Sailboats 36-40ft

The CS 36, despite its small, reverse counter transom, still looks fairly modern today, with its rakish bow, low-profile cabin and tall, singlespreader rig.

The Bermuda 40 is a centerboarder, and this is a major reason for its continuing appeal. If shoal draft is a requirement, as it often is in some areas of the U.S., one is forced to consider a centerboard design or, when available, a wing keel.

While C&C did not invent the racer/cruiser, the Canadian-based company has remained dedicated for two decades to the concept of the dual-purpose boat. With the notable exception of a few pure cruisers-the relatively low-performance Landfall 35, 42, 43, and 48-a racer-based cruising boat (the Landfall 38), and a real oddball (the Mega 30), most C&Cs have paid at least lip service to contemporary trends in racing boats.

Two of the best built production boats in America, the 3700 and 4100 will go darn near anywhere.

After sifting through the field of sailing sports cars on the market today, Practical Sailor identified five very different watercraft that met our speedster criteria. At the top end of our size and cost profile is yacht designer Bill Lees legacy, the Santa Cruz 37, a wolf in wolfs clothing that offers performance as priority one, two, and three. Next in line is the Andrews 28, a breakaway racer/cruiser that packs performance and a Spartan minimalists cruising package into a 25.7-foot waterline. Hard to miss is the Open 6.50, an out-an-out go-fast sportboat with room below for little more than a cooler and bevy of high-tech sails. For the diehard dinghy sailor, we highlight the quick-planing Stealth, a 14.5-footer that redefines reaching, and in true giant-slayer fashion, can fly by most 40-footers on a power reach. And if thats not action enough, we hop aboard a turbo-charged windsurfer, the Starboard Futura. Powered with a Neil Pryde sail, it runs away with the award for most speed and fun for our dollar.

Take an International 110, stretch it out to 39 feet, give it a cambered deck, raised pilothouse, and the interior comforts of a couples cruising boat, and youll have a snapshot of what Container Yachts Far Harbour 39 looks-and in many respects-sails like. If you want a cruising boat that can be boxed and shipped, then the Far Harbour 39 box boat is worth considering. If youre not planning to use your boat this way, then save your $250,000 for a boat that has fewer compromises for the sake of shipping dimensions.

The hull of the Tayana 37 is a fairly heavy, solid-glass layup. Some roving print-through is evident in the topsides. In the past, the hull-to-deck joint has occasionally been a problem. There is no doubt it is strong, but there have been numerous reports of leaking.

Though designed as a performance cruiser, the designers clearly intended the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 36.2 to be comfortable at anchor. The French Euro-style favors wide scoop transoms, which the marketing agencies highlight through ads showing bikini-clad girls sitting seductively on the steps, shower head in hand. The 36.2 fits this stereotype.

This 1981 Bill Shaw design is a late-IOR racer/cruiser.

A gentleman’s cruiser that’s easy to single-hand, great to look at, well-built, but a bit small for long-term voyaging.