Min Boat Length for 'Round the World Voyage?

[mattplowman]

I am wanting to get members opinions on what they think the min length for a blue water cruiser is. Also any recommendations on makes / models one should look at buying (2nd hand , entry level in terms of price) would be appreciated.



Thanks

Matt

[Alan Wheeler]

Bathtub?? It really comes down to your own choice in comfort. If the boat is sea worthy and competent in handling the conditions thrown at it, not withstanding the competency of the sailor also, then the size is not really the issue. I know of two guy's in a rowboat that rowed across the ocean and a guy in a 24ft'er sailing the world. I personally know a guy that happily msails a 16ft'er across the Cook Straight, a piece on NZ water not the be taken lightly.
So you need to choose based on yopur comfort levels, and number of people on board.

[mattplowman]

cheers mate, im a kiwi in Auckland, new to sailing and looking into long term dream of a RTW. Grew up in Wellington so know the strait very well and how angry it can be!!

[jimbim]

Topic was discussed at another forum here. Some boats were mentioned but you have lots of boats in NZ built for such conditions, though not really sure how popular little ocean cruisers are in NZ, cuz all the Kiwis I meet seem to have good-sized, well fit out vessels -- maybe it's intelligence

[Alan Wheeler]

Gidday Mate
How bout you tell us some points. Like, is this solo, couple, or family. Any Pets?
Price range??
How new to sailing and,
how handyman'ish are you and do you have skills in Wood, fibreglass, steel or none of the above
This may help in ones here giving you much more detailed advice.

[BC Mike]

Twenty eight feet is the answer. You need to be able to stand up down below and any smaller in length will have a funny shape, and too much windage. A BCC 28 is too heavy at that length in my opinion. Shape is critical as well as strength. The wrong shape will pound an heavy hull. There is limited space in a 28 foot hull for flotation, if the hull is too heavy there will not be room for flotation and supplies. " The Nature of Boats " by David Gerr has good info on this subject. I have a Tanzer 8.5m. It displaces 7400 pounds, not as heavy as the BCC and others but very strong. To go far I would need to check the rig very closely, add a baby stay so the mast would not pump, make an industrial strength rudder, ditto for all the chain plates and mast base, which is deck stepped. A stainless steel piece on the stem for hitting stuff would be nice. I have seen a nice Birdsell 30 in Auckland that sails well and is solid, that would be a good starting point.
Need to add, I prefer fin keels that are very strong.
Michael

[mattplowman]

Thanks Mike , Alan and Jim

To answer you q's Alan
How much sailing - almost zero, went out for first time as crew on sunday - this is the start of the process for me
Probably solo or me and one or two crew
a little handyman'ish but no skills in Wood, fibreglass or steel - in saying that i love tinkering and am the sort of person that will nut things out for as long as it takes to fix a problem

Price range - dont laugh...maybe 60-70k kiwi!

a penny for your thoughts?

[Jentine]

Thirty years ago the average cruising boat was 30'. Today, it is closer to 50'. What is the difference? Stuff. Watermakers, electronics, auto pilots, air conditioning, furnaces, et cetera and the list goes on .......... and on............... and on. There is certainly a cruising boat within your grasp. The main determination is how much stuff do you need to cruise.
Once you have the stuff under control, the rest is easy,

[Alan Wheeler]

No, I won't laugh, I think that is a very realistic price range, for a solo person with a size range like that.
All boats require maintanance. the question I posed was for you to consider what material woudl be suitable for you to look at. Fibreglass could be a good choice. It cna pose a lot of problems in an older boat, but I suggest it is the easiest medium to repair for a novice with no expertise, yet does have an ability to do handywork. Wood takes skill and steel takes paint
Ferrocement would be the most graciouse, but you have to start with a good one. A good one will give you a lifetime, with nothing but paint to keep it looking good.
I have a Mate down here in Picton that sells boats, and is someone I can recomemd as being very trustworthy, and not a "carsalesman of the boating world". Give me a yell if you want to contact him. He maybe able to help.
Oh and as Jentine said, all the modcons are making big boats easier to handle, I still am handling a 46fter with no modcons pretty much on my own.

[ozskip]

Now if you do not mind it a bit squeezie you could try this. http:http://www.smallsailboats.co.uk/ding...files/serg.htm try that for 500 days. Greg

[mattplowman]

cheers for your input everyone

12ft is prob a bit on the small side , im 6'1 and 95kgs!!!!

Alan , would like to know any contacts you have for buying a boat and also any good websites you know of in NZ

Plan (at the very early stages) is to maybe buy a boat this winter get into any maintenance work that is needed and learn how to sail the thing next summer?

[southernman]

Hi Matt

What is your budget? I know of a few quite cheap boats that would make good offshore bluewater boats that are for sale. I personally started with an H28 which as a kiwi you would probably know about. These are great boats and I sailed ours to aussie and back singlehanded with no probs.

Mainly it is all about expectations while you are cruising. If you are happy with no Refrigeration, a small iron sail (diesel) and a manual anchor winch then their are many boats to suit. As Allan says the ferro cement boats are a good way to get into a good sized offshore boat without breaking the bank. What I have noticed is that the good Ferro boats are getting up in price now while the bad ones are still at the same old cheaper price so be very careful when buying these.

The H28 is 28 ft and manufacured (mostly) in very heavy fibreglass. They sail pretty well for a small boat and will get there safe and in one bit. The H28 owners association have a good web site - just googilise H28 owners association NZ.

In my opinion be very careful about buying an older boat with the idea of getting it up to Category 1 for offshore use. Their are usually many hidden costs - a good idea also is to buy the latest Catagory 1 rules and review the new rules and review these before going out and buying a boat.

Having been down this track twice now I'd be happy to help you out with any advise if you want - email me bloyster@gmail.com

[CSY Man]

I am 6'2' and 95 Kg...

Find the CSY 33 very comfortable with plenty of space below and in the cockpit.

Check out pics in the photo section of this board.

[Alan Wheeler]

Hey Matt, I just got my copy of the YNZ rule book, so as I can read up on what I need to do for Cat 1. Firstly, What fool wrote this?
But anyway, there is a refernce to minimum boat size for cat1, being 12m. Now I am having difficulty in understanding if that is Racing offshore or including cruising. You may want to get a copy and have a read. Actually, the rules will also give you an idea of what you want to look for when buying a boat. I had been told it is often best to look for a vessel that has just returned and can be easily placed back into a Cat1 survey again, than to try and get something up to the cat 1 requirments. I agree now I have read some of this crap. I am not sure I can ever get my vessel to cat 1, at least without spending a heap of money. When the time comes for leaving NZ waters, I may have to buy a boat suitable for the requirments.
A chandler should have a copy and it is $29.95.

[Starbuck]

Once you brush aside the "it can be done in a coffin, theoretically" posts, you come back to the question at hand.

One doesn't see many capable bluewater cruising craft under 27-28 feet. This seems to be the practical limit, for the reason that BC Mike gives, and more.

Every foot lost length-on-water reduces your hull speed (and therefore your real cruising speed) so that after a while you're looking at a 4kt cruise in optimal conditions.

if you're coastal cruising, you can use the "hop & shop" provisioning strategy, but for a passage, you're going to need a minimum displacement in order to carry sufficient provisions/tankage/spare equipment.

Factors such as age and psychological temperment should not be completely ignored, either. Do you really want to live, alone or with another crewman, on a 24-ft. boat? Some of us would be quite content, but it isn't for everyone.

If I had to go offshore in 27 feet, I'd first look at a NorSea 27. Anything else @ that length that I know of is strictly coastal. At 28ft., the options begin to open up a bit.