John Neal’s

Boats to Consider for Ocean Cruising

Updated April 2023
Through Of f shore Cruising Seminars and Boat Selection Consultations I have helped more than 12,000 sailors
locate the best ocean cruising boats f or their planned voyages and budget. If you need knowledgeable,
experienced (400,000 ocean miles, 50 years) and unbiased advice f rom someone who has no f inancial interest in
the boat you select, I can help. Details on www.mahina.com/consult.html or contact me at Mahina Expeditions,
sailing@mahina.com, tel 360.378.7344. v4.23

Boat Model Overall Value, 1 – 5, 5 being best value and highest quality
Able 32, 42, 48 3 Superb quality, expensive, but old. Chuck Paine designs.
Alajuela 33, 38 1 33 is a good design, 38 is a classic dinosaur with long bowsprit and boomkin.
Alberg 30,35, 37 1 Proven, but ancient, narrow, short waterlines, limited interior volume.
Alden 38, 43, 44, 46, 48, 54, 58 3 Classy, well built, beautif ul. Because of age, teak decks may be an issue.
Allied 30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 39, 42 1 Good value. Functional, practical but very old now.
Alubat (Ovni, Cigale) 36-58 5 Builders of innovative but simple lif ting-keel aluminum cruising boats
Allures 40, 45, 51 5 Top quality, innovative, aluminum hulls/lif ting keel design with f iberglass decks
and house on newer models (a brilliant construction technique).
Amel 36-64 4 Strong, well designed passage makers, great value, but systems-rich and AC
generator-dependent. Rare serious blister problems on older models.
Amazon 29, 37, 44 3 Steel boats, attractive modern designs, some corrosion issues.
Amphitrite 43 3 Wauquiez built, strong & roomy with good storage. Odd deck design, but solid
boat and good value. Avoid teak deck models as teak is super thin.
Bayf ield 29, 30-32, 40 1 Only moderate quality and interiors are a bit “plasticy” interiors.
Bianca 36-52 3 Quality Danish yard, now a winter ref it and storage f acility.
Bluewater 60 2 Modern, top quality Chuck Paine design, only a f ew built.
Boreal 44, 47, 50, 53, 63 4 Innovative design suitable f or high latitude cruising, late delivery problems.
Bowman 36-58 2 Strong boats, good passagemakers, but shortish waterlines.
Brewer 42, 44 3 Improved version of Whitby 42.
Bristol 27-45 3 Good boats. Later models were better quality. Long since out of production.
Bristol Channel Cutter 28 2 Well built, but cockpit and cabin not comf ortable.
Bruckmann 42, 480, 50, 65 3 Solid, roomy Mark Ellis designs, perf ect f or inclement weather
Cabot 36 2 Ted Brewer design. Very limited production a long time ago.
Caliber 28, 33, 35, 38, 40. 3 Fairly well-built. Michael McCreary designs. LRC models have substantial
tankage but smallish interiors. The 47 is not an attractive boat.
Cambria 40, 44, 46 3 Fast, well-built, gorgeous and have held their value well, but getting old.
Camper Nicholson 31, 32, 35, 2 Famous yard, long out of business now. Very seaworthy but watch f or consistent
38, 39, 40, 43, 47, 56, 58, 70 serious blister problems on all models once in warm waters.
Cabo Rico 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45, 2 Crealock & Paine designs. Some problems with water absorption into balsa-
47 cored decks. Newer Paine-designed models are substantially better.
Cape Dory - all models 1 Classic design, quality, but narrow and small interiors w/short WL.
Cape George Cutters 31, 36, 38 2 Many owner-completed, quality varies. Surprisingly f ast, but look f or deck rot.
Cascade 36, 42 1 1965-67 design. Narrow-beamed and sturdy, many owner-completed.
Catalina 385, 425, 445 3 Later models are impressive and keep getting better. These are not boats f or
Cape Horn but are totally adequate f or low to mid-latitude cruising.
Cavalier 32, 39 2 Limited production, f airly good quality vessels, but narrow, dated designs.
Centurion 36, 38, 40/41, 42/45 3 Fast, attractive solid boats with very modest tankage and limited storage. Avoid
47/49 any with teak decks as removal will cost $60k!
Cherubini 44, 48, 62 3 Semi-custom, absolutely gorgeous, great sailing & expensive. Limited interior
space compared to modern designs.
Contessa 26 & 32 1 Tania Aebi & B.J. Caldwell both circumnavigated in 26's, but these are TINY
boats. The 32 is small and sturdy and truly a classic.
Contest 31, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 4 Newer models are very attractive and expensive. Wide wing keels on some
42, 44, 46, 48, 55, 60 models, think Bruce anchor. Yard continues to build top-quality boats.
 Boats to Consider

