Advantages to have a small boat

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by thomm225

That guy never explains himself much but I understand he has sailed his Bristol 27 from the USA to New Zealand and the Philippines. Maybe he will add to this........

Also he once mentioned that he paid $1,000.00 for his boat.

Now that is quite an advantage of owning a small boat

I believe he's now in the Caribbean.. finds it to commercial.. that's the West for you..

[Stormboy]

This is all really about your budget, fitness, free time and attitude......
I am in the 'bigger is better' camp, having the comfort, durability and seaworthiness of a bigger boat, allows me to sail more......my yardstick has always been, can I single hand it ?.....and can I push it off a wharf if I have to? So 38'-40' is the sweet spot for me......
My first boat was a Revolution 38, which was the Ben Lexcen /Australian version of the Freedom 40, so had an unstayed rig, I sailed that boat around Australia over 3 years ....one of its best features was a retractable centreboard which meant it could be beached......which is how we did all our maintenance and antifouling.....thus saving a fortune on yard fees over the years.......still if I had my pick of boats today I would go for a 36' cat, plenty of room and beach it anywhere....those yard fees add up and over 10-12 years it makes a cat much more attractive, if you can afford it in the first place.!!

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by brownoarsman

Nope, the propellers might eat you. But a nice row boat ...

Nah, you'll capsize and drown.

Best to stay on the land and then you'll never die or be injured in a boating accident.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by thomm225

That guy never explains himself much but I understand he has sailed his Bristol 27 from the USA to New Zealand and the Philippines. Maybe he will add to this........

Also he once mentioned that he paid $1,000.00 for his boat.

Now that is quite an advantage of owning a small boat

I have a friend who paid $0 to not buy a boat. He has $0 maintenance, mooring and other costs for his non-boat. He also has lots of free time because he does not have to work on his non boat.

[bvisailing32]

Alexandria

Happy to hear that you were being watched over by neptune and other gods of the sea.

Falling that distance on to the deck or most anything, could have been a much worse outcome. Head, back, neck, extended arms, landing on your back, or tail bone, etc.

You pulled it off .

[mako]

Interesting that there doesn't appear to be any feedback from those with boats bigger than say 40ft... so 50's or 60's

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by makobuilders

Interesting that there doesn't appear to be any feedback from those with boats bigger than say 40ft... so 50's or 60's

Why what do you want to know? I'm 45ft and can see nothing advantageous in going smaller, if I replace I will be going bigger...

That's all I can think of to say on the subject, ta ta.....

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by makobuilders

Interesting that there doesn't appear to be any feedback from those with boats bigger than say 40ft... so 50's or 60's

The thread is about small boats and it's more likely that we small boat owners are more likely to respond to it

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by goat

Attachment 143620
I wouldn't want to go much smaller than my boat. Here it is.
Mr. Gibson was reportedly on the other one.
The difference; he was renting, I own mine.
Mine is on the left, bottom. In case there was any doubt.

goat; richer than Mel.

Goat I like your thinking! I have always wondered what is the point to go out on a boat so big you forget you are on a boat at all!

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by hamburking

I think the lesson here is that when going up the mast on a halyard, rig a safety as well (a second halyard). Every time.

Yes, I'm doing it now.

It's crazy because I was beating against 20 knots of wind for 12 hours just prior, I didn't expect the load the be greater from my own weight... stainless is often unreliable

Originally Posted by bvisailing32

Alexandria

Happy to hear that you were being watched over by neptune and other gods of the sea.

Falling that distance on to the deck or most anything, could have been a much worse outcome. Head, back, neck, extended arms, landing on your back, or tail bone, etc.

You pulled it off .

I was very happy when I landed although pretty hurt. I never fell from so high. I was at the top of the mast.

I actually hit my head, shoulder, body and leg but nothing too hard. Also had rope burns from the lower shrouds (my rigging is dyneema) but maybe this slowed me a bit?

I was completely relaxed on impact I think it helped. Also, my hatch rests on top of hose to make it watertight, I think this helped. Most of the impact went to my calf muscle because it landed on a corner, but I think it's a good place to hit hard.


My main point is: smaller boats are safer than bigger boats.

It's harder to lose fingers in winches or cams. It's less likely to get crushed between the boat and dock if you slip ( I have done it and smashed my knee but after a week I was fine) if the rigging breaks or uncontrolled gybe the forces are much lower.

If you run onto rocks as I have many times in many places, it's possible to pole the boat off, or use the anchor and winch the boat off again even when the boat is pounding in the swell and the wind is blowing you onto the rocks.

[mako]

Originally Posted by hoppy

The thread is about small boats and it's more likely that we small boat owners are more likely to respond to it

Sounds like you're discriminating against big boats... maybe that deserves another thread [emoji849]

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

I believe that the trend towards larger new boats offered in the market is driven by the manufacturers. There is simply more profit to be made in selling larger boats. However, most people do not need and can't afford the upkeep on larger (say over 40 ft) boats. Combine this with the enormous supply of older smaller boats (fiberglass does not deteriorate much) and the result is much lower sales of new sailboats. Thus, most of the action on the market is in 30-35 ft boats. They are easy (inexpensive) to acquire, easy to keep and do the job of recreational sailing well. Most new buyers should start in this segment to see if they like the hobby to begin with. If you get tired of sailing, just sell her for a small loss. The share of people who go to full time cruising and would realize the benefits of a larger boat is tiny hence more difficult to sell eventually.

On the other side, going much below 30 feet is not smart, firstly because of the tradeoffs (no headroom, no space) and second because the monthly slip payments become significant relative to the value of the boat (I.e. if you have a 27 ft boat worth $15,000 and the annual slip payment is $6,000 then it just does not compute in my head).

My yardstick of value is the cost of sailing club's annual dues/fees vs. ownership costs, etc. each divided by the number of sail/use days. Agree re: foolishness of paying $6K to dock a $15K boat each season/year and that's why I use a mooring. The only problem here - around my mooring field - was/is that the wait to get a dinghy dock permit is at least 15 years (I hear it's up to 20 years by now). However the launch service is around $600 for the season (unlimited launch rides and unlimited # of your passengers) so it's not so bad after all. So the first boat which cost me all of $400 to purchase had me paying $600(mooring)+$500(launch fee) per season. Mooring was "rent to own" deal for 3 years so now that it's mine - it's only $200 annual mooring inspection/service, $100 harbormaster fee and $500 for launch service. Still well under a $1000. And during any storms I would not want to be at the dock in that harbor anyway.

Here one can use the launch/dinghy dock for occasional tie ups (both dinghy or main boat) as long as it's not overnight or if overnight the harbormaster is notified. In the past 10 years we rarely if ever had an issue with anyone abusing this system. But this is in a very nautical town and I guess the culture is not same as in say Florida.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by makobuilders

Interesting that there doesn't appear to be any feedback from those with boats bigger than say 40ft... so 50's or 60's

I replied early on.

[doccelli]

Only EVER buy the boat that you can afford to maintain in good seaworthy condition.
Hull, rigging, sails, engine and all of the other electronic and electrical needs should be assessed.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by doccelli

Only EVER buy the boat that you can afford to maintain in good seaworthy condition.
Hull, rigging, sails, engine and all of the other electronic and electrical needs should be assessed.

Welcome aboard!