everyone's liking..
> 
> If you were down here, I could ask him to take you out for a spin.


Have to agree with you re the layout. I hadn't noticed that. I've never liked interiors where you end up tucked away from the companionway.


----------



## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

tdw said:


> Have to agree with you re the layout. I hadn't noticed that. I've never liked interiors where you end up tucked away from companionway.


Yep. Methinks they are very much a "bachelor boat" - which is fine for single-handing and racing with your mates (although the cockpit is kind-of small) - but not all that great for a couple +/- kids.

The offset companionway is a good thing - and should be on more boats (I never did understand why that happened) - but the lengthways galley-in-the-saloon idea just doesn't appeal to me.. personal taste. Perhaps it reminds me too much of galleys in multi-hulls!!


----------



## m050120 (Jul 7, 2008)

Chall-

It looks like you've been pricing commercial freight to relocate the boat. Have you considered hiring a delivery crew? I have no experience in this, and I don't know how much it would cost, or if anyone would be will to deliver an older boat that distance, but I would think you'd be able to find someone who would be willing to take that on for about half of what you are estimating on freighting the boat. 

Additionally, the delivery crew would want it loaded out with all the spares and equipment you would be adding for cruising anyway. 

Just a thought.


----------



## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Thanks, I have thought of all options to get a boat across the Pacific, like TD I to do it any other way than with me at the helm would be pretty disappointing!

It think also for the price/age we are looking in it just wouldn't add up, and that we are better off looking locally...


----------

