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10 New Cruising Sailboats Under 35 Feet

• By Cruising World Staff
• Updated: November 3, 2020

It wasn’t so long ago that 30- to 35-foot cruising sailboats were likely to be the largest yachts found in many a harbor. And while 40-something and even 50-something footers are all the rage at boat shows today, there’s a lot to be said for setting sail on a boat big enough to carry family and friends, but still small enough to be easily maintained and handled alone from time to time. Small cruising sailboats are simple to dock or tie up to a mooring, and finding long-term marina space is easier as well.

Choosing a cruising sailboat, no matter the size, is a big decision. And it helps to have a trusted list of boats to get started. Here, then, is a look at 10 of the best daysailers , weekenders and coastal cruising sailboats under 35 feet that are all in production and can be purchased new.

Alerion Sport 30

A quarter-century ago, Garry Hoyt launched what would come to be known as the daysailer genre with the introduction of the Alerion Express 28, a boat designed by the late Carl Schumacher that featured a minimal interior and a large cockpit where an owner and guests could enjoy the simple joy of sailing. Traditional and lovely looking—but with a quite modern underbody and a powerful sail plan—Hoyt, ever the marketer, proclaimed the boat to be “the prettiest girl at the dance.”

Since then, a number of siblings ranging from 20 to 41 feet have been added to the Alerion family, including the Alerion Sport 30, which retains the graceful sheer line, oval ports and stylish overhangs of the original Schumacher design. Yet with input from naval architect Langan Design Partners, it also embraces a solid measure of performance-oriented DNA.

Read more about the Alerion Sport 30 »

Bavaria Cruiser 34

In every Boat of the Year contest, it seems, a boat rises up after sea trials to make a lasting impression on the judges. For 2018, that boat was the Bavaria Cruiser 34.

Says Boat of the Year Judge Tim Murphy, “The Bavaria was a lovely boat to sail. It has a single rudder, and she answered her helm just beautifully in the conditions we had today. We started off with around 10 knots of breeze that built to 13 to 15 knots. As a sailboat, it was just a pleasurable sailing experience, among the best we had during our judging. It was among the boats that felt like a really happy sailing experience.

Read more about the Bavaria Cruiser 34 »

Beneteau Oceanis 30.1

Sailed as part of the 2020 Boat of the Year sea trials, the 31-foot-3-inch Beneteau Oceanis 30.1 was the compact yacht best-equipped and spec’d out as a dedicated cruising boat, and not coincidentally, it was also awarded the title of Best Performance Cruiser for 2020. But don’t let her cozy interior accommodations fool you; this is also one peppy little vessel.

Read more about the Beneteau Oceanis 30.1 »

The 2017 Boat of the Year (BOTY) contest featured a stellar crop of crossover cruiser/racers; however, when all the testing was said and done, our independent panel of judges was sold on the Dehler 34, naming it the year’s Best Performance Cruiser. Designed by the highly regarded Judel/Vrolijk naval-architecture consortium, whose reputation was fostered by longtime success in international yacht-racing circles, the 34-footer combined contemporary good looks and a sweet turn of speed with better-than-average comfort and accommodations below. It didn’t hurt that the boat, nicely equipped at $215,000, was the least-expensive entry in the entire 2017 fleet. All in all, it proved to be a winning formula.

Read more about the Dehler 34 »

Dufour Grand Large 360

Dufour Yachts introduced its new 360 Grand Large model to CW’s Boat of the Year team in 2018 as a coastal cruiser intended for a couple or perhaps a small family. With that in mind, judge Alvah Simon found numerous clever elements to praise within the boat’s 35-foot-2-inch hull—a relatively modest LOA compared to the many 40-, 50- and 60-footers on display at the U.S. Sailboat show in Annapolis, Maryland.

Read more about the Dufour Grand Large 360 »

After a roughly 10-year hiatus from the U.S. marketplace, the Slovenian builder Elan is back in a big way. For the 2017 Boat of the Year contest, the company launched a pair of new boats in the States, including the Elan E4, a 34-foot-9-inch performance cruiser with an emphasis on performing, designed by renowned British naval architect Rob Humphreys. The brand has been in business for seven decades and lately is perhaps even better known in America for its skis. Not surprisingly, given its complementary product lines—lots of sailors are fine skiers—its boats are as sleek and sporty as its boards.

