My old man had and loved a Northshore 27
We had some great times on her
Beautiful little boat, nice looking, sailed well, comfy as, still well priced
You could do a lot worse

Folk Boat or Cav 28 for a bit more money.

au.yachtworld.com/core/listing/cache/searchResults.jsp?man=Freedom+Yachts+28+Ketch
none available in Oz

Yep, Northshore 27. Then turn it into something like this







www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Cruising/Ultimate-270-A-unique-affordable-cruiser-that-is-easy-to-sail_3143647.aspx

FreeRadical said..
Yep, Northshore 27. Then turn it into something like this







www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Cruising/Ultimate-270-A-unique-affordable-cruiser-that-is-easy-to-sail_3143647.aspx

+1

Once you have sampled a quality sailing yacht it would be hard to step down to a floating caravan. I'm sure MorningBird is planning to mostly daysail with family members in the harbours and some coastal stuff. This will require a fin keel skeg rudder yacht with a length of about 30 feet. Comfortable deep cockpit with a sensible backrest and long enough seats to sleep on in hot nights. This narrows it down to an SS30 or a Defiance or a Currawong. Pointless not having a yacht that you can just wander down to, jump onboard and sail to Lord Howe. Plenty of other good 30 footers about that are well priced such as Holland 30's and Adams 31 [rear cockpit] and any of the half tonners of the period but they generally have poor cockpits for family sailing.
This boat is so tempting.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bli-bli/sail-boats/s-s-yacht-maring/1097153416
Fin keel 30 footer is in the cheap mooring category and one 4 litre tin of antifoul.

So you've a nice s&s 34 and I have a nice manitou 32 ( some say there is no such thing) seriously I can understand why you would like to go smaller I love sailing on a mates eventide24 and if was just another 4 foot longer I probably wouldn't have mine. Good luck in your search.

Thank you for the suggestions. Some there I wouldn't have thought of without a prompt.
Why downsize? The S&S34, and MB in particular, is an offshore yacht and not ideal for pottering around as a floating caravan. They are a bit cramped, head isn't full enclosed and MB is set up for the more serious offshore sailor so things like the Fleming and inner forestay would have to come off to open her up and make access better. If I am not going to use her in such a fashion better to sell her to someone who is after the capability she represents.
A smaller boat is cheaper to buy and run and easier to sail solo.
I have four serious inquiries already from the Seabreeze and S&S34 Association website ads so there are sailors out there with her features in mind.
There appear to be plenty of boats in the sub 30ft size that have the same internal volume as the S&S34. Not much point going from an S&S34, real length just over 33ft, to a Manitou 32.
The Northshore 27 and the Cole designs are definitely worth a look (next time I'm on the south coast I'll have a look at Ramona's boat). As is the S&S30. I'll give the Macgregor a miss but thanks for the thought.

I loved my Top Hat but after 8yrs was finding it a little cramped and made the decision to update. I now do much the same sort of sailing you intend to do. I almost went for a Jarkan 925 (very nice sailer and roomy for a 30 footer) or Currawong(great sailer but a bit cramped) but in the end went for a Phantom 32 with a custom fit out. Not too fast but comfortable, roomy and easy to sail. There are plenty of other good boats out there at present to do what you need. A Catanina 28 or Cav 28 might also be worth a look. Good hunting.

PS Another option might by to share a boat and costs with a friend. Most boats IMHO spend too much time on their moorings and having two owners (sharing week about) is a way to combat this waste of resources.

So , preferably closer to 25 .
some of the questions I have gone through in last 12 months .
much be easy to sail by one person Mainly day tripping with odd weekend.
fin keel
inboard/ outboard
fractional with swept back spreaders or masthead.
keel stepped or coach roof ok
lightly rigged or like a SS34
wide transom type or traditional.
Head
HOW MUCH , Some of the newer designs like the Beneteau.

friend has a an east coast 31 as suggested by Steve above and they are very ,very roomy ,safe with a fairly high freeboard and lots of room on top ,great boat but I am biased toward Cole designs.

Bananabender said..
So , preferably closer to 25 .
some of the questions I have gone through in last 12 months .
much be easy to sail by one person Mainly day tripping with odd weekend.
fin keel
inboard/ outboard
fractional with swept back spreaders or masthead.
keel stepped or coach roof ok
lightly rigged or like a SS34
wide transom type or traditional.
Head
HOW MUCH , Some of the newer designs like the Beneteau.

friend has a an east coast 31 as suggested by Steve above and they are very ,very roomy ,safe with a fairly high freeboard and lots of room on top ,great boat but I am biased toward Cole designs.

Ever wondered where "Peacock" got to. Way to big for what's required and plenty of maintenance. Morningbird is looking for something that's a bit handy in something like a grown up Folkboat or what a Folkboat would be if the design progressed to a moderate fin keel and skeg and of course headroom.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/port-pirie/sail-boats/cole-32-peacock/1097003208

Given your usage would be occasional .....buy into syndicate yacht?

Chris 249 said..
I'm biased but I really like the boats around 28 feet. The gear is still light and cheap but they have significantly more room and/or speed than the 23-25 footers. Cav 28 at the top end of the price range, Santana 28, Marauder 27 etc - they'd all be lively enough to sail for someone coming down from an S&S 34, but noticeably easier to handle. The Compasses (Compi?), Folkboat, Top Hat etc are a significant drop down in speed.

The Endeavour 26 could be worth looking at too, although IMHO they are a bit narrow down below. There's a few Cavalier 26s around at the moment too.

That Marauder 27 on eBay a couple of weeks ago was an absolute gift. Unfortunately they only built about a dozen.

"The Maurauder 823 was designed by Kevin Shepherd who has produced some outstanding boats such as the Marauder 24 and the Investigator trailer-sailer, and this is no exception to the rule. Shepherd planned her as a comfortable cruising/racing yacht to give the owner maximum luxury in a boat of this size without sacrificing performance. And performance she certainly has – in club racing or JOG events. She has berths for six, a most spacious saloon, and sells at a price acceptable for a family cruiser racer. She handles her sizable rig with ease and is comfortable in a seaway.”

MorningBird said..

SandS said..
sounds like your wanting something like this mb www.boatpoint.com.au/content/reviews/2011/racing-yacht/beneteau/first-30/benete

Sorry, I can't open it. I expect a newer Benny is not going to fill the 'cheaper' than the S&S criterion.

Try this
http://www.boatpoint.com.au/content/reviews/2011/racing-yacht/beneteau/first-30/beneteau-first-30-25138

And check out what Jerry did with a folkboat