Choosing a boat for a Lifetime of Cruising..

[robert sailor]

Thanks Anne, well written, I appreciate your comments.

[estarzinger]

You might want to look up the CCA BLue Water medal winner's list. These are (arguably) some of the great long term cruisers. The list includes their boat type.

Just thinking about them . . . Eric Forsyth Been everywhere in a westsail 42. Jeane Socrates has done three circumnavigations on two Najads. Roger Swanson went everywhere on a big (57 I think) bowman. Thies won in on the 30' wooden wanderer iii, after having gone everywhere. It's a long interesting list. But I am not sure what you will take away from it.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Mark, give it a rest.

I can smell a SmackDaddy-type thread a mile away, I guess. Only difference is you were allowed your say in those threads - Smackdaddy never told you to give it a rest. And I haven't been dismissive of you and your ideas like you were in those threads. I certainly will not call you names, as you did.

Really, I didn't approach this thread that way, but that dismissive comment of yours makes me point out the similarities and differences.

Not sure how I haven't contributed here - just not in the direction you prefer maybe? What commonalities have you found so far from the list of boats fitting your descriptive criteria?

Your latter posts have quite the different tone from your original one.

Mark

[colemj]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

I haven't see anyone mention the high volume production boats as a choice

Hmmm. A clue to the purpose of this thread?

Mark

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

You might want to look up the CCA BLue Water medal winner's list. These are (arguably) some of the great long term cruisers. The list includes their boat type.

Just thinking about them . . . Eric Forsyth Been everywhere in a westsail 42. Jeane Socrates has done three circumnavigations on two Najads. Roger Swanson went everywhere on a big (57 I think) bowman. Thies won in on the 30' wooden wanderer iii, after having gone everywhere. It's a long interesting list. But I am not sure what you will take away from it.

Thanks Evans..good source of info and an excellent read. It sort of took the wind out of my sails reading about the voyaging those sailors have done, amazing!

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by colemj

Hmmm. A clue to the purpose of this thread?

Mark

One of the CCA metal winners sailed a J160

[svfraidknot]

i dont have the long term saioing experience 5 or 6 days trips to the perlas islands s the extent of my long term travels ,, but as far as living aboard my 42 solaris is the moat comfortable sail boat i ever stayed overnight on ,, adding a bimini that covered the entire read deck from cockpit to davit was the best thing i ever did to make it truly livable as now i and my friends spend 90 percent of our time topside regretfully i cant keep her and she is listed here for sale .. might even trade her for a motor home of equal value

[Bulawayo]

Wow, so many possible answers........
We cruised for many years on our V45 which we finally sold in Europe. When the time came to buy a replacement we eventually gave up and went and bought another. It fits our needs totally. Incidently, we sold the diesel gen set and rely on our solar panels (900 watts of Kyocera) and a wind generator. We have several invertors as well as the faithful Honda i20 portable generator. We have all what we consider necessary to be comfortable, including the 12v water maker and plenty of refrigeration. As already mentioned, our restriction is carrying bottled gas - we have 4x 12kg gas cylinders that usually last five -six months for a family of six (four children). We have lived aboard now in excess of ten years on this design and am happy after a few mods like converting four silly heads compartments into two proper bathrooms.

[wrwakefield]

Hi Robert,

In addition to the good feedback you will receive on this forum, I thought you might also be interested in another site which is dedicated to answering your question:

Attainable Adventure Cruising: the online reference for offshore voyaging in small boats.

Much of the site content requires membership for a very small annual fee (less than US$20), but the depth of objective information and feedback from only those out there doing it makes that very worthwhile in my opinion. [I am just a member and receive no benefits...]

Regarding my decision for my (final?) full time voyaging vessel? A pilothouse ketch: I settled on a Nauticat 43 and couldn't be happier. [The prior vessels I cruised 20K+ miles each included a Valiant Esprit 37 and a Tayana 47. Both were very suitable, but I prefer the Nauticat for its two steering stations (cockpit/pilothouse) and ample living accommodations among many other things.]

More details about the decision making process are articulated on our blog...

Have fun! You are embarking on one of the most exciting legs of your journey...

-Bill
SV Denali Rose

[TanzerTom]

I'm here to research for my next boat which will be used, initially, for cruising the coastal Carolinas. The "my dog is bigger than your dog" and "if you haven't done it yourself, you aren't entitled to an opinion" commentary may be irritating to some. But I find the defenses offered by the various opinion holders to be very interesting and informative. To me, conflict leads to an exchange of ideas that wouldn't be possible if everyone were on the same page. After listening to all the various discussions and following up on hard felt opinions, I've found the very best ones advise to determine what kind of boat best meets your particular needs, whatever they may be. Me? I want a Contessa 32 but will likely not be able to buy one here. Options are a Sea Sprite 34, early Hunter 34 or a Freedom in the 32-38' range. What I will likely end up with is a very well maintained Catalina 30 that I will sail and enjoy while I dream of the Contessa. What does this have to do with the long term voyager question? Easy. Get as much information and opinion as you can from as many sources as possible, verify what's most important to you, apply what you've learned to your goal, then act. There are many needles in the haystack; too many focus on the hay.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by TanzerTom

I'm here to research for my next boat which will be used, initially, for cruising the coastal Carolinas. The "my dog is bigger than your dog" and "if you haven't done it yourself, you aren't entitled to an opinion" commentary may be irritating to some. But I find the defenses offered by the various opinion holders to be very interesting and informative. To me, conflict leads to an exchange of ideas that wouldn't be possible if everyone were on the same page. After listening to all the various discussions and following up on hard felt opinions, I've found the very best ones advise to determine what kind of boat best meets your particular needs, whatever they may be. Me? I want a Contessa 32 but will likely not be able to buy one here. Options are a Sea Sprite 34, early Hunter 34 or a Freedom in the 32-38' range. What I will likely end up with is a very well maintained Catalina 30 that I will sail and enjoy while I dream of the Contessa. What does this have to do with the long term voyager question? Easy. Get as much information and opinion as you can from as many sources as possible, verify what's most important to you, apply what you've learned to your goal, then act. There are many needles in the haystack; too many focus on the hay.