Read more about the Elan E4 »

Grand Soleil 34

Way back in the 1970s, when the well-known Italian boatyard Grand Soleil was just getting started, its first model was a Finot-designed 34-footer. With over 300 units sold, it was an instant success, and launched the company on an upward trajectory that spanned the intervening decades, mostly with an ongoing series of much larger, more complex racer/cruisers. For 2020, the builder decided to return to its roots with a completely revamped Grand Soleil 34, and it’s a terrific boat.

Read more about the Grand Soleil 34 »

Value. How does one determine it? Price is most certainly a factor. In the case of new boats, and our Boat of the Year competition, it means something more. As sailors, we wish to recognize good boats that not only are affordable but offer other, tangible rewards. The ability to get couples and families out on the water, to have a weekend escape, to take them on coastal vacations and even maybe a sabbatical to the islands, all without breaking the bank. For 2019, the judging panel determined that one boat had the potential to do these things better than the rest, which is why they awarded the Best Value prize to the Hanse 348.

With a price tag under $200,000, during sea trials the Hanse 348 wowed the judging team from the get-go. “In only about 8 knots of breeze, we were seeing 5.7 knots upwind and pointing very nicely, and even registered 6.5 knots once we cracked off,” said Tim Murphy. “It’s a pretty sweet little boat.”

Read more about the Hanse 348 »

Italia 9.98

Of the performance cruisers that made their North American debut in 2020, in terms of sheer appearance, the futuristic 34-foot Italia 9.98 was easily the most distinctive. There are actually two versions of the boat: the 34 Club—which is the cruising alternative, the primary features of which are its twin wheels—and the 34 Fuoriserie—the racing model, and the one we tested, with its tiller steering being the identifying characteristic.

Read more about the Italia 9.98 »

Beginning with the popular little J/24 way back in 1977, J/Boats has become famous for its steady introduction of terrific racing and cruising boats, almost all of which shared one main characteristic: They sailed like a witch. More than four decades later, having built more than 50 separate, mind-boggling models, the Johnstone family that designs, markets and sells the brand shows no signs of slowing down. Their latest offering, for 2020, was another fast and fun racer/cruiser: the 32-foot-7-inch J/99.

Read more about the J/99 »

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• Sailboat Reviews

The Modern Classic Racer-Cruiser

40-year-old islander 36 proves to be a comfortable and fast ride..

The Islander 36 was built from 1971 to 1985, making it one of the longest-lived 36-footers ever on the U.S. market. More than 750 of the Alan Gurney-designed racer-cruiser sloops were built, with production spanning almost the entire history of Islander Yachts.

When it was first introduced, the Islander 36 seemed conservatively modern in appearance, with a flattish but concave sheerline, a fin keel, and a skeg-mounted rudder. The boat was designed as a racer-cruiser under the then-new International Offshore Rule (IOR) , but you would be hard-pressed to say that the same rule could create both the I36 and a modern IOR design. The Islander 36 was launched during the infancy of the IOR, before boat designers took advantage of the rules loopholes. As a result, its hull shape is undistorted and bears more resemblance to a modern fast cruiser than to a contemporary IOR racer.

While custom boats were the biggest force in racing in 1971, it was still possible to be competitive in local regattas with a production racer-cruiser. That all changed very quickly. Boats like the Islander 36-which were out-designed under the IOR but were still reasonably fast and easy to sail-served as the foundation for the movement that became the Model A of handicap racing: the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF). And still today, I36s often take podium positions in PHRF races, particularly where I36 fleets are most popular, particularly in the San Francisco Bay area.

Even by todays standards, the hull proportions of the Islander 36 are nearly ideal for a modern racer-cruiser. The beam is moderate and carried well aft, offering fairly good hull volume aft, so that the boat does not squat excessively when cockpit lockers are loaded with cruising gear. Despite the age of the design, the I36 is not dated in appearance. You could even say that the boat is a modern classic.

The Islander 36 is predominantly a West Coast boat, but youll find them throughout the U.S. Most of the owners responding to our survey use the boat for daysailing, club racing, and coastal cruising.

Sailing Performance

Despite being designed as a racer-cruiser with an IOR Mk I rating of 27.9, the Islander 36 was not a particularly fast or successful IOR boat. However, under the PHRF rating system, a well-sailed Islander 36 is a reasonably competitive boat; many are still active in club racing, with the largest contingent in California, where conditions are a good match for the I36.

