Hallberg Rassy 29

Whoo-hoo – the First Mate and I finally got to trial a Hallberg Rassy 29! 

Me an’ the Can Opener got up yesterday at the crack of pre-historic dawn – oh I dunno, ’round about 6am – and hauled our prehistoric butts to the Sherlock Holmes Museum in downtown London. 

On a Sunday.  

Why? 

‘Cause we were off to catch a ride with our new best friend, Cap’n Davie! 

Cap’n Davie’s got an HR29 and is another student of the amazing RYA instructor Bernard Mitchell.

Meeting Cap’n Davie
Our newest Cap’n was sitting right outside 221B Baker St, just as planned. We all shook paws and loaded copious amounts of gear and the smoked oyster trolley into his car. Then we turned the bow of Davie’s VW Golf southwest and headed for the Solent.

(We did not need the oyster trolley, Furrball!

We did – you shoulda seen Cap’n Davie’s face light up when I explained what you‘d just dented the back of his seat with…)

Cap’n Davie‘s a big fan of practicing technical moves: heaving to, crew overboard, picking up a mooring… all the good stuff. But this day was a ‘play on the new boat‘ day. 

Some of the Hallberg Rassy 29 good stuff
Davie proudly showed us round his ship, from the fancy new windlass at the front to Cedric, the Sea Feather autopilot, at the very stern. 

The HR29 has got beautiful lines, loads of space for its length, and a responsive helm. Beautiful teak decks and teak in the cabin below. We could sense immediately that the sail area was just right for solo sailing on a sloop rigged yacht as well – not too much heeling force to overpower us in a blow. 

There was about 1 metre (3 feet) of chop on the Solent, 20-30 knots wind, and the HR29 chugged right through it without a drop on the deck. Nice.

We’re going to put the HR 29 on the long list (scroll down to see the long list…).

Hallberg Rassy 29 challenges
Well, it has a fin keel rather than a full keel. We’d really like a full keel for ocean crossing (see our criteria list here).  

And we do wonder how we would fit our lifetime of accumulated junk on a 29 foot yacht.  We are too used to all the cabin space on the Baltic 35. 

Where would we sequester my wig collection? Where my signed original complete works of Tolstoy from the bazaar in Egypt? Where my crystal Pussy Cat Doll figurines? Where would we secrete my Jackie Chan DVD collection?

Guess the Can Opener’s got a lot of scanning and launching of our valuables into cloud computing accounts to do. 

The wig collection won’t scan so well, so I’ll put that in the lazarette. Maybe in the grab bag next to the life raft. 

Where do you store your wig collections?

 
–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Mediterranean Delivery

The Can Opener and I will be joining a crew to deliver a 40 foot catamaran from Spain to Greece. 

The owner wants to reposition his yacht to Greece, so that he and his family can explore the waters around Greece and Turkey for the next little while.

The video above gives a view of a Nautitech 47 catamaran – it looks similar to the one we’ll be on.

We can hardly wait!

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

More High Performance Snoozing Ahead

What’s the best way to spend a Wednesday?

Hmm. 

Seems like it’s shopping online with the Can Opener for… even more great books for the sea library!

We thought the most recent batch would be the last additions for a while… but we couldn’t resist. 

So, more good snoozing ahead (so all that fine sailing and cruising info can seep gently upwards into my mighty brain) with…

• Offshore Sailing: 200 Essential Passagemaking Tips, by William G. Seifert
• The Psychology of Sailing: Sea’s Effects on Mind and Body, by Michael Stadler
• Cruising Under Sail, by Eric C. Hiscock
• Paul Elvstrom Explains the Racing Rules of Sailing: 2009-2012 Rules, by Paul Elvstrom

Book reviews coming soon! 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book reviews

Offshore Sailing: 200 Essential Passagemaking Tips
The Psychology of Sailing
Cruising Under Sail
Paul Elvstrom Explains the Racing Rules 2009-2012 

Sea Library

Previously: French, Spanish… and then some!

French, Spanish… and then some!

