Your Coastal/Near Coastal Vessel - And Why You Chose It.

[Shibumik]

I’ve admittedly always been a mid-40’s kind of boater. I prefer being offshore and like my boat to be more of a condo when in port or on the hook. That being said, larger boats are more expensive to own and can be quite painful in tight quarters when short-handed. I see many sailing smaller boats today and absolutely loving them. Am I missing something here? Is there a sweet spot between space and practicality for sailors today?


I would like to hear what coastal and near-coastal sailors are sailing today – and more importantly, WHY you chose the vessel you did - and why you’ll keep it or move on to another vessel in the future.


Fair Winds!

[scotty c-m]

The coastal cruiser is an interesting niche. I never expect to cross an ocean in my boat, but often sail on the ocean coast. So I have moved through a series of boats that have met my needs at the time. I presently own a Catalina 400. Like you, I want the comfort that a larger (40 ft) boat brings. I sail most often with just my wife, but also want the room for the family and friends. This boat is big enough for the party that is my life! However, since I sail along some pretty exposed coast (between Santa Cruz and San Francisco) I need a boat that I can trust. Compared to the Catalina 34 (a great boat) that I previously owned, the 40 is a stouter boat. It also has a lot more room, and it sails really well. I often singlehand, so the modern touches make a difference for me: Mast furling, electric halyard winch, electric windless, Radar/Chartplotter/Autohelm etc. The boat is large enough to handle the conditions I encounter and to have the accomodations that I want, but small enough that I am very comfortable sailing and docking it myself. The modern design keeps maintanance at a reasonable level since I do most of it myself. Money? Yes, I spent a whole lot more than I can really afford, but hey, to quote a country song: I ain't never seen a hearse with a luggage rack. I think that for me, a larger boat might be a bit to much for all those things. I'm in my mid 60's now, and hope to keep sailing till I just can't do it any longer. I hope to never get a larger boat - but if I'm to inferm to sail this one, I might just get a little Ranger tug and sit at the dock, or get my kids to take me out for a ride!

[Andrew Troup]

My favourite boat for coastal sailing is a 23 footer. As long as timelines are not tight, that is ...

It's a bit like off-roading on land - I find it a lot more fun in a vehicle which does not make it a walk in the park.

To my way of thinking, it's nice to have to exercise a bit of discretion and ingenuity and to have to put in a bit of work to pull a trip off in safety and comfort.

The two hardest jobs in a small boat are navigating and cooking. And staying dry !

The sail handling tends to be a breeze...

[ElGatoGordo]

Originally Posted by scotty c-m

The coastal cruiser is an interesting niche. I never expect to cross an ocean in my boat, but often sail on the ocean coast.

This is my drive as well, but I have a twist. Here in Texas the water is very skinny...and the area available to a keel boat is far smaller than the total water area. After a few years with a keel, I decided on a very shallow draft catamaran. I can enjoy the larger waves and higher winds often found in the spring more than my previous monohull, while being able to explore protected waters 2 foot deep.

That's not to say a cat is best for you, but that you will have to choose a boat based on your waters. I've spent some time on the west coast and I would think boats in the 20s would be awefully small in those waters! I would think a 30+ would be the minimum for all weather sailing on the bay and more than that offshore.

[forsailbyowner]

My first sailboat was an aquarius 23. It was a really cool design but too many corners were cut during building. That being said after 12 years or so those deficiencies were met and I had a boat that, could sail in 11" of water, had a full length lead keel and 316 stainless board that dropped to 4'6". that boat made regular trips from Tampa to the tortugas and would get trailered to west palm or miami once a year for Bahamas trips. The keel and rudder would both swing up and I used to get a kick from sailing over sandbars taking the shortcut into passes. I considered this the ultimate coastal cruiser and would trust it. The boat took me through a no name winter storm with winds in excess of 80kts offshore.

[capngeo]

I've got a CAL28.... My only Bi##h is 4'9" draft. Here in South West Florida, skinny water is the norm.... There are no barnacles on the bottom of my keel!

[Group9]

Originally Posted by capngeo

I've got a CAL28.... My only Bi##h is 4'9" draft. Here in South West Florida, skinny water is the norm.... There are no barnacles on the bottom of my keel!

Same here. I carry a five foot draft and sail from Mississippi to the Bahamas as my normal cruising ground. Most west coasters and north east sailors would probably have heart attacks cruising with us and hearing, "We have plenty of water. There is at least a foot under the keel."

Or going into places at high tide, we can't get out of at low tide.

