100 Footer or Not.. That is the question

[FarbonCiber]

If you found yourself with the capacity to commission a monohull in the 90 to 130 foot range, why would or wouldn't you proceed with the project?

Would you find the convenience of size and space worth the sacrifice of missing out on smaller less accessible cities i.e. D.C.?

[ChrisJHC]

Need a lot more info before informed comments can be made.

That is a lot of boat.

If you’re looking at a luxury fitout then you’re definitely in the multi-million dollar territory.
Will that leave you with sufficient budget to do anything other than own the boat?

How many crew are you looking at?

How experienced are you?

Are you looking to sail locally or globally?

Re accessibility, you could just carry a 20-25 foot sail boat on board for day trips! Or a serious tender of course.

Anyway, if you can provide more info on your plans you’ll get much better responses.

[HankOnthewater]

You said " if you had the capacity".
I think you mean the financial resources?
Then there is also the capacity to sail, and pay crew to do that, capacity to maintain, and a single person (owner) won't manage that I would think.
Then there is the capacity to dock, and again pay for that.

I don't think the pleasure of sailing is expressed in length of boat.
As answer on your question: "No, I would not".
Maybe would commission a boat that I could sail and maintain myself, not any bigger.

[Don C L]

If it was a Gloucester schooner I wouldn't care about what harbors were inaccessible... and I wouldn't hesitate.

[Pandor]

Originally Posted by FarbonCiber

Would you find the convenience of size and space worth the sacrifice of missing out on smaller less accessible cities i.e. D.C.?

What is the convenience is size? It can be both convenient and inconvenient. Inconvenient when cleaning or maintaining.

But you can certainly get a 100 footer into most major east coast cities. By DC, if you are talking about the capital, not an issue if you draw less than 12-14 feet. Well, you would have to be careful and pay for the correct dock. Same with Annapolis. And I assume if you are undertaking the project, you can dictate the draft. Length is not as restrictive if you can pay the dockmaster.

[FarbonCiber]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

Need a lot more info before informed comments can be made.

That is a lot of boat.

If you’re looking at a luxury fitout then you’re definitely in the multi-million dollar territory.
Will that leave you with sufficient budget to do anything other than own the boat?

How many crew are you looking at?

How experienced are you?

Are you looking to sail locally or globally?

Re accessibility, you could just carry a 20-25 foot sail boat on board for day trips! Or a serious tender of course.

Anyway, if you can provide more info on your plans you’ll get much better responses.

Apologies for being vague, the proposed is a carbon fiber sloop with boom-furling main, jib, automatic winches, lifting keel, thrusters, tender garage, solar. Layout entails owner aft cabin, forward vip cabin, social kitchen, saloon, dedicated office, and three guest cabins.

Five years sailing experience with wife and friends, primarily offshore Eastern US with seasonal Bahamas loops.

Self-sufficient crew is the plan, paid engineer for peace of mind. There is no intention to charter, just friends and family that enjoy sailing. I never expect to have less than six competent sailors on board.

Destinations will be similar to what I do currently, sail up and down the East Coast cities (Wife's corporate gig needs the east coast time zone and ability to fly from airports). Seasonal Bahamas. Europe trips (Wife flies to destination)

Having a daysailer on deck truly didn't cross my mind.

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

You said " if you had the capacity".
I think you mean the financial resources?
Then there is also the capacity to sail, and pay crew to do that, capacity to maintain, and a single person (owner) won't manage that I would think.
Then there is the capacity to dock, and again pay for that.

I don't think the pleasure of sailing is expressed in length of boat.
As answer on your question: "No, I would not".
Maybe would commission a boat that I could sail and maintain myself, not any bigger.

I was meaning to use capacity as a catch all for finances, crew, and maintenance. Dockage fees are definitely a potential for headaches. I hope to either be in anchorages, on the move, and only hit the marinas for ease of provisioning or special events.

Absolutely, I'd think of it as a floating condo that can be enjoyed moving from city to city

Originally Posted by Don C L

If it was a Gloucester schooner I wouldn't care about what harbors were inaccessible... and I wouldn't hesitate.