Corbin 39 2 Roomy and strong but blisters if taken to warm water. Some owner completed.
Crealock 31, PH 32, 34, 37, 40, 3 Good value and well built. Gracef ul overhangs, canoe sterns, short waterlines
44 by Pacif ic Seacraf t means these boats can hobbyhorse upwind.
CS 33, 36 2 Modern, f airly well built. Occasional blister problems.
CSY 37, 44 1 Sturdy, roomy & reasonably priced but very old now.
Dana 24 by Pacif ic Seacraf t 2 Attractive solid, expensive and slooow miniature pocket ocean cruiser.
Deerf oot Yachts 3 Fast & innovative, aluminum & f iberglass hulls.
Dickerson 36, 37, 40, 41, 50 1 Nicely proportioned & well-built but ancient. Earlier 36’s are very reasonably
priced but lack interior space and are truly ancient.
Discovery 42, 48, 54, 55, 58, 68 3 Fairly high-quality yard, now sadly bankrupt.
Duf our 31, 35 - 45 2 1964-84 models had solid hulls & balsa cored-decks. Later models not brilliant.
Endurance 35, 38, 40 1 Peter Ibold design, some owner completed. Built by various yards.
Esprit 37 or Valiant 37, 39 2 Comf ortable, well proven, good value but some have blisters.
Exploration 45, 52 (Garcia) 5 Innovative, impressive aluminum lif ting keel designs with protected steering
positions.
F & C 44 2 Semi-modern Frers designed cruising ketch built in Argentina.
Fantasi 37, 50 4 High quality attractive pilothouse boats built on Orust Island, Sweden.
Farr Pilot House 50, 56, 60, 63 4 Powerf ul, f ast, good quality. Hold value very well.
Fast Passage 39 1 Some built in Canada, some by Tollycraf t. WA. Canadian models better.
Fisher 30-46 1 Sturdy and slow classic motorsailers. OK f or high latitude cruising.
Fraser 41, 46, 50 2 Good, sturdy, f airly modern cruisers.
Freya 39 2 Stif f and f ast, but many owner-completed, so quality varies greatly.
Garcia 46-115 5 Strong, semi-custom, highest quality aluminum lif ting keel designs built in France
Gladiateur 33 1 Sturdy, short on tankage, Wauquiez-built.
Goderich 35, 37,41 2 Attractive Brewer semi-custom steel boat but small production run and rare.
Gozzard 31, 36, 44 3 Good design & quality construction. Totally committed quality company.
Hallberg-Rassy, 31 - 69 5 Stif f , strong, f ast, comfortable, good tankage & systems integration. Newer Frers
designs f aster than earlier models. Teak deck issues on some older models.
Halmatic 30 1 Similar to Nicholson 31. Watch f or blisters.
Hinkley 30-64 3 Attractive classic lines, highest quality construction. Modest tankage & storage,
shortish waterlines.
Hood 38 3 Hood design, Wauquiez-built, attractive but short on tankage. Solid choice.
Hylas 46,49, 54, 54 raised 4 Good perf ormance, tankage & storage. Substantially better quality & f ewer deck
Saloon, 56, 70 leaks on newer models.
Island Packet 32, 35, 350, 37,38, 4 Roomy & comf ortable, good tankage & storage but some unusual f eatures. Only
380, 40, 420, 44, 45 consider IP’s built af ter 1998 when chainplate issue was addressed.
Jason 35 f rom Miller Marine 1 Many owner-completed. Several have cruised extensively.
Jongert 50, 55, 60, 67, 73 3 Quality, heavy, expensive, semi-custom steel and aluminum yachts.
Justine 36 2 Gorgeous Paine design, Morris built cruiser. Rare.
Kaiser Gale Force 34 2 Well designed and built, good sailing qualities.
Kaiulani 34, 38 2 Lovely steel Brewer & Yohe designs. Semi-custom, very limited production.
Kanter 42, 45, 60, 65 2 Semi-custom steel & alu boats. Later alum. models much better than early steel
ones. Chuck Paine & Ted Brewer designs. Some have serious corrosion issues.
LM 30, 315, 32, 380 2 Some have inside steering. Well-built and impressive pocket cruisers.
Little Harbor 42 - 90 2 Hood designed heavy displacement; semi-custom, very high maintenance
means these are expensive to own. Strange pinched Ted Hood sterns.
Malo 36, 38, 39, 45 5 High quality of f shore boats with good sailing perf ormance. Multiple instances of
skeg f ailure reported on 45.
Mariah 31 1 At least one circumnavigation. Pacif ic Seacraf t-built. Slow and small.
Mason 33, 43, 44, 53, 54, 63 2 Handsome Ta-Shing boats, short waterlines and high maintenance.
Moody 38, 42, 47, 54, 64 3 Good designs of only modest quality. Compare to Catalina.
Morgan 382, 383, 384 3 Ted Brewer design f or around $45-55K. Good value if they’ve been repowered
Morris 26, 28, 30, 32, 34,36, 42, 4 Chuck Paine designs, superb quality, highest quality US yard building cruising
44, 45, 454, 46, 48.6, 52 boats. Semi-custom and expensive.
Mystic 57, 60 3 Dubois design, Bowman built, beautif ul. Very limited production run.

