Coastal Sailing on 28-32' LOA Boat

[kcmarcet]

After some reading and browsing of boat listings. This seems to be the next logical step up in boat size from a 21ft daysailer. So just assuming that such a boat is equipped with head&holding tank, sink&water holding tank, stove, at least one sleeping berth, reefing main and furling system for the headsail, windvane or autopilot and all proper communication equipment. How far would you feel comfortable sailing from the coast on such a s/v?

[aluijten]

Can't exactly speak for the coast in you part of the world, but over here that is perfectly doable. Bear in mind there is quite a difference is 28ft en 32ft. Maybe not on paper, but in real life it makes quite a difference. It's around these marks were you really notice every inch of additional space.
In our part of the world there seems to be a sweet spot around the 34ft mark for extensive cruising. But we've done a no-stop trip in excess of 200 miles in a 31 foot boat. By that time we were quite tired, but that had a lot to do with headwinds and rain and those make little difference in a 40ft boat. The boat itself posed no problem whatsoever.

[CharlesFCook]

I sailed on a 33' Pearson Sloop from Palmetto, FL to Jamaica via Grand Cayman. We had 12' seas on that trip and lots of blue water. There were 4 of us and we had plenty of room.

[Ocean Girl]

Around the world if it is the proper design, says the girl with a 30 ft Cape Dory :-)
Check out the:

Cape dory CDSOA, Inc. -- About Cape Dorys

Tartans. TARTAN 30, 1974, Pensacola, Florida, sailboat for sale from Sailing Texas

ColumbiaColumbia 9.6, 1976, Freeport, Texas, sailboat for sale from Sailing Texas, yacht for sale

Island packetsIsland Packet, 1988, Gulfport, Florida, sailboat for sale from Sailing Texas

Just to name a few.

Big points for an offshore vessel is a rudder with a skeg or keel hung, sea hood, good ports to handle waves, cockpit that drains quickly. Many boats this size try to pack a big boat interior into a smaller boat, this tends to sacrifice her sailing ability, good sailing ability is number one over creature comforts if you want a seaworthy vessel.
Cheers,
Have fun boat shopping
Mrs Rain Dog


Ps
I have a CD 30 that is for sale :-)

[David_Old_Jersey]

Depends on the design / build.

Dependent on the Skipper / crew 28' -32' could go RTW (and they have).....or could be an accident waiting to happen once out of sight of land (no matter the Skipper)..........most boats of course are somewhere in the middle.

[tropicalescape]

From where you are I would feel comfortable only going, say, from Naples to Isla Mujras and no farther! LOL ha ha ha! good luck DVC

[kcmarcet]

Nice. That's about as far as I think I might want to sail. I will have to have my boat rigged for single handed sailing.

[kcmarcet]

Well, I have no interests in going rtw. But would like to be able to "bug out" for sometime if I should suddenly find myself without employment or other obligations. Maybe spend a summer sailing up the east coast of the states and then maybe a winter sailing the Caribbean. I think "somewhere in the middle" is just about what I'm looking for.

[kcmarcet]

That might just be a bit further than I really want to go.

[LauderBoy]

Originally Posted by kcmarcet

Well, I have no interests in going rtw. But would like to be able to "bug out" for sometime if I should suddenly find myself without employment or other obligations. Maybe spend a summer sailing up the east coast of the states and then maybe a winter sailing the Caribbean. I think "somewhere in the middle" is just about what I'm looking for.

Any production boat in that size range can cruise up and down the ICW on the east coast and hop over to the islands very easily.

If you want to sail off the east coast, it just depends on how far from bolt holes you'll be. If you'll be sailing out far enough where you might get caught with a forecast 2 days off of bad weather and can't run to safety, then you'll want something that can handle a good blow.

But if your idea of a good time isn't battling sea sickness in 10ft seas, but is sitting in your boat at a pretty anchorage sipping mixed drinks, then just pick up a cheap 30 footer, stay closer to land and save the money for that run to the Bahamas.

[Jim Cate]

FWIW,

Ann and I did our first offshore trip -- SF to Hawaii and back -- in a Yankee 30 in 1983. Didn't worry at all about the boat. Had fun.

But, decided that she was too small for extended cruising and moved up to a 36 footer when we left for good.

Shoulddn't be necessary to point out that a~16 foot daysailor has crossed the Atlantic, that several boats in the low 20 foot region have circumnavigated, and that numerous much larger vessels have failed as cruisers. Perhaps these facts will suggest the answer to your query.

Cheers,

Jim

[offline]

Our Columbia 8.3 has done Florida to Maine and back several times, Florida to Bahamas all offshore. Columbia's are awsome boats.

[svHyLyte]

In the late 1970's my wife and I dumped our 1963 Rhodes Reliant--which was a lovely yacht but required and obscene amount of maintenance and up-keep--and bought a 1976 Cal 2-29. The yacht was fitted with a small diesel, a 15 gallon fuel tank, a 20 gallon water tank and a small "holding" tank. Our battery power was two group 27 wet cell deep cycle batteries and recharging was done with the stock 40 amp alternator. Cooking was done on a 3-burner CNG stove although obtaining replacement CNG was sometimes a pain in the neck. Hot water was provided by a 2-1/2 gallon "sun shower" on deck or a tea-kettle heated on the stove and poured into a garden sprayer used for taking showers.

We first sailed that boat in San Francisco, out of the Richmond Yacht Club, until we were transfered to SoCal in '85 and so down to Long Beach, Ca, and from there any and everywhere from the Channel Islands to Ensenada and back until we were transferred to Ft. Lauderdale in '92 and later to the west coast of Florida in '94. The trip to Florida was trying but we loved having the yacht here and she served us very well until 2002 when, after 9/'11, my wife insisted that after talking about it for many years, we bought a larger yacht.

In fact, with the "little" yacht we sailed more, and went more places, and had less difficulty than we ever had with the Rhodes--tho' we loved her; or with our current yacht--tho' we love her as well. While my wife may disagree, the Cal 2-29 was all the yacht we ever needed and I miss her ease of handling, minimal maintenance requirements, and shallow draft.

It occurs that we met Eric and Susan Hiscock while they were moored near us in Sausalito Yacht Harbor for awhile during their trip around the world in Wanderer IV in the early '70's and while their "new" yacht was a "marvel" (at the time) one cold winter night Eric confided that after all was said and done, he regretted having given up Wanderer III (30') tho' his Susan was "happier" with the larger yacht. Note that they had previously completed a 3 year circumnavigation aboard Wanderer III tho', by todays standards, Wanderer III might only be considered a "coastal cruiser".

IMHO, a 30' yacht, properly fitted, is more than enough for most couples and should serve you well.

FWIW...

[kcmarcet]

Well, I don't know how far out I would go sailing up the coast. Maybe 100 miles, I don't know, maybe less. I think I'd rather be sitting in some nice anchorage than fight 10 foot seas, Although I did take my 21 footer out in 6 foot seas or so, that was kind of dicey, it had no furling for the head sail or reefing on the main, so 20+ knot winds in 6 foot seas was ahh, interesting to say the least. I don't think a 21 foot daysailer was really meant for conditions like that.

[kcmarcet]

Well thanks for pointing out the daysailer crossing the Atlantic, I didn't know that, that must have been interesting. Well I am a single guy, so unless I should happen to meet a gal who wants to be first mate, I don't think I would need larger than a 32. I think that's going to be my upper limit. 28 might be a bit on the small side, but seems doable for my plans.