Minimalist Live Aboard Brainstorming

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Wookiee_King

I bet a bayfield will be capable of going farther then her captain, her captain being me.

Too much modesty is not modest at all.

Do NOT put any faith in any small craft. Any bigger wave may wipe you out and so the best trick is NOT to sail where waves are big (enough). If you cannot stay at home, or at the dock, then second best trick is to do everything you can to make sure that she will come back after a wipe out with her hatches, lockers and windows intact. It takes very little to flood and sink any small boat.

Do everything you can to make your boat as safe and seaworthy as desired for the possibly worst wx scenario you could meet in the area you are sailing. Then say what the hell and have the adventure of your life.

There is no way to avoid getting killed eventually. But you can do heaps to avoid getting killed (too) early on.

Fair winds. Send me postcards.

Cheers,
b.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Wookiee_King

I've looked at all the boats mentioned here and the one in the lead so far is the bayfield 25. Looks like I'll have plenty of room to live and I really like the shallow draft. I like this one 1977 bayfield bayfield 25 sailboat for sale in Ohio.

I've been trying to find a cruising log of someone on a bayfield but no luck.

Oh and here's a list of equipment I am considering purchasing for the boat. Feel free to tear it apart guys. Chart plotter, auto pilot, radar, water maker, a decent solar setup, rain collection set up, anything else I missed?

There ya go, they have pretty good headroom as I remember. Another one is the Grampion 26...

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by susswein

The bayfield 25 is a great little boat, with one fatal flaw that makes it unattractive for me: the head is located underneath the V berth. Not so bad if you're solo, but pretty much a no go if you've got a girlfriend aboard. (Please don't accuse me of being a sexist pig, this is a comment I've heard from a couple of different women).

Also, the one you're looking at is in Ohio and doesn't come with a trailer. By the time you get her to the east coast it's not going to end up being a good deal.

Head is enclosed to port not under the V berth.
The light blue one on the trailer sold on Ebay about a year ago for about $3500 if I remember right. Diesel engine too.

[clockwork orange]

Originally Posted by ALAIN97133

Hi ! How many Bayfield 25 have done ocean passages ? I would rather buy a Vancouver 27 or a Sweedish Vega anytime rather than a Bayfield or many other... Also, remember that transom hunged rudder is far easier to set up with trim tab activated by a windvane self steering system

I don't think the Op was talking about ocean passages, but im curious as to why you would think an Albin Vega would be a better offshore cruiser.

[laika]

I first moved aboard a boat and did a shoestring cruise with some buddies. None of us had any idea what we were doing and learned fast through experiences I would never change. Early on, drunk in Atlantic City, one of them unwittingly called the bust of Neptune an "eternal cocksucker"***. Two years later we made it back to NYC, limping in through heavy fog with no engine up the harbor channel, tacking back and forth while dodging freighters.

I like what barnakiel said..do all ya can and go for it without apprehension. That way, even in a worst case scenario you'll have no regrets.

We learnt and did to the boat as much as we could before we set off and still managed to use up every scrap of the 'luck of the innocent' we had! I like to think I'm a slightly better sailor these days, but probably not by much.

YMMV

***He was creating wind by blowing with his mouth

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

The price of the MPPT controller is a bit spendy for about 10% improvement. Cheaper to hang another panel, even a 50 watt will give you more bang for the buck then MPPT. I've 230 watts and it gets the job done.

Try these: 5 10 15 20A MPPT Solar Panel Regulator Charge Controller 12V 24V Auto Switch SS | eBay

[ALAIN97133]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

I don't think the Op was talking about ocean passages, but im curious as to why you would think an Albin Vega would be a better offshore cruiser.

Vega (5000#) has a 1.12m draft with a sharp cut off entry, while the Bayfield (3,500#) has only a 0.89m draft with less efficient entry lines ! Sailing to windward is NOT an option for a good cruiser: I battled a 2 day gale with my C&N 31 off the coast of Portugal with no celestial navigation, no GPS, only two radio beacons to guide me, & not very good at that 'cause they crossed at a open wide angle that induced imprecision. I had to sail night & day close hauled for the gale was pushing us toward the coast & any sailor knows that in bad weather, if you can't reach a safe & easy harbor in time, you're better off away from the coast in deep water ! Americans build a lot of excellent sailboats (My current Ericson 34 is one of them) & a lot of crap designed more by marketing gurus than naval architects. The latter don't age gracefully... Beware ! But it's only my opinion

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=549
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=487

[clockwork orange]

Originally Posted by ALAIN97133

Vega (5000#) has a 1.12m draft with a sharp cut off entry, while the Bayfield (3,500#) has only a 0.89m draft with less efficient entry lines ! Sailing to windward is NOT an option for a good cruiser: I battled a 2 day gale with my C&N 31 off the coast of Portugal with no celestial navigation, no GPS, only two radio beacons to guide me, & not very good at that 'cause they crossed at a open wide angle that induced imprecision. I had to sail night & day close hauled for the gale was pushing us toward the coast & any sailor knows that in bad weather, if you can't reach a safe & easy harbor in time, you're better off away from the coast in deep water ! Americans build a lot of excellent sailboats (My current Ericson 34 is one of them) & a lot of crap designed more by marketing gurus than naval architects. The latter don't age gracefully... Beware ! But it's only my opinion

VEGA 27 (ALBIN) sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
BAYFIELD 25 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

I don't know anything about the Bayfield but since the thread is titled "minimalist liveaboard brainstorming" not ocean cruising it may well be a good choice, i don't know. While the Vega may well be a better performer,if that were a criteria, with a phrf rating of 246 it is an absolute dog when compared to many, many other cruiser/racers of similar vintage and displacement. Back in the 60s and 70s there were a lot of very good performing boats built in this size range which still easily out sail modern boats built for a similar purpose which would, with of course some upgrading, be equally suitable for offshore work as the Vega, Contessa 26 and all the other usual suspects that are always recommended whenever one of these thread comes up, even though nobody has already done it.

