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Best 34 foot blue water cruiser

Hello,

Been thinking of moving up to the 30-34 foot range, ideally a sailboat
that would provide safety in open waters, extended cruising
situations. Would love to get a Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34, but "The
Admiral" won't let me, and the bank won't either... I would prefer a
project boat (I would actually enjoy it). Heard great things of Cal
34's. What other boats do folks recommend. Goal is extended coastal
cruising, crossing Gulf of Mexico (Corpus Christi, TX to FL), keys,
Bahamas, maybe extended Caribbean cruising.

Thanks,

Rob Whitaker
"Free Spirit"

Best 34 foot blue water cruiser

My first advice is to drop the phrase "blue water cruiser." It makes you
sound like you want to be the Tidy Bowl man.

Bob Whitaker wrote:

Hello,

Been thinking of moving up to the 30-34 foot range, ideally a sailboat
that would provide safety in open waters, extended cruising
situations. Would love to get a Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34, but "The
Admiral" won't let me, and the bank won't either... I would prefer a
project boat (I would actually enjoy it).

Not a good idea IMHO, but diff'rent strokes etc etc. Most boats sold as
'project boats' are bad deals, since the cost & labor to complete are
tremendously more than the buyer realizes. Most soak up huge amounts of
time & money and never get into the water. But a cruiser must enjoy
working on his boat, it's a prime requirement... so you might as well
get that pleasure if you can't get the rest of the package.

... Heard great things of Cal
34's.

From where? Cals are nice enough but are run-of-the-mill mass-produced
boats. I happened to cruise a Cal 34 (somebody elses, it was far more
boat than I could afford at the time) up and down the East Coast in the
late 1970s. Lots of fun, but not on my short list for taking offshore.

... What other boats do folks recommend. Goal is extended coastal
cruising, crossing Gulf of Mexico (Corpus Christi, TX to FL), keys,
Bahamas, maybe extended Caribbean cruising.

How much are you hung up on name brands? A Pearson of older vintage
might be a good deal, or a Cape Dory, for slightly more $$ you get a
Bristol or Tartan; or if you wanted a well built boat with more pep, an
Ericson or an Islander. My recomendation would be something more off the
beaten track like a Sabre or an Oyster, or one of the Scandanavian
boats. A J-32 would be nice but you're not likely to find one in the
bargain bin. You never know until you start looking.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Best 34 foot blue water cruiser

Doug "Fresh Breezes" King wrote:

My first advice is to drop the phrase "blue water cruiser." It makes you
sound like you want to be the Tidy Bowl man.

My apologies... those of you in the toilet cleaning business may have
misinterpreted what I meant. Doug "Fresh Toilet" King is apparently
referring to the disinfectant tablets you drop in toilet tanks, which
apparently is the first thing that comes to his mind when he hears the
term "blue water". When he hears the term "green water" he probably
thinks it's the competing brand of disinfectant. I, on the other hand,
was using the term to refer to cruising in the open ocean as opposed
to coastal cruising... When I hear the term "blue water cruiser" I
immediately conjure up images of a sailboat designed for extended
offshore passages, rugged construction, heavier displacement than
modern racing designs, good reserve buoyancy at the bow, small
cockpit, stern that will hold it's own on a following sea, good
control while surfing, a strong skeg-mounted rudder or one that's
attached to the keel, and a boat that will hold up to getting pooped
with "green water" (and no Doug, I'm not talking about _THAT_ kind of
"poop").

But, you see Doug, saying all that is quite a mouthful, and it
wouldn't have fit on the subject line to boot. So, I opted for the
more concise term "blue water cruiser"... Sorry if it caused confusion
in your mind. If you read the original post carefully, you will notice
that I did not use the term in the main body, where I stressed "safety
in open waters"... Perhaps you missed that point? I know that our
personal experiences in life tend to make us predisposed to sometimes
misinterpreting other people's comments, sometimes with embarrassing
results, as was apparently the case when you misinterpreted "blue
water" for toilet disinfectants. But don't worry, Doug, we won't hold
it against you.

