Sailboats for Elderly Cruising Couple

[AquatiCat]

We looked at a Nimble for a bit, so I see the attraction of a sweet trawler, but WIND POWER rocks.

So, I agree with the earlier poster (Therapy!) who said, "Add some catamarans." If they are starting to have a little trouble with balance and bone density, getting tossed across the cabin is not a good way to spend a bumpy passage. Catamarans feel more stable in those situations (although they can make some scary pounding noises with anything forward of a beam reach -- but they are built to withstand that!). Many catamarans have very ample living space, some even have forward cockpits, which allows them to have decent headroom even in the center section (traditionally a "don't stand up too fast" zone).

And they do not have to be very costly: one of the first cruising couples well over 70 that we met were on an older Gemini (Therapy has his very nice very well-traveled one for sale, I think). They did not take big chances with the weather, but they made it down to Georgetown, Bahamas, every year and had dialed this back from getting much farther south in their late 60s and early 70s. Yet, some people will tell you a Gemini is only for coastal cruising. If you follow the Van Sant recommendations, and don't "test" your boat, but take your time and intentionally cruise the weather windows and island lees, you can take a "coastal cruiser" anywhere in the Caribbean (and Therapy probably has some hairy-chested sea stories of his own on the Gemini, anyway, they get around). OTOH, if your parents can afford an even niftier catamaran (like those forward-cockpit models), so much the better. We loved our old monohull ketch (and as ZeeHag says, a ketch is a good rig for a mom & pop who do not want to have to deal with large sail areas), but we are enthusiastic about doubling up, now. Anyway, good luck!

[Jim Cate]

Mark Pierce, This is Ann here, not Jim, by the way.

Bite your tongue! At 50, Maineiac's parents may seem elderly to you, but, in fact, there are many more elderly than that out here cruising. I suggest to you that those "old folks"
will be able to tell if they need a trawler yacht in which to cruise, and certainly, it is their choice!

Maineiac, Please don't worry about your folks ages. One of the things age buys you is perspective: trust them to make good choices for themselves. We have some friends who've cruised for about 30 yrs. or so in a Whitby 42. It's now for sale, they want some new adventures. One of the deals about living so long nowadays is that we get to choose to have many adventures.

So, I hope you can keep involved and cheer your folks along their way, trusting that they will make the right choices for themselves, or make NEW decisions.

Ann Cate, s/v Insatiable II, llying Pittwater, NSW, recovering from bilateral knee arthroscopies

[markpierce]

Ann, perhaps my perspective is distorted because I'm in the mid-60s while the principals under discussion are still in their 50s.

How much does one sail "inter-coastal" anyway? If one spends most of his time in a canal/channel, how practical is a sailing rig?

[zeehag]

mark--do not feel alone,and yer right on. how does one sail in icw?? we motored on htat bit of water-- sailing is for outside, in seas. sometimes even BIG ones..LOL. sorry i cant help it, i am amused, and concur .....
maineiac--
i told of my uncle sailing until he was 95--SOLO ON A GAFF RIGGED SLOOP---i think these folks can definitely handle something -- mebbe even something purrrty--- wow .. mizzen lines are all in the cockpit, as the mizzen mast is located in the cockpit. any boat can be rigged to sail solo. i like my formosa because she is a ketch. she can sail big seas. and take winds well.
she has wide FLAT decks, teak palacial interior, heavy displacement. long range. aqnd she is purrrty
folks choose tris and cats because the platform is comfortable to them. they are roomy and sail fairly flat... they even look like fun!!

maineiac sailor----
what do your folks think of ye calling them OLD in public?? i'd-a killedja--lol my son knows better then to call his 60+ yr old momma OLD..yipes!!!!! they still babies!!!!! barely date-able. rofl.... heck--they are just starting to have smartZes....sheeesh... kids these days!!!(shakes head ,laughing)

[gettinthere]

I'm in my 50's. Elbows started balking at winching. So I bought a Milwaukee 28 volt rite angle drill & a Winch Bit. Works great. We love our Endeavour 42. They've sailed all over the Carib no problem.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

What's this, a whole conversation about Whitbys happened while I slept?
Maineiac, I have a Whitby and highly recommend it. We are past your definition of "elderly," which only an offspring could attribute to people in their 50s. The Whitby is the Chevy station wagon of boats, old and slow but comfortable and reliable. We have sailed ours off and on for almost 18 years, long and short ocean passages as well as the ICW. We love the ketch rig, most often sail "jib and jigger," genny and mizzen. She does well under a wind vane or autopilot, the mizzen corrects her only fault, a tendency to a weather helm. And she motors well for the ICW. There is a whitbybrewer sailboats web site, not as active as it could be but a resource on them. And Doug Stephenson at Yachts with Experience worked for the Hansons when they were building Whitbys in Canada. If your young parents have any question about the Whitby have them give me a shout. Send me a private message and I'll send along my email address.