The Islander 36s rig is a simple, untapered aluminum spar stepped through the deck. It has two sets of spreaders and double lower shrouds. The shrouds are set well inboard, and genoa tracks are set just outboard of the cabin trunk to take advantage of the tight sheeting angles.

The Islander 36 is well-balanced under sail, although like many boats of its era with relatively small mainsails, you need a variety of headsails to keep the boat moving her best in all conditions. While this isn’t a problem on a crewed racing boat, todays fast cruisers tend to have slightly larger mainsails so that less-frequent headsail changes are required. The original I36 sailplan shows genoa overlaps as large as 180 percent; genoas that large are generally a nuisance to handle and tack.

Both deep and shoal draft keels were available on the Islander 36. Most boats have the deep keel, and this version of the boat is generally about six seconds per mile faster. The shoal-draft boat has an additional 150 pounds of ballast to compensate for the keels higher center of gravity.

The mainsheet traveler is positioned at the forward end of the companionway hatch. Late-model boats have a small molded breakwater aft of the traveler so that a companionway dodger can be installed. On boats without the breakwater, installing a dodger is trickier. Since the mainsheet is attached almost exactly to the middle of the boom, sheet loads are fairly high, and youll need a winch to trim the main in heavier air.

Original steering, mostly Edson brand, was the typical chain and sprocket with the steering cable led through sheaves to a quadrant clamped to the rudder post. The boat was designed with a tiller, but most owners have retrofitted wheel steering over the years. Since there are very few owner complaints about excessive weather helm, changing to wheel steering was more a matter of personal choice than necessity.

You will find slight differences in deck layouts, depending on whether the boat has been used predominantly for racing or cruising. On racing boats, the primary headsail-sheet winches are usually located on the forward portion of the cockpit coamings, with the secondaries aft. That position is often reversed on cruising boats. Likewise, racing boats may have most halyard and lift winches mounted at the base of the mast; cruisers use fewer winches, mounted on the mast itself. For shorthanded family cruising and daysailing-the type of sailing for which the boat is best suited-we would suggest larger-than-standard multi-speed self-tailing headsail sheet winches installed on the coaming, near the helmsman.

The I36s cockpit is very deep, which can make it challenging for some to see over the cabin when seated. Other cockpit features make it less than ideal for offshore work: cockpit drains are fairly small and there is no bridgedeck. To comply with the International Sailing Federations (ISAF) Offshore Special Regulations for offshore racing, the companionway dropboards would have to be fixed in place up to the level of the aft cockpit coaming, which would make it extremely difficult to get below.

Like most boats with a long production history, a variety of engines were used in the Islander 36-and most have been replaced over the years-making generalizations about performance under power difficult.

The I36 was first powered with an Atomic Four gasoline engine; that was followed by the undersized Palmer P-60 gas engine, the optional Perkins 4-108 diesel, and then the optional Westerbeke L-25 four-cylinder diesel. Islander even used a Volkswagen diesel engine, the Pathfinder 42 horsepower, in the 36 at one point, and by the end of the boats production run, a 30-horsepower Yanmar diesel was used. Most of these original auxillaries have since been replaced.

The most common replacement engines youll find in contemporary Islander 36s are Yanmars, usually in the 30- to 37-horsepower range. They are lighter, and with about a 2:1 reduction and a 13-inch three-blade, fixed prop, the I36 can approach 7 knots in flat water.

Given this wide variety of engines-some left-handed, some right-handed-and the mix of fixed, folding, and feathering props, Islanders will often pull from one side to another when backing up. With all but the smallest two-blade, folding props, skippers will need good seamanship skills for well-behaved backing into slips and docks. The knack is to get the boat moving astern with modest power, idle to keep speed under 2 knots, then use the large rudder and skeg to ease into a berth.

The Islander 36s interior finish is one of its best selling points. However, there are several interior-design shortcomings that are typical of boats of the early 1970s. Two of the biggest changes in boat interiors since then have been in navigation stations and galleys. The marine electronics boom had not begun in 1971. Loran C was new, and very expensive. Only hot race boats had wind instrumentation. Satnav was a far-off dream for recreational sailors, as were such things as personal computers and weather facsimile machines. For this reason, nav stations on cruising 36-footers in the early 1970s were rudimentary, when they existed at all.