Not a good idea IMHO, but diff'rent strokes etc etc. Most
boats sold as 'project boats' are bad deals

Ohhh boy... here we go again?!?!?! My heartfelt advice to you Doug is
to please consider taking people's comments at face value. Who
knows... Some people may actually mean what they say... By the way,
when I wrote: "--I would prefer a project boat." I actually meant it.
Also, in case you just glossed over that sentence, when I said: "--I
would actually enjoy it." I meant that too.

A Pearson of older vintage
might be a good deal, or a Cape Dory,
an Ericson or an Islander.

OK... now you are talking... Thanks for answering the original
question!!! Yipe-dee-doo!!! Now we can finally get back to the main
topic. I've also heard very positive comments about Cape Dorys, but I
haven't had the chance to sail one yet. I would be interested in any
opinions you may have on them. Oh... yes... and please do us all a
favor and stay on topic this time?

Cals are nice enough but are run-of-the-mill
mass-produced boats.

What I like about Cals is that they sail great and that they are
really tough boats by all accounts! I also like that they were
mass-produced because the laws of supply and demand dictate that
"project" Cals are inexpensive to acquire.

Now, Doug, wouldn't it have been a lot nicer if you had just answered
the original question politely rather than trying to be snotty with
your post? You are apparently a smart man. My advice to you is to let
other people recognize that about you by the quality of your posts,
not by your failed attempts at belittling others.

Fresh Toilets -- Bob Whitaker

P.S. Oh, and I also meant it when I said I'd be interested in hearing
your comments about Cape Dorys.

DSK wrote in message ...
My first advice is to drop the phrase "blue water cruiser." It makes you
sound like you want to be the Tidy Bowl man.

Bob Whitaker wrote:

Hello,

Been thinking of moving up to the 30-34 foot range, ideally a sailboat
that would provide safety in open waters, extended cruising
situations. Would love to get a Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34, but "The
Admiral" won't let me, and the bank won't either... I would prefer a
project boat (I would actually enjoy it).

Not a good idea IMHO, but diff'rent strokes etc etc. Most boats sold as
'project boats' are bad deals, since the cost & labor to complete are
tremendously more than the buyer realizes. Most soak up huge amounts of
time & money and never get into the water. But a cruiser must enjoy
working on his boat, it's a prime requirement... so you might as well
get that pleasure if you can't get the rest of the package.

... Heard great things of Cal
34's.

From where? Cals are nice enough but are run-of-the-mill mass-produced
boats. I happened to cruise a Cal 34 (somebody elses, it was far more
boat than I could afford at the time) up and down the East Coast in the
late 1970s. Lots of fun, but not on my short list for taking offshore.

... What other boats do folks recommend. Goal is extended coastal
cruising, crossing Gulf of Mexico (Corpus Christi, TX to FL), keys,
Bahamas, maybe extended Caribbean cruising.

How much are you hung up on name brands? A Pearson of older vintage
might be a good deal, or a Cape Dory, for slightly more $$ you get a
Bristol or Tartan; or if you wanted a well built boat with more pep, an
Ericson or an Islander. My recomendation would be something more off the
beaten track like a Sabre or an Oyster, or one of the Scandanavian
boats. A J-32 would be nice but you're not likely to find one in the
bargain bin. You never know until you start looking.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Best 34 foot blue water cruiser

way to go, Bob. you figured out dougies one hell of a lot quicker than most
people do.

A Cal 34 is actually considered a rather decent boat for its size, and far more
than decent for the dollar.

Good luck to you.

Doug "Fresh Breezes" King wrote:

My first advice is to drop the phrase "blue water cruiser." It makes you
sound like you want to be the Tidy Bowl man.

My apologies... those of you in the toilet cleaning business may have
misinterpreted what I meant. Doug "Fresh Toilet" King is apparently
referring to the disinfectant tablets you drop in toilet tanks, which
apparently is the first thing that comes to his mind when he hears the
term "blue water". When he hears the term "green water" he probably
thinks it's the competing brand of disinfectant. I, on the other hand,
was using the term to refer to cruising in the open ocean as opposed
to coastal cruising... When I hear the term "blue water cruiser" I
immediately conjure up images of a sailboat designed for extended
offshore passages, rugged construction, heavier displacement than
modern racing designs, good reserve buoyancy at the bow, small
cockpit, stern that will hold it's own on a following sea, good
control while surfing, a strong skeg-mounted rudder or one that's
attached to the keel, and a boat that will hold up to getting pooped
with "green water" (and no Doug, I'm not talking about _THAT_ kind of
"poop").

