# Best 30-36' boats for bluewater & liveaboard?



## kulokoo

Looking for that magic combination of a boat seaworthy for significant open ocean passages, but comfortable for a couple to live aboard in the marina for long stretches between adventures. 

Not being wealthy, it has got to be under $50K... and $25K is better.

Boats I'm aware of seem to fall into two categories, for example

Southern Cross 31 - sea worthy, but cramped for living on long term in port

Islander 36 - comfortable to live aboard, but maybe not suited to long bluewater passages

What boats would you check out in my shoes?


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## ehmanta

How old of a vessel are you looking at? There are countless "experienced" boats out there that may have more than a few miles beneath their keels. One that quickly comes to mind is the Allied Seawind II. She can be had for a song, capable of circumnavigations (the Allied Seawind was reportedly the first fiberglass to circumnavigate), can sail decently, and is comfortable for a 32' boat. Another one worth considering would be the Tartan 34 in good condition....ya gotta watch out for a "tired" one. 
This topic always comes up, just need to do a little digging.


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## sailingfool

Have it all, make this guy an offer on his Allied Mistress 39, on the market for a few years:
Eastern Yacht Sales - Hingham Brokerage


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## MARC2012

Guess I should get back in teaching Allied boats are IMHO not picked up for a song.However I am poor.Get the mistress ,song $44,900,probably go for $44,00.marc


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## SeaFever2000

For the amount you are thinking of you could look for a good condition Pearson 10M, say a late 70's, early 80's vintage (newer than hull number 150) and you will have a great boat for your self. 

We have one and are very happy. Solid boat, Bill Shaw design, point extremely well and is stiff, sleeps 6 comfortably. Good open layout.


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## puddinlegs

Shhhhhh....! Don't tell all the people that have done passages in an Islander 36 that they aren't capable boats. They'd be crushed.


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## QuickMick

how much work do you want to do? i was eyeing a 45' cheoy lee (1979 i believe) but dont think im gonna jump on it... i know the guy selling it, but it needs some work. another thing to consider is the cost to ship it to your location, that can add quite a bit to the cost depending on LOA


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## QuickMick

actually, i think it is the same model as this... off on date _and_ year. She is a real beaut. lotta lotta wood

1970 Cheoy Lee Clipper 42 sailboat for sale in Alabama


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## OldColumbia

Dear Kuk,
Go to the brokerage sites in San Carlos, La Paz, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan and you'll find a selection that will meet your criteria that are already " proven" that are offered by folks who's circumstance or affection for the " Cruising Life" have changed. Prices are usually quite negotiable at the end of the season.


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## kwaltersmi

If I were looking for a roomy, comfortable bluewater boat for around $50k or less, I'd look at these:

Westsail 28: Small-ish, but you'd be closer to $25k
Westsail 32: Roomy, tough and closer to $50k (or above)
Baba 30: Usually north of $50k, but there are some out there
Pacific Seacraft 31 Mariah: See W32 above.
Rafiki 36: Salty, teaky and a good value but tough to find
Alajuela/Ingrid: Super tough hull (think bigger W32), many owner finished, prices all over the map
Mariner 36: Tough to find, but well traveled
Tiburon 36: Rare, watch for teak decks
C&C 41: Pending your "bluewater" route, she could go
C&C Landfall 38: See above
Tartan 37: See above


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## Maine Sail

Our CS-36T has been cruised all over the planet and they can be occasionally found in the sub 50K range. You'd never know our boat has cruised the miles she has, they are built like tanks and have a decent turn of speed. You might add some of the CS boats to your list as they have decent dock side / at anchor space, decent speed and are quite well built.


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## captainmike99

Pearson 365 ketch


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## SoulVoyage

For what your talking about, it sounds like you want a little more room than a boat like the Southern Cross (great boat, though!). It also depends how 
"blue" you want to go. I always think it's better to be prepared for the worst or harshest, because you just never know the situation you may find yourself in. 

