4. Pacific Seacraft Mariah 31 : Here's another boat that seems to be a response to the Westsail 32.

I've always said that my favorite boat is whichever one I currently own. Being able to call it "mine" makes it my favorite by default. My first boat was a $400 derelict that I loved (still love) deeply. And she loved me back. However, that doesn't mean there aren't other boats I love that I'd like to call "mine" someday. The following is my personal ranking of my favorite affordable (available for ~$50k) sailboats. I've rather arbitrarily set the price limit around $50k and called it "affordable" in hopes that one day one of these boats might fit my budget and help my family and I to sail far and live free. Also note that other than the top 3, these rankings change in my head almost daily and I really struggled to narrow the list down to just 10.
As you peruse my list, you'll notice that they're all bluewater cruisers . You won't find any modern designs, fin keels, spade rudders, sugar scoop transoms, carbon fiber rigs, or plumb bows. What you will find are long keels, heavy displacements, tons of teak (Since I don't own them yet I don't have to varnish them!), cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 many canoe sterns , and salty good looks. It's a shame that very few of today's manufacturers build a salty looking sailboat with true offshore abilitiy in a small, affordable package. Luckily I'm proud to be smitten by the treasures of a bygone era. As always, feel free to share your thoughts and your own list of favorites or others you think I should add to mine. If you're ready to sell or shop for bluewater cruisers, visit my companion site at SailFarYachts.com .
10. CSY 33 : With a production run of only 57 boats, it's not surprising that many people aren't familiar with CSY's smallest sailboat. Her swoopy sheerline and sharp bow beckon me. And just in case you thought all those new fancy deck saloon (DS) designs from the likes of Jeanneau were new and novel ideas, just remember that CSY built this little 33 footer way back in 1978.
9. Shannon 28 : Walt Schulz, Shannon 28 designer and Shannon Yachts founder, has since moved on to bigger and more modern yachts cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 like the Shannon 53HPS . But I think he did his finest work with the Shannon 28, just the second model ever offered from Shannon. She's the smallest boat on my list, but was just too seaworthy and beautiful to leave off the list. I love the reverse transom cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 and transom-hung rudder. And have you seen Shannon's cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 craftsmenship? Just in case you think 28 feet is too few to offer any choice in cabin layout, Shannon gave you three options with names that speak of this boat's purpose: Passagemaker Layout , Cruising Layout , Offshore Layout .
8. Valiant 32 : How far into this list did you think you'd get without running into a Bob Perry designed boat? This one is like a mini-Valiant 40, which is one of the most well-known and proven offshore boats and a member of the American Sailboat Hall of Fame . Just like the 40, Perry designed the 32 to have classic looks you'd expect from a 1970's era world cruiser cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 (canoe stern, etc.) but with a more modern underbody. She's got a long modified cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 keel approaching cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 the look of a fin keel with a skeg hung rudder. The Valiant 32 delivers vintage double-ender aesthetics without the sometimes sluggish sailing of a fullkeel.
cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 7. Fuji 35 : There's just something about a clipper bow and a ketch rig that magically transports my mind to the South Pacific. And if you're going to make the long sail to the South Pacific, you might as well be coddled in a gorgeously warm and wood filled cabin like that of the Fuji 35. The Fuji 35 was also available with a cutter rig, but it looks perfectly balanced to my eye with a mizzen mast.
6. Alajuela 38 : At first glance and without knowing the length, it might be easy to confuse the Alajuela 38 with the Westsail 32. But I assure you, she's a different animal. She's really a closer cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 cousin to the Ingrid 38, which I would have included if it weren't so similar. Have you ever seen a longer keel than that on the Alajuela 38? I bet she tracks like a freight cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 train. And how about that massive rudder? This boat is the very definition of a "stout cruiser".
5. Tayana 37 : The Tayana 37 is the second Perry-designed boat to make my list, and deservedly so as many far-flung anchorages cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 around the globe have hosted a T37. This boat is in many ways Bob's answer to the Westsail 32 phenonom of the 1970's. While Bob Perry himself thought the ketch option added speed and balance, I like the look of the more common Tayana 37 cutter. cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 There were a lot of these beauties produced (~650) so finding one with a price and configuration to your likely shouldn't be a problem. Heck, there's a even a pilothouse version for those who sail in cooler climates.
