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Old 15-03-2017, 17:25   #16
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Lake Macquarie NSW
Boat: Chamberlin 11.6 catamaran
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Re: 36-41 Foot cats for single person - owning and running effort?

I probably have less income than many others on this forum but the thought of running a heavy and large cat scares me. Increasing the size of the boat from 40-50 ft will usually double the righting moment. This increases the weight and cost of rigging, equipment etc.

I do realise that I am not usual any more but going as small as you can will mean that you can afford to run the thing. Keep it simple and have fun rather than go big. My wife and I rattle around on our not overly large volume 38 footer. Personally I can't see what we would do with any extra room. Then again, we lived on a 31ft racing tri for two years.

I would recommend 35-40ft for singlehanding on a reasonable budget. I have to pay for and personally fix all the things that break or wear out on my boat. Our boat is very simple, no electric winches, a small generator, small fridge. I don't want anything more complex or bigger.

cheers

Phil
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Old 15-03-2017, 22:04   #17
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Location: New England/FL
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Re: 36-41 Foot cats for single person - owning and running effort?

Have a Lagoon 380. Haven't crossed the ocean by myself. But can easily single hand it. All lines led back to helm. I can drop/pick up mooring, can dock, etc. With AP don't see why you can't set course, and let it just sail. I had looked at Mahe, FP discontinued a week before I placed the order. The 380 is larger. The 400 is even bigger. Every 2 ft is quite a bit more. At a certain point, if just yourself, the size isn't buying you much.
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Old 16-03-2017, 01:11   #18
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Re: 36-41 Foot cats for single person - owning and running effort?

A big aspect of owning/running a boat, is the upkeep on her, & especially her systems. Which, depending on the boat's size, & her systems, can quickly become a fulltime job. Especially if there are a lot of systems, or they're complex. And such trends grow geometrically with boat size, as well as "stuff"/toys.

The big caveat to this being that when it's time for a major refitting, boat size defintely matters. As there are a lot more fittings & fasteners to rebed. More hull & deck to sand & prep for paint. More spar fasteners, fittings, running rigging, electrics, etc. to replace, or repair.

Which, some simple stuff you can hire out if you've the coin. But other things really need an owner's touch, or at least their vigilant supervision. And around this time a lot of folks often wish for a 10' smaller boat. Especially as sanding often demands wearing protective gear, including coveralls. And if you're somewhere hot, the more time spent wearing such, the more miserable the refit is.

Also, if/when you have to unexpectedly replace things like, an engine, a furler, a bad lot of rigging wire, your ground tackle lost to a snag, etc. Then the difference in expense is noticable. Much as when you're replacing a sail. Or sometimes, 3+ So you may wish to run the numbers on such things, comparing a couple of boats/boat sizes to one another.
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Old 16-03-2017, 12:41   #19
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Location: Caribbean
Boat: Broadblue 38
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Re: 36-41 Foot cats for single person - owning and running effort?

Thanks for all the valuable responses

I would actually want to go as small as possible but since I'm 195 cm tall (I think that's about 6'4'?) and I want to live full time on the boat and also make open ocean passages I guess I will settle somewhere between 38-40. Since I also do not want to spend two years in a fix-up project I think it will be a boat with less then 5 years of age and this also limits the options considerably for financial reasons.

I chartered the FP Mahe 36 for two weeks last summer and found out that this boat is no longer my favorite candidate. First of all I kept hitting my head on the corners of the hardtop and secondly I found the steps on the side of the weatherdecks to be "dangerous" (or me to stupid to learn not to stumble down ever second time...) Otherwise the boat sailed quite well and was extremely easy to handle.

Currently the Lagoon 380, the Leopard 38/39 and Lipari 41 are the obvious candidates unless I find a reasonable one off with a nice price..

Cheers Jan
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