The nav station of the Islander 36 is no exception. It is tucked away under the sidedeck, and the cabin sole in front of it slopes awkwardly upward. There are no drawers beneath the chart table, no good place for chart stowage. Theres no place to sit, and if you use the shelf above the table for electronics, theres no space for books. On late model I36s, there are drawers just forward of the chart table behind the port settee, but by modern standards, the boats nav station is nothing to brag about.

The shortfalls have given owners reason to use their sailorly ingenuity and a little creativity to come up with ways to add GPS, chartplotter, AIS, SSB, and radar instruments to the cozy nav station area. Youll find as many different solutions as there are I36s on the used boat market, and the I36 Owners Association website (www.islander36.org) offers some good examples.

The original I36 galley also is a relic from the days when a lot of people considered cruising in a sailboat just one step above camping out in a tent. The sloping cabin sole in the galley makes it difficult to work at the sink or reach the bottom of the icebox. There is relatively little counter space or storage space. There is no provision for galley ventilation except the main companionway, and without a dodger, the companionway cannot be left open in the rain because of the forward-sloping aft bulkhead.

A large number of Islanders were built with alcohol stoves, many of which have been replaced with propane or natural gas. Microwaves also have been added to current I36 galleys. Some I36s were produced with refrigeration systems, and many others have been added along the way. Pressure water systems are also common in todays Islander 36s, though not universal.

Aft of the nav station on the port side, there is a quarterberth tucked completely beneath the cockpit. The lack of ventilation in the quarterberth is a problem in warm climates, and its location is not one for the claustrophobic.

The main saloon itself is quite comfortable. The settees on either side are long enough to be comfortable berths. The starboard settee folds out into a double berth, but it is not the most convenient to set up or use. Above and behind each settee, there is a fair amount of storage space. Late model boats have lockers and drawers outboard of the port settee, while earlier boats have only a shelf. It would be fairly easy to build storage lockers in this area on an older boat, and many owners have.

Most boats of this size have fixed cabin tables, but the Islander 36s folds up against the bulkhead at the forward end of the main cabin. It is just possible to squeeze by the table along the starboard side when it is in use.

Ventilation is a weak point in the Islander 36, as it is with a lot of boats. Late model I36s have a ventilation hatch overhead in the middle of the main cabin; theres no reason you couldnt add one to an older boat. A hatch in the cabin trunk over the forward cabin provides fair-weather ventilation, but theres no provision for air?ow in bad weather. You can add cowl vents in dorade boxes, but the installation is tricky due to the vinyl headliner. The original foam and vinyl headliners had zippers to access the backs of fittings, but they tend to corrode shut. Many owners have opted to replace the headliners.

The head compartment is to port at the forward end of the main cabin, with lockers opposite on the starboard side. Headroom of over 6 feet is carried all the way forward. Drawers under the V-berth and a narrow hanging locker to starboard offer reasonable storage. A door at the aft end of the forward cabin can be secured in the open position to provide privacy for the forward cabin.

Conclusions

Unlike a lot of boats with long production histories, there are relatively few differences between the first and last Islander 36s. This means that youll likely be able to find a well-kept boat at a pretty good price. Most have seen systems upgrades and creative interior makeovers that make this modern classic a competitor for newer used production boats. The I36 also boasts a very active and large owners association, an invaluable resource for those buying-or thinking about buying-an older used boat. Since so many Islander 36s were built, theres a well-established used boat market, and you should not have trouble reselling one in the future, particularly if youre West Coast based.

Because of the cockpit design and relatively light construction, this is not the type of boat that we would choose for extended offshore voyaging, but there have been several I36s that have successfully raced from California to Hawaii, and a number have made circumnavigations. In our opinion, the I36 is best suited for coastal cruising, club racing, or even daysailing and weekend getaways.

As with any older boat, a careful survey is mandatory. Pay particular attention to the chainplates, gelcoat condition, rig, and the mast step. We would also look hard at the engine installation, fuel system, and the hull structure near the mast. Try working in the galley and at the chart table to see if you can live with them.

All in all, the Islander 36 is a well-mannered, fast-sailing boat, at its best in a breeze. With proper, modern sail-handling equipment, it can easily be handled by a couple for shorthanded cruising. With good sails and a smooth bottom, it is also can be a competitive PHRF club racer.

