Hi all.
I would love to purchase some good boat for costal and passage cursing. So far i am little confused on selection. In the USA they have plenty of choice, from NorSea to Babba and so on.
Question? Which of the boats available in Australia are really good sea going? Would Top Hat (if you find a really good one) is suitable for open passage, or any other available here. I am thinking of something of around 25-34 ft (don't want another mortgage on boat).
Regards - John
John,
Look at www.tophatyachts.com for all the info on Top Hats.
There are several Top Hats coastal cruising eastern Australia at this moment. 
You can also look at www.sailblogs.com/member/seaka for my voyage to the Whitsundays and back in 2011.
Expect to pay around 10 to 15 k for a good one requiring little work to start cruising.
Phillip.
Tophats are excellent, as are Compass 28/29 and a myriad other boats.
S&S34s are at the top of your length range but are the most forgiving and rugged offshore cruiser. A good one to start with can be had for $50,000, one set up for offshore for $60,000 but a usable boat requiring work can be had for much less, say $30-40,000.
