"Second Thoughts on the Ideal Cruising Boat"

[Stede]

There is an article in the June issue of “Cruising World” that I thought was interesting. It’s titled “Second Thoughts on the Ideal Cruising Boat.” Six live aboard crews were interviewed. Their average cruising years ranged from 4-17 years. The article goes into a lot more detail than I can provide here, but below are a few items that they feel would be in an “ideal” cruising boat. It would be interesting to hear the opinions from other members of the cruising community on these items.

• Comfortable length (in feet) - 35 to 55

• Ideal comfortable length (in feet) - 40 to 50

• Ideal hull material - Five out of six crews chose fiberglass, with one preferring aluminum.

• Ideal rig - Five in six crews chose cutters, with one choosing a ketch for the benefit of having a large private aft cabin.

• Ideal underbody -Five of the six crews preferred full or modified full keels, with one crew choosing a modified fin.

• Ideal cabin layout - Five crews preferred having an aft cabin, with one crew just stated a two cabin preference.

[exposure]

Just add two hulls to that list and it's about right.

Woody (Still trying not to get blown away by Frances)

[Stede]

Exposure,

Touche' !

I've personally never sailed on a large cat, but hope to do so.I've been aboard a few at boat shows and was impressed with all the room.Besides that, I don't know much more about them. Hopefully your's came through Francis o.k?

[harryrezz]

That pretty much makes our boat ideal - which we think she is! BTW - we do have a HUGE, private aft cabin, and we're a cutter rig. Don't know what makes that one fellow think only ketches have big aft cabins ....

[Alan Wheeler]

True Harry, the rig should make no difference to what you have under the lid.
Plus, I think trying to name the ideal cruising boat, has too many variables. I have seen small boats that seem to be like Dr Who's Tardus inside and some big boats that make you wonder were the room went. Every single hull material has advantages and disadvantages. Every single hull can be built well, or be built to provide an ongoing nightmare.
A ketch/yawl if set up right, can be a breeze to work. A Cutter/sloop can also be a nightmare if setup wrong.
And finally to the number of the bits floating, down in our Southern ocean, a few have come unstuck with multi hulls. Once it tips over, it ain't so fast or smooth anymore while at least if a single hull rolls and looses a rig, (and hopefully not the keel) it will at least float right way up. But as you all see, even two, three or one hull, if the ocean is wild enough, the end result is what way do you want to wait rescue.

[exposure]

the end result is what way do you want to wait rescue.

Lets hope neither one of use has to answer that question with our personal experience!



Woody

[Talbot]

Alan Wheeler once whispered in the wind:
what way do you want to wait rescue.

Pictures of overturned racing multihulls make the news - you rarely see pictures of cruising boats cause they do not push the envelope so often. Mind you pitch poling is still a problem that needs to be handled (series drogue) but that is cause the boat is moving so much faster than a half boat.

As Woody says, hope never to have to prove the theory.

[Alan Wheeler]

Love the pictures I guess the argument of how many hulls is as varied as construction material.
I based my decision on that saying the Airhostess makes at the begining of every flight. "In the unlikely event of an emergnecy".

Maybe unlikely, but they still happen, so I thought "in the worst case scenario what would be best". We had a storm here in NZ waters in June 1994. It was force 12 and sea's reached 50ft and more.
As my wife wife is RNZAF, I got to talk to some of the flyboy's that were on the SAR flight. The aircrew was actually getting sea sick, because the rising and falling airpressure under these huge seas was such that the rise and fall would lift the Aircraft up and down as the swells passed underneath. So what I based my decision on was,-- what if I was caught in something like this. From what I understood, The multihulls were first to run into trouble and all as I understand were eventually lost. Some single hulls were also lost, but most were accounted for by running on to reefs several days later, after being abandoned during the storm. One was lost with crew with no trace. I can't remember if it was a mono hull or not. It was so long ago now. I do believe there was an interesting book writen about the event and maybe someone here if they have read it, could give more accurate details.

I do remember there being quite a number of boats that sailed in the annual Migration upto the islands. Something like 60 boats total. But the storm caught 9 of them.

Interestingly, one of the boats in this storm was one we looked at buying. She was ferrocement construction and we ended up buying one just like her. The owners at the time said that the Seas were as scary as hell for the adults, but the kids sat on the Saloon floor playing cards quite happy.

[Vasco]

There is no ideal cruising boat. Each boat will reflect the preferences of its owner. Myself, high on the list (after the basics had been fulfilled) was a real good freezer and fridge. My spouse wanted a three burner stove. These might seem like minor items but to us they were important for living aboard. I ended up with a 39 footer. It's plenty big enough for us, having cruised on a 36 footer for quite a few years. I also ended up with a furling main, something I had not been that keen on. I'm sure I'll get to love it and wonder why I did without one all those years. An electric windlass!! Wow. It's these little things that influence your choice in the end. They all float, they all sail. Some better than others.

[Alan Wheeler]

Haha, yeah well the main influence from my wife was the yachts name. 'Leisure Lady'. My wife didn't much care about anything else. She figured that the name would suit her just fine.