I think 30-36 is a good range for a couple. There are some great forty footers out there like the Valiant 40 and the French steel Joshua hulls (all sisterships to Moitessier's boat "Joshua"), but these do mean higher maintainence costs.

My picks for a good combination of BOTH:

Cape George 36...(not sure what they run used), but very good boats.

Ingrid 38 ketch ...a little bigger than 36ft but not by much. There's also the updated version, the Aleajuela 38 (help me on spelling!), but this newer version is quite a bit more pricey.

Westsail 32....A strong boat, with quite a bit of room down below.

Luders 33....another strong boat and sea-kindly, but not as much room below as the westsail. 

I believe Hans Christian made a full keeler, maybe it was the 33? But have to watch the hull/deck joints on these asian boats.

In terms of room, seaworthiness and price-point, I would say the Westsail 32.

If you don't mind closer quarters, I'd say Allied Seawind I or II, or the Southern Cross 31, or even a Triton 28, Luders 33.

If you can come up with a little extra dough: I'd say Cape George 36.


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## kulokoo

Thanks friends, you've mentioned a bunch of boats I'd missed before and now I am going to have to check them out. I see a lot of Islanders, Westsails, and Pearsons (more or less in my price range), but I am going to check these out a bit

Cape George 36
Luders 33
Hans Christian 33
CS 36
Rafiki
Mariner 36
Tiburon 36 

Some interesting boats on that list. The Hans Christian 33 looks very different, egg shaped and maybe a lot of room below laid out a bit differently. Wonder how they sail.

Thanks for the scoop all! (Any others to add?)


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## Brian24jersey

*About the wetsail 32*

I found a link on it about that movie the perfect storm, tha andrea gail sank, the people on this yacht were evacuated by the coast guard but the yacht found itself beached a few days later in one peice!!!

Sorry i lost the link becuase i was looking back for this post but there was a youtube video of it


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## kulokoo

Ah, here's the story I think! Satori: SATORI and the Perfect Storm

If you watch that video of the Westsail during the storm... it's pretty rough, but wouldn't you expect a good bluewater boat to be able to deal with that? Easy to say from shore rested and dry of course. It seems like the skipper of the Satori was confident.


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## Brian24jersey

*heres the link*

Rod Lawson - Oceans


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## MARC2012

Ck the seawind ii site one went through it.marc


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## remetau

We love our HC 33. I personally think that it has more room on board than most 38s that I have been on. As far as I know, there has never been a problem with deck joints on an HC. After a while from building these, they did switch yards and you will find some differences in the older boats compared to the later hull numbers. Like ours has a solid glass deck versus a cored deck.

If you are considering an HC, then start here:
*hanschristian.org :: Index*


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## nemier

SoulVoyage,
I looked at the Cape George for a couple of years, but ultimately came to the conclusion (for me) that they were just too heavy & too slow for my purposes.
Apart from the speed & weight issue, I think they are awesome boats - in the same genre, but ahead of the BCC's.


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## unibar

Hi All,

What about a UFO 34?


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## Don L

That's a record response time post far as I ever remember seeing.


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## seaner97

Alberg 35 on eBay. 19k open. Looks to be in good shape. Bet with 15k into it it would be good as or better than new. Good old boat cover boat.


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## Barquito

Considering these are mostly 35 year old boats, I guess a 5 year old thread isn't unreasonable information. I love the Alberg 35 (because it looks like my boat, but bigger). However, for live-aboard, I would look for something with more beam, and less overhang, for increased volume.


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## Livia

A beat up Wauquiez Pretorien (35') might sell for that low.


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## MikeinLA

Given that this post is 5 years old, I'm sure the OP has found a nice motor home by now and is tooling around somewhere in Arizona.

Mike


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## asdf38

Contessa 32
Baba/Tashiba etc Bob Perry designs
Albergs and Cape Dory's

Search Bluewaterboats.org


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