Monohull sailboat size for shorthanded cruising

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Internet bandwagons need to remain at full capacity.

Ya...didn't see the other ones...thanx for sitting on the sidelines and pointing it out though

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Just curious, do you own a boat? Because your post doesn't make any sense.

We do nearly everything our selves. When things break, we manage.

That is the way it's supposed to be... Good for you! Realistically the 50' + larger yachts made for serious cruising that are used only as weekend escapes... tend to be owned by well heeled people who pay for maintenance... because they can and because it's there... at the marinas where their boats are docked.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Sandero

That is the way it's supposed to be... Good for you! Realistically the 50' + larger yachts made for serious cruising that are used only as weekend escapes... tend to be owned by well heeled people who pay for maintenance... because they can and because it's there... at the marinas where their boats are docked.

You've obviously never been to the Med where a 50ft boat is entry level cruising. Nearly everyone we see who's spending time in anchorages is 50ft plus in a monohull or on a catamaran.

Only in modern day America do people have this bass-ackwards notion that less is better, and somehow it's more noble to be crapping in a bucket.

Less is better = total garbage. It's just a mind game... people trying to justify their own situation.

I've watched mega yachts crane off 45ft -55ft boats to be used as daytime watertoys. In case you don't believe me, here's a picture of one of our neighbors last summer. Garcon (the toybox for mega yacht "Ace") has three fifty foot boats on deck.

[Don C L]

...or could it be folks who have spent half a million, give or take, are trying to justify their own situation?

[Celestialsailor]

...or existence.

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

You've obviously never been to the Med where a 50ft boat is entry level cruising. Nearly everyone we see who's spending time in anchorages is 50ft plus in a monohull or on a catamaran.

Only in modern day America do people have this bass-ackwards notion that less is better, and somehow it's more noble to be crapping in a bucket.

The marinas outside Cote D'azur are full of 30 to 45 footers, they are mostly locals, not some Russian multibillionaires or such. Dunno about how their megayachts are suited for shorthanded cruising either..

And less is better in lot off places not just NA..

BR Teddy

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by roverhi

If the boat is set up properly and everything works, then there really is little limit to the size of boat. The problem is when the electric winches don't work, the main sail furling jams, a headsail rips, etc. How big a sail can you haul forward, thread onto the fuller and raise when the wind is blowing 30k plus and the foredeck constantly awash. If truth be told, can't see making a headsail change in a boat much over 40' in anything but benign conditions. If your cruising will be limited to the Caribbean, bigger may not be an issue. For really serious cruising with long open ocean passages, smaller is better.

Again a picture is worth a thousand words.

We sailed into Olbia harbor, through a narrow channel and right up to the dock without an engine last Fall. 25 knot continuous wind, just my wife and I using a 50% furled yankee and 60% furled main. The engine alarm came on four hours earlier. No damage done while docking 180 degrees to the wind except for an exploding fender.

It can be done on a 53ft sailboat. Just because some of you can't do something, doesn't mean it can't be done.

[Don C L]

A good bit of sailing, no doubt about it. I probably would have elected to anchor out.

[Kenomac]

There were other obstacles in the way that day that don't appear on the chart. Mussel farms.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

It is not correct to say if you can lift the rode by hand you do not have enough chain.

This is nonsense. Or the boat is this big. Or the water is this deep. Etc.

But on the whole this is nonsense.

b.

I so agree. My windlass screwed up a week or so ago. I'm currently off the west coast of Sumatra, not a hope of getting it repaired, therefore I'm pulling anchor up by hand. It's not easy but can be done, minimum I'm putting out is 45m (140 ft) next anchorage I have to anchor in 22m grrrr. Ive never dragged si I would suggest my anchor set-up I'd sufficient.
Back to the original question....it depends. Having a smaller boat means I get away with 8mm chain thus when things like the windlass breaks having a smaller boat is good. I got caught in a big blow the other night pounding to windward 30-40 knots. The smaller sails were a blessing as they were easier to handle, but the other side of that is, as the seas built after several hours the boat started pounding (33feet) , even though the wind had dropped to a steady 30knots, it was hard on me and hard on the boat, I ended up hove to for 6 hours which worked a treat, now if I was on my friends Amel I'm sure the heavier boat and waterline length would of allowed them to go on where I couldn't, the comfort of the bigger boat makes a difference. Also the bigger boat motion often results in a more rested skipper.
Ultimately for me it comes down to money. Smaller and bigger both hand advantages. I don't own a boat I can't afford to lose! I don't have more than 5-10% of my wealth tied up in a boat. As someone said earlier, I'd rather a smaller boat and a pocket full of money than the other way around.

