My boat's too big... I hear it all the time.

[Suijin]

Im left scratching my head. I single hand my 40’er all over and have never had someone pronounce it too big for one person. Yet.

Offshore it’s the perfect size and layout. Stable, predictable, with room to move about safely on deck.

I’ve done ocean races on 35’ers with 6-8 crew and the thought in the back of my mind has always been how much safer a larger platform is and it has nothing to do with crowding.

Of course I wish the boat was smaller when I’m pulling into a slip but I expect everyone has that flit through their mind be they on a 50’ or 30’ boat.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

It's also much easier and more comfortable to do something like this on a larger boat with 100hp.

Yea that looks cool.
But if I'm not being too pushy - what motivates the desire for 70' (for a couple), when this 53 seems soooo cool? Surely nobody wants to motor into 45 kts!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

Yea that looks cool.
But if I'm not being too pushy - what motivates the desire for 70' (for a couple), when this 53 seems soooo cool? Surely nobody wants to motor into 45 kts!

this is fairly common coming up the red sea especially the last 150 miles before suez!

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

Yea that looks cool.
But if I'm not being too pushy - what motivates the desire for 70' (for a couple), when this 53 seems soooo cool? Surely nobody wants to motor into 45 kts!

But if I'm not being too pushy - what motivates someone to be content with a 33' (for a cruising couple), when a 25 will get you there. Surely, nobody want s to motor into 20 knots!

[Exile]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

But if I'm not being too pushy - what motivates the desire for 70' (for a couple), when this 53 seems soooo cool?

I figure it comes down to two things:

1. Because they can; and,

2. Because they want to.

[TJ D]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Oh they are there and we seem to attract them every time we visit France and the Channel Islands. Often French flagged, they appear late in the evening after harbour staff have gone home and disappear at first light. You see whole families and 3 generations on board 25-30ft yachts. They moor up to us because we often have a space on the outside due to the harbour staff not allowing really big yachts to tie up along side us, thankfully.

Whilst you might question their ethics of staying a night and disappearing early in the morning having topped up the water and taken a shower ashore, it is nice to see whole families enjoying their holidays on small, cheap yachts and making the most of the opportunities.

Pete

That's funny. I debated whether or not to bring which flag the yacht was sailing under into the topic. In the end, I figured everyone could figure out who I meant. But, yes, I was referring largely to the French! I don't know if you've ever seen the circus act where 17 people get out of a VW beetle, but we've seen some that reminded us of that act.

I just wonder-where do they all fit???

No condemnation here, mind you, good on them if they're having fun.

[TJ D]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

But if I'm not being too pushy - what motivates someone to be content with a 33' (for a cruising couple), when a 25 will get you there. Surely, nobody want s to motor into 20 knots!

My morning chuckle has been delivered. Thanks.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by atoll

the bigger the boat the better its sea keeping abilities! you often see 300ft ships anchored in open water,200ft behind a headland,100ft inside the port limits etc

This.

We often sit in spots with a metre of slop rolling through hardly noticing it while smaller boats, if there are any remaining, get the snot kicked out of them.
Smaller waves hit the side of us, bounce off and run back the other way.
We often comment "65 tonne tells wave to f off"

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

But if I'm not being too pushy - what motivates someone to be content with a 33' (for a cruising couple), ...

Okay that doesn't answer my question. I'm content with 33' purely on cost grounds. Okay, I just answered my question...

[Polux]

Originally Posted by TJ D

B

Well, Polux, I sure hope that you're not telling me that I'm a liar.

Our cruise was in Northern Europe, specifically from the UK to Gibraltar. More often than not, we were one of, if not the biggest, sailboats in the marina/anchorage.

If you've read the thread, which would be an achievement by now, it has been noted that since we went south, boats have gotten bigger on the average. If we ever have the misfortune to pull into one of the Med marinas where the megayachts congregate-they'll put us at the dinghy dock. I get it.

But, that still doesn't change the fact that there were many, many times in Ireland, the UK, France, and Spain where these comments were made.

