It's been a little over a month since our trip and I thought I might as well post a review of the Moorings 4600 that we chartered.

We had previously chartered a 4700 a year earlier and were very happy with it. I knew going into this boat that the layout was different and storage would be different. My only concern was the 12 scuba tanks we'd be renting. I knew the rest of our gear wouldn't be a problem.

Our charter was 10 days with my wife and I arriving the first day, 1 friend day 2, 2 friends day 3 and everyone else the 4th day.

Wednesday, our first day we arrived and took a cab to the Moorings base. We checked in and were told the boat wasn't ready yet. We left our bags in their briefing room and went off to get the scuba gear we reserved with Last Stop Sports and also get our phone from Renport.

After getting all our gear squared away, we had lunch and then checked in and were able to get on the boat. We didn't need the chart briefing but since we had never been on the 4600 before, wanted the boat briefing. They scheduled this for us at 7:30am the next morning.

Once we hopped on board, both my wife and I must have been smiling ear to ear. The boat is simply amazing. It felt much roomier than the 4700 and had lots of little cool things, like electric toilets, screens/sunshades on hatches that were a bit fancier than the 4700 and just an excellent layout. We checked the provisions which were already on board and put away the dry goods and beverages. We checked the boat over and got some more sheets, towels..etc. We then just relaxed and went to bed at a decent hour since we were tired from the days travels and prep.

Next morning, I was up an about around 6:30am and our briefer arrived right on time at 7:30. The only thing we hand't done anything with yet was the scuba tanks since I wasn't sure where or how to secure the racks. She told us that was something Last Stop Sports should do and we should have them take care of it. So after the briefing we walked over and had them do it. They set it up great and we got on our way around 10am.

We had an awesome week with only two boat issues. I came in a little fast on one mooring ball and my friend had hooked the ball so when I went over it, the hook got caught and bent. Trying to unbend it caused it to snap. That same day, the transom shower head decided to fall apart. We got in touch with service and told them where we'd be spending the night and our first stop the next morning (Soper's hole to fill up scuba tanks) and they said either spot was fine and we should call in the morning. So we did that and they met us at Soper's hole. They arrived and left in under 15 minutes - Talk about fast and efficient! I was also surprised at the end of the charter that we were not charged for the boat hook.

The rest of the week was great with no boat issues. Our last full day I slipped getting on our boat from the dive boat and my hand caught some of the rigging in such a way to give me a nice cut. At first I thought I'd need stiches but didn't. That night we stayed at Trellis Bay and left between 7 and 8 the next morning to go back to the moorings base.

We got back to the base and hung out for a bit since we had the boat until noon and while part of our group needed to go, two members were staying the night and 3 of us were leaving on a 6pm flight. We did the check out which was painless and made use of the pool for a little while before cleaning up and heading to the airport.

All in all, a fabulous week and one we hope to repeat very soon.

Perhaps in another post I'll put up a trip report detailing our days

In summary, I would definetely recommend the Moorings 4600 (or Sunsail 464). It's an awesome boat that easily held our group of 9. The port bow cabin can hold 3 people. There's a double and single that are connected. Probably good for parents and child. The starboard bow is a double and then a single meant for crew (my brother-in-law stayed there). It has its own sink and head (manual, no fancy stuff for the crew). The other cabins were all double. Plenty of storage for clothes and everything else. Long term storage is available underneath the berths too.

The boat is expensive, but we used owners time saving us over 25% and with 9 people I think the total (with food, moorings..etc) ended up being about $1300-1400 a person (only thing not included in that price was the airfare). We only had 1 dinner on shore, the rest of our excursions were drinks and some apps here and there. Not bad for 10 days in paradise.

We are renting a charter from the Moorings. It will be our first experience. Do you have any additional advice.

Do a sleep aboard the night before. Double check everything before you leave. And if you have any questions during the briefing, ask.

We've found just taking the first day slow works well - we arrive, get settled getting gear, phone..etc and get on the boat when we can. We just eat at the restaurant right at the moorings keeping it simple and get a good night sleep. Next morning we head out as early as we can. You should be able to request an early briefing - we did ours at 7am which allowed us to get going early.

Other than that, have fun!

Matt, Thx for the 4600 review. We're taking one out next April with my 86-year young mother plus a niece and three boys... a family affair with four generations and age range from 12 to 86. Being a traditionalist we've never chartered a boat with A/C. Did you use it during your charter? If so, anything to report about it's performance, any noise, diesel exhaust fumes, or neighbors anchored nearby being annoyed?