Just ordered even more great books for the sea library!

But these should be the last additions for a while. Lookin’ forward to more good snoozing ahead…

• Spanish for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide for Spanish-Speaking Destinations, by Kathy Parsons
• French for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide for French Waters, by Kathy Parsons
  

and

• Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere, by John Vigor
• Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat: A Guide to Essential Features, Handling, and Gear, by John Vigor

Book reviews coming soon! 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book reviews coming soon:

Spanish for Cruisers
French for Cruisers    
Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere

Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat

Languages

Previously: Study Sailing in French… and Spanish?

Morris Yacht Designs & Morris 34

We could only find a vid for the Morris 36. Mostly shows the boat in action sailing. 

At about 1:07~ you get some close ups of winches, fittings etc. Unfortunately, no interior views shown.

Morris Yachts – Highlights

Built very very well… 
‘Every boat built by Morris is a work of art!’ — John Neal of Mahina Expeditions. 

The shortest Ocean Series design that the Morris yard is currently offering is the Morris 34. The First Mate and I were aiming for circa 30 foot designs as he’ll be solo sailing most of the time – but these boats are so gorgeous we can’t resist taking a peek. 

The Morris 34 was Best Overall Boat of the Year for 1998 at the Annapolis Boat Show so we are not alone in our admiration it seems. 

Not that many built… 
The Morris site notes the Morris Annie 29 design was built 1980~ and only 16 were built. The Linda 28 design is meant to be similar – again only 16 were built. But for Morris, these seem to be long runs. 

‘More recently… production numbers have increased quite a bit, but I doubt Morris has yet built its 300th boat. If so, that boat would have been built fairly recently.’ – Richard Reinhart, Morris Yachts post, Sailnet 

We had the Morris Annie in our sights, but I think finding one of these on the market will be more than a little tough. 

Hard to find present/past owners’ opinions online… 
Since not so many Morris boats have been made, not so many owners (or past owners) are around. Can’t seem to find too many specific comments on specific Morris boats in sailing forums (just general comments on the Morris yard and their great production standards and after service). 

Ditto can’t find an owners’ association or any sail mag reviews on the shorter Morris designs (though reviews for the Morris 45 and 52 can be seen at Cruising World online). 

But there are some useful comments online… 
So for what it’s worth, here are the highlights of the few the bits we’ve found online, focusing mostly on the Morris 34… 

Pluses 

• cockpit is set up for either tiller or wheel steering* (tiller is the way we’re planning to go – simple systems mean fewer breakdowns and also the auto-helm will be easier to attach)
• interiors can be customized* (doesn’t mean much to us who will be buying used, but may appeal to others…)
• ‘Morris Yachts is well known for building sailboats that border on floating works of art.’ – bluewaterboats.org, Morris Linda 28 page
• ‘(Morris) don’t wait until a vessel is in the new owners hands to see if there are problems. They look for problems before the vessel is delivered.’ –JHJensen, Marine Educator/Surveyor, Morris Yachts post, Sailnet 

Minuses

• ‘Asking prices on the Morris 36s seem to have been rising pretty steadily for the last 5 or so years.’ – Richard Reinhart, Morris Yachts post, Sailnet
• (Seems to be true for Morris boats in general. Not so great if you are buying; quite nice if you are selling…)

Specs for the Morris 34* 
LOA:             33’9″ 
LWL:             26’1″ 
Beam: 10’5″ 
Draft (Scheel Keel): 4’3″ 
Displacement: 11,400 lbs 
vs 
Bavaria 34, 12 yrs old: $89,804 
Contour 34, 12 yrs old: $125,000 
Hallberg Rassy 34, 12 yrs old: $182,676 

 

Sample Pricing for the Morris 34** 
Morris 34, 7 yrs old: $345,000 
vs 
Beneteau 34, 7 yrs old: $97,530 
Jeanneau 34, 7 yrs old: $108,367 
Catalina 34, 7 yrs old: $114,900 

Morris 34, 12 yrs old: $235,000 
vs 
Bavaria 34, 12 yrs old: $89,804 
Contour 34, 12 yrs old: $125,000 
Hallberg Rassy 34, 12 yrs old: $182,676 

Criteria Match 

<span lang="EN-GB" style="font

Decision 
We’d love to have a Morris and will definitely keep our eyes open for examples to take a look at during our research (more likely to be found in the US though). We’re hoping we come across a Morris Annie 29 or a Linda 28. 

