Cruising Days 'Lost' Relative to Length of Vessel

[Fewpossesions]

how many days or weeks, months etc. do i lose (cruising) having my 36' instead of a more sensible 30' per year I don't want to think about the dollar factor

I'm interested in what is lost or gained. what happens when i go the other direction? ...40'?

who's done it and what what did ya' find out?, miss the old bigger/smaller boat? wish you'd done it years before?

I wait in anticipation

[skipmac]

Are you asking this in the context of a larger boat is more work/trouble/hassle to take out on spur of the moment kind of thing?

If so, for me it is more a matter of proximity and access to the boat and water than a matter of boat size, at least for 36' vs 30'. Now if it was 36' vs a much larger boat that would require crew to handle then that would make a difference.

[bloodhunter]

We've had boats in a variety of sizes with our current boat (Enchantress) being much bigger than the others. I can tell you that we've spent more time on Enchantress than any of the others cause she's a lot more comfortable than the smaller boats. She also carries a lot more water so even without a watermaker we can stay away from 'civilization' a lot longer than we could on our other boats.
Not sure if this answers your question but agree with Skipmac that ease and speed of access is most important for weekend sailing or short cruises but comfort is the biggie for extended cruising

[Joli]

We day sail our boat. It takes maybe 10 minutes to get off the dock? If we race a dinghy it takes maybe 10 minutes to rig and launch. It's harder to drink a coldie while racing the dinghy.

[surfmachine]

Few possessions, I bought a 31' sloop really cheap and took off cruising in thailand and fix it as I go, instead of gazing at the internet and dreaming about 40' bennys!
Anyhow, "love the one your with"?
Keith.

[dcstrng]

Originally Posted by Fewpossesions

how many days or weeks, months etc. do i lose (cruising) having my 36' instead of a more sensible 30' per year...

Wow, now here’s a basket of snakes if there ever was one… To properly address, this requires some serious multivariate analysis, but… length alone will do little more than offer you faster theoretical hull speed, which will (theoretically) shorten your time at sea under sail, which has to be a good thing —after all nobody buys as sailboat to actually sail in anymore (just kidding…)

However, back in reality land… longer length usually implies more displacement (more load carrying ability) which increases at more or less at the cube of the increase in length assuming proportions stay the same – which is not a totally watertight assumption… more load carrying, more stores, more machinery, more gadgets and gizmos – presumably more maintenance, cost and upkeep… of course you can carry more folks to assist, so…

My guess is it would be modestly easy to answer the question if comparing a, say, 60-footer as versus a 25-footer… However, I’m not sure it would be so simple comparing a 30-footer and a 33-35 footer… there the difference might be negligible and one would waste more time in the computations, than would be consumed in the minuscule differences boat on boat (assuming both are of more or less similar configuration, state of repair…).

I do find that I get in many more day-sails with my reality-sized, mid 20-footer than I ever did in ten years of living aboard a mid-40-footer, but that may have more to do with my state of mind than actual boats… it’s all good… I think surfmachine is right, “love the one yer with…”

[surfmachine]

Larry, you are right, when I lived in margaret river in west australia I bought a beautiful farr 24 foot racer cruiser trailer sailer, put all the cruising gear in it and was out nearly evry 3rd day cruising around geographe bay and up to rottnest island for 3 weeks, cost 20k, sold it for 27K, bought the 31' blue water cruiser for 45K.
Point is, all those bigger cruising boats just sat in the marina, only went out at chriisy and easter and race week, rest of the time they were too busy working to pay for them!!?
Same with all the surfers who bouht land on the hill with a view of the surf break, never see them in the surf again as they are working flat out to pay for their house with a view!

[Jim D]

Originally Posted by dcstrng

epair…).

I do find that I get in many more day-sails with my reality-sized, mid 20-footer than I ever did in ten years of living aboard a mid-40-footer ...

When I lived on my 30' sloop, I found it easy to let things get in disarray on-board. At least that was disarray compared to "ready-to-sail". I mean things sitting in the cockpit, loose on the cabin floor, and so forth. Before moving on board, when I left the boat in its slip, it was already set to go the next time. I ended up sailing less as a result.

[zeehag]

you wont LOSE any days of cruising if you cease the wondering and get to it..lol...30 ft and 36 ft are soo similar is not a worry----and if you have any kind of income you will be fine--just DO it.
if you go from 36 to 30 you lose boat speed and comfort. if you go to 40 ft you lose ease of handling unless is a ketch lol....
in a 30 ft boat you would probably sit out weather conditions mor ethan in a 40 or 36 ft boat....lol btdt......i LOVE my 41 formosa..lol.....i have owned 26ft, 35ft, 41 ft, 34 ft, and 25 ft---i would not trade down for anyones money.

[Randyonr3]

We've lost days sailing but not cruising.. when we had the 22, we were out sailing every weekend, now as a cruiser and living on the boat, we only sail from port to port..

[Hudson Force]

It seems that there's more of a factor to work schedules, preparation time, location and motivation than the size of the boat. We're on a 41' boat and in the past I've had boats from 12' to 33'. For me, the 12' boat was the longest prep for sailing; loading it on the vehicle, lugging it down to the surf; rigging... I'm sitting on my 41' now and I'm always as close as ten minutes from underway. Then, also, I'm retired now and currently in the Bahamas. I don't think the boat size is number one for most people's ability to use their boats. 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

[Lancerbye]

As Captforce said above I don't think lenght can be related to use. I singlehand a 44 ft. motor sailer and am underway in 10 min. from any anchorage or slip. I live aboard 6 months of the year. Retired boat trash. lol

[Stillraining]

I believe it boils down to docking skills...If your good at it, you will go out day sailing more no mater if you have a 20 or 60 footer under your deck shoes.

[BubbleHeadMd]

I think size can play into it in terms of lost sailing/cruising days due to maintenance. Maintenance costs and time grow exponentially with LOA.

My 25' is quick and (relatively) inexpensive to repair and maintain and yes, proximity is a huge factor. My boat is a short walk from my front door so I repair and maintain it even more quickly, and daysail 3-5 times a week. I'm hoarding vacation days so that I can take a long sail during the summer.

Every time I return, I prep the boat for the next outing so that all I have to do is step aboard, run the checklist and cast off.

[Fewpossesions]

Thanks for all the replies. Surfmachine hit the nail on the head... "love the one your with!" I guess I'm just getting close to the end of a massive refit and can't help to think about the coulda'-beens. It dose not matter what i just acquired be it a boat or a sewing machine... i always find myself looking too see what i could have gotten and what it would have cost etc. I guess it's just time to get out there and enjoy it. I have been living in a boat yard for the past 3 years, in the water for 7 out for 5 and this will be the first year that i'll be able to head south financially. Can't wait to see you guys out there. (launching on the full moon one week to go!)