Best First Cruising Yacht / Popular Yachts 8 to 11 metres

I have pulled together some popular yachts from our video archive so you can compare how they have evolved over the years. The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 29.2 legend, hundreds were sold back in the day, when the Jeanneau factory policy was to use a conventional propellor and shaft rather than a sail-drive system. The underwater part of the hull has an excellent profile. In some ways, it's better than almost flat bottom shapes we now find on many yachts today. As I've found, Flatter bottom Yachts do tend to be a little faster in calm conditions but can slam uncomfortably in rough weather when you're on the motor. All lines are LED neatly back to the cockpit. This certainly helps if you're sailing shorthanded. Tiller steering is nice on a small yacht if you are short-handed, when blustery conditions demand precise and quick control, one hand on the tiller and the other on the main sheet. This is a great use of space down below. It helps to make the yacht feel bigger than she actually is, although the forward cabin is a little cosy for two sizable sailors. An L shaped galley and well-positioned chart table is a great set-up and is still the most used option on most medium-sized yachts. She has a good size cabin to port, the heads to starboard are equally well proportioned. This is a great yacht, and it's little wonder buyers find used market prices have always remained strong for this model. Dufour 335 Grand Large. This yacht has an extra-wide cockpit. The dual helm allows for easy access around the cockpit. The yacht will also benefit from additional buoyancy astern, which will add to her speed in calm conditions. A conventional layout here benefits from the additional beam in the stern, this allows for a large cabin and heads compartment aft. Jeanneau Sunrise 35 built-in 1988, she's narrower than the other yachts featured, and as was the style back then she has tiller steering. Down below the accommodation is good, however, the cabins are rather tight in comparison to modern yachts of the same size. Hanse 371 from 2003, she has a good-sized cockpit and was certainly designed with fast cruising in mind. Below, the interior is delightful. She has a good size galley with the heads compartment opposite, allowing access to a reasonable size aft cabin. This particular yacht looked as if she'd hardly ever been used when I sold her and was a credit to the first owner.