Thanks for info!
Rod

We used A/C every night. It worked great keeping it cool, cold or arctic depending on what temp we set. The generator is only really noisy in the forward port cabin. All you hear in the other cabins is the A/C itself which has never bothered us. There was definitely not enough noise outside or fumes to be bothersome to us or anyone else.

Other things we enjoyed are all the storage spaces for stuff, lots of seating, electric heads and the fact all 9 of our group could eat either outside or inside with no problems. I think all but one night we ate outside.

Last 2 trips have been on a Sunsail 384 and we walked the docks as we usually do and I was still amazed at how large the 46 is. I'm hoping we can get back on one this fall - there wasn't anything about it I didn't like.

I thought I'd add to this review since we were on another moorings 4600 a few weeks ago and it was a bit different..

Apparently they made some changes after it was first released. Similiar to how the Leopard 38 Cat had some minor changes and was re-named the Leopard 39, these changes are about as minor.

Biggest change which annoyed me the most was the lack of steps from the helm down into the cockpit. You had to walk around to get to it. This also made it quite difficult to use the VHF radio while at the helm. Also didn't have the solar panels the newer models have. Not a big deal here either, but I did notice the batteries were drained more than they had been in the past.

There were a few other minor things we noticed, but nothing as major as this. It's still a great boat, but I'd rather charter a newer model (probably under 3-4 years old) - this boat was nearly 5 years old and leaving the program this summer.

Thanks for your review of Moorings 46, we will be sailing on a similar Moorings boat in the next few weeks. Do you have an opinion which cabin is roomier? Forward/aft? Are the forepeak berths accessible from the forward cabins or only from the deck either on port or starboard? Would you think a 14 year old boy could sleep comfortably in one of the forepeak berths? Are they air conditioned ?

Thanks for your input.

Hi Mojerzgirl,

We've always taken the Port Aft cabin. I just like the storage it has along side the bed. Aft Cabins are a little roomier I think with better access to the bed.

The port side forepeak berth is accessible from the cabin or from deck, but does not have A/C. Only way it would be kept cool is from the adjoining cabin. The starboard side is only accessible from above with no A/C - it does have it's own head and sink, but is pretty much a cot for sleeping - definitely crew quarters.

On one trip, we had 1 adult stay in each of the forepeak's though - They didn't have any issue with it. It does take a special person though to stay in the crew cabin..

A 14 year old could sleep in the port side easy enough, but they probably could do well staying in the saloon on the bench too. You can also lower the table, but I've found most people don't bother.

Thank you so much, just the type of info I was looking to receive. Take care

You said the forward port cabin was the noisiest. Any other recommendations on which cabin to chose if we have the choice?
Forward or Aft? noise and comfort.
Thanks
Bob

How did it sail?
How was it getting the main up and down? Electric winch?
Did the davids work ok, and you used them daily?

As far as cabins, I like the aft cabins. Either side is good, they are just slightly different.

We think she sails great. No electric winches though, so raising the main is work. We always used the dingy davits, just one less thing to worry about when mooring. You can pull it up a fair amount by really leaning into it and pulling or just use the manual winches.

Fwd port cabin is noisiest due to the generator being next to it. We like the port aft cabin the best. It has an extra shelf for storage that the stb aft cabin does not have. When we move on the boat after its charter life, we plan to make the port hull our owner's hull.

Excellent sailing boat, motoring too. For raising the main, we bought a Winchrite and take it down with us each trip. Charterers are advised to get 2 or 3 guys on the tramp and haul the main up 2/3rds of the way by pulling on the halyard as a team. Then wrap the winch at the mast and crank up the final amount. With the typical tradewinds in the BVI, you'll want to keep 1 reef in anyway.

No electric winch on our boat. After the last thread about electric winch disasters, I'm not sure I want one. The davits work great, are very substantial, and pulling up the dinghy is easy. Sometimes, though, we just tow the dink if we're not going far.

SeaSea, Next time we do the BVIs, we are going to have to charter your boat. Looks good.

Cool! We'd be glad to have you enjoy Dancing Days anytime! PVC is doing a great job maintaining her in top condition.

I think we met you a couple of years ago at the Annapolis boat show. We're heading there next weekend for the Spring show and Cruiser's University.

Yes! My wife and I were walking behind y'all when I recognized your crew shirts being of Laura's handiwork. You had just purchased your boat as I recall. Enjoy the spring show. I bet you will run into some more TTOLers there.

Forward port cabin is next to the generator. We like the starboard aft cabin. The aft port cabin is beneath the outside table where the partiers tend to gather for the late night drinks. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Port aft is it for me in less than 60 days. I'll be the last one to turn out the lights and double check the lines and elect panel. Perhaps stumbling down the port stairs?!

Always prefer a forward cabin, especially if you anchor.