Owners Comments

The boat is easy to sail single-handed, especially with an autopilot. It has great speed and points well into the wind. It offers plenty of space for a single person or a couple for full-time cruising. I upgraded the galleywitha three-burner stove and oven, and replaced the holding tanks. Im still working with the original Pathfinder 42-horsepower diesel engine. It has plenty of power, butit isn’t always easy to find parts or someone to work on it. – Len Diegel; Katana, 1980 Islander 36; Lake Grapevine, Texas

The I36 is a fun and fast boat in most wind conditions, and it does respectable in its class in local races. Improvements that would make the I36 even better would be the addition of well-placed cabin handholds to aid in moving about the cabin in bad weather, and a better-designed navigation station, which is too small and offers no place to sit. – Jack and Anneke Wolf; Trillium, 1976 I36; Muskegon, Mich.

We purchased our I36 in 2012, from the second owner who had maintained it in like new condition. This boat must represent the very best value in a coastal cruising boat for the San Francisco Bay area. Having been a racer for 40 years, my wife didnt appreciate sailing with me until we bought this boat and settled into pleasure sailing. Comfortable, stable, quick, and roomy all describe our experiences. It has put the pleasure into sailing for us. – Gene Novak; Fantasy, 1980 Islander 36, hull #581; San Francisco, Calif.

We have sailed the boat in 80-mile-per-hour winds with no problem. The Islander 36 is the perfect daysailer-coastal cruiser. My only criticism is with the galley, which is poorly designed and not very functional. – 1972 model, Texas

This is an excellent boat for cruising. It can be singlehanded with the help of self-tailing winches. Our aluminum holding tank failed. – l977 model, California

We bought the boat for its appearance, reputation, and size. Its a great boat for San Francisco Bay and the Pacific coast. Weve sailed it south to the Channel Islands and north to Canada. – l978 model, California

Very fast for a comfortable cruising boat. The boat seems to be a good compromise between being light enough to sail well and heavy enough to be safe and solid. Gelcoat has crazed in spots. – 1979 model, Michigan

The intermediate and lower shroud chainplate is pulling out of the bulkhead. – l980 model, California

The only real problem with the boat is lack of ventilation. It is an excellent blend of sailing performance for the cruising couple or club racer. I suggest looking for an older model since they are often exceptional buys and are essentially the same boat that was produced until 1984. – 1973 model, Florida

The cockpit sole is flush with the companionway sill, which is not a seaworthy setup for going offshore. The aft bulkhead is too slanted to leave the companionway dropboards out when its raining unless you have a dodger. – l980 model, Maryland

• Age Calls for Close Inspection

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Best used racer/cruiser from the 1980's?

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I really like the Beneteau First series. If you like your C&C than it is a logical step up in my mind. The Catalina and Pearson trend a bit more towards cruising.  

Karen, don't forget the C&C Landfall series. Built by the same folks with the goal of fast passagemaking instead of outright racing, and generally well thought of.  

thanks Thanks, hellosailor, we will add that to our list. We love our 1970 C&C which is rock solid and a wonderful boat (our first sailboat; we've had her for 5 years). We are just looking for something slightly larger with a few more comforts below, that is still a capable club racer...  

You might want to take a look at the newer C&Cs in a similar size range, for example the late 80's 35 and 37. Even the early 80's 36s might seem significantly roomier than your (classic) vintage 35. Assuming your price range is in the 75-100K range, some of these models may well fit. Even an older C&C 40 might catch your fancy. Seeing as how pleased you have been with the current boat, there's a lot of carryover in the C&C line that you may appreciate down the road. I like the Bene 37.5 alot, it has an added advantage of short J measurement, larger mainsail that eases headsail handling and spinnaker work, but see very few racing in our area - not sure why but assumed they may not sail to their ratings.  

Thanks faster. We really like the mid-80's Beneteau First 37.5's, too- these are at the top of our price range (would like to keep it under $65k or so). We definitely will look at some early to mid-80's C&C's to compare with our boat!  

I was close to buying a C&C Landfall 38. The Landfall 35 is also very well thought out. The Cherubini designed Hunter 37 cutter is a great boat as well. I usually don;t think too much of Hunters but Cherubini has been a ledgendary designer. The other boat around that size that I've always liked is the Islander 36. Fast, well built, and pretty. As for the boat's you were already looking at, the First 38 is like the Hunter cutter. It's stands out from the rest of it's line up. And it's the quickest of the bunch.  

