Would You Cross the Atlantic in Either of These?

[MBWhite]

Originally Posted by kaptainkriz

I own a Tanzer 25 (#28 Akoni)....raced and single handed it for the past 14 years. Although it's a nice boat for coastal cruising and very good PHRF racing with the fin keel, I would not take it off shore for the following reasons: <Lots of knowledgeable info snipped>
4) it has huge freeboard. In a gale, even under bare poles, the rail is in the water.
<More snipped info>
-John

Well supposing it had a 90 pound anchor and 300 feet of chain in the bilge, would that work?

Apologies for being slightly irreverent, this thread does have quite a lot of interesting and experienced opinions in it. I just feel somewhat obligated to point out that it may or may not be an intentional troll thread. An initial post started by someone with a somewhat obvious pot smoking moniker and the only 3 posts made by the person are in this thread.

If I were to start a thread on a unicycle forum asking if this would be a suitable machine to commute to work on:


it might start an argument with some people saying no, and others pointing out that a similar machine was pedalled across the USA in 2002, but the first question should be "how much unicycle riding have you done so far" and then I could say "well not really any at all, but I've read all about it so I figure I'm knowledgeable" enough!"

My tiny 19 foot sailboat is of a model with several transatlantic crossings to its record, but I have never heard anyone writing about what an enjoyable time they had when actually doing it.

[Delancey]

I dunno. Here's a fast boat that at least meets the Hobart race dimensions, I can't comment on the other requirements. Looks like it has some newer sails and probably hasn't been used very much. It's listed for $6,000. My guess is the owner would take five. With a $10k budget that leaves $5k left over for safety gear.


1984 Catalina Capri 30 sailboat for sale in North Carolina

Three years into a planned two-year refit of a forty footer, I can't help but sigh a little bit and think that we couldn't be out there right now. This boat might not be anyone's choice. But for five grand. To be out there right now…..

[Tayana42]

I'll be impressed when I hear of someone taking a set of blueprints for a Hunter 27 and folding them origami style into a paper boat and winning the single handed transpac in it.

[Coops]

The Sydney Hobart is not an ocean crossing race by the way. It is a down the coaster. So some of those boats, if not a lot, will have never crossed an ocean either.

Coops.

[Delancey]

People have died in the Chicago Mackinac race, what's your point? MarkJ referenced the Hobart race. Not me. My point is, go now.

[Scout 30]

Geez Jim, I just wondered if anyone remembered the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic up to the '60s. I sure wasn't recommending crossing the Atlantic in a Hunter 27 or anything remotely like it. If you look up foolish in the dictionary that would be one of the examples. That being said generalizing about boats under 30' can be problematic. The BC Cutter is 28' & I consider it to be a true blue water cruiser. Maybe it's the exception that proves the rule.

[Coops]

Originally Posted by Delancey

People have died in the Chicago Mackinac race, what's your point? MarkJ referenced the Hobart race. Not me. My point is, go now.

Yes I know, it was not aimed at you, or anybody personally, just pointing something out.

Coops.

[Scout 30]

Maybe I should've asked if anyone remembered Blondie Hassler's Jester? a 25 footer that crossed the Atlantic 4 times. These were not stunts.

[gjordan]

I am so glad there was no such thing as CF when I started long distance cruising in a 26 foot boat. I probably would have taken 3 or 4 extra years to get up the money for a bigger boat, and more than likely given up the dream in the process. The only thing close to CF in those days would have been books by Hiscock, Street,and Roth. The Hiscocks managed 2 circumnavigations in a 30 footer, the first one with a 4 HP inboard, and the second RTW with an 8 HP inboard. But then, they were sailors, not yachtsmen with deep pockets, and 50 HP engines, water maker, electronic auto-pilot, etc, etc, etc. Opinions on size for cruising , are like certain anatomical parts that everyone has, and they seem to be based on elitist , or ignorant ideas. I have done long passages in 26 foot, up to 65 foot, and didnt really feel any safer in the bigger boats. Yes, much more comfortable, but not really safer. The only thing I recommend to the OP is that he get in as much coastal cruising as he can, before setting off across the pond. Just my highly opinionated opinion. ______Grant.

[kaptainkriz]

LoL, coincidentally Capri 30 Rock Lobster was my other race boat. I'd much rather be in the ocean on that than the Tanzer 25. It's a real lightweight boat though at 5000lbs. We pitch poled it once and the boat came through ok. It's very very spartan.

Beware of deck delam and savage blisters...most have it.
http://home.tqci.com/jkriz/Capri30.html

Originally Posted by Delancey

I dunno. Here's a fast boat that at least meets the Hobart race dimensions, I can't comment on the other requirements. Looks like it has some newer sails and probably hasn't been used very much. It's listed for $6,000. My guess is the owner would take five. With a $10k budget that leaves $5k left over for safety gear.