However, the Morris 34 looks awfully pricey for our first boat. We’d like to make mistakes and learn on something a little more moderate when we outfit for long distance the first time.WOW, they are pricey. Though beautiful. Ouch.

Decision 
We’d love to have a Morris and will definitely keep our eyes open for examples to take a look at during our research (more likely to be found in the US though). We’re hoping we come across a Morris Annie 29 or a Linda 28. 

However, the Morris 34 looks awfully pricey for our first boat. We’d like to make mistakes and learn on something a little more moderate when we outfit for long distance the first time. 

For now, for us, the Morris 34 doesn’t make the short list. 

But we’ll keep it on the long list for future reference. We are confident there will be more than one boat in our long term future. 

Have you ever sailed or owned one of these boats? 
What do you think? Would you buy this boat (or buy it again)? 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

*  Data taken from http://www.morrisyachts.com/Morris-34 
** Sample data taken from yachtworld.com

Yacht Designs

Next: Westsail 28 & 32
Previously: What about a Catamaran?

Boat Research Begins – Needs and Usage

 

What kind of boat do you really need?

In ‘How To Buy A Used Sailboat – Step 1’, Adam Turinas asks some straightforward questions to help potential buyers make sure they get the right boat for their real needs. 

His questions seem routine at first glance but are worth serious consideration. Buy a boat for what you are really going to do, not what you vaguely might hope to do. ‘Hope is not a strategy,’ he says.

I like his method (and our plan will only be looking at used boats…), so I’ll bang through his quick questions here with respect to the Can Opener and myself:

Where are you going to do most of your sailing?

Ocean coastal and then offshore. We’ve already done lake sailing on 2 continents, coastal cruising and some offshore. Time for the next challenge.

How much are you going to sail?

6+ months of the year live-aboard during refit and first 1-2 years thereafter. Considering full-time after that. After refit, an estimated 10% of that time passage-making.

Racer, cruiser, racer/cruiser, blue water?

Blue water.

Who’s going to be sailing with you?

Counting just those with opposable thumbs, the Can Opener’ll be solo-sailing most of the time. We’ll probably pick up 2-3 crew for ocean crossings.

How long will you own it?

Estimated 10 years. But we will research/ cost analyze 5, 10, 15 year scenarios.

Will you be able to sell it later?

Final sale is an important working assumption in our cost analysis.

How much work will you do on the boat itself?

No contest, I prefer sailing to endlessly working on boats at the dock. The Can Opener is up for basic repairs, refitting for offshore and maintenance as needed, but not for engine overhaul, rewiring or an interior rebuild. 

As Turinas says, don’t fall in love with a boat that’s a ‘project’ and ‘buy with your brain not your heart’. ‘Nuff said.

How much can you afford?

The real question here is not just about the initial purchase cost – it’s about the cost end to end. A damn hard question that will keep the Can Opener up at night balancing initial purchase cost vs. needed refit costs vs. running costs vs. financing (while I snooze on the relevant open reference books, keeping them warm and toasty). 

But one of the driving purposes of this blog is to cost/benefit analyze the answer.

So what’s the right category of boat for our planned usage?

We’re looking for a blue water live-aboard, good for solo-sailing, with a design that holds its value over time. We’re aiming for 30 feet or so to begin with. Enough space to provision and live in but a workable size that’s not overpowered for single-handing.

Captain Cat, however, does reserve the right to completely revise his assessment based on new information uncovered going forward. Just as he does nightly when musing the wide ranging options for his upcoming dinner…

But these are the baseline assumptions we start from.

What assumptions will you start from?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)