So you are just starting the yacht buying process. You go into YachtWorld, you enter a price range and size and then the overwhelming number of different available boats comes up. There are so many different makes, models and styles. How in the world do you narrow your search?!
That's where we come in.
The first question you should ask yourself: what type of cruising are you planning on doing? With both power and sail, there are different qualities of boats, often separated into two different categories (with a few in between) -- production boats and blue water boats. We quantify blue water cruisers as boats designed to handle and be out in rough seas off of the coast. Then there are production boats, which are designed for coastal cruising in lighter weather. A production boat has a lighter displacement and is designed to be faster in light weather/wind. A production boat is usually designed with lighter construction materials while blue water cruisers often have heavier building materials like solid wood bulkheads, metal frame hatches and larger tankage. These boats are designed to handle rough seas and long passages. New, they are more expensive than a production boat of the same vintage, but if you look at older models you can often find a blue water cruiser for the same price as a newer production boat.
This does not necessarily mean that they are a better boat for your cruising needs...
If you are looking to hop down the ICW to the Caribbean or cruise the bay, a production boat can fit all of your cruising needs.
Lets break it down a little further....