But, you see Doug, saying all that is quite a mouthful, and it
wouldn't have fit on the subject line to boot. So, I opted for the
more concise term "blue water cruiser"... Sorry if it caused confusion
in your mind. If you read the original post carefully, you will notice
that I did not use the term in the main body, where I stressed "safety
in open waters"... Perhaps you missed that point? I know that our
personal experiences in life tend to make us predisposed to sometimes
misinterpreting other people's comments, sometimes with embarrassing
results, as was apparently the case when you misinterpreted "blue
water" for toilet disinfectants. But don't worry, Doug, we won't hold
it against you.

Not a good idea IMHO, but diff'rent strokes etc etc. Most
boats sold as 'project boats' are bad deals

Ohhh boy... here we go again?!?!?! My heartfelt advice to you Doug is
to please consider taking people's comments at face value. Who
knows... Some people may actually mean what they say... By the way,
when I wrote: "--I would prefer a project boat." I actually meant it.
Also, in case you just glossed over that sentence, when I said: "--I
would actually enjoy it." I meant that too.

A Pearson of older vintage
might be a good deal, or a Cape Dory,
an Ericson or an Islander.

OK... now you are talking... Thanks for answering the original
question!!! Yipe-dee-doo!!! Now we can finally get back to the main
topic. I've also heard very positive comments about Cape Dorys, but I
haven't had the chance to sail one yet. I would be interested in any
opinions you may have on them. Oh... yes... and please do us all a
favor and stay on topic this time?

Cals are nice enough but are run-of-the-mill
mass-produced boats.

What I like about Cals is that they sail great and that they are
really tough boats by all accounts! I also like that they were
mass-produced because the laws of supply and demand dictate that
"project" Cals are inexpensive to acquire.

Now, Doug, wouldn't it have been a lot nicer if you had just answered
the original question politely rather than trying to be snotty with
your post? You are apparently a smart man. My advice to you is to let
other people recognize that about you by the quality of your posts,
not by your failed attempts at belittling others.

Fresh Toilets -- Bob Whitaker

P.S. Oh, and I also meant it when I said I'd be interested in hearing
your comments about Cape Dorys.

DSK wrote in message
t...
My first advice is to drop the phrase "blue water cruiser." It makes you
sound like you want to be the Tidy Bowl man.

Bob Whitaker wrote:

Hello,

Been thinking of moving up to the 30-34 foot range, ideally a sailboat
that would provide safety in open waters, extended cruising
situations. Would love to get a Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34, but "The
Admiral" won't let me, and the bank won't either... I would prefer a
project boat (I would actually enjoy it).

Not a good idea IMHO, but diff'rent strokes etc etc. Most boats sold as
'project boats' are bad deals, since the cost & labor to complete are
tremendously more than the buyer realizes. Most soak up huge amounts of
time & money and never get into the water. But a cruiser must enjoy
working on his boat, it's a prime requirement... so you might as well
get that pleasure if you can't get the rest of the package.

... Heard great things of Cal
34's.

From where? Cals are nice enough but are run-of-the-mill mass-produced
boats. I happened to cruise a Cal 34 (somebody elses, it was far more
boat than I could afford at the time) up and down the East Coast in the
late 1970s. Lots of fun, but not on my short list for taking offshore.

... What other boats do folks recommend. Goal is extended coastal
cruising, crossing Gulf of Mexico (Corpus Christi, TX to FL), keys,
Bahamas, maybe extended Caribbean cruising.

How much are you hung up on name brands? A Pearson of older vintage
might be a good deal, or a Cape Dory, for slightly more $$ you get a
Bristol or Tartan; or if you wanted a well built boat with more pep, an
Ericson or an Islander. My recomendation would be something more off the
beaten track like a Sabre or an Oyster, or one of the Scandanavian
boats. A J-32 would be nice but you're not likely to find one in the
bargain bin. You never know until you start looking.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King