Some Questions from a Total Noob

[Lynx]

A small boat reacts much faster than a big boat. A small change on a small boat and you can see/feel it right away. A big boat, a big change may take 1 to 2 min's before you see the result. You need to be able to think ahead much more with a big boat.

[coyotewrw]

Wow! Great responses, everyone. Exactly the kind of opinions/advice I was hoping for, so thanks to all of you.

I've done a little lake sailing and ocean powerboating, but obviously ocean sailing is a whole other ballgame. It appears to be the most demanding, but at the same time most fulfilling and eco-friendly, so I think it will be worth the time and effort. Holpefully I can start the process next year. Too busy and landlocked atm.

From the small amount of research I've done, I think 25-30 foot is the max I want. I actually prefer small living quarters. In fact I currently live in a studio apt when I could afford a house. No reason to spend money on space I don't need, eh? From a comfort standpoint, I'd prob be happy with something that only gets cramped when there are more than 2 people + dog spending multiple days aboard.

My main concern is not dying on the trans-atlantic voyage (lol), so safety, dependability, ease-of-use will be most important.

So, would a 25-30ft cruiser be practical and safe for long voyages? Any larger seems excessive for my needs...

Thanks again, everyone. Cheers!

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Again Coyote,
Yes. There are many very seaworthy boats of that length. Do your research well.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by coyotewrw

So, would a 25-30ft cruiser be practical and safe for long voyages? Any larger seems excessive for my needs...

The short answer is that some are. some aren't.

It all depends on what you are using her for, what your skills are and what you can live with (or without!).

Some nice 28 -30 (ish) boats around. (in addition to a 30' Seadog )

[viking69]

mate before getting into my current boat i had vertually never sailed. i lived on and owned a 35' power boat. i looked around at a lot of boats and came upon my 30' newport. it has better usable room the some of my friends 40 footers and i have found it very forgiving in learning to sail. while still giving good performance for this size boat. it is set up for cruising and sailed from newport to guam and then to Australia. so it must have something going for it. Any way i would recomend you check them out they are good value for money. just serch for them on the web as there is even a web site dedicated to them.
oh you will not regret getting out of the power boats and into a yacht as they are great.
cheers
Andy

[Heron]

Hi Coyote,

Lots of good advice out there from seasoned sailors. Now that you have expressed your interest in a smaller boat, you need to read a couple books from Lynn & Larry Pardee. Go to Amazon and look through their list of books. They are the ultimate small craft sailors and have strong convictions of keeping the vessel small, simple but blue water capable. I think you will gain much insight from their knowledge.

Smaller means easier to handle and WAY more affordable to buy and maintain. You pay a bit in storage volume and some in comfort, however, there are some small boats out there that are robust and capable. Make sure whatever boat you get, you have sufficient tankage for water and fuel.

The Nor Sea 27 is a stout boat designed by Lyle Hess. Most have good tankage. There is one in Yachtword.com located in Galveston, TX. It has 35 gallons of fuel and 100 gallons of water....outstanding for this size vessel.

Another great affordable vessel is the Cape Dory. Look for the 28-30' models. Well proven vessels and decent tankage (water is 60 gallons, which should be your minimum). You can buy these from 20 to 25K.

Another rubust small vessel is the Pacific Seacraft Mariah 31. It also has good tankage, built strong, lots of storage and interior volume and one of the classic vessels that is still in business today. They don't come cheap but tend to hold their value.

Check out the Allied 32. It was made in NY and they produced several different models. They were strong, well built and have done ocean crossings. They are affordable and comfortable.

I believe all these vessels were full keel with skeg held rudders. This is what you want in an ocean boat. They don't run as fast as fin keel boats and don't point as well buy they make up for it in strength and reliability. There is nothing worse than loosing a post held rudder out in the middle of the ocean!

ANY vessel you consider buying should be surveyed by the toughest professional you can find. Never ask the broker who should do the survey. Not all surveyors are good. I made a huge mistake in one of my early boat purchases by not qualifying my surveyor. I ended up with an unsafe vessel which cost thousands to make right. I tried to go after the surveyor but the cost to fight him equaled the cost to repair.

If you live where there are some yacht clubs, go visit with them and meet some of the members. Most sailors are happy to teach new people in this "art". You need to gain some experience and this is the cheapest way to do so.

Best of Luck. You are about to change your life.

HERON

[coyotewrw]

Again, lots of great comments

Thanks, everyone!

[drew.ward]

So here's a question for everyone:

How did is too big for a single-hander?