1984 Catalina Capri 30 sailboat for sale in North Carolina

Three years into a planned two-year refit of a forty footer, I can't help but sigh a little bit and think that we couldn't be out there right now. This boat might not be anyone's choice. But for five grand. To be out there right now…..

[Scout 30]

Not to name drop but the first boat that the Pardey's circumnavigated in was just under 25' & Taleisin which they circumnavigated in several times is just under 30'. Maybe displacement would be a better measure of size in a blue water boat. A blue water cruiser typically displaces significantly more water than a coastal cruiser of the same size. I know newer boats weigh less but if you compare the same age boats the rule holds true.

[Coops]

Ann Gash sailed around in the same model as Jester, a folkboat. She was a grandmother I think and certainly was no stunt. People do seem to forget that in the sixties and even seventies a "big" boat was over 30.' Nowadays, as can be seen from comments, under 30' is considered by many to be a daysailer.

Nobody can simply state that there is a cut off by length on what makes a capable ocean boat. I am sure there are many boats over 30' that would be awful to do so in as well. If you wish to do it in comfort is another matter entirely and that is up to the individual to decide that.

For the record, I love small boats and hate generalisations. All small boats should not try to cross an ocean, but some are designed and built for it. The same with the bigger ones.

I have sailed Sydney to Lord Howe in a 31' Swanson and through a very big storm. We ended up bare poling it through all of one night, and yes, it was certainly uncomfortable, but the boat never gave the impression that we should worry about it's capability to handle it. We on the other hand had personal doubts about ourselves.

Coops.

[kaptainkriz]

LoL, coincidentally Capri 30 Rock Lobster was my other race boat. I'd much rather be in the ocean on that than the Tanzer 25. It's a real lightweight boat though at 5000lbs. We pitch poled it once and the boat came through ok. It's very very spartan.

Beware of deck delam and savage blisters...most have it.

Originally Posted by Delancey

I dunno. Here's a fast boat that at least meets the Hobart race dimensions, I can't comment on the other requirements. Looks like it has some newer sails and probably hasn't been used very much. It's listed for $6,000. My guess is the owner would take five. With a $10k budget that leaves $5k left over for safety gear.


1984 Catalina Capri 30 sailboat for sale in North Carolina

Three years into a planned two-year refit of a forty footer, I can't help but sigh a little bit and think that we couldn't be out there right now. This boat might not be anyone's choice. But for five grand. To be out there right now…..

[Jim Cate]

The Hiscocks managed 2 circumnavigations in a 30 footer, the first one with a 4 HP inboard, and the second RTW with an 8 HP inboard. But then, they were sailors, not yachtsmen with deep pockets, and 50 HP engines, water maker, electronic auto-pilot, etc, etc, etc.

Umm, Grant, surely you are not comparing the Hiscocks with the OP, are you? What they accomplished was not in a Tanzer 25, nor were they totally inexperienced novices when they made those voyages.

I'm not opposed to small boat voyaging. I even did SF-Hawaii-SF in a Yankee 30 (which would not meet MarkJ's Hobart criteria) myself and didn't feel that it was too small nor too un-seaworthy. But that boat was a far cry from any of the OP's candidates, and I had been sailing, racing and coastal cruising in her for some years at the time. I didn't ask anyone whether I should go or not (other than Ann, who was on the same page) and never thought of doing so.

BTW, I'm a great admirer of the Hiscocks, especially Susan, and have been reading and re-reading their books for years. You should remember that as they grew older, their boats came to be more similar to those that we sail today in terms of size and equipment (excluding electronics). They, as most of do, went with what was available and what they could afford at the time.

Cheers,

Jim

[Steadman Uhlich]

Here are some interesting quoted statements by Roger Taylor:

His new boat, the triple-keeled Achilles, was a water-filled wreck lying unloved and neglected in Neyland, Milford Haven. He paid £1,500 for her including the outboard, which he will sell on ebay.

'It's a noble thing to give an old boat a new life and the environment can do without another new boat squashed into some marina,' he says. 'No production boat is seaworthy enough for what I want to do, and I feel I've asked enough of Mingming I. After all, she's only an estuary boat. I can customise the Achilles to my specification and end up with a seagoing craft for under £6,000. I'm not concerned about speed.'

Read more at Solo voyager Roger Taylor and his small boat Mingming II | Yachting Monthly

Here is his website, it has videos and articles. Introduction to the junk-rigged Corribee Mingming

Introduction to the junk-rigged Corribee Mingming

The photos below show his first Ming Ming (20 foot).

His new larger boat (Ming Ming 2) is a much bigger 24 feet!