How Much Sailboat Should I Buy?

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

At "little extra space"? I moved from an older 1988 style 39' boat to a more modern 2001 41' boat. The space difference is HUGE! If it were not for the space there would not be any "lifestyle".

Have you seen the Endeavor Cats...they are the very definition of condomaran. Ugly as sin but you wont' find more space in a similar length package.

PS: I'm not taking a dig at them. If I could find a 34' at the right price, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

[Subtandard]

There are generally two approaches to determining what size boat to buy - the biggest boat you can afford or, the smallest boat you can stand. I prefer the later.

The smaller boat is less comfortable but, cheaper to buy, maintain, and dock. You can go more places and fit into smaller spaces. It is easier to handle and there is less to break and fix.

The wife and I are currently on a 35-foot center cockpit Westerly and find it suits us fine. We generally have only one guest at a time but once did survive having 5 for a weekend.

We have lived aboard for 8 years so far.

[edsml]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Actually IMO it comes down to a simple answer.
As big a vessel you can comfortably afford to maintain.

You answered with his question.

[Bon Temps]

If you are living aboard I would say 1160 meter cat unless you injoy rocking back and forth and spending you sailing time at 45° but mantaince is pretty expensive. I am not sure you have enough money. In 5 years of sailing I think I spent about $500/month on maintenance. It’s going to be tight. You better be a good mechanic, electrician, and not mind scrap, sanding and painting

[CruiserBrad]

OK, here's my 10 cents,

1. Buy the smallest boat you can both be comfortable on.

2. Buy the largest boat you can single hand without any help to raise the sails, crank in the sheets, raise the anchor and dock.

[jld]

Don't know diddly about your chosen cruising grounds as I am in CA. but you stated you want to stay in a 25000 annual budget. The bigger the boat the more it costs. slip fees, maintenance, taxes, insurance and it goes on and on.


here on the west coast most marinas want you to have a 32' boat to live aboard. Having lived aboard for a number of years now, I would say if i were a couple that would be my choice. If you can afford bigger go for it, but the larger the boat, the larger a sail replacement is, the more a transit slip fee is, the more it costs for a crane to haul you out of the water.


Its also nice if either of you can single hand the boat.



That's my 2 cents worth.

[fernandosmooth]

Originally Posted by sameagle13

We are a frugal couple

Annual Boat Maintenance & Insurance: $6,000
All other Living Expenses(Annual): $18,000

Frugal and $25.000 a year?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by fernandosmooth

Frugal and $25.000 a year?

that IS frugal

[sparrowhawk1]

This Thread reminds me of the what's the best dinghy thread. No disrespect to anyone but the reason there's a million different types of dinghys is they all have their pluses and minuses. As a person that lived many years on a 27-foot boat and I'm currently living on a 39 + foot boat I can say that my bigger boat costs way more (sorry to get technical with so much math) . ( more than 10 times as much to purchase and at least twice the cost to maintain) if I don't use it, as in stay anchored somewhere as I'm currently doing it can actually save me money because I have the room to prepare and store food. I now have refrigeration and a solar oven and a small garden. After purchase the main drawback to my bigger boat is I could handle losing my 27 foot boat, I would be devastated if I lost this boat. And it's harder to operate. plain and simple faster but more work. PS most entertainment is done in the cockpit which are virtually the same size on both boats. PSS. I love(d) both my boats but my bigger boat is like an apartment that sails like stinksmitten.

[aussiemick01]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

This Thread reminds me of the what's the best dinghy thread. No disrespect to anyone but the reason there's a million different types of dinghys is they all have their pluses and minuses. As a person that lived many years on a 27-foot boat and I'm currently living on a 39 + foot boat I can say that my bigger boat costs way more (sorry to get technical with so much math) . ( more than 10 times as much to purchase and at least twice the cost to maintain) if I don't use it, as in stay anchored somewhere as I'm currently doing it can actually save me money because I have the room to prepare and store food. I now have refrigeration and a solar oven and a small garden. After purchase the main drawback to my bigger boat is I could handle losing my 27 foot boat, I would be devastated if I lost this boat. And it's harder to operate. plain and simple faster but more work. PS most entertainment is done in the cockpit which are virtually the same size on both boats. PSS. I love(d) both my boats but my bigger boat is like an apartment that sails like stinksmitten.

What model is the bigger one?

[JPA Cate]

Another factor is how long you want to do it, and how many suits of sail you'll be buying, and, another, whether you want to be able to go further afield if you like it. Usually, the smallest boat you can tolerate, or making do with your present boat is the least costly.

Do not plan on having your grown children come visiting: they have their own lives now, and seldom the money to fly to you. You can fund them child holidays, fly the grandkids when the kids would have the time to themselves.

Fwiw, I think, in the monohull world, two adults can probably cruise together "as long as it is fun" from 34-36 feet, and have standing headroom in the saloon, and have occasional very special guests for 2-5 wks. (Our 36 footer was satisfactory in those respects for 18 yrs.) I think, at that size, water, food, and fuel storage space is key, and if you're patient, you stop when the wind goes away and wait for wind, the natural place of the animal, submitting to weather's forces. We know people who turn on their engine when the speed drops below 6 knots. For us it is usually under one knot, and it saves a heap of $$, and we get to play the "how to keep the boat moving game", and engine wear; others start up the engine under 7 kn.

Someone above mentioned complexity vs. simplicity. We've some friends with a washing machine. They run the engine every day to charge the refrigeration, batteries, and so have a small inverter which can run the small draw microwave. Their genset runs the watermaker and the washing machine. It is a 40 footer, they have done the Australia via NZ, HI, WA, Canada to Alaska and back in the boat. It is very dependent on you and your wife's preferences whether you would want go any larger and how many "conveniencies" you require, 'cause we're all different. Keeping things simpler gives you less harbor hours and more fun ones, more on-the-hook vs. in the marina ones. We have no washer, no watermaker, no genset, no microwave oven. And, incidentally, no outdooors MFD, either, all separate instruments (rather replace just one at a time as they fail). I do not feel deprived. It is extremely idiosyncratic, and both partner's NEEDS must be considered and balanced by the complexity and time, as well as expense of attractive "goodies".

We met one Australian lady who did not want to leave for a circumnavigation without watermaker and washing machine, and required also, to run a regular microwave. While we were visiting them in a foreign country for 2 weeks, it cost our host just about 2 hrs. per day in genset maintenance. He paid that because she "wanted" those comfort zones. You have to decide if that is more than you want to pay over the years. You should hear their stories about when the snake came to live in the genset, and the trials involved in getting that all straightened out. Yes, those conveniences would be nice to have, the ability to wash off the salt spray, or have a longer shower, or the use of a microwave or charge refrigeration, but are they NEEDS or WANTS? I wish the women would think about that, but usually they have no experience wilderness camping or backpacking, and "know" what they want...and somehow convert that to "need".

And now, back in my box!

Ann

[sailorboy1]

That's a spin on the "complexity" thing that doesn't get discussed. People with "complex" boats accept that there is going to be some maintenance time in maintaining them. They accept this as the cost of the "want". For the average hardy cruiser this isn't a big deal as we have more time to fill than we know what to do with.

[gonesail]

not only do the costs go up but there is a huge difference between a 28' and a 40' boat. many women (and some men) can't handle the loads generated by the bigger boat like raising sails and trimming lines. also you need to factor in the cost of the next boat. if you go with an older boat then the maintenance you will have to do will cost money as well.

[sailorboy1]

the only thing far as cruising goes between a 28' boat and a 40' boat is they both float (maybe)