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Old 14-04-2013, 19:00   #31
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And in the med a " massive " jump in berthing costs too.

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Oh, it must be cheap again. But that was not a requirement I think.
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Old 14-04-2013, 19:43   #32
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Re: Just how big is too big?

Gee I guess we will have to mark the med off along with OZ cus it cost's so much !! I never knew cost's to go to a marina was the big reason to buy a small boat!! I always thought it was because the smaller boat cost less to buy ?? I guess getting old I missed something about the way thing work now a days !! Most everybody Ive ever know that had a 30 ft boat, wanted a bigger one ?? Have things changed so much ???
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Old 15-04-2013, 00:53   #33
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Re: Just how big is too big?

Bigger is often better. But not for everything all the time (nothing is) and exactly what those are (and how important) will depend on use / location / budget and simply the desires of the crew to work with / work around any downsides.

All boats have compromises - often enough involving not having a blank cheque book, albeit lots of variations between SFA and unlimited Oodles!
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Old 15-04-2013, 03:57   #34
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Re: Just how big is too big?

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I never knew cost's to go to a marina was the big reason to buy a small boat!!
IN a lot of cases in Europe, particularly in certain areas, the size, cost and most importantly availability of a long term marina berth is a huge factor in deciding what boat to buy. No point in buying a boat and having no where to put it.

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Old 15-04-2013, 19:09   #35
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Re: Just how big is too big?

The OP's question is, in my opinion, largely meaningless.

Pretty much any vessel, however big, may be rendered singlehand-able with the application of sufficient money. On the other hand, no vessel is singlehand-able if the person singlehanding is not capable. Just because I can single hand a particular vessel doesn't mean you can (and vice versa).

I tend to lump this question in with many others (such as "how much does it cost to live aboard?", or "can I sail solo around the world in a <insert boat type here>?") i.e. If you need to ask the question, there is no right answer, or if there is an answer you probably won't understand it. Or, to put it another way... anyone capable of short-handing a very large boat already knows their limitations (and that of their boat).


Edited to add... on re-reading, I note that the OP'sa question was for a couple, not single-hand, but the above answer pretty much applied anyway. Given the competencies, strengths and weaknesses of my partner and I, we could probably handle a 65 footer... question is, though, would we want to?
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Old 15-04-2013, 20:12   #36
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Re: Just how big is too big?

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Originally Posted by Weyalan View Post
Given the competencies, strengths and weaknesses of my partner and I, we could probably handle a 65 footer... question is, though, would we want to?
I see that differently: we handle a 65 footer every day... could we handle a 45 footer? nah, not anymore after the past 10 years on 65 foot

(I mean that our boat is easier to handle than the 45 footer)
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Old 15-04-2013, 20:23   #37
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Re: Just how big is too big?

I was invited to crew for a Boxing Day race on an 102 foot sloop. It was beautiful and equipped with everything to make sailing easier. The skipper was a real gentleman and didnt want to use the hydraulic sheet winches for racing, so we maned the coffee grinders. The jib was so big that it had to be rolled part way in to tack, which was no problem with the hydraulic furling. On an inshore tack the furling gear sheered a pin and would not furl. We had to tack, so the end result was a torn sail. It took 5 or 6 of us to drop the jib and keep it from going over the rail. We almost lost a crewman from the sail flapping. When we got back to English Harbor, it took a fork lift to move the sail from the boat to the loft. Anyone who thinks that the only limit to the size of a boat is the wallet size, probably has not sailed on a large vessel and had even a small thing go wrong. Theory is great, but reality often says things are not the way the armchair sailors think.______Grant.
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Old 15-04-2013, 20:50   #38
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Re: Just how big is too big?

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Originally Posted by s/v Jedi View Post
I see that differently: we handle a 65 footer every day... could we handle a 45 footer? nah, not anymore after the past 10 years on 65 foot

(I mean that our boat is easier to handle than the 45 footer)
I meant no criticism of 65 foot boats, nor disrespect to those folk wealthy enough to own 'em. But the reality is that my wife and I are never ever going to be that wealthy. I'm not sure that I'd want one, but it is an entirely moot question. The correct length for a boat is the length of the boat you've got!
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Old 15-04-2013, 20:50   #39
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Re: Just how big is too big?

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For me the limit is based on the largest size sail I can manage.
+1. At the point I can't drag the main up to the sail loft, the boat's too big. One of the main considerations in purchasing the current boat is that we didn't want to be dependent on crew.

