Boats for Tall People - Possible Under 30' ?

[blackdog.tasha]

Hi Guys,
I'm in the process of buying my first sailboat but I am having trouble finding one with enough clearance. I don't mind not being able to stand up all the way, but I'm hoping I can at least sit on the seats in the cabin without banging my head. I'm 6'4" and I'm looking for a boat from 25 to 27'.
I found one recently that fits the bill - the only problem is its a little tight when I sit in most places in the cabin. There are some places I can sit and its ok - but I'm thinking because this is my first boat, and I'm about 10 years from buying a 40' maybe I could make do?
Or do you think its possible to get a 26' boat where I can sit down and not bang my head? So far all the boats I've looked at have this problem for me.
Thanks for your help!

[davetavares]

My daughter just bought a blue water cruiser -- Willard 8 ton (1977) last fall... it has around 6'5 head room. Worth a look. It is a little longer (30 feet) but is a stout boat and can handle seas well. We had her in 12 foot sees and she never got wet (4 hour trip from Santa Barbara to Ventura harbor). It is a cutter rig. We have sailed her in 25 gusting to 30 in the SF bay... no problems. She sails well. Full sail under 25 knots. Stay and main under 35 knots.

It is a stable little boat and affordable ($20-40K on the west coast) depending on condition.

I would think blue water cruisers are the way to go since the cabins are taller and the boat is beamier -- thereby giving more living space.

Dave

[blackdog.tasha]

Thanks for the quick reply! I go back and forth between "should I wait and save to get the boat I really want" or "get the boat now and go sailing!" Right now my budget is $10-$15 - so I guess my options are pretty limited. The boat I'm looking at is 26', for $6000 - but it comes with moorage close to where I live - so I'd be out sailing a lot I think. In a few years I can probably save up to buy a $20-$30K boat, but what about all those years not sailing in the meantime! As I said I keep going back and forth - thanks for the info. I'll check out blue water cruisers.

[ColdFusion]

Not sure where you're from but if you can find a Stag 28 for sale (mainly in UK) then you'll have lots of headroom. I'm 6'2" and could stand comfortably in the saloon with inches to spare (the forepeak had considerably less headroom).

[davetavares]

I have seen Willards around $14K-$19K on the east coast. If you go to yachtworld.com you can set your price range and boat length. Specify Sailboat Cruiser and you should get a list and makes to chose from that are currently for sale. Most of these have dimensions for the boat. Willards are 30 feet long and 10.5 feet at the beam to give you an idea. The other look is the cabin pops out above the deck (important for the head room.

Hope this helps.