The search continues....We've looked at one Beneteau 38 that we liked, but that needed considerable work. We're now looking at a Jeanneau Sun Shine Regatta. Any opinions out there on this boat? We also looked at an Elite Yacht 364, but had considerable difficulty finding information about Elite Yachts on the web. Any suggestions?  

Karen, I do not have a sunshine, but an 85 Arcadia that is 30' long. I found an original owner, well kept up etc. The only problem I have had, along with other Jeanneau owners of 20'ish yr old boats, is the headliner foam is rotting, and is falling off the hull or cabin top. I am going to be able to fix my rig for about $750'ish myself, but got quotes in the $6-8K range for someone else. Look at this potential problem on the Jeanneau, and I have heard about the same problem with Benateaus in the same vintage, altho at this time, there were seperate companies, not under the same "Group Benateau" affilitation as today. You can tell if it will be a racer version by where the mainsail track is at. If on the cabin, it will be a older SO version if you will, the main sail track is in the cockpit, it will be more setup as a racer, with typically a deeper keep, less wt in the keel/displacement etc. If you go to www.jeanneau-owners.com , There is a link to ALL Jeanneau models general discriptions etc. I would also add Tarten to your list. Altho a bit more cruiser-racer than Racer-cruiser if you ask me! Islander, Cal's and Ericksons would also make good rigs too. Marty  

Five years ago plus, I went through almost the same search as you. If you are actually looking for racer- cruisers (rather than a cruiser-racer), then I would suggest that you might want to consider adding the following to your list: Beneteau 38s5: Luxuious interior at the price of performance. Cal 40's: More cruiser than racer Dehler 38: Well built fractionally rigged with quite a bit of Euro-panache. Express 37: Great all around boats. Fabola Diva 39: Good fast boat, that should be very easy to handle short-handed. Farr 37: These were more racers than cruisers but in good shape they offer reasonably good performance and a reasonably nice interior (with optional vee berth) I thought that the rig looked a little vulnerable and was put off by the IOR hull form but you find these boats in nice chape pretty cheaply. They were also a little deeper than I wanted to go. Farr 38 (Farr 11.6): Good all around boats. A little long in the tooth as an out and out race boat, but great short-handed performance cruiser. I ended up buying one in my seach and have been very impressed with the boat in a wide range of conditions. At the club racing level we have had 7 first, 2 seconds and a third the last season I raced her, and I have won all of the single-handed races that I have done with her. Frers F3 (36): Nice design crudely executed by Hinterhoeller. Frers 38: Nice design crudely executed by Carroll Marine. Hood 38 (built by Little Harbor, Bristol and Wauqiez): these are good all round boats. They excell in a breeze or where shoal draft is an asset. Not so great in light air and are not the easiest boats to sail short-handed. Hughes 38/Hinckley 38: These S&S designed early 1970's era were good all around boats for their day. Hughes built the hull and decks for both. Each built their own interiors. J-39: Somewhat spartan but nice boats. Oyster 37: I looked at one here on the Chesapeake. It was a pretty nice boat but it didn't ring my chimes. Ranger One Ton: I raced these boats back in the 1970's. They were a little squirely but some of these boats have been adapted as distance cruisers. They are similar in concept to the S&S designed Catalina 38 but seemed to be better built and slightly better sailing boats. Sigma 38: I thought that these were neat boats that made it onto my short list. Sweden 36: Very classy boat but not that fast. Tartan Soverel 39: Pretty well built but limited by their IOR origins. Tripp 37 (Holby 37): Really well built, really neat boats. The full race versions has a bit of a spindley rig. X119: Fast and fun  

Why not a bigger C&C? I like the Pearson 36, although it may not sail as well as your C&C. I am also a fan of the Beneteau First 42, although maybe that's a little big for you.  

The Beneteau First 42 is a deep-drafted boat. If memory serves, 7'11"? Not for shallow waters.  

... and privacy (separate cabins).. One comment - consider very carefully three cabins in a size under the mid-40s, as fitting thre cabins in may require tradeoffs that reduce the overall livability. I owned a mid-80s Beneteau First 30E with a tri-cabin layout. It looked great on first impressions down bleow, but was totally un-livable. Although it "slept seven", there was no bunk big enough for a couple, or someone over 5'9", everything was cramped and there was no ventalation. Our previous boat was a '77 C&C 30, which while more spartan in appearance, was much more comfortable and liveable for a week or two. We had the C&C for six years, the Beneteau for one...  