I know I could handle a larger boat at this point in my life, but the problem seems to be that I get at least one year older every year. A decade or two from now, I'll probably be glad I settled on a tiny little 46' boat.

Another consideration: although I'm 6'3", Wonderblond is only 5'3". I'm guessing our boat is bigger for her than it is for me. Right now she could switch foresails without my help. It might be ugly, but it would happen, even in a breeze.

Last weekend we dropped the lapper--our winter jib--and hoisted the yankee, readying ourselves for summer. On a 46' sloop it's amazing how much lighter the 85% is than the 110%. I suspect that on a larger boat the difference would feel even more substantial.
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Old 15-04-2013, 20:53   #40
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Re: Just how big is too big?

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Originally Posted by s/v Jedi View Post
I see that differently: we handle a 65 footer every day... could we handle a 45 footer? nah, not anymore after the past 10 years on 65 foot :....
I agree Nick and one other very important consideration I don’t think anyone else has mentioned…..

If your wife/partner ever sentences you to the doghouse or some kind of matrimonial purgatory …..

The extra space comes in handy!...
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Old 15-04-2013, 21:03   #41
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Re: Just how big is too big?

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I agree Nick and one other very important consideration I don’t think anyone else has mentioned…..

If your wife/partner ever sentences you to the doghouse or some kind of matrimonial purgatory …..

The extra space comes in handy!...
I'm no expert on matrimonial purgatory, but it would sure be great if Wonderblond and I had separate offices aboard. It's pure hell when we've both got writing projects going on, and I've ALWAYS got a writing project going on.

Her: "Bash, how do you spell 'Chowderhead'?"

Me: "W. O. N. D. E. R. B. L. O...."
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Old 15-04-2013, 21:09   #42
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Re: Just how big is too big?

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Originally Posted by Weyalan View Post
I meant no criticism of 65 foot boats, nor disrespect to those folk wealthy enough to own 'em. But the reality is that my wife and I are never ever going to be that wealthy. I'm not sure that I'd want one, but it is an entirely moot question. The correct length for a boat is the length of the boat you've got!
No worries, I didn't take it as criticism at all. But it really was not about money in this thread. Your posts are all biased on the fact that you think you can't afford it. peoples minds on CF work such that this results in posting that the bigger boat can't be handled, while it should read more like "I dunno, never sailed the big boats".

The CF members with boats in that 50-65 foot range have all sailed smaller boats too. We don't have racers, we have cruising boats that handle easier, MUCH easier than all the smaller boats we owned and sailed before. This is not assumption but real life experience.

In general, not addressing anybody in particular: I have met so many people who are on a 45 footer and tell us that they can't afford a boat as big as ours. If they have a catamaran, in most cases it is already more expensive than our boat. Some have a monohull that costs less, but they also still have two houses and three cars and a nice lot of land for later. We can't afford all that It often is about the priorities of what we do with our money. When we sold our house people told us we were crazy. But the housing prices have been going down since and now they tell us we're the 1% that should give it away
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Old 15-04-2013, 21:15   #43
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Re: Just how big is too big?

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Originally Posted by Bash View Post
I'm no expert on matrimonial purgatory, but it would sure be great if Wonderblond and I had separate offices aboard. It's pure hell when we've both got writing projects going on, and I've ALWAYS got a writing project going on.

Her: "Bash, how do you spell 'Chowderhead'?"

Me: "W. O. N. D. E. R. B. L. O...."
…sounds quite Inspirational…
I always used to imagine Descartes sitting on my left shoulder, telling me how it should be done...
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Old 15-04-2013, 21:28   #44
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Re: Just how big is too big?

G'day, Mate. During our 15 years living aboard, we have not found our 53 footer too big. Rolling furler yankee and battcars & lazy jacks on our main make the sail handling workable. The manual winches are sized appropriately for us to keep them in trim. Good anchor set up with appropriate sized windlass makes that job easy. We've never had to worry about what we want to keep on the boat with all the storage options. Having 2 heads has been great while one is under repairs and their is always a comfortable bunk to crawl into. Hope that helps. All the best. Cheers.
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Old 16-04-2013, 00:27   #45
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Spending a weekend waxing the top sides as we did last weekend in Rhode Island, is a great way to keep the size of the boat in check.
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