The Bar Harbor 39 is a compact package. It is designed to approach the minimum size that provides the level of comfort required for long term cruising without compromising any element of the mission.

The bigger the boat, the more it controls your life. The cruising lifestyle makes an attempt to “get away from it all,” to be free of many of life’s boundaries and responsibilities and to be as carefree as possible.  Boats try very hard to defy  those aspirations. If your budget, strength, energy and seamanship are less than unlimited, big boats can be a lot more work than they are fun.

Many experienced cruising couples have found that downsizing the boat to a more modest size with simpler systems and demands, dramatically increases both their use of the boat and their enjoyment afloat. Through careful design, the BH39 gives at least as much interior volume as many 42 foot “downeasters.”

Easily handled by a couple without assistance: The Bar Harbor 39 is small enough and light enough to be pushed around and into a slip or tight spot on a dock with hands, boat hooks or light lines.  A bow thruster is standard equipment.  A normal couple can easily execute a perfect landing in adverse conditions.

There are a lot of places that we cannot take a larger boat: In the prime East Coast cruising grounds from Maine, to Florida and throughout the Bahamas, there are hundreds of superb little “gunk holes” for a moderate draft 40 footer but, there are only a handful for the hefty 50 footer. 

Hull Maintenance:  The systems on the BH 39 were designed from scratch with reliability as the dominant design criterion.  Simplicity of plumbing, wiring, rigging and mechanical equipment is evident everywhere.  Reliability is at the head of each component’s selection list.  The systems are simple to run, simple to diagnose and simple to repair.

The hull and deck are painted with Awlgrip.  Even the bilges and cabinet interiors are gloss epoxy coated. The easier cleanup and no wax features of the total hull’s finish will save much labor, and always look better than gelcoat for many years of proud ownership.

Engine Maintenance:  The BH39 combines the efficient lobster boat hull form, light and strong structure, and high efficiency drive system to reduce engine power and size. A lighter, simpler, single engine system nicely fulfills the requirements. It also reduces initial cost, weight, fuel consumption, difficult access and maintenance.

Operating Cost: The increased efficiency of the drive system when compared to a jet drive is dramatic. Over her speed range, the BH-39 is as much as twice as efficient as a jet drive and much more efficient than small diameter, high speed drives. Her efficient hull and single engine translate into dramatic fuel and maintenance cost savings when cruising.

This is a boat that is easy to live with and enjoy.