Steve.

[Ryan H]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

There ya go, they have pretty good headroom as I remember. Another one is the Grampion 26...

+1 on the Grampian. I've lived on mine for several years now. Even managed to get my girlfriend to move aboard about a year ago. I turned the double berth into an L sette, raised the floor about an inch and nearly tripled the floor space and I've still got around 6' headroom. You can find G26 for anywhere from 900$ to around 6000$ with no rhyme or reason between price points. Mine was free but I had to fix everything and rig it myself.

Get solar. As much as you can afford/fit. It's the best investment you can make in a liveaboard. I have Kerosene lamps too, but you need something to run your running and anchor lights from, and you'll use as much gas charging batteries in a month as you'll spend on solar in 20 years.

On that note, if you manage to get decent solar and a few Walmart batteries you can do what I did on my Grampian, insulate the ice box for about 20$ of ridged foam and a shine metallic windshield screen , get your hands on a dorm fridge off Craig's list for next to nothing, cut out all the guts as a single sealed unit and install it all in the box with the compressor on a simple swing in the hatch next to it. Run the whole thing on an inexpensive invertor (I recommend harbor freight) for another 30$ and you've got yourself real creature comforts for next to nothing.

For Navigation, get your hands on a Kyocera Hydro from boost for about 20$. It's waterproof and has a good GPS chip inside. You don't even have to activate the phone, go someplace with free Wi-Fi access, and download Marine Navigator. The free version works okay, but the 10$ version includes automatic map switching and a bunch of other really useful things, it's worth it. You can also get several free anchor alarms, a good tide app, as well as weather grib apps provided you occasionally get to a Wi-Fi spot to download new grib files . As a final touch, a suction cup holder cost about 8$ from target and holds well to fiberglass... Full waterproof nav setup for around 30$. Can't beat that.

While we're on the subject of simple and cheap, you can buy all sorts of water proof/all weather resistant 12volt lighting fixtures from Lowes and home depot for between 9$ and 20$.

Most automotive stores (seen them in walmart recently too) now sell LED bulbs to fit wedge and single contact bayonet style bulbs for between 5$ and 15$ in either the cool white or warm light option. You could also go with automotive stick on led strips for around 20$, but you'd be stuck with cool white/nifty colors and the lifetime of the LEDs are typically poor.

As another note, go to your local savers/goodwill/salvation army and look for small alcohaul stoves for whatever reason these things have been turning up regularly around here. I've got three now. They can run off either grain(liquor store), methyl (yellow bottles of Heet used for cars during winter), or wood alcohaul (found at Lowes or Home Depot). A 35$ solar vent with internal battery and switch from Amazon above the cook space does wonders for ventilation.

Watch Craigslist like a hawk. Keep a lost of what you need/want and never stop researching, gathering knowledge and understanding people opinions on the task at hand. More importantly, always try to keep the difference between knowledge and people's opinions straight in your head. Usually knowledge is about a way to do something, and a persons opinion is usually a way/reason to NOT do something. They both sound similar when people are talking but it's an important difference.

That's my take on things. Good luck to you.

-Ryan

Sent from my C5215 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Blue Crab]

My Bayfield 25 couldn't sail its way out of a paper bag. It looked jaunty and all but was an embarrassment. A sailboat that won't sail to weather isn't worth having, and doubly so if sailing on the cheap.

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

I don't know anything about the Bayfield but since the thread is titled "minimalist liveaboard brainstorming" not ocean cruising it may well be a good choice, i don't know. While the Vega may well be a better performer,if that were a criteria, with a phrf rating of 246 it is an absolute dog when compared to many, many other cruiser/racers of similar vintage and displacement. Back in the 60s and 70s there were a lot of very good performing boats built in this size range which still easily out sail modern boats built for a similar purpose which would, with of course some upgrading, be equally suitable for offshore work as the Vega, Contessa 26 and all the other usual suspects that are always recommended whenever one of these thread comes up, even though nobody has already done it.

Steve.

FWIW, one vega did a circle of the pacific, starting and ending in the PNW. Another vega just recently completed a circumnavigation of the americas, around cape horn and through the northwest passage.

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by Ryan H

+1 on the Grampian. I've lived on mine for several years now.....................That's my take on things. Good luck to you.

Ryan, wonderful post. Would you mind putting it over on the "$500 a month" thread?

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by Wookiee_King

I've been trying to find a cruising log of someone on a bayfield but no luck.

Wookie, do a google search on "Rebecca Burg". She currently lives on a bayfield 29 but used to live on a bayfield 25. She lives in key west but has done some cruising in florida/bahamas. She has articles, books, and videos on you tube.

[Ryan H]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

Ryan, wonderful post. Would you mind putting it over on the "$500 a month" thread?

Thanks,
I'll spend a bit more time and add a few other things in and post there later this evening.

Sent from my C5215 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Wookiee_King]

Well RyanH wasn't lying, there's a boat load of Grampians for sale way within my price range. Am I just being ridiculous about wanting a shallow draft?