Sent from my vivo Y35 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Again a picture is worth a thousand words.

We sailed into Olbia harbor, through a narrow channel and right up to the dock without an engine last Fall. 25 knot continuous wind, just my wife and I using a 50% furled yankee and 60% furled main. The engine alarm came on four hours earlier. No damage done while docking 180 degrees to the wind except for an exploding fender.

It can be done on a 53ft sailboat. Just because some of you can't do something, doesn't mean it can't be done.

You may be a great sailor... but your manners and attitude leave something to be desired... and you seem to be dismissive of those who don't have the financial resources you do. Please dial it back. Thank you!

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I so agree. My windlass screwed up a week or so ago. I'm currently off the west coast of Sumatra, not a hope of getting it repaired, therefore I'm pulling anchor up by hand. It's not easy but can be done, minimum I'm putting out is 45m (140 ft) next anchorage I have to anchor in 22m grrrr. Ive never dragged si I would suggest my anchor set-up I'd sufficient.
Back to the original question....it depends. Having a smaller boat means I get away with 8mm chain thus when things like the windlass breaks having a smaller boat is good. I got caught in a big blow the other night pounding to windward 30-40 knots. The smaller sails were a blessing as they were easier to handle, but the other side of that is, as the seas built after several hours the boat started pounding (33feet) , even though the wind had dropped to a steady 30knots, it was hard on me and hard on the boat, I ended up hove to for 6 hours which worked a treat, now if I was on my friends Amel I'm sure the heavier boat and waterline length would of allowed them to go on where I couldn't, the comfort of the bigger boat makes a difference. Also the bigger boat motion often results in a more rested skipper.
Ultimately for me it comes down to money. Smaller and bigger both hand advantages. I don't own a boat I can't afford to lose! I don't have more than 5-10% of my wealth tied up in a boat. As someone said earlier, I'd rather a smaller boat and a pocket full of money than the other way around.

Sent from my vivo Y35 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

All good points... It's a series of trade offs if you can afford them... Aside from the sailing issues, anchoring and so forth.... I'd like to know what a single hander or a couple do with all the space/ volume that a mid 50's yacht gives them? And if I understood the thrust of the OP... what is the minium size that can provide all that is needed and comfortable? Why does someone sailing along or with one person need 2 heads for example as many larger yachts have?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Sandero

All good points... It's a series of trade offs if you can afford them... Aside from the sailing issues, anchoring and so forth.... I'd like to know what a single hander or a couple do with all the space/ volume that a mid 50's yacht gives them? And if I understood the thrust of the OP... what is the minium size that can provide all that is needed and comfortable? Why does someone sailing along or with one person need 2 heads for example as many larger yachts have?

At the risk of hurting your feelings again, I'll answer your Rhetorical question with my own questions:

Why do people have more than one restroom in their homes?

Should single people or couples living in homes or apartments be limited to only one bathroom?

Why are some people with one bathroom bothered by people who have two bathrooms?

Why do some people have larger homes when a smaller home is fine for most?

What do people store in those larger homes that requires them to have so much space?

[AiniA]

This is obviously a personal choice but to get back to the OP's situation, we found that in the Caribbean our 45' was about average size. Way off the grid in the Pacific or Indian Ocean where boats were doing a RTW trip the average size was more like 40'.

[Kenomac]

To answer the original question presented by the OP. Bigger is better and more comfortable up until around 65ft on a sailboat. Beyond that, crew is usually required on most sailboats because things onboard like the sails begin to get too heavy for one or two people to lift. Other than the size and weight of objects on board, there is no downside. A gulper pump, water supply pump, toilet, macerator pump, basically most all of the stuff that breaks down on sailboats costs the same whether it's on a thirty footer or a sixty footer.

It's not like you go down to the parts house and say, "I have a thirty foot sailboat, how much does this cost?" And the guy sells it to you for less than the fellow with the sixty footer.... It's the same price.