I hope to purchase either a Formosa 51 or 57 sometime in the next 5 years. They're big, slow, and fairly cheap when you can find them.

But, I don't plan on having an on-shore house. I want something comfortable, and I don't care if it's slow. My goal is to sail somewhere, stay for 6 months or more, sail somewhere else. But mainly enjoy being on the boat.

Now, although I don't know if I'll always be by myself, I would like to have the option of sailing single-handed.

Is this boat too big for this (ketch rigged)? Also, between auto-furlers, self-steering, auto-nav etc, if it is normally considered too big to tackle on your own, how much of the process on a boat this size can be assisted (without having a NASA budget)?

Just trying to plan properly...any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Drew
Nuremberg, Germany

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Heron

Hi Coyote,

Lots of good advice out there from seasoned sailors. Now that you have expressed your interest in a smaller boat, you need to read a couple books from Lynn & Larry Pardee. Go to Amazon and look through their list of books. They are the ultimate small craft sailors and have strong convictions of keeping the vessel small, simple but blue water capable. I think you will gain much insight from their knowledge.

HERON

And i'll open a can of worm's and add,

Unlike Lynn and Larry, make sure you have an engine and suitable comm's and even a depthsounder/fishfinder, and hand held GPS.

If doing coastal all these thing's , exept the engine could be purchased for under a $1000.

Cheap for a bit of security, and could well save some poor mug having to come out and pull you off the brick's because you got lost or didn't know how deep it was or couldn't fight a current etc etc.

Bordering on unseaman like venturing out without these today IMHO.

Dave

[Brent Swain]

Formosa 50 and 57 are way to big for comfortable or safe singlehanding . Stick to boats under 36 feet and get used to the smaller space, as well as smaller costs, smaller work to cruising ratio, etc. Those style over substance "Furniture boats " are real slave drivers. They will become a white elephant to your cruising dreams.Biggest mistake you'll ever consider making. The artsy fartsy teak decorations are a suckers game. Made that mistake in my youth. Never again.
Brent

[coyotewrw]

Originally Posted by Louis Riel

Those style over substance "Furniture boats " are real slave drivers... The artsy fartsy teak decorations are a suckers game.
Brent

That's a very interesting point. Could you elaborate, maybe also listing what you think are some some good/bad models? Thanks!

[bmiller]

Great and timely thread. I'm in the same boat, so to speak. Retireing in less than 10, if all goes well. Bought a 23 foot trailer sailor that we moor in the summer on a Colorado lake. In the winter we trailer it to warm water. Have taken classes and learned just how much more I have to learn. About to move up a little to a 26 foot boat with a diesel. And so it goes.

[beginner]

On the question of size of a boat what I can't figure out is this. Boats up to about 36' to 38' have an interior layout set up to accomodate 2 people comfortably with a reasonable amount of "living" space although storage space is limited. Every boat I have ever seen bigger than that, say a 40' to 45' boat, is no longer designed for 2 people. Every extra inch of space is used up for bigger sleeping cabins, bigger, usually MUCH bigger tables and a second head (why would anyone need 2 heads on a boat?). In other words, they're designed for 4 or more. Since the vast majority of cruisers are cruising couples, why doesn't anyone desighn a boat for them?

[Benny]

Welcome abord and good question - there are some larger boats - not many baots that are specific designed for cruising for 2 however, most have been altered by an owner to say turn a cabin into a work shop or stowage or a head/shower into a closet/stowage - so if you nare looking for a boat with those features, it will probably be easier to alter a good design.

There are a few members here who know alot of boat designs that can probably suggest some that fit your criteria.

[drew.ward]

So i've been looking into different boats...

Now, whereas everyone has said that anything above 40 is too large to single hand, it seems that with most manufacturers anything below 30 is almost unliveable.

Maybe this is just me, but one of life's comforts I do like is the ability to at least have a berth that will fit a single human being (me) without being in the shape of a pretzel.

That, and many of the smaller boats look like you'd never be able to do anything down below. Now, I can understand that since being below basically defeats the point of being on the water anyway. But these same boats tend to be the ones with those crazy fiberglass caps that leave you just enough deckspace around the cabin to fall off the boat. Where do you fish, drink coffee, read, etc?

So, can anyone recommend any brands that are:
1. Small enough to single hand
2. capable of doing an Atlantic crossing
3. liveable for one person inside, and not uncomfortable for two if needed.
4. That have a decent amount fo flat deck space

I guess I'm looking for some of the features of the formosa's in a single-hand boat.

Thanks,

Drew