Metal Boat Suited for Sailing to Antarctica

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I take it you were not impressed by Alan Pape's design....

Well, we bought her so I guess that says something.

The Steelmaid was apparently first designed as a ketch, the builder had Pape change it to a cutter rig for this boat.

[S/V Alchemy]

We bought a custom steel pilothouse cutter with collision bulkheads and many of the other desirable features for high-latitude cruising not just for that, but because we found that what kept you safer from a grounding on a patch of uncharted glacial till in some fjord somewhere out of SPOT range was also likely to keep you safe on a chunk of awash coral last noted by Captain Cook.


In other words, you can "winterize" nearly any well-founded steel boat, but you can't plate over a F/G hull so easily. Holistically speaking, safer is safer and adjusting for climate is only part of the cruising equation. While it is true that metal boats tend to cluster near the poles, there are many, many F/G cruisers in high latitudes, most of which are doing just fine. It is correct to note, however, that few F/G production cruisers, or indeed, few production boats period, are built to the sort of standard you might prefer for the prospect of hitting something hard 1,500 NM from the nearest Travelift.

Two very good boats I'm pinching ideas from (and again, not because we want to do high-latitude but because these feature good ideas for any off-the-beaten-track locale) are s/v Pelagic (steel) Pelagic Technical Specification and s/v Kiwi Roa (About ?Kiwi Roa?), Peter Smith's alu cruiser. Smith is the inventor of the Rocna anchor. Both boats regularly cruise Antarctica.

If you can find boat designs that resemble either of these boats, you won't be far off. I like the OVNI 43, and Jimmy Cornell certainly makes a good case for them, but I wanted steel. We aren't in a hurry, and doing a circ at 5 knots in steel is more restful a proposition for us than doing a circ at 6 knots in aluminum.

[Artif]

Get yourself a wooden boat and take as long as want.
Ring of Fire
Steel is for girders
Aluminium is for beer cans
and plastic is for toys.

[Mundinho]

Have a google for Koopmans (see Dick Koopmans Jachtontwerpers) or see the following add for a good example in your price range; Koopmans 49 378IL | Zeiljachten | De Nationale Botenbank

There are several for sale in Holland. I have a Koopmans 43, centerboard, aluminium. Great boat, can stand any weather, anything up to 40 knots is still "comfortable". The designer (Koopmans Sr.) has a 43 ft himself and sailed around antartica himself with his wife and into Antartica.

OVNI is also great choice, more space inside, however I am convinced in a real bad seas the Koopmans hull form is your better choice over the OVNI hull form. In all reality when keeping an eye on the forecast the changes are not that big to run into a real bad storm (anything over windforce 8-9) so again I would not hesitate with an OVNI design.

I have had some bad seas (typical nothern North Sea weather), but a Koopmans design is doing just fine in those seas, I never ever felt insecure in weather with this design. Center board option is great. I do not want to do without it anymore.

If you want good resell value in Europe your best bet is having a European design such as Koopmans or Ovni. Other designers mentioned in this tread such as van der Stadt are doing equally fine.

US built boats do not do that well in resell value in Europe, in particular in Holland as quality of construction of metal boats is very high here, and everything is compared against that level.

I am from Holland, grew up there and sailed on the North Sea. I live in the US now and have been able to compare designs, Brewer deisgn are great, Kanter same, however built quality here in US is lower then in Holland consitently. So if you are thinking to resell in Europe, best bet is to sell in Holland (high prices) and take a Dutch deisgn, preferable built in Holland. There is plenty of good choice.

[S/V Alchemy]

Hey, it worked for Shackleton.

[Springbok]

Steel or Aluminium Catamaran Catalac or Prout are reasonably box-shaped Don't know how a heavy box will sail?

Clyde

[Matthieu]

Hi, unfortunately a new build takes quite a while, but have you taken a look at Boreal? www.voiliers-boreal.com. A 43 or 47 would fit within your budget and suit your intended destination(s) I think. Hesitating about whether to commission one myself, or be more 'reasonable' and probably go for a ruggedized Ovni instead.