[aboutgone]

Let's not forget the bullet proof CSY 44...low maintenance...tons of tankage.... very safe and stable in a blow....Ed

[cfarrar]

My parents are now 67 and 74, and they sail our Sabre 426, recently to the Bahamas for the winter. Some features that they find helpful:
- Electric main winches (usable for main halyard as well as jib)
- 90% blade jib on the roller furler (for visibility as well as easy handling)
- Davits and a light-weight dink / outboard
- A beefy, well maintained anchor windlass
- Control lines to the cockpit, including reefing lines

Some of their "wishlist" features, if they were choosing a boat:
- Walk through transom and/or larger swim platform
- Cockpit lockers that are either wider or shallower

In short, with a conservative approach they can sail the boat just fine. It's some of the more acrobatic feats that they find awkward - boarding the dinghy over the transom (with bags) in a swell, squeezing down into a cockpit locker to find a spare part, etc.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Maineiac_sailor

They are both in their late 50's and not in the best of shape.

I guess that could cover a bit healthwise.........

Not familiar with your list, but I would suggest something with a fully enclosed wheelhouse for added comfort (and endurance) during longer trips in inclement weather (not neccessarily stormy seas - just cold, wet and miserable seas )..........and also if mobility or strength an issue thought to access, from dock and dinghy.

[svHyLyte]

Take a look at Joel F. Potter - Cruising Yacht Specialist, LLC (Fort Lauderdale, FL) . Amel Yachts are specifically designed to meet the needs of couples--particularly the "elderly" (tho' I find that term in conjunction with 50 years pretty laughable). Joel's a real pip.

[thinwater]

Well, since most of the responders are over 50 (me too) we don't consider that elderly, perhaps just the back side of our prime. We are not as strong as we were, but we have a much better idea how to do things. If they are not in "the best shape" perhaps some time on a bicycle or such would help build some sea legs. You only get one body.

That said, my parents are elderly, at half-past 80. My wife has had a knee replacement due to arthritis. and has balance issues. My dad even sailed with me in the days before his hip replacement. There really is no substitute for a catamaran, as far as ease of getting around:
* No heeling.
* No companionway ladder. Neither my parents or wife could even manage the ladders in a boat show, yet they can cruise with me on my cat.
* Easier to get on and off with sugar scoops.
If the sails are too much, just motor.
* Smaller rig (sails) for the same living space and speed.

Too much money? Go smaller. If it is just the 2 of them, a large boat of any sort is more to manage. Unless they plan on getting someone else to do ALL of the maintenance, they are going to need to lift sails and push and pull, and smaller is better. Also, remember that comparing a 32-foot cat to a 32-foot monohull is not fare to either; It is more like a 32-foot cat is similar to a 36-foot monohull, in terms of space, speed, and cost. Different, but closer.

Just another view. Go to a boat show and see.

[MarkJ]

One of the old cruisties here mentioned manual winches keeping people fit.
They do.
So while your parents now are quite over the hill in their 50's they may actually hang on well into the geriatric early 60's. So it could be nice to pre-think some ideas like the ability to easily install electric winches at a later stage. (Need I say that the production yachts have this ability!)

You may be happy to note that you probably won't need a boat with wheelchair access as oldies can be swung aboard like an outboard motor.

Or Granny Davits





Mark
PS I met a guy recently who was 75 and built like a brick commode. Its a healthy lifestyle out here!

[Tom and Maje]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Add some catamarans.

I agree with the catamaran suggestion and I take issue with the suggestion that one's late 50's is elderly.

Maje
A young 57

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Or Granny Davits

I'm going to look for those now. maybe this is the answer to the "getting fat bums on board" thread. Or maybe just for me!

Meanwhile back to the orginal answer. It seems the the thing to do to start is for the "oldies" to get active to see what they are capable of doing. I would think as long as they aren't frail they could handle any boat properly setup for them.

[boatman61]

Being in my 60's and a 'canterkerus ole git' I think his parents should clip him round the ear....
Damn Cheek.... they've done a lorra sailing and this young pup just outa his Nappies is asking a question like this....