What was that quote "I don't care how tricked out your carbon yacht is, it'll never be as cool as a tall ship"

Originally Posted by Pandor

What is the convenience is size? It can be both convenient and inconvenient. Inconvenient when cleaning or maintaining.

But you can certainly get a 100 footer into most major east coast cities. By DC, if you are talking about the capital, not an issue if you draw less than 12-14 feet. Well, you would have to be careful and pay for the correct dock. Same with Annapolis. And I assume if you are undertaking the project, you can dictate the draft. Length is not as restrictive if you can pay the dockmaster.

Convenience meaning ability to house friends and family for extended periods without feeling cramped, garage space for a decent sized fully inflated tender. Deck space for social activities.

I saw an overheard cable on the chart by Quantico with 70ft vertical clearance but maybe I misinterpreted the chart

[OldManMirage]

I've always wanted this boat...

https://www.bruceroberts.com/public/HTML/TRADER65.htm

...from the first time I saw it. If I could scale it up to a 100 footer even better.

I would take it to the South Pacific and do supply runs to remote islands. Help out people, maybe carry a dentist sometimes or a doctor. The 100 footer would make that part easier than the 65. I could set up a permanent clinic on board and just let people rotate through as they were able.

If there is a philanthropist who wants to fund this please contact me. I'm still young enough I could at least see this project off the ground and hand it over to the next person when the time comes.

[Benz]

100-foot and bigger sailboats come into Newport all summer. If you have the resources and nothing more pressing to spend them on, why not?
As long as you realize what the cost will be: there's always surprises, even on the smallest boat.
Remember that insurance companies pretty much dictate large yacht movements: insuring anywhere south of Hatteras during hurricane season is $$$$, so that would limit your summer movements--we have a mass exodus of yachts from New England every November 1.
But if you've counted the cost, and can afford it, there's far worse things to spend money on than boats.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by FarbonCiber

If you found yourself with the capacity to commission a monohull in the 90 to 130 foot range, why would or wouldn't you proceed with the project?

Because I would be proceeding with the 150 footer

[Snore]

I would not go that big, unless I wanted a full time crew.

Why? The single greatest skill a good master has is disaster planning. Imagine what happens when things go purely pear shaped and the electric assists fail. There is no way 2 or 3 people can manage a vessel of that size. Wheres something in the 60-65' maximum could be handled- if the crew kept themselves in shape, had pre-established contingency plans, and there were mechanical options of the electronic doo-dads.

Your stated experience is, "Five years sailing experience with wife and friends, primarily offshore Eastern US with seasonal Bahamas loops." Not sure if that was with a competent captain, as crew, or on your own. So I offer the following guidance. When you make the leap, hire not any captain- but a delivery captain (need not be me). Delivery guys/gals are used to getting on new vessels, and mastering them with short crews. The person you hire's job will be to both master the vessel and train you on running it. You of course have the challenge of transitioning to a student and earning your way up from there.

My final suggestion is to hire Bob Perry. He is a GREAT designer and has done commissioned work at this size level and from what I have heard- what you pay him, will be money well spent.

Feel free to PM me- I am traveling on vacation and may not have the chance to check this thread.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Don C L

If it was a Gloucester schooner I wouldn't care about what harbors were inaccessible... and I wouldn't hesitate.

Ah ha, someone with true understanding, (and a measure of romance).

[Montanan]

Geez, just buy one, don't bother with the extended effort and time to have a custom built, megayacht for which you will await years to have available to use.

Get what you can use today and you may not have a tomorrow.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Get what you can use today and you may not have a tomorrow.

You might want to change the "and" to "because".

[MartinF]

If i were considering this project I would spend 7 figures on buying a 70?footer, and see how that worked. Think of it as a "proof-of concept". As well as being an extremely useful "what would I change/keep" learning exercise this has the added advantage that you get to sail a splendid yacht for n years whilst you design and build your super-yacht.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by MartinF

"what would I change/keep"

More than a ring-of-truth there.
An old adage for those who want to have a boat built for them, or build their own:
"You build the second boat first".