I also like the C&C Landfall 38, and like your husband want the speed. My wife wants the livable interior. We kept the Catalina 38, Landfall 38 on our final list until the Newport 41 caught our eye -- and won our hearts. The N41 also a C&C design  

Ted Brewer designed Morgan 38 comes to mind. pigslo  

Farr 38 This excerpt taken from a Sailing New Zealand newsletter published in 2004: "The NSW Coroner has recently completed his inquest into the deaths of two (of the six) members of the crew of the yacht Rising Farrster, a Farr 38 owned by a UK based organisation, and built in 1993. The Coroner found that both deaths occurred as a result of drowning when the keel of the yacht separated from the hull causing the vessel to capsize and recommended that a précis of his summing up, findings and recommendations be distributed to owners of light displacement yachts fitted with fin keels built subject to pre 1994 ABS approval. His Worship made this recommendation so that appropriate decisions can be made by owners as to checking and/or modification of yachts." Mmmmmm. . . . .  

Like most Farr 38 owners I am quite familiar with this case. "Rising Farrster" , the boat in question in the NSW Coronors report was not actually a production Farr 38. She was one of a number of illegally produced boats that had been built on a boot legged mould after Australian production of the legally licensed Farr 38's had ceased production. She was built by a company in Australia that had pulled a mould off an existing boat and began producing what they called a Farr 38 IMS. These boats were built extremely differently than the actual Farr Yacht Design engineered Farr 38's. The modifications from the original design were not designed by Farr Yacht Design and I understand that the company in question ceased production after being advised that the did not have the rights to produce the boat and that the modifications were questionable. To explain further, the stock Farr 38's have a deep sump and deep closely spaced transverse keel frames (floors) that are almost 14" deep. The bottom of the sump is made up of alternating layers of laminate from either side of the hull. The transverse frames are hand laminated in place, and the laminate from the transverse frames turns down into the sump to form the top most laminations in the bottom of the sump. The transverse frames cross a series of closely spaced laminated in place longitudinal stringers. The drawings on a Farr 38 calls for 36 mm of glass at the overlap of the glass at bottom of the sump (nearly 1 1/2" of glass in the sump). The keel bolts pass through this nearly 1 1/2" of glass and then through a roughly 3"-4" by roughly 5-6" long, 11 mm (5/16") SS plate that is shaped like the bottom of the sump. Stock Farr 38's have a simple fin and do not have bulb keels. The counterfeit Farr 38's used a molded force grid that had transverse frames that were spaced wider than on the Farr engineered Farr 38's and only a single longitudinal stringer. The transverse fames in the force grid were less than 5" deep. The force grid was molded separately from the hulls and were then glued in. According to the detailed New South Wales Coroner report, as built, the glass thickness on " Rising Farrister" at the centerline was found to be between 5.5 and 6.5 mm. (This is actually half the thickness of the 13 mm topsides thickness specified on a stock Farr 38, and 1/8th the specified thickness of the sump bottom). It is also way less than the 27 mm required by the 1994 ABS standards. Instead of the heavy SS backing plates used on real Farr 38's, the keel bolts on "Rising Farrister" went through simple fender washers. Making matters worse, "Rising Farrister" had a bulb keel similar to a Mumm 36 Keel. This keel was substantially deeper than the Farr 38 keel, slightly heavier and concentrated the bulk of the weight of the keel at the bottom of the keel. This combination greatly increased the stress on the keel bolts. Regrettably, this combination of changes produced a boat that was destined to fail, and sadly several lives were lost when it did. In my pre-purchase research on the I traded email with owners, several which had 10's of thousands of offshore miles on their boats and reported that they have held up very well. I spoke to a fellow who single handed his in from South Africa and he reported that the first 10 days he sailed in winds between 30 and 50 knots, recording at one point a GPS reading of 16 knots. At least as recently as 4 years ago, 20 year old Farr 38's were still racing as a one-design class in the trans-Atlantic Cape Town to Rio Race. The actual Farr 38's are pretty tough boats. On the other hand, I would never say that these are ideal offshore cruising boats. Instead, based on my experience having owned one, I would suggest that they are excellent performance cruisers, and club racers that are easy to single-hand and which can be taken offshore short-handed without problem and I think that was the original question in this thread. Respectfully, Jeff  

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