"katy" wrote in message
...
Maxprop wrote:
"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
oups.com...
To be fair, the line cover didn't show any damage, but it certainly
flexed a
lot when anyone walked on it. Even my 105 lb. wife complained about
it.

Well our's certainly does not flex and I weigh twice what your wife
does.


This boat couldn't have been more than 6'1" at the companionway and
no more
than 5' 9" at the mast support. To say the least we were surprised by
the
lack of headroom.


Well, the 35s5 is listed with headroom of 6'3, so then the 38s5 must
have less for some reason.


The berth was quite long--I'm guessing about 7'--but the portion of
the bed
under the cockpit had only about 2 feet of clearance. I wouldn't be
able to
roll over without hitting my shoulder against the liner under the
cockpit.

Again, this sounds like it's tighter than our boat.


Never doubted that. But it does seem unlikely that the 38' boat
would be
smaller in several dimensions than the 35 footer.

But clearly it is, notably in headroom.


I suspect that's a subjective evaluation and probably not the
consensus
among most sailors.

Reputations are generated by people and they're not always correct. We
looked at the Sabre 34 and Tartan 34 and the J34c. They all showed what
I felt were DRASTIC cost cutting measures. Perhaps only the J34c was
true to her design goal with a small, but neatly done interior. The
35s5 had the better fit and finish over the Sabre and Tartan. I
couldn't stand up behind the wheel of the Tartan because the backstay
was in the way! So much for good design. The Sabre's deck layout was
great however.

Glad you're happy with your boat. The 38s5 we saw was
junk when it left the factory. It was nothing I would want, even when
new.

Well, I suspect you'll see a lot of so-so stuff out there. You might
want to look at a First 38 that has been updated. Like the 35s5, they
are extremely well regarded and have quite a following compared to the
newer Beneteau's. And how about some of the C&Cs and Pearsons from the
later years. If you have the bucks, I really dig the newest Tartans.
Keep looking...no rush.

Next in line for inspection is a Passport 40, a true blue-water cruiser.
Not terribly fast, but has a fair turn of speed for a voyager. We'll see
. . .

Max
Out of abject curiosity...why are you looking for a new boat?

1) larger, 2) more capacity, storage, fuel capacity, range, speed, 3)
offshore capable, 4) money burning a hole in the pocket.

Max