Your Home On The Water

[ranger58sb]

If you haven't already, see here http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...oat-87489.html

-Chris

[Hudson Force]

We're doing well with DIY maintenance and moderate expense on our 41' ketch. We only moved to this boat because our children at 7 & 9 seemed to keep growing and requiring too much of the space within our 33' sloop. When they moved out as young adults, we looked at some smaller boats, but this one was paid off and we have remained very comfortable with it and her care. We bought our first live aboard boat in 1971 and it was 30', but just an 8' beam. Still, it suited us well in our early twenties. Over the 28 years that we've cruised our current boat we've kept the same mizzen since '85; the same main since 95; the original working jib that we rarely use; a replaced cruising chute in '98 (on the used sail market) and two genoas each resewn once or twice. We seem to beat up sails further forward than those flown aft,- I would guess that's normal. We also replaced a mizzen staysail once. I've found sails in great shape for excellent prices due to a small patch (4"x4") or a difficult to find stain!

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

If I only got 10 K miles on a sail I'd be changing sailmakers! We're just in the process of spec'ng a new main. Old one (radial dacron) is 10 years old, has done a bit over 42000 miles. Still quite usable, but beginning to be slow to windward.

Well, there you have it! If I had to wait 42000 miles between new sails, I'd be changing hobbies.

[bobconnie]

Some of us would be buying sails once a year if they were only good for 10,000 NM!! unless your raceing, your buying the wrong type of sails or have more money then ya need !! The junk sails I had bilt in HK in 1970 lasted(with lots of repairs) 16 yrs before we replaced them !! I lost count of the amount of NMs we had on them, as we did not think of things that way !! As long as the sails were useable, we were happy !! Never worryed about how far they went, just that they worked !

[ReMetau]

Our 33' is a good size for the two of us. If I had lots extra money, then I would consider moving up to a 37 or 38.

We just replaced our jib and main, and the staysail was still almost new.

[wingNwing]

The boat we've lived on for 10+ years now is 33 ... feet long, and years old. Perfect for us - big enough to be comfy, and small enough to be easy to sail and dock as we travel. And while maintenance costs obviously vary depending on your boat, how you use it, what you expect, and how much you do yourself, we consistently find $5,000 per year about what we have to budget. Life Afloat Archives: Cost of Living ... Afloat

[LauderBoy]

3 years on a 32ft sailboat. It's really a great size for me. Plenty of room down below and very easy to single handle. If I went any larger it'd only be to accommodate guests.

[Sam Plan B]

I live on a center cockpit Columbia 41. It is roomy with lots of storage space. I think the maintenance issues are not high tech and not unpredictable. Once you have spent the money on a specific problem you should not have to revisit THAT particular problem for a long time. However, everything costs more on a bigger boat and everything takes more muscle. The sails are bigger and more expensive; I just bought a new main and working jib for $4k. Bigger sails require sizable winches to handle them. If you want to upgrade your electrical panel board, that will be big bucks. Just hauling for an bi-annual bottom job will be more since the boat yard will charge by the foot. Monthly dockage fees are more for the same reason.

Having said all that, if you your boat is your home you should buy the most boat you can afford since you will be spending a lot of your life aboard. I have lived aboard here in DC for 4 years and would not care to live ashore again.

[Big Water]

37' is the perfect size, they handle well in most conditions, 42' is nice but sluggish, under 35' and big waves are a problem

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Big Water

37' is the perfect size, they handle well in most conditions, 42' is nice but sluggish, under 35' and big waves are a problem

??????

I sailed quite a few miles in 32' boat and saw some pretty good size waves and never had a problem. I did get caught in a serious northern the straights of FL once and the waves were so steep we were pounding some but then so were the other boats of various sizes we met in in FL that came through the same front.

Also sailed some miles in 41' and 42' boats and found them to be faster than a 36' boat.

Why would you call a 42' boat sluggish? Is there something about hull speed that doesn't work at that length?

[Kache Walk]

Lots of good info here. One other, probably obvious, point: length alone does not describe the room available. My 30ft catboat has the mast well forward with an 11' 8" beam carried most of its length. Headroom well over 6 feet through the cabin.

[forsailbyowner]

I've lived on a 33 for 7 years now. Maintenance costs have been low but they can be as high as your willing to spend. Most of the stuff I replace with second hand stuff if its not rebuildable. I've never paid for anybody to work on my boat. Lastly I treat my purchases like a working boat would. Its about cost/value/effectiveness not prestige/top of the line/show.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Big Water

37' is the perfect size, they handle well in most conditions, 42' is nice but sluggish, under 35' and big waves are a problem

must be a pretty complex math equation to go along with this

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Big Water

37' is the perfect size, they handle well in most conditions, 42' is nice but sluggish, under 35' and big waves are a problem

I thought I read 37' 4 3/4" was the perfect size. And yeah, everybody knows bigger is slower.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Kache Walk

Lots of good info here. One other, probably obvious, point: length alone does not describe the room available. My 30ft catboat has the mast well forward with an 11' 8" beam carried most of its length. Headroom well over 6 feet through the cabin.

Excellent point to bring up that a lot of new sailors don't immediately understand. All boats of the same length are not created equal. I think a beamy, long waterline Catalina 30' has more interior room that a Hinkley B40 with narrower beam and long overhangs.

Same applies to lots of other boats. Have to consider the beam and how far fore and aft the beam is carried as well as the length.