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 Boats to Consider

Mystery 35, 43 3 Top quality, f ast and attractive. Good choice!

Najad 330, 361, 370, 390, 420, 5 Quality, attractive boats. Excellent sailing perf ormance. Good tankage, storage
490, 520 and high level of craf tsmanship.
Nauti-Cat 351, 39, 40, 42, 515, 2 Later S & S designed models are much better perf ormers than older tubby
521 models. Newer boats are very high quality with inside steering.
Niagara 31, 35, 42 2 Well-built & roomy. Good value, but watch f or soggy deck cores.
Nordborg 30-40 2 High quality but classic, narrow Elvstrom and S&S designs.
Nordic 34,37,40,44,45 2 Attractive boats, some solvable problems with mast step def lection and leaky
hull to deck joint on the 40 & 44.
Norseman 400,447 2 Have held their value well but require a lot of maintenance. Rusty f uel tanks
present an expensive repair issue. Attractive and good sailing characteristics.
Nordship 35, 360, 380, 430 3 High quality Danish yard. Gorgeous deck saloons models.
North Wind 43,50, 58 3 S&S designs, f airly good construction quality. Very f ew in NA.
Ocean 60, 71 2 Powerf ul boats, many have had blister problems and seriously old now.
Ocean Cruising 42 * Only a f ew built by Hank Hinkley. Classy, top quality.
Outbound 44, 46 52 5 Fast, well-built boats with excellent customer service. New company owners now
Ovni 35, 395, 445, 495, 58 5 Sturdy, low maintenance excellent aluminum, lif ting keel. Newer the better.
Oyster 42, 45, 485,49,53, 55, 56 4 Attractive, expensive and good quality. Weak resale value on larger models
61, 62, 63, 66, 70, 82, 100 make these a good choice.
Pacif ic Seacraf t 34, 37, 40, 44 3 Well built, classic lines with gracef ul overhangs & short WLs mean slow & small.
Pearson 35, 365, 385, 422, 424, 2 Moderate construction quality, but good value. The 385 has amazing use of
520 space and 424 cutter is tough to beat f or value.
Passport 40, 41, 415, 435, 44, 3 Modern Perry cruising design. Good storage/tankage, soggy wooden deck cores
456, 470, 50 common on older models.
Pretorien 35 3 Strong, solid & attractive, built by Wauquiez. Great value. Modest tankage, many
have saildrives, a negative. Later models better.
Regina of Vindo, 38, 43, 49 5 Gorgeous, exquisitely built, highest quality deck saloon. In a class of their own.
Rival 36-41, Rival Bowman 42 3 Strong, good-looking and sailing boats. RB 42 very impressive.
