Hi all, long time between posting here. We rented a Moorings 4000 in the BVIs in early May. In terms of sailing characteristics I would agree with Maytrix. Close hauled is not an easy point of sail for her at all. So much weather helm that if you lose focus you are dragged into irons and the only way to get out is to turn on the engines. If going up wind, stay 50-60 degrees off. Now I am definitely a novice sailor and fellow co-captain was the same so there may have been some tricks and sail trim adjustments that we could have done to make this easier. Tacking was also an adventure with many failed attempts and engine starts. My experience is you need to get as much speed and make that turn as fast as possible into and through the wind and then ease off the rudder (to about 20 degrees.) to allow her to gain speed. By the end of the week we were tacking like pros but it was a steep learning curve. We also had a constant battle with keeping the lines in the cockpit orderly. In my opinion they need some space on the port side of the helm for a winch and lines. Everyone I talked to, including a former Moorings captain with experience on them said the same thing..."they sail like a pig!".

Don't rent the 4000 for its sailing qualities, rent it for its Cruising qualities! And what awesome cruising qualities it has. An awesome boat to enjoy the sun, beach weather, company. galley was very large with an abundant amount of storage. I was astounded on how well the freezer and fridge worked. Put some gallon water jugs in it and it was frozen the next morning... and that was without a gen!

We liked the 4000 enough that we are renting two next June so that both my family and his can go down together. I will be getting the four cabin and my buddy will be getting the 3 cabin (I really liked the owners version.. the owners bathroom was awesome!)

To sum up, the mooring 4000 is a cruiser not a sailer. know what you are getting before you rent. At the end of the day we were sailing for about 2-4hours each day and relaxing, enjoying the other 20 hours so it was a good choice.