Captain Ron's

Sailing and Cruising Pages

Comparing Various Boat Designs

(for fun and making buying decisions)

By Captain Ron

When the admiral and I decided to buy a new boat we went through quite a process but we think it was particularly effective. Consider that we're recently retired baby-boomers although I'm still working part-time as a boat captain. This statement reveals the first of our criteria. The new boat must be a boat that the two of us old farts can handle. We decided that this meant a boat smaller than the Queen Mary but as large as possible. Actually, we knew that this requirement translated into something in the range of 40ft plus or minus.

Next, we decided what type of cruising we would be doing with this boat. We decided that we would be cruising the Bahamas and Florida primarily but that we might go up the east coast of the US and we might sail the Caribbean some day. This also yielded a physical constraint on our choice of boats ... namely that we had to have shallow draft ... preferably under 4 ft but we could live with as much as 5 ft if a salesman was convincing enough. This cruising area also meant that a boat would need to be offshore capable although not necessarily offshore ready. Seaworthiness was high on the list. While we might never do it, it's possible that we would want to leave the Abacos and sail straight to the Chesapeake ... open ocean all the way.

We also knew from experience that winds in this area are often fickle and tend to light air so we needed good sailing performance but we also wanted excellent motoring performance. We are strictly fair weather sailors. We watch the weather constantly and pick our traveling windows. Often this results in lots of motoring. Add to this the power requirements of autopilots, radar, instruments, various radios, fans, waste treatment, refrigeration, computers and we find that we rack up 4 or 500 hours on the engine each year.

Then we decided what our finances could handle. We figured that we had $150k to invest in a boat AND cruise for a few years before we'd have work to support the habit. The less we sink into a boat, the more we would have for cruising and vice versa. Thus we had no more than about $90k to sink into the boat and that had to include repairs and upgrades. Boat shopping prices therefore, had to be in the range of no more than $75k and preferably much less depending on how boats were equipped. This price range also ruled out catamarans since experience had shown that our cruising style required a cat in excess of 40ft which put them well out of our price range ... assuming we weren't willing to buy some old junker. Also the initial assumption was that we could live and cruise on about $20k per year.

Comfort issues were also high on our list of features. We wanted comfort at anchor as much as comfort in a seaway ... maybe even more since we would be spending way more time anchored out than actually sailing. A separate shower stall was considered essential, along with a comfortable owner's berth, sufficient tankage, a berth for guests and a tolerable galley to round out the short list.

Ok, given the above, what's next? Well, we surveyed the market to see what was available in our size and price range. I suppose this is where most folks start out the search but given our requirements, there really weren't all that many boats available that we would consider. Of course, we started out in the 40+ range but after looking at a few boats we realized that finding a boat in acceptable condition for under $75k just wasn't going to happen anytime soon. So we looked at boats a little under 40 feet. In fact one boat we almost seriously considered was a Bristol 35.5 ... a 35 footer that in the end we decided was just too small ... great little boat though. Draft also reduced out list of candidates. When you want a 40 footer that draws 4 feet, the list gets real short.

Anyway to make a long story just a bit longer, we developed a spreadsheet that enabled us to compare physical characteristics of various boats and to eliminate those that didn't meet our specs for performance, seaworthiness and comfort in a seaway . We soon came to recognize certain classes of yachts on the market. First there is the Beneteau, Catalina, Hunter class. That is mass produced production yachts. Then there's the what I consider the low end meaning most of the Irwin, Morgan, Gulfstar, Endeavor, O'Day lines ... there are exceptions here but mostly they're unacceptable except as lake and near coastal cruisers. I'm sure I'm pissing off somebody here but that's just my opinion folks. Then there's the vast middle class ... Tartan, Bristol, Ericson, C&C, Pearson, Saga, Islander and some semi customs, like Caliber, Brewer or Hood (although these might fit in the upper or cult group) ... the upper end includes Sabre, Hinckley, Morris, etc. (mostly overpriced and only affordable over the long haul). There is however, one other class not to be overlooked and that is what I call cult boats. In this group, I place Island Packet, J Boats, Hylas, Gozzards, etc. These tend to be pricey (for no good reason) although they are good quality boats and generally hold resale values well.

Anyway, we eliminated the low end, considered a few designs from the BCH group and mostly wrote off the high end and cult boats. That left us with mostly the mid range production boats.

Here's the spreadsheet we ended up with. There are a few points worth mentioning here. This sheet is not entirely original. It is a greatly simplified version of a terrific and elegant sheet I copied off the web and authored by John Holtrop. I modified John's work to suit my purposes. For instance, I think PHRF rating is a better measure of relative performance than trying to decipher sail areas and displacements... just my opinion. There are lots of notes in the sheet ... READ THEM ... they explain various assumptions or opinions influencing the outcomes. None of the formulas or parameters are original but represent the work of others or the dreaded CW (conventional wisdom) ... Ted Brewer's work figures prominently and I recommend his website if you want an education in the basics of yacht design.

Also I noted this in the sheet but I'll mention it again ... this sheet led us to a great design that met all of our seaworthiness, draft and performance requirements ... the Pearson P40. We didn't buy one although there were at least 3 available at the time. This flush decked, centerboard boat draws 4ft or so, performs like a racer and yet has seaworthiness numbers for crossing oceans. What a fabulous design. It is also a very unusual design. Out of the water it looks like an upside down whale. The keel is barely distinguishable from the hull form and it sports a 53% ballast displacement ratio where the displacement is over 20000lbs in a 40 footer. Yet in areas where it's raced it has PHRF numbers faster than most 45 foot cruisers. Also the flush deck means lots of uncluttered space for working or lounging on deck. Great boat ... so why didn't we buy one? The admiral couldn't live with the dark, cave like interior no matter how many fluorescent lights I told her I'd install. Hey, she makes the rules.

Download spreadsheet