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Seaworthiness comparison between two yachts

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by LeagueOfBoats, Sep 21, 2018.

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  1. LeagueOfBoats

    LeagueOfBoats New Member

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    Hello all. I am a prospective buyer and would greatly appreciate it if all of you knowledgeable people can tell me which of these two boats is more seaworthy. If possible, I'd love to know the reasoning behind your choices. Thank you for your time!

    I am planning a trips far into the Caribbean and around the east coast of the US, so will probably be traveling in a some blue water.

    The candidates:


    Meridian 411 -
    [​IMG]

    Meridian 408 Aft Cabin -
    [​IMG]

    Both of them have roughly the same length and beams. The 408 has higher freeboard and displaces 20% more, but a higher center of mass.

    Kind yachters, please help educate me. Thanks so much.
  2. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Neither boat (I find it hard to use the word yacht) is suitable for “blue water”. No problem near coastal along the east coast and going to the Bahamas, with decent weather. But “deep in the Caribbean”? I wouldn’t go beyond the Exumas and Long Island with either of these. They re just not designed for offshore conditions
  3. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I tend to agree with Pascal on this one. Although it can be done, what you want to do, just not easily, extra fuel drums, pumps, have to REALLY pick your weather, etc. Other choice is to send it down on Dockwise, they have a ship or two that goes to the St. Thomas. I did once run a 1998 45' Searay sedan bridge from Fort Lauderdale to St. Croix. I would consider that a much better seaboat than those two, but not a great one by any means.
  4. LeagueOfBoats

    LeagueOfBoats New Member

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    Thank you for your opinion. Can you please elaborate on why you decided that Exumas and Long Island as the limit?
  5. LeagueOfBoats

    LeagueOfBoats New Member

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    I see. That is good advice. What makes the 1998 45' Searay a better seaboat than the Meridian 411? Aren't they practically the same design class? Thanks again.
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Long Island as the limit as your next several stops are 180NM or more of only open ocean with nowhere to pull in.

    The Searay has better build quality and better seakeeping. Granted there are better choices above them as well.
  7. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Well up to Georgetown you are pretty much sheltered most of the way, except for the 45nm Gulf Stream crossing and then the 40nm Norwest channel run to NAS.

    After Gtown you have to head out in open waters around the northern tip of Long Island and pretty much beat into the prevailing trades all the way to the leeward.

    Every year Dozens of cruisers with Caribbean dreams end up going no further than Gtown ...

    If you really want to cruise the Caribbean in something under 50/60’ you need a good sportfish. Like Viking, Hatteras, Bertram with the range and a hull that will handle the conditions. Riviera maybe. But no sportfish wannabe like silverton convertible and the likes.
  8. LeagueOfBoats

    LeagueOfBoats New Member

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    Thanks for your insight Captain J. You too Pascal. How about a smaller powercat like a Glacier bay 3470?

    If I had a budget of $200k and I wanted a mix of seaworthiness, ease of maintenance, and moderate top speeds (20 kn+), what would you recommend in the 40'-45' range?
  9. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    You really need diesel for any kind of serious trips. Also, when down in the Bahamas and on the way to the Caribbean you need storage for food especially refrigeration. And unless you want to pitch a tent on the beach you need decent accommodations

    In that budget I d look at older (80s or 90s) Hatteras or Bertram sportfish around 45’ along with Viking, Post or Ocean
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2018
  10. LeagueOfBoats

    LeagueOfBoats New Member

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    Yes, those are the things I have taken into account. I was considering getting a Meridian 408 aft cabin with twin 370hp 6BTA diesels. I only will probably ever have 3-4 people aboard, so there isn't a risk of overloading.

    Are you telling me that a sportfish boat will be a better choice for me even though I don't have any intention to do fishing and prioritize interior space greatly over cockpit space?

    Thanks for your time.
  11. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    The first thing is to decide whether or not your goal to cruise the leewards (“Far into the Caribbean”) is realistic or not. As explained it s not just a long way but also a rough way. Will you have at least 6 to 9 months for such a trip?

    If not, if you can only spare a month or two at a time, then the Bahamas are a better goal and in that case the meridians will be fine along with comparable boats like Sea Ray, Silvertons, etc

    If you really do want to get to the leewards then yes I think the seaworthiness of a good sportfish is worth loosing a little interior space, if any. The saloons are likely to be similarly sized and while the larger aft cabin may be appealing a cockpit for easy access to water is a huge plus from Florida on south.