Rustler 36, 37, 42 4 Totally impressive, high-quality boats and excellent company.
Sabre 34, 362,38, 402, 42, 402, 3 Built in Maine, modest quality, limited tankage and storage, but very pretty.
425, 452 Doctor’s boats f or New England.
Sadler 34 3 Unsinkable, f ast, great perf ormance. Good choice.
Santa Cruz 52, 53 3 Strong, f ast is f un, but pounds upwind! Last boats were built in FL
Saturna 33 2 Attractive and roomy Bill Garden-designed pilothouse cutter.
Scanmar 33, 345, 35 & 40 3 Limited production but good design & quality construction.
Sceptre 41, 43 3 Modern quality pilothouse with good sailing perf ormance.
Seawind 30, Seawind II 32 2 Solid old boats, good value only if they have been ref it.
Seguin 44, 51 by Lyman-Morse 2 Semi-custom, Maine-built, powerf ul and attractive boats. Builder does ref its.
Shannon 32, 36, 39, 43, 47, 53. 2 Good reliable, solid, traditional and slow boats. Some deck issues…
Skye 51 2 Similar looking to Swans. Soggy deck problems common.
Southerly 330-590 3 Quality built, attractive and innovative swing-keel yachts.
Southern Cross 28, 31, 35, 39 2 Moderate quality, limited on deck storage, old.
Spencer 35, 42, 44, 54 1 Ancient, solid boats, built in Vancouver, B.C. Quite dated now.
Stellar 52 2 Quality S&S design, well built, good detail work. Very limited production.
Sunbeam 32, 34, 37, 38, 40 3 Not bad! Built in Austria.
Sundeer 56, 64 3 Innovative design & excellent of f wind perf ormance. Good systems layout. Some
need extensive ref its. Built by TPI.
Swan 3 Newest models poorly suited f or ocean cruising with open cockpits and limited
tankage & storage. Teak deck issues on older models.
Shearwater 39, 45 2 Sturdy, traditional appearance, f airly good perf ormance.
Sweden Yachts 2 Racer-cruisers, short on tankage and storage and having rudder loss issues.
Tartan 34, 3500, 37, 3700, 41, 3 Moderate quality, some have centerboards. Modest storage and tankage.
4100, 4600 Several 37’s have circumnavigated – look f or ones that have been ref itted
Taswell 43, 49, 56, 58, 60, 72 3 Good quality and sailing perf ormance. Limited tankage on some models.
Tashiba 31, 36, 40 2 High maintenance Perry designs built by Ta Shing.
Topper Hermanson 40+ 3 Semi custom steel or aluminum Van de Stadt designs.
Trintella 35-47 3 Roomy and well built. Newer designs are aluminum and expensive
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 Boats to Consider