You may decide to believe me or not, but it most certainly did happen. Often.

TJ

That is a fact that on North of Europe the boats tend to be smaller and you can see that by the max size North European shipyards have as the biggest yacht they produce but even there things are changing and several brands that used to have 45/50ft boats as the biggest on the line go now till 60ft.

Off course I did not mean to call you a liar but I guess that the owners of big yachts are not asking that question to you. The med is not only the place where maxi yachts are it is also the place where many of Yachts from all over Europe are. The marinas and most of all storage spaces for yachts on the dry are full of boats and many over 50ft, specially the newer ones.

As I have said the more important market at this moment in Europe is the one of yachts between 45 and 55ft. That does not mean that you don't find smaller boats, not all have the money for a big yacht but I have been sailing there on the last 15 years, a bit all over the place, and it is very clear the increase in size of the average boat that today regarding new boats (monohulls) should be between 45 and 50ft with many boats bigger than that.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Oh they are there and we seem to attract them every time we visit France and the Channel Islands. Often French flagged, they appear late in the evening after harbour staff have gone home and disappear at first light. You see whole families and 3 generations on board 25-30ft yachts. They moor up to us because we often have a space on the outside due to the harbour staff not allowing really big yachts to tie up along side us, thankfully.

Whilst you might question their ethics of staying a night and disappearing early in the morning having topped up the water and taken a shower ashore, it is nice to see whole families enjoying their holidays on small, cheap yachts and making the most of the opportunities.

Pete

I think there is some confusion here. the point here are not 30ft yacht with all families inside, the point is 30ft boats crewed by 4 or 5, that was what TJ said.

Having a family inside does not mean that they all crew actively the boat or that they are need to crew it.

On a 30ft boat that need only arises in a regatta to be competitive.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Polux

As I have said the more important market at this moment in Europe is the one of yachts between 45 and 55ft. That does not mean that you don't find smaller boats, not all have the money for a big yacht

I wonder how much of this is down to a market which encourages folk to buy larger boats. After all there are greater profits in selling a 45ft yacht over a 30ft yacht and with interest rates in Europe at an all time low hey why not borrow a few hundred thousand and buy a new larger yacht.

The younger generation who previously might of bought a 30ft yacht no longer have the finance available which leaves affluent middle age and wrinklies left as the only ones with cash. They have done the 30-35ft boats and now want to be in the 45-50ft gang, only stopping in marinas and paying for all that nasty maintenance stuff. So sales of larger yachts increase as a share of the market and we see more of them about. Be interesting to see what will happen to all these yachts and their value in 10 -15 years time.

Pete

[David B]

Originally Posted by Hobie_ind

My friend on the Oyster finally got tired and declared "Well it worked well enough for the circumnavigation that we finished a few months ago. When you finish yours I'll consider your advice." He said future conversations were much shorter...... I don't think it bothered him.

Everyone has an opinion, some people just strongly believe theirs is the only right one for everyone. You're not going to change that.

I've personally have found something to genuinely like about pretty much every boat I've ever been aboard. I find you get invited back for a lot more sundowners that way!

To the three above points - love it, and could not agree more. We all have our perspectives, our experiences, and our needs. Just respect that others have theirs also. We can all learn a lot more that way

[weavis]

No boat is too big in the middle of the Ocean..

However, in the dock, paying for repairs, doing stuff without mechanical assistance, the enjoyment factor can diminish a little depending on stamina and the size of the wallet.

That said, each person has a a comfort threshold based on all the above criteria. I know mine and the size of the vessel is not too big.

I remember years ago, a lawyer friend of mine was selling his Jensen Interceptor car... someone phoned him enquiring and asked for a ball park figure of some parts cost so he had an idea of what it would cost to run.... My friend stated: " Well sir, if you have to ask, you cannot afford this car" and then hung up the phone..

Some boats are like that.....

[Username25]

I get instant vomiting reaction of prattling passers-by. 98% of them (including cruisers) are just capable of mumble something like "very nice boat" or "where are you from?". Sick!