"Dan Best" wrote in message
...
Wilbur Hubbard wrote:
Rest assured that anybody who posts to rec.boats.cruising to get
advice will NEVER cross oceans. Too stupid to ask 1) the right
questions, 2) the right people.

It's unfortunate that you posted such a stupid, irrelevant response.
It completely discredited anything else of worth you might have said.

As far as a response to the original poster's questions, we all have
our opinions based on more or less experience. I happen to think that
my Tayana 37, a moderately heavy displacement cutter makes a great
compromise between the comforts (and costs) of a larger boat and the
tight quarters & uncomfortable motions of a smaller and less expensive
boat for the live-aboard, ocean crossing cruiser. I've done
deliveries of larger boats, but never lived aboard them. I have lived
aboard both my previous 30' coastal cruiser as well as the Tayana for
extended periods and the difference in comfort that the 7 extra feet
of overall length and 14,000 extra lb.s of displacement makes is huge.

Dan Best

The Tayana 37 is a fine voyaging boat. But, don't credit all her great
seakeeping characteristics solely upon her displacement. It's more a
matter of a good overall design. Usually good vessels have a respected
naval architect who draws the lines and integrates the package. Check
out this comparison between a Southern Cross 31 and a Tayana 37.

Performance Comparison

LOA Southern Cross 31 31 Tayana 37 Cutter
36.67

LWL Southern Cross 31 25 Tayana 37 Cutter 31

Beam Southern Cross 31 9.5 Tayana 37 Cutter
11.5

Displacement Southern Cross 31 13600 Tayana 37 Cutter 22500

Sail Area Southern Cross 31 447 Tayana 37 Cutter 861

Capsize Ratio Southern Cross 31 1.59 Tayana 37 Cutter 1.63

Hull Speed Southern Cross 31 6.7 Tayana 37 Cutter 7.46

SA/Disp Southern Cross 31 12.55 Tayana 37 Cutter 17.28

Disp/LWL Southern Cross 31 389 Tayana 37 Cutter 337

LWL/BeamSouthern Cross 31 2.63 Tayana 37 Cutter 2.7

Motion Comfort Southern Cross 31 38.8 Tayana 37 Cutter 40.78

Pounds/InchSouthern Cross 31 849 Tayana 37 Cutter 1274

Note in particular the motion comfort, capsize ratio and hull speeds.
Not as much difference as one would think. One thing of note is the
SA/Disp ratio which shows the Tayana with her cutter rig carries more
sail. But who carries both head sails on a cutter in anything but light
winds? Another thing that's not included is price. Probably for half the
cost of a Tayana 37 one can buy a Southern Cross 31. If one is
interested in economical and comfortable cruising, the Southern Cross is
the better compromise. But if money is no object then the Tayana wins.

Wilbur Hubbard

Wilbur Hubbard wrote:
The Tayana 37 is a fine voyaging boat. But, don't credit all her great
seakeeping characteristics solely upon her displacement. It's more a
matter of a good overall design. Usually good vessels have a respected
naval architect who draws the lines and integrates the package.

An excellent point and I couldn't agree with you more.

Check out this comparison between a Southern Cross 31 and a Tayana 37.

The Southern Cross 31 is a fine boat. Another one in that size range
that I like is the Valiant 32 (watch out for those with severe blister
problems though). The Valiant, like the Tayana happens to be another
Bob Perry design. I guess there's just something about his work that
esthetically appeals to me. Having spent the last two years living on
the Tayana, I'd say that there are certainly things that I'd like to see
be done differently, but by and large, the man knows how to design a
functional live aboard. He's certainly not the only one who can do so
(Brewer, Crealock and many others have designs that are just as good).

In my mind, the size question has more to do with how much volume you
need to be comfortable. Not just in living space, but also in storage
space. My wife and I have often fantasized about how nice it would be
to have something a little larger, say about 42' and a center cockpit
(so we could have a nice aft cabin). We note how wonderful it would be
to have all that extra storage space, a separate living quarters for
when the kids visit us that doesn't entail someone sleeping on the
kitchen table, etc.. But then I think of how much more work it is to
maintain this boat than our 30 footer and imagining how much more work
yet a 42 footer would be and I rapidly become again satisfied that the
Tayana is just about perfect for us.

Were I single handing, I think something in the 30' - 32' range would
probably be just about perfect.

Note in particular the motion comfort,

Not to take away from your other valid points, and my memory could
certainly be faulty about this, but I seem to recall reading an article
somewhere written by Ted Brewer (who developed it) cautioning not to put
too much credence in this index.


Take care - Dan Best

On Tue, 20 Mar 2007 14:53:07 -0400, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:

But if money is no object then the Tayana wins.

Nonsense. If money is no object the Swan 48 wins.