Triton 29 by Pearson 1 Earliest f iberglass production boat. Ancient, small but sturdily built.
Twister 28 1 Long production run. Sturdy but narrow, built by Tyler Yachts.
Valiant 32, 37, 39, 40, 42, 47, 50 3 Few problems with the newer, Texas built boats. Proven designs. Double ender
means limited cockpit stowage and no possibility of a swim step.
Vancouver 27 2 Also built in Taiwan & England. Solid pocket circumnavigator f or the patient.
Vancouver 28, 34, 36, 38 2 High quality semi-traditional yachts built by Northshore Marine.
Vangard 32 1 Sturdy but truly ancient Phil Rhodes design, built by Pearson.
Vega 27, by Albin Marine 1 At least six have circumnavigated. Inexpensive, light and f ast.
Victoria 30, 34 2 Chuck Paine design, Morris built.
Vilm 116, 117 3 Quality motorsailers, solid and good f or higher latitudes
Vindo 29, 34, 38, 39 1 Attractive, well built, but very high maintenance.
Vineyard Vixen 30, 34 1 Attractive design, quality boats but rare.
Westerly 26 – 43 2 Not f lashy, but moderately well-built boats. Similar to Moody or Catalina.
Westsail 28, 32, 39, 42, 43 2 Sturdy boats traditional design. Watch f or leaky aluminum tanks.
Whitby 42, 44 2 Brewer designs, roomy and f airly well built but slow and old.
Yamaha 33, 35CS, 37 2 Solid, no-nonsense sturdy, low maintenance.
Yankee 30, 38 2 S & S designed. Inexpensive and very capable. Great value.

Catamarans
Antares 44 5 Most impressive construction details and quality. No saildrives!
Atlantic 42, 48, 55 3 Chris White design, quality construction.
Catana 401, 431, 471, 521 4 Good design, but customer service seriously lacks at delivery, complicated
systems and expensive to maintain.
Dean 400, 441 2 Fairly well built, roomy & comf y, moderate perf ormance, good engine access.
Dolphin 46 2 Daggerboards, good performance/comfort balance.
Fountaine Pajot 38, 43, 44, 3 Attractive designs, quality keeps improving, so newer is better. Stick-built means
Casamance 45, 46, 56, 60, 75 stif f er and lighter than Leopard with better bridge deck clearance.
Garcia Explocat 52 5 A development of the very successf ul Garcia Exporation monohulls. Aluminum,
go-anywhere in the world construction. Expensive with a serious waiting time.
Gunboat 48-90 4 Expensive, innovative rocketships now built in France.
Kronos 45 2 Wauquiez-Beneteau built. Study but heavy and only 13 built.
Knysna 440, 480 2 Sturdy but a little odd; poor engine access. Foam-core, no balsa
Lagoon 38, 41, 47, 57, 67 2 Beneteau built, great charter boat, not as well built and don’t age as well as
Leopards.
Leopard 38,42,44, 46,47, 62 4 Good designs, well built, easily maintained. Moderate bridge deck clearance.
Leopard 44, & 48 breakthrough design with f orward cockpit. Look for non-
charter, owner 3 cabin versions.
Manta 38, 40, 42 3 Well designed and built. Great cruising boat. Slightly heavy.
Outremer 40-64 4 Fast & strong, lightweight construction, no balsa coring. Expensive and f airly
high experience level required to sail these saf ely. Narrow hulls.
PDQ 32, 36, 42, 44 3 Long successf ul production run. Now called Antares 44.
Privilege 40-62 4 Good build quality & perf ormance. The 435-465 hits the sweet spot f or couples.
Prout 37, 38, 45, 50 1 Reasonably priced, well proven, long production run.
Seawind 33, 39, 41, 52 1 Marginal quality, originally built in Australia, now in Vietnam
St. Francis 50 2 Below average quality & sailing perf ormance, low bridge deck clearance.
Soubise 46 4 Excellent, super-f ast and high quality, semi-custom.
Voyage 380, 440, 500, 580 2 Lightweight, luxury-f ocused, low f reeboard & bridge deck clearance.