23 ft sailboat to 33 ft sailboat: What's the difference?

[jmschmidt]

hmmm...10 feet?

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by SmokedGouda

Hi all,

What's the biggest change when going up to a boat in the 30-35 ft range.

1. Slip fees, for a place to put it.

2. Standing headroom.

3. Inertia.

[Dr. D]

Consider that there are sailing schools which will permit you to hire an instructor to come aboard your boat and walk you through handling under motor. Although some may say you will figure it out yourself, it may be prudent to get some help at the beginning before you learn bad habits (or bang hard into a dock).

I know, I hired an instructor when we switched to a boat with twin rudders and a sail drive. No prop walk and no prop wash. Doh! A few hours and I was at home with the boat.

[nortonscove]

Seems like a very natural progression. I started on a 27 and four years later moved to a 40. Heavier loads and few more systems but just took it slow and it was actually easier in some respects. Some of the systems on the bigger boat actually made it simpler.

[Cheechako]

The care needed when docking the 33 footer is far outweighed by not being on your lips in a decent breeze the 23 footer makes you put up with!

[Fullbore]

A 33’ boat is not just 50% bigger than a 23’ boat, it’s at least 3x bigger.

[Searles]

Fending off is quite possible with a 22to25 fter trying to fend off a35fter will break your arm or leg ,and it’s a lot further up the mast hasten slowly .⛵️⚓️

[Elie]

Going from 23 to 33 ft sailboat imply significant difference, but mostly in confort quality . You will have head room to stand erect, a separate and real private head sometime with separate shower, enough water to cruise for a while. The diffrence is not that much when sailing and in fact you would find that you can sail in heavier weather without much trouble and your cruising range will be more interesting. And you will find also that storage will be much better. Docking and departing will need to be adjusted to the larger displacement but this is not such a big deal.

[luckylady22ft]

The major difference is: your wife. If she is happy with a little boat that she cannot stand up in or has no toilet or no shower etc etc, then you have the right boat. If she is not happy, you need a bigger boat. I know. I went from a 30 ft sailboat to a 47 ft live aboard sailboat and she was happy, and I was happy. Now 10 years later I bought a 23 ft sailboat daysailer which we also race and I (not her) overnight in occasionally. I should have gotten a bigger boat. When your wife says you need a bigger boat, BUY IT THEN.

[Sailing4Jesus]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

hmmm...10 feet?

OR 3.048000m

[boatman61]

Basically your sailing a Mini and looking to switch to a four door saloon..
No problems.. the problems would come if your switching from a mini to this...

[SeaStory]

We went from 18' to 39'. Learning to use winches and switching from tiller to wheel were the hard bits. There is a lot more momentum when docking, but the basic concepts don't change. And you can totally manhandle a large boat, just put the dang dockline around the cleat so it doesn't pull you in the water and use the leverage. I have seen professionals go in the water over this greenhand mistake.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

1. Slip fees, for a place to put it.



2. Standing headroom.



3. Inertia.

Don’t underestimate #3 in all directions

[DMF Sailing]

Every challenge comes with a positive, which is why people get bigger boats.

Sure, there's a learning curve, but once you get it (and anyone who can sail a 25 can learn a 33) it's easier to entertain skittish guests.

Sure, it's harder to hoist the mainsail. But chances are better that there are places where someone along for the ride can sit out of the way of the action.

Sure, you'll need to learn to start and stop, but a 33' cruiser rides a lot better on a mooring or at anchor, and has room to grill and chill once you're there.

Sure, higher freeboard means you have to pay attention to wind as you dock, and you can't see the mooring from the helm when it's closer than about 10 feet, but out at sea you don't get as wet.

Sure, the diesel comes with prop walk, but it also can get you out of trouble really fast with the click of a switch.

Sure, it's a little harder to tack shorthanded, but it's a lot easier to set and forget when you don't have to tack. And if your genoa is on a furler, it's easy to put it away without leaving the cockpit.

Sure, all that size and power makes mistakes potentially more costly, but all that size and added power makes you faster.

Sure, you need more time to prepare, but the idea of venturing out to unprotected waters won't seem nearly as intimidating.

[David Johnson]

As a very general, rule-of-thumb approach, my opinion is that the complexity, cost and forces vary as the cube of the overall length in feet plus the boat's weight in pounds. Thus a 24-foot boat weighing 2,000 pounds compares to a 33-foot boat weighing 14,000 pounds as 15,824 compared to 49,937, or about a factor of three more to deal with. Of course, that same factor could be applied to the number and complexity of amenities in comparing the two boats as well!