Seaworthiness comparison between two yachts

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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