Sailing to Hawaii in a 27 foot Coronado

[watersofdiego]

So I'm in the process of buying a 1970 27 foot Coronado boat that I found on Craigslist. Mainly to do some local sailing. But eventually in a year or so do some long distance sailing like to Hawaii and the South Pacific. Do you think that would be a good boat to cross the Pacific Ocean with?

[David M]

I would not attempt it in that boat. You want heavier rigging than what is found on a Coronado. Do a lot of local sailing in heavy winds and seas before attempting to sail to Hawaii.

[The Garbone]

Diesel motor?

Looks a little more seaworthy than my C27 but lighter. 50+ days rolling around in that beast, well, that is your choice.

[Ocean Girl]

They are strong boats. Beef up the rigging. Lots have deck trouble, be sure to check carefully for water intrusion.

Also check out the Albin Vegas.

[Crimea Cruiser]

I can not vouch for the 27, but we had a Coronado 23 of same era. It was fraught with compression issues at mast step and bulkhead cracks.

[roverhi]

Coronados aren't the strongest built boats out there but should do fine for a trip to Hawaii. Looks like the boat is the same hull as the Columbia 26 but with a more cruiser oriented deck. I owned a Columbia 26 in the Islands for a couple of years. Sailed it between the Islands a number of times. The boat tended to pound badly going to weather in the steep waves of the channels going east. Might think about adding tabbing to the main and forward bulkhead and a couple of glassed in stringers in the v berth area.

The boat was directionally very unstable. Had a bad habit of stalling out the rudder and rounding up out of control in gusts. Figure out your self steering early and sail it in strong winds to be sure it will handle the lack of directional stability. Be sure you can reef the main quickly and easily. The sail to Hawaii is largely down wind in moderate conditions that the stock boat will handle.

The return would be a lot more of a challenge and I wouldn't want to do it without some reinforcing as mentioned above before attempting.

It's an old boat so rigging, including the chain plates, should be carefully inspected and probably replaced. You can do it yourself with StaLoc or Norseman terminals in less than a day. The stock rigging was plenty strong, wouldn't oversize it.

Find the leaks and there will be some if not a bunch. Do your best to permanently fix them. Nothing more miserable on a long passage than to have to sleep in Foulies because your bunk is soaked, BTDT. My Columbia leaked badly largely because of the use of sillycone for bedding compound. Would have removed everything and rebedded it with LifeCaulk or butyl if I'd kept the boat. With the lack of a bilge sump, any water that gets below will soak everything that touches the hull right up to the gunwales.

I sailed the crap out of the boat. Made a couple of trips across the Molokai Channel when all the other boats turned back because of wind and waves. Was not a great cruising boat because of the lack of directional stability but the boat will handle the conditions. Don't know many smallish fin keel cruisers that will be more directionally stable, however.

[MarkSF]

Around the world in a 12 ft yacht :

500 Days: Around the World on a 12 Foot Yacht: Serge Testa: 9781439263020: Amazon.com: Books

However, be in no doubt that he took an enormous risk in doing so.

[snort]

I'd sail it to Catalina and back in good weather. I'd take a commercial jet to Hawaii or a boat better suited for that kind of voyage.

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Around the world in a 12 ft yacht :

500 Days: Around the World on a 12 Foot Yacht: Serge Testa: 9781439263020: Amazon.com: Books

However, be in no doubt that he took an enormous risk in doing so.

I saw that boat a couple of months back at the maritime museum in Brisbane.

much much different in design to the Coronado though.

[barnakiel]

You are better off buying something like say a Vancouver 27 and doing you local sailing in it.

If you like lighter craft, get a Minitransat boat.

Both Vancouver and Mini are built for ocean sailing.

b.

[Wrong]

Among available 27' production boats, I'd do it in a Nor'Sea27 but not the Coronado.

[zeehag]

friend of mine--cousin, actually, sailed from sd to hawaii and back in a cal 28 flushdeck model

she said it was easy . it was her first sailing adventure. she kept the boat after words for a few more years--loved it.

that coronado looked a little light in rig for the ocean voyage, in my opinion, however--- might work, but........i would use a cal 28 rather than a coronado...do sail to catalina from san diego first---then decide....

[zeehag]

i voted that i would not take a coronado 27 to hawaii as first of all, i have a comfortable boat of my own and i have no wish to go to hawaii. weather helm is an issue in coronados i noticed when i sailed some..... lots of work..... was stated that perhaps a slightly larger, different shape of rudder might help that, but i didnt listen well as i was not going to own one. same was stated about my ericson 35 mII, also. some neighbors had done that and reduced greatly their weather helm problems.

[gjordan]

Watersofdiego, I am going to do a little thread drift here, and say that anyone on the west coast considering their FIRST PASSAGE, might want to NOT GO TO HAWAII. I know this will stir up controversy, but going from southern California to Hawaii is like going to Hollywood West. You arrive to concrete docks, huge paved parking lots and what look like mile high condos. As many wanabe cruisers have discovered on arrival to Honolulu, the airport is just a quick taxi ride away, and tired cranky mates, or crew have been known to step of off the boat before the dock lines are even tied, and never look back. What I would recommend (which scares a lot of people) is for your first passage to be from Mexico to the Marquesas. That is after cruising Mexico for a winter season. It is only a week or ten days longer trip, and you arrive at an exotic (not concrete) location that very few people will see in their lifetime. Even if you are tired and hate the boat at that point, you cant just jump on an airplane and leave. A couple of good nights sleep after a passage is heavenly, and can go a long way towards changing attitudes. Then you get to cruise in one of the few places on earth that are close to the idea of paradise. The Tuamotus are even more remote and Tahiti is great if you get away from the crowds. Many cruisers never realize that there is much more to Tahiti than Papeete . If at that point or hopefully later you sell or give the boat away, you will have gained an experience that few people will ever have. As far as the Coronado goes, if the rig is good and you have a very reliable self steering gear, then it will do the trick. Not as comfortable as the big expensive boats, but Tahiti looks the same from the cockpit of a 27 foot boat as it does from a 47 foot boat. Again, I think a winter in Mexico is a great learning ground. The best of luck to you, and remember that really good ground tackle is the best insurance that you can have. _____Grant.

[zeehag]

the usual run of souls who want to first trip go to hawaii usually end up in bahia asuncion or somewhere else in baja, mexico whining about the 70 ft seas experienced in the unexpected and unpredicted furycame they sailed to get there.... even when not sailing in furycame season.

go . sail..... say hay to the good souls of whatever mexican fishing village you end up in and saved by.....just dont let them boat sit while you call home...