2011 Miami Boat Show – Boat Choice Done

 

The idea of buying a boat and setting sail had been with me, and later on Gail, for many years. But we knew that if we wanted to exit the dreaming phase and enter the do phase, we needed to act. Web searching played a big part in the selection process. It really shocks me how poor some of the websites of the biggest manufacturers are. They sell boats for the price of a nice home and include only a dozen photos. There is no pricing info. Le website est seulement en Francais (see, isn’t that frustrating?). Not to be anti-francaphone. I love the french. It just might be good business practice to include more customers. The Antares website ranked high above the rest in ease of finding critical information.

So which boats were the finalists?

Gunboat

The first choice was the all carbon fiber, super-spartan speedster Gunboat. Made by the family that created the J24, it is a real rocket. With a crew of just three or four, it can fly by larger boats with crews of 15. Who wouldn’t want a ride? After the 2008 market crash, the price of the boat went up while the net worth of the crew of Two Fish went down. In the end, it was also a bit too sporty for a pair of rookies and super-spartan may not be that much fun after a few months.

Catana
Also a great boat in terms of speed, but the helm is very exposed and it is built more for the speed cruiser than the rookie Two Fish crew. Lets be honest, when I need speed, the kite surfer will provide ample opportunities. Not great for cold days or sunny days. I love the dagger boards. However, it was never a serious contender as it might be tough to work with the far away manufacturer.

Lagoon
Nice boat in terms of price and space. 10,000 pounds heavier than the Antares. That weight coupled with a more wetted surface area will make light air days motoring-only and I really don’t like the motor noise. It is also built for mass market vacation cruises and lacks many of the features that we care about. Additional systems can be added to the boat but then its hard to figure out who to turn to when they don’t work. When speaking to the Lagoon salesperson he summed it up “We are selling to a different market and a lower price point”. I thought that was a bit harsh since I like the Lagoons but we were lucky enough to be able to buy the Antares.

And the winner is … The Antares 44i.

The boat has more features than a New York apartment. Buying a boat of this size is not like picking up a quart of milk from the market. It requires due diligence on the boat’s systems, the factory and the boat reputation. After that small effort is done, then its time to work with the Antares team on our exact specifications Roller furling main? Higher capacity water maker? Bigger anchor? At least the first step is done. And the folks at Antares are really good at helping new owners get comfortable with the process. I went out to the blogosphere to check my math.

Here is some of the back and forth commentary I received when I asked if I had purchased the correct boat:

• My first post on Cruiser’s Forum Which Blue Water Cruiser Cat Should I Buy? So it’s Christmas time and I have just bought a boat for two of us to sail off into the sunset. We plan on distance cruising. We are youngish for cruisers. We have done limited cruising and offshore but plenty of racing. We live in a condo so not great at fixing stuff but work in technology so we are nifty with things that flash. Here is our list of “needs”: Safe boat for 2 folks that plan on sailing not just the Caribbean. Plenty of comforts (ie storage, watermaker, all the newest electronics, AC for rare marina time, decent shower). A fun to sail boat in more that just 15 knots on the beam. New boat – learning curve easier since stuff break slower. So here was our list: (Antares 44i Catana 42 Gunboat48 Leopard 44 Lagoon 44 Orana 44) Before I reveal our choice what do folks think? What would your call be?
• First Reply “And based on your requirements the best choice would be Antares, Leopard or Orana. But as you raced you choose a Gunboat.”
• Reply#2 “Antares 44″
• Reply #4 (third reply was too big a boat) “Antares 44″
• Reply #5 “If you think that new boats break less, you have a lot to learn–plan on spending your first year getting everything fixed under warranty, and therefore staying around wherever you buy the boat. If you want to go around the world in safety and style, buy none of the above. All cats will flip, and the higher performance ones require more seamanship. Good luck with whatever choice you made. Choosing a sailboat is like choosing a mate–its not just a rational decision.”
• Reply #10 “As an owner of the Antares 44i for the past two years I would wholeheartedly recommend this catamaran. They are not inexpensive but they are good value .” In short many of the readers supported the Antares. Not sure how much comfort that offers as I assume many of the forum occupants spend too much time on the hard rather than sailing?