    One last thing, aft cabins with fairly flat bottoms are lousy boats to handle in close quarters because of their high windage keep that in mind
  12. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    What you're being told is that a 60' Hatteras or Viking is more seaworthy than a 40' Meridian.

    You talked about "far into the Caribbean" and I'm not sure what you mean by that. The Meridian would be fine for cruising the East Coast and the Bahamas. However, it would be a poor selection if Grand Cayman or Barbados was your destination. No single boat is best for all needs. What do you consider far into the Caribbean and how frequently would you go there? Not very often I'd think. Buy a boat for your 95% use. Charter for the other 5% or just do without. You can get a lifetime of cruising along the coast and in the Bahamas and with the Loop and inland rivers. By the time you finish that lifetime, you'll be ready for your next boat perhaps. You don't even mention your experience. Let's say you found a boat that was seaworthy for crossing oceans, are you? You don't seem very knowledgeable or experienced and, if that's the case, you're not capable of leaving the Bahamas for the Dominican and PR and the Virgin Islands (and they're just barely into the Caribbean) even if the boat is.
  13. LeagueOfBoats

    LeagueOfBoats New Member

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    Thanks again for the valuable information. I will have years and years, so definitely more than a month at a time, although I would imagine my trips to last 50-150 days each.

    You're right. I am not very experienced. I am simply just trying to not make a $200k mistake on a boat that I'll probably be using extensively for 3-5 years (100 days+ per year) before moving to something bigger or different.

    Edit: My apologies Pascal, that reply was meant for olderboater. Thanks very much for the information as well! :)
  14. LeagueOfBoats

    LeagueOfBoats New Member

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    I think 95% of my use case will be for the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cuba, and possibly the Turks and Caicos Islands. You can call me ambitious, but I am willing to spend a large portion of my time learning the craft and becoming a better boater.
  15. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    For those uses the boats you mentioned will work and you can start gaining experience. Forget the "far into the Caribbean." That can be for your next boat and when you have more experience. Forget Jamaica. Do you have any idea how long the trip to Jamaica is and the conditions you might encounter? Go East Coast, Gulf Coast, Chesapeake, Other Rivers, Great Loop, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos if you want, and that's it for the next 5 years.
  16. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Ah, Georgetown: Also called Chicken Harbor among sailboaters.
    As many as 400 boats can be anchored there waiting for the perfect weather window, which may never happen and they don’t go any further.

    Highly recommended the book “The Gentlemen’s Guide to Passages South”.
    Bruce Van Sant got it down to a science how to pick weather windows, what to expect, how to interpret a forecast, etc.
    Written mostly for sailboaters but I would certainly read it again if I head that way on my stinkpotter.
  17. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    Take olderboater's advice. Forget the "far into the Caribbean." That can be for your next boat and when you have more experience.

    It's right on.

    By then you will know based on your personal experience exactly which destinations you'll want to cruise next and what you want in your next boat to get you there.

    Right now your decision will be a shot in the dark.
  18. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Your boat choices do not have the range, safe open water capability nor storage for provisions and spares. 3-4 people will be on each others nerves in a couple of days in these floating corks with cramp quarters.
    Look for a heavy old glass diesel boat. Not pretty by today's styles but will do a much better job.
  19. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    If this one surveys good it may be a candidate:
    https://www.**************/boats/19...-States?refSource=browse listing#.W6aXLoEpChA

    (Kind of thinking along those lines muself, but trying to stay small:
    Albin 28TE. www.odincharters.com)
  20. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Jamaica isn’t a great cruising destination if for no other reason than security. And it s indeed a long way as well as a rough way in the passage between Cuba and Haiti

    Cuba s North shore is rough and you ll beat into the trades from port to port. The south coast has better conditions but again it s a long way around.

    T&C are either a resort destination or a blue water cruiser stop on the way to the Caribbean.

    Personally after 10+ years going to the Exumas a few times a year I don’t see the need to go to any of these places. I also lived on st Barths for 12 years and have traveled all over the islands.

    Add Eleuthera and the abacos and you have years of the best cruising grounds you can imagine. Then maybe a few years down the road, with experience, get the right boat for the Caribbean