Difference Between Coastal And Blue Water Cruising

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying, Beneteaus cannot cross the English Channel! Hunter's can because, as we all know, there are plenty of Hunters sailing around the world.


Actually, I think the point is you can't count on weather windows. If you are in a boat you need to be prepared for rough weather because sooner or later you will be caught in it.

I think that's true, but unless you're crossing an ocean, you can probably avoid named storms. Even in crossing oceans, some seasons are better than others.

[Scout 30]

Thanks to letsgetsailing3 for agreeing that Beneteaus cannot cross the English Channel.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

I think that's true, but unless you're crossing an ocean, you can probably avoid named storms. Even in crossing oceans, some seasons are better than others.

Nope, that's wishful thinking. We got caught in one a couple of years ago on a 24hr English channel crossing. Forecast calm Force 3, actual Force 8+ against the tide/current.
Very experience delivery captain aboard and in charge.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

My point is demonstrated in the video below. The couple purchased a coastal cruiser and is currently attempting to circumnavigate on the Beneteau. They've had multiple problems so far including the rudder coming loose. At the seven minute point, she will demonstrate the difficulty in preparing a simple sandwich onboard a boat lacking hand handholds, bracing and counter holds. Enjoy, I love watching their videos:

I finally found the video showing the young fellow making structural improvements to the rudder housing/tube so that it didn't wobble around. This appears to be the same issue or similar issue to what Blue Pearl had before the rear bulkhead and rudder tube failed sinking the boat. Rudders to my mind are the number one part of the boat that you don't want to fail offshore. If I was buying a boat like that I'd take it into one of the yard guys and have it rebuilt the way it should have been built in the first place before leaving the factory. When you see this sort of build quality it certainly takes away any feeling of security you might otherwise have had.

[Group9]

One of the boats near me is a 40 Beneteau that regularly partcipates in races across the Gulf of Mexico and has for several years. My nephew has crewed on it and told me of one across the Gulf trip where they were hit with sustained 45 knot winds, and didn't even quit racing.

But, I watch it get worked on, and there is no doubt it is the most well maintained boat in our harbor.

[letsgetsailing3]

Quote:
Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3
I think that's true, but unless you're crossing an ocean, you can probably avoid named storms. Even in crossing oceans, some seasons are better than others.

Kenomac reply:

Nope, that's wishful thinking. We got caught in one a couple of years ago on a 24hr English channel crossing. Forecast calm Force 3, actual Force 8+ against the tide/current.
Very experience delivery captain aboard and in charge.

-----------------------------------
I didn't say you could avoid all storms, I said you could avoid NAMED storms.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Thanks to letsgetsailing3 for agreeing that Beneteaus cannot cross the English Channel.

I never said anything close to that; my point is that this implication is false.

One valid difference coastal cruising and offshore cruising might be the storage capacity for water, fuel, and supplies. Certainly overbuilt and stronger boat hardware may be nice. Some redundancy in systems is also nice.

Boat equipment will break on any boat in a storm. The big difference between offshore and coastal cruising is that in coastal cruising, you aren't very far from repairs.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

I finally found the video showing the young fellow making structural improvements to the rudder housing/tube so that it didn't wobble around. This appears to be the same issue or similar issue to what Blue Pearl had before the rear bulkhead and rudder tube failed sinking the boat. Rudders to my mind are the number one part of the boat that you don't want to fail offshore. If I was buying a boat like that I'd take it into one of the yard guys and have it rebuilt the way it should have been built in the first place before leaving the factory. When you see this sort of build quality it certainly takes away any feeling of security you might otherwise have had.

I think it's worth going over all the systems of any boat to be used in offshore sailing to make sure it's robust enough to take a strain. Some people have made lists of what it will take to make a boat normally considered a coastal cruiser robust enough for offshore work.

In the case of the repairs the young man in that video series made to his boat, there was damage due to a grounding that had made his rudder loose. He made a relatively straightforward repair, though it does seem that the factory could reinforce that structure. I agree with you that I'd be tempted to do that pre-emptively if I had that model boat.

I suppose a good question might be whether it's worth paying triple the price of the boat for one considered "bluewater", or if it makes sense to pay a lot less, and then strengthen any perceived weaknesses.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

I didn't say you could avoid all storms, I said you could avoid NAMED storms.

"Don't be bothered. I'm just messing with you."

Gotcha ;-)

[Julie Mor]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

I suppose a good question might be whether it's worth paying triple the price of the boat for one considered "bluewater", or if it makes sense to pay a lot less, and then strengthen any perceived weaknesses.

Doing the latter way well cost more than the price of the boat. In some instances, it may be impossible to bring something like a Class B or C boat up to a Class A boat without completely taking it apart and rebuilding it.

[Scout 30]

The other option is to buy a used class A boat & restore it. I'm not sure how you turn a Beneteau into an Amel.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

The other option is to buy a used class A boat & restore it. I'm not sure how you turn a Beneteau into an Amel.

You don't but most people wouldn't want to anyways. The Amel is a single purpose boat.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Julie Mor

Doing the latter way well cost more than the price of the boat. In some instances, it may be impossible to bring something like a Class B or C boat up to a Class A boat without completely taking it apart and rebuilding it.

Oddly enough, many of the boat brands that regularly get bashed here have boats in Class A, and those are the types of boats I was primarily referring to. I wasn't suggesting that someone start with a boat that's completely not up to the task.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I get it .... Were they also making an "entertaining video" in the second video of the series when their rudder came loose?

Asking this question suggests you didn't get it at all. All their video's are meant to be 'entertaining'.

[Jammer Six]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

Asking this question suggests you didn't get it at all. All their video's are meant to be 'entertaining'.

I doubt that they're staging acts simply to be entertaining. They're not old enough to be that subtle, and they're young enough not to have any clue about food preparation underway.