4. Pacific Seacraft Mariah 31 : Here's another boat that seems to be a response to the Westsail 32. Pacific Seacraft (now under new ownership) still produces some very desirable bluewater cruisers today, but the Mariah (not to be confused w/ the current cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 PSC 31) is vastly different than her modern day siblings. Pacific cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 Seacraft co-founder and Mariah designer Henry Morschadt put together what was known in the 1970's as "the most expensive boat of its size" but now represents somewhat of a bluewater bargain. Even today the Mariah is still thought of as one of the best built, sturdiest bluewater boats around. This reputation is largely due to the 3 inch hull thickness at the bilge and 1 inch thickness above the waterline. If you've ever replaced a thru-hull fitting on your own boat, you'll understand that 3 inches of fiberglass is insanely thick. No one wants to run aground, but you couldn't find a boat better built to take a hit with her full keel, transom hung rudder, prop aperture, and that thick hull.
3. Westsail 32 : This boat is already legendary in this blog post, let alone to the cruising community. In 1973, Time Magazine ran a feature about the cruising life with accompanying photos of a Westsail 32 somewhere over the horizon. The Westsail Corporation smartly coined the phrase "Westsail the World" and the cruising boom was on. If you dreamed of remote palm-covered islands and had the gumption to act on your vision, the Westsail 32 was your ticket to paradise. The Westsail's design pedigree is strong with the likes of William Atkin taking credit for the hull's cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 inspiration and William Crealock (of Pacific Seacraft fame) getting credit for the deck design and layout. This is the Tiger Woods of cruising sailboats: cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 You either love the Westsail 32 or hate it. Many criticize it for being unnecessarily cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 slow and heavy, mocking it with the "wet-snail 32" moniker. But I dare say Westsail fans far outnumber the critics. The 32's seakeeping abilities, strong construction, and reputation cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 for safe passages is nearly unmatched. Remember the movie The Perfect Storm ? If you recall, there's a brief mention in the movie of a true story about a sailboat that was caught in that perfect storm, yet somehow survived after being abandoned by her crew. That boat was the sailing vessel cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 Satori cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 , a tough little Westsail 32.
2. Baba 30 : You guessed it, another Bob Perry design. I promise I'm not on Bob's payroll. I just can't resist his double-ender designs ( see Bob's guest post on my blog here ). The canoe stern, deckhouse, bowsprit and long keel are SO perfectly balanced. Whenever I see a Baba on the water or at the dock, I can't turn away. The Baba 30 is very nearly my perfect boat. She's drop-dead gorgeous inside and out. She's built tough as nails. She sails very well. She's "affordable". So why isn't the Baba 30 number 1 on my list? I'm a realist and if this is suppose cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 to be a list of boats I might one day actually own, well then I'm gonna need more cabin space for those cruises when my then grown daughters come to visit mom and dad. The Baba 30 is really a couple's boat, not necessarily a family boat. Of course there's always the very similar looking Baba 35 or Baba 40, but now we've officially left the land of "affordable" bluewater boating.
1. Han Christian 33 Traditional : This is the way a boat should look; like it's ready to take on the world and be your steady cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 dance partner cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 even in the sloppiest of seas. Remember the almost perfect Baba 30 above? The Hans Christian 33 Traditional sails in and adds to all that I love about the Baba with the addition of a very family friendly and liveable cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 cabin layout. The HC33t features cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 what amounts to luxury accommodations for an affordable cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 bluewater cruiser. The forward cabin features a head, sink and full stall shower in the forepeak. That's followed immediately by a pullman berth (perfect for moms and dads!). cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 The salon is just as functional and well thought cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 out. Dedicated nav station? Check. Dinette with seating for 5? Check. Functional and sea-safe galley? Check. Fully enclosed aft stateroom with sleeping for 2? Check. All of this is presented with typical Hans Christian curves carved from hardwoods. On the outside she looks like a massive ocean canoe or Viking ship with a snooty bow and squat stern. The massive bowsprit supports the headsail, leaving room on the bow for the staysail. And look at those shin-high bulwarks around cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 the rail! The underbody is equally beautiful. cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 It features a long full keel with a cut-away forefoot and a fully protected prop and rudder. I dream about this boat. This boat has literally appeared in my day and night dreams multiple times. And I'm pretty sure the latitude on the GPS read 0 in every one of them.
Looking for more information on bluewater sailboats? Check out this guest post Bob Perry wrote for SailFarLiveFree.com to get his view on double-enders. And read about 50 years of cruising sailboat evolution by Ted Bewer here .
Great post... Most of these boats are slow for their waterlines and, for me at least, speed is a factor in safe passagemaking due to the ability cheapest airline tickets to salt lake city on dec 26 to avoid and dodge weather. I want the ability to easily make 7+ knots in all conditions. (I don t take this as a compromise to seakeeping.) One quirk of the HC33: The teak decks were fastened from