What Makes a Good Offshore Boat ?

[Captain-Shawn28]

New Sailor Saving up for boat and wondering what exactly makes a good offshore boat. What makes it better in heavy weather? is a heavier keeled boat better or a newer boat? looking into buying 70s-early 80's used boat around 10,000-12,000 range any advice would help.

thanks

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Captain-Shawn28

New Sailor Saving up for boat and wondering what exactly makes a good offshore boat. What makes it better in heavy weather? is a heavier keeled boat better or a newer boat? looking into buying 70s-early 80's used boat around 10,000-12,000 range any advice would help.

thanks

The crew makes the boat a good one. If the crew is bad the boat will be also. All other choices are just personal ones and you don't know this till you have sailed a while.

Good Luck!

[swagman]

Welcome to the site Shawn, you'll find a million past threads attempting to cover this same question and as you'll read, views will differ.

Basically a longer keeled heavier boat tends to have a more kindly sea motion in heavy weather due to a narrower profile, but is slower and usually wetter and has less volume to carry you and your stuff than the same length lighter fin keeled yacht.

But that lighter boat will be faster so you might not spend so much time at sea to be at risk, but if you do get caught out its shape can result in a slamming motion especially going to windward in a seaway.

IMHO what might be the best boat hove to in a storm is unlikely to be the best for regular cruising..............you just need to decide what rocks your boat and once you decide, there are plenty of choices you can make. They are all good.

Either way, I hope you find what you seek and we see you one day out on the water.

Cheers
JOHN

[Pblais]

what exactly makes a good offshore boat.

Well equipped with the knowledge and skill to use it all while blindfolded standing on your head soaking wet. It's mostly the sailor and not the boat. Many have this fear that they will purchase the wrong boat. Without knowledge and experience the sad truth is they all are pretty bad and quite dangerous. They don't sail themselves and none of them are easy to sail in heavy weather.

70s-early 80's used boat around 10,000-12,000 range any advice would help.

It's cheaper to learn how to sail first. Prolong the purchase decision totally before you learn and then avoid it as long as possible if you sail other people's boats. Just having one year of serious sailing experience under your belt will help more than you could ever appreciate today. Aside from financial savings, you'll be smarter.

It's possible to spend 10,000 and never know what you are missing until you are faced with the whole exercise in your lap and far away. Invest in the sailor more than the boat. That is where the return on investement pays the big dividends.