I was looking to buy a 30 footer several years ago in Ocean Springs, MS and the price was unbelievably low and I couldn't figure out why until I found out the boat had a seven foot keel. I couldn't figure how he even got it into the harbor he had it at.

[Teknav]

Keel on wheels! Mauritz

[tbodine88]

I sail a west wight potter 19. Though not as shallow a sailor as El Gordo Gato's. It still does well in the Bays of south Texas and in the increasingly shallow lakes of Central Texas. It is easily sailed single handed.

I chose it so I could take the family along. It sleeps four, has a stove and porta potty.
In cold weather the little stove can heat up the cabin in less than 10 minutes.

It draws about six inches with the centerboard up. Going aground has never been as much of a problem with my Potter as the same event was on my Ericson.

[socalsailor]

I am on the Left coast so draft is NOT my concern. I started in a Venture 21 racing and harbor hopping So Cal but as my family grew so did the vessel size I went to a MacGregor 25, then the kids got bigger and so did the boat it grew to a Catalina 30 a very comfortable boat for So Cal, many trips to Catalina Island and the 100 mile run down the coast to San Diego. Then the family lost interest in sailing so we have been boatless for about 15 years and I am getting the urge to return to the sea, as it turns out the kid (adults now) want to go sailing again too. I have been looking at older Columbia boats from the 22 to 26 ft range just because I cannot afforf the slip fees of a 30 ft boat anymore (bad economy) I plan on weekending in the small boat as it is like camping on the water.

[Kettlewell]

It depends on how many people are going to be onboard. For a singlehander or a couple I think the sweet spot is 30-32 feet. There are boats that size that could sail anywhere in safety, including offshore, but they are also small enough to be reasonable on fees, dockage, haulouts, painting, mast height, draft, and handling. In my experience, there are boats in this size that can average speeds very close to what 40 foot cruisers average. This size is long enough to have comfortable standing headroom, a nice double berth, possibly two decent sea berths, an enclosed head, a separate galley and nav station, and a comfortable sit down table. You can clear all the major bridges on the ICW, and your modest draft means you can get into lots of comfortable smaller harbors. It is also big enough to carry adequate stores and water for a comfortable couple of months in the Bahamas.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

It depends on how many people are going to be onboard. For a singlehander or a couple I think the sweet spot is 30-32 feet. There are boats that size that could sail anywhere in safety, including offshore, but they are also small enough to be reasonable on fees, dockage, haulouts, painting, mast height, draft, and handling. In my experience, there are boats in this size that can average speeds very close to what 40 foot cruisers average. This size is long enough to have comfortable standing headroom, a nice double berth, possibly two decent sea berths, an enclosed head, a separate galley and nav station, and a comfortable sit down table. You can clear all the major bridges on the ICW, and your modest draft means you can get into lots of comfortable smaller harbors. It is also big enough to carry adequate stores and water for a comfortable couple of months in the Bahamas.

The air draft is a big concern on the Gulf as there are many bridges that only have 50-55 clearances. Not so much on the east coast where the only fixed bridge with less than a 65 clearance is the Julia Tuttle Causeway in Miami, just north of Biscayne Bay, and forcing anyone with more mast to go offshore all the way to Port Everglads from Government Cut.

I have a 62 foot mast, and if I had thought about it a little more, I wouldn't have gone over 52.

[Kettlewell]

Yes, for comfortable Texas to Maine cruising I think you should strongly consider about a 50-foot air draft, and a maximum 6-foot water draft, though 4 or 5 feet would be much better. The official limit is 55 feet from Fort Myers to Anclote Keys, and then 50 feet from Carrabelle to Mobile Bay. There are reports that some of them only offer 49 feet or so at times of high water. Why limit yourself by not being able to clear bridges?

[bobconnie]

We have a 51 ftr with a 5 1/2 ft draft, with a 61 ft mast hight. We get where we want to go with a little planning, and proper chart reading lol. It's a little big for some but we have always had at least 5 ft draft on everything we have owned so far !! It do limit us somewhat, but the comfort and safety of the vessel make it worthwhile for us !! coastal or bluewater. I guess if you want a smaller boat thats fine but this is our Home and we do like a little room amd comfort LOL just my 2 cents

[zeehag]

i chose my formosa because they go anywhere...and they are gorgeous. solid. comfortable. even sail well. so what if i cannot go to shallow water locales--is all good with me. i can sail awesome well in WIND!!!!!!!

is all the sailor, not the boat, in most cases.

oh yeah, and it is my home--i love the teak interior!!! ambiance with lamps or low level lighting is perfect.

oops--i forgot--i can carry all kinds of chain and anchors on my bow and not affect performance if i do it within reason.....LOL