Smallest Boat for a Caribbean Voyage

[scottorious]

looking to plan an island hopping adventure to take place in a couple years and wanted to start looking for a boat to get ready for the trip. Crew size will really just depend on available spots so its not like I have to have room for 8 people or any specific number. Just looking for something that would be safe to take from florida to BVI or possibly further and then come back. Never made such a long journey but thats why it is planned for 2012.

[imagine2frolic]

Depends on your comfort level. Higher tolerance you have to discomfort the smaller you can go. Also budget will factor in here too.......i2f

[johnar]

You could take a canoe and be safe on the right weather days, lol

But I do think you are asking about something a little bigger.


Dutch

[scottorious]

haha yes...something a bit bigger than a canoe would be nice... The budget for the boat is yet to be determined. I was considering something around 30 feet. Is that too small?

[imagine2frolic]

That can be a great size! Enough room for considerable comfort, and probably shallow enough to get up inside most boats.......i2f

[speedoo]

You would probably receive more helpful advice if you talked a bit about what kind of sailing you have done and the boats you have sailed. Depending on a lot of variables, some would say the minimum size would be in the 27-30 foot range others would say bigger.

[johnar]

I have a 33' with very nice room inside my wife and I live aboard, with a 4' draft and full keel its just right for the islands. Not too big you need crew and still have room and safty in size. Right now is a great time to buy a boat due to the economy. You could pickup a boat like mine for around $10K.

Take a look at this site it will give you some idea on what you can get for a set budget, keep in mind the price is the asking price, in must cases the asking price is much higher than you will pay.

Best of luck,

New and Used Yachts for Sale - YachtWorld.com

Dutch

[scottorious]

My sailing is limited to dinghies, hobies, and some different day sailers. Never anything with a keel nor an overnight trip. That will change within these two years. I will be taking some schools to up my experience. I would just prefer to find a boat sooner. Because half the fun for me will be preparation of the boat.

[johnar]

go visit a few marina's make a few friends, if your a likable person people will take you out sailing and you can learn alot. sailors are great to hold conversations with, they always have a story to tell.

Dutch

[scottorious]

yah i'll be trying that out also. 10K would most likely be right around what I would like to put into a boat. Unless it was 100 percent set up in which case I would pay a little more however like I said I would enjoy the set up and I would have a better understanding of the whole thing if I put a lot of work into it.

[speedoo]

Originally Posted by scottorious

My sailing is limited to dinghies, hobies, and some different day sailers. Never anything with a keel nor an overnight trip. That will change within these two years. I will be taking some schools to up my experience. I would just prefer to find a boat sooner. Because half the fun for me will be preparation of the boat.

OK, so I am guessing you are fairly young then? If so, you won't need a boat much bigger than 30 - 35 feet. But much more important than length are things like build quality, capacity for fuel, water and provisions/equipment storage. If you plan on cruising the Bahamas (highly recommended) you will be able to do a lot more exploring with a draft of 5 feet or less. And a good strong diesel inboard is very important.

Where will you be sailing for the next couple of years?

[scottorious]

yah I am young, 25 to be exact. Cruising the bahamas would be on my list of things to do. In reality I most likely wont make it to BVI. Basically I just want to set off on a boat and just cruise around for abut a month or 2 and then return. Exploring is high on the list of things to do as well as swimming, and fishing. I am not intending on doing something really difficult because I am fairly in experienced however I have heard a lot of the caribbean is island hopping by sight. It seemed like a trip like this would be feasible. I am a fairly avid backpacker and have become quite a minimalist in that arena, I would like to "backpack" the caribbean in a sense.

[imagine2frolic]

If that is all the time you have? You might want to consider exploring just the Bahamas. There is enough to last a life time. 2 months making it to the BVI, and back will be pretty much get you there, and get you back. If you just want to sail then that's okay. If you want to explore then I am sure the Bahamas will easily make you happy........i2f

[scottorious]

I kind of like the idea of that. Just exploring the bahamas should be enough fun. So with that said is it still about the same size boat for going to BVI? Or would a smaller boat than even 30 work for just crusing the bahamas.

[johnar]

I know of ships as small as 20' Cape Dory that have made the trip very easy. The cross over from Florida to the islands is just about 45 miles and then the islands are close together. but weather can change fast and a cheap boat could cost you your life.

Why not crew awhile and see what its like sailing and it will cost you alot less.

Dutch