What 50 to 60 Fly would be suitable for the Caribbean

And i forgot, canadian boat made in Ontario. Service right next door!!

Neptunus now has a 58' and a 65'. Mid 20's cruise. Very reasonable possibilities.

This post started out asking suggestions on 50 to 60 feet boats to cruise the carib.Any other suggestions out there members can post . We all know the quality of hatts and vikings, but i am sure a listing with a rating of other capable boats would be very interesting to help find a proper boat. Hatts and vikings are heavy boats with big motors. Very thirsty but very reliable. Can forum members chip in and make recommendations on other boats in the 50 to 60 range that could cruise the carrib in most any weather .

It would help if some of you more experienced sailors would rate the best north american or europeen even asian 50 to 60 boats able to safely cruise these regions . Thanks

Tiara is going to be close to the top on your list due to the need for a lower station, that you simply will not find in a true SF. Tiara is not a bad choice. Maritimo would also meet your needs and they have a lower station. 55' Princess F would also meet your needs. Staying under 55' REALLY limits your choices to what is capable and acceptable and safe to use South of the Bahamas to travel and has the speed and range you desire. Can it be done in other boats, sure, but not ideal. I personally would forgo the lower station and buy a 54' GT Hatteras and put ride quality and range over lower station. However a Tiara is going to have better visibility (and Maritimo) from the salon level. A 45' Hatteras EX also has a lower station, would be totally capable for those crossings, and may meet your needs but is a small boat inside.

Cruisers Cantius? Have you been on one lately, I put that in the same field as a Prestige, Fit and Finish is poor, just not a well built boat, they age very quickly. The Searay L class with all it's issues is a much better built boat. Carver and Meridians are great River and Lake boats inshore maybe but not an ocean going boat. Neptunus don't know a lot about them being built in CA may be a good one to look at.

I get why his wife likes the Prestige 560. My wife and I really like the Prestige when we stepped aboard. Very Open and spacious, lots of light, location of galley, then the separate entrance to the Master with expansive closet and shower. Just a nice layout that you would find in much larger boats. But very poorly put together. Which is why my wife and I love the Hatters M75 it's just a bit out of my $ right now.

We also want to cruise to the Caribbean - Antigua, St Thomas ect. But would not do it in anything less then the Hatteras M75 or a top quality built boat. Just to many what if's that could come up.

good luck in your search. you need to step on as many boats as you can.

The down side to the Tiara is the Volvo IPS drives, expensive if you hit an under water object, water intrusion and lack of good dealers in the Caribbean. I would stick to straight inboards. Small fuel tank at 650gal. The 53 Fly helps with space issues give more living area.

I agree. Going beyond Long Island, Bahamas adds a whole nother world of qualifications needed of both crew and yacht. Much more demanding on both. Bahamas are much easier.

Having been to every island in the Caribbean except for Curacao, my favorite place for cruising, fishing, diving, and beaches is the Bahamas.

We love every island of the Caribbean, both Eastern and Western. However, we don't cruise them in a <55' boat. St. Martin and St. Marteen might be our favorite although best experience we've had was in Anguilla and we love both US and British Virgin Islands and basically love them all. Easter in Jamaica was special.

Fair enough. Maybe back to Hatt or Viking SF. Maybe add a "Yacht Controller" (or similar) to replace the idea of a lower station. Or maybe petition the builders to include a lower station in the first place, if it's a serious requirement.

-Chris

The Hatteras 60 was originally offered with a lower helm but never built with one. Layout was actually very good. However, all Hatteras MY's have a very slanted front window and on other models where lower helms were tested, sun and reflection and field of vision were problems. So, lower helm could be done, just not sure how satisfactory the solution would be without other modification.

These are my thoughts, Exumas followed by the Abacos.

The older 64' MY, some had lower helms. I've run them, the slant of the windows is a very similar angle if not the same as the 60'. Since the windows are so tall, I didn't have any issue with the slant of the windows, nor visibility.