wendy wrote:
Boat shopping here in the Middle East has proven to be a pleasant
diversion. Beats getting shot at, anyway.

So does almost anything... at least that's what I hear!


As much as I look and research online, there are a lot of boats that
are interesting. The venerable Tayana 37 is nice, the Shannons are
good choices, and the Caliber 38 is a pretty good buy.

The Caliber is a very different boat than the Tayana. It's a fin keeler,
flatter hull. They are built with bigger tanks and other provisions
for long term cruising but I've heard a number of owners reporting
problems.... but then no boat is perfect. FWIW I have sailed a Caliber
35 and found it sails better than the numbers suggest it should. I like
the handling of such a boat much better than a full keeler, but that's
an issue of personal taste.

The Shannon and Gozzard boats are similar, full keelers, and usually
rather pricey.


... And of course
there are more, loads more. I have decided to stick with something
under 40 feet; everything just gets too complicated in larger boats.
And in that category, I keep returning to one boat- the Crealock 37.

They are pricey. Real pricey. A mid-80's model is all I am going to
be able to buy and still have cash in reserve for the inevitable
"stuff that has to be dealt with." The boat is a beautiful craft, and
while she is not nearly as roomy as, say, the T-37, she's plenty big
for one or two people.

That difference in roominess reflects the design and also to a large
extent the structure of the boat. It's relatively narrow and well
bulkheaded.

... I have never had the pleasure of sailing on
one, but I understand they are very nicely balanced, easy to
singlehand (as singlehanding goes), and they are not terrors around
the docks.

I've sailed the 31. It's one of the nicer sailing of the heavyweights.

... That the boats are well-made and respected is a plus; if I
ever decide to sell I should get a good portion of the purchase price
back.

But the things are awfully expensive.

Well, assuming that the current generation doesn't completely destroy
the environment, rendering it impossible to sail the oceans; and the
younger generation doesn't turn it's back on vigorous out doors
pursuits; then yes you should be able to recoup a good price for the
boat. And that makes a difference in the overall expense of having her.
But you'll find that keeping & outfitting & maintaining a boat can still
be expensive. IMHO an long term average of ~8% of it's value per year is
a good figure... much more, if you have to hire others to work on her.

Why have you zeroed in on the Crealock 37?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King