Dreaming of contessa 32, eh! I owned one many years ago. They certainly are a go anywhere boat but my 6'_1" frame was pretty tight for that boat. They have been sailed every where including the Horn going against the weather. They were made in England and Canada but I expect a nice one will be hard to find these days. If I were looking at that size of boat and I planned on crossing a lot of oceans it would be a great choice but if I was looking for a live a board I'd be happier in a Cat 30. Good luck on your future sailing!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by TanzerTom

I'm here to research for my next boat which will be used, initially, for cruising the coastal Carolinas. The "my dog is bigger than your dog" and "if you haven't done it yourself, you aren't entitled to an opinion" commentary may be irritating to some. But I find the defenses offered by the various opinion holders to be very interesting and informative. To me, conflict leads to an exchange of ideas that wouldn't be possible if everyone were on the same page. After listening to all the various discussions and following up on hard felt opinions, I've found the very best ones advise to determine what kind of boat best meets your particular needs, whatever they may be. Me? I want a Contessa 32 but will likely not be able to buy one here. Options are a Sea Sprite 34, early Hunter 34 or a Freedom in the 32-38' range. What I will likely end up with is a very well maintained Catalina 30 that I will sail and enjoy while I dream of the Contessa. What does this have to do with the long term voyager question? Easy. Get as much information and opinion as you can from as many sources as possible, verify what's most important to you, apply what you've learned to your goal, then act. There are many needles in the haystack; too many focus on the hay.

Wow, that was a quick change of pace from a Contessa 32 to those other boats.

There's a 1983 Gladiateur 33 (Wauquiez built) up in Maryland and it's a sea boat. It has a 2006 Saildrive and a tiller. (draws 6') I think they want $27,000 for it.

Then there are quite a few Cape Dorys and Bristols about that can be made into voyaging boats. A Bristol 35.5, if you can find one, is similar to a Contessa 32 but faster.

Contessa 32: (PHRF 180)

CONTESSA 32 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

Bristol 35.5: (not the one with the centerboard) (PHRF 150)

BRISTOL 35.5 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

Gladiateur 33 (PHRF 135)

GLADIATEUR 33 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

[TanzerTom]

Thanks Thomm. The Gladiateur is a new one for me... looked at the listing and sail drive is a variable I don't want to pursue and the eye appeal just isn't there. Specs make it look interesting, just not for me. Bristols and Cape Dorys were some of the first I looked at. Many up north, few down here; got to be a reason other than quality and from what I gather maneuverability in close quarters is one. Ease of single handing and maneuverability is a priority for me, thus the Freedom. Also, deep draft is not an option for me here in the graveyard of the Atlantic. As for the leap from Contessa to the other two, it's a matter of ideal vs realistic. Not many on here will be wowed by the Hunter 34 but it will fit my needs very well for a very good price. So will the Catalina 30 and there are just so many of them around a good boat at a good price is more likely than other options. As for the PHRF, lots of discussion possible. I've had a Tanzer 26 and San Juan 24 (both with PHRF of 222) that I raced very successfully against boats that were supposedly much faster. For me, a coastal boat with "feel" is more important than speed. Again, thanks for the info... a comment similar to yours is how I found the Contessa... just love the way that boat looks moving through the water

[Polux]

Looking at this thread we can really find almost any boat I believe most of the choices have to do with a budget more than anything. It seems that there is nobody referring to living on mass production boat but I know several that live aboard them and boats so different as Bavaria 44 or a First 40.7 and they, off course, say very well about their boats, as all the others regarding their own. Also I know of cruisers that choose to live on big cats, while circumnavigating.

I believe that the choice is so big as the tastes of cruisers and so different as the places where they want to cruise and live.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by TanzerTom

Thanks Thomm. The Gladiateur is a new one for me... looked at the listing and sail drive is a variable I don't want to pursue and the eye appeal just isn't there. Specs make it look interesting, just not for me. Bristols and Cape Dorys were some of the first I looked at. Many up north, few down here; got to be a reason other than quality and from what I gather maneuverability in close quarters is one. Ease of single handing and maneuverability is a priority for me, thus the Freedom. Also, deep draft is not an option for me here in the graveyard of the Atlantic. As for the leap from Contessa to the other two, it's a matter of ideal vs realistic. Not many on here will be wowed by the Hunter 34 but it will fit my needs very well for a very good price. So will the Catalina 30 and there are just so many of them around a good boat at a good price is more likely than other options. As for the PHRF, lots of discussion possible. I've had a Tanzer 26 and San Juan 24 (both with PHRF of 222) that I raced very successfully against boats that were supposedly much faster. For me, a coastal boat with "feel" is more important than speed. Again, thanks for the info... a comment similar to yours is how I found the Contessa... just love the way that boat looks moving through the water

Okay, how about this which is another of the boats I like but would be a pain getting it up here.

There is a Niagara 31 in Havelock, NC. ($19,000) It's quite a light boat, but it's on the Mahina Offshore Boat list and it's well built. Btw, it has a solid fiberglass hull unlike the Niagara 35, and it's pretty quick for it's size. It has a V drive I believe.

Niagara 31 - Used Sailboat Market in Canada

http://www.mahina.com/cruise.html