What is Your Ideal Sailboat Length?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

Many people answer "the biggest boat you can afford"

My answer would be "the smallest boat which can do what you NEED it to do"

alot of nice things about a small boat, alot of nice things about a big one. You are more of a slave to the big one though....

[GaryMayo]

The 8'something" beam sailboats are pretty rare these days. While there are advantages to a narrow beam, room below is not one of them. I really wish my 8' beam sailboat was still ready for most all roads at 8.5'

What was William Crealock thinking by designing a trailerable sailboat for the streets of downtown Boston? I pondered this a long time till I realized an 8.5' beam sailboat was just a fraction slower than a 8' beam sailboat. The ketch rigs of the day, were built to gain an advantage over the single masted sloops.

[Pelagic]

My boat!

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

is your 25 actually a Swan? didnt know they made them that small....

Nah. It was a Cal25 with a rotten deck.. When it went back together it had standup headroom, diesel, water, electrical, holding tank systems and helopad.

[Sir Rondo Normal]

My wife says "size isn't everything"

[propellanttech]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

Nah. It was a Cal25 with a rotten deck.. When it went back together it had standup headroom, diesel, water, electrical, holding tank systems and helopad.

BS......pictures or GTFO!!!

I want to see what helo you land on that puppy.

James L

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by GaryMayo

The 8'something" beam sailboats are pretty rare these days. While there are advantages to a narrow beam, room below is not one of them. I really wish my 8' beam sailboat was still ready for most all roads at 8.5'

What was William Crealock thinking by designing a trailerable sailboat for the streets of downtown Boston? I pondered this a long time till I realized an 8.5' beam sailboat was just a fraction slower than a 8' beam sailboat. The ketch rigs of the day, were built to gain an advantage over the single masted sloops.

My 8'9" beam boat was designed in 1936....has 6'2"head room in the galley and 6'4" head room under midship hatch w/ 5'7" in the rest of the main cabin (cold molded cabin top so no beams) and in the forward cabin....the deck come to about waist level. William Atkin had a theory "you don't have to stand up every where. Cabin extends about a foot forward of the mast to give plenty of head room while sitting on the head.....most everything else in the forward cabin you only need room to sit/crawl or lay down....forward cabin is mainly a storage or sitting work area. A ketch or schooner rig would not benefit the interior layout and the boat is too well balanced for a yawl rig to be of any benefit.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by propellanttech

BS......pictures or GTFO!!!

I want to see what helo you land on that puppy.

James L

I bet it's one of these.
Syma RC Helicopter | Mini RC Helicopter | Micro Helicopter |

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Capt Wraun

My wife says "size isn't everything"

Maybe that was so you didn't get a complex...

[wtmf]

I want a sailboat big enough with a deck opening large enough to lower my Harley into the lowest part of the boat

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by watersofdiego

What sailboat length is your ideal?

While I really like my Nor'sea 27, I have my eye on a bigger boat. I've recently found out about Cape George 40. I really like the layout and the lines on that one. If I could afford it, I'd put in an order for one.

[macbeth]

I'm happy with my 31', especially as I grow older. I can still sail and DOCK it myself, the latter being more difficult as the boat gets longer from what I see. Mind you, I have added a lot to my boat you might not see on other boats of the same size, e.g. anchor windlass, self-tailing (wish they were electric) winches, gybe preventers, elaborate lazy jacks (so that dropping the main is easy), 3 reef points in the main, a wind generator, 4 AC outlets, a 800 watt inverter, 110 amp alternator, smart charger, upscale toilet with a domestic sized seat, modern auto-pilot, nice GPS, golf cart deep cycle batteries, Group 35 (?) starting battery, good freezer/refrigeration system, dual circuit battery switch, etc, i.e. I've tailored her over the years to be comfortable.

From what I hear, trying to find a marina around here that will take a 40' is difficult, and the expense of maintaining a boat must increase exponentially i think.

I can still paint the bottom, and scrub the deck, but I try to find someone to do the spring polishing. My first boat was a 26', but I'm glad I moved up to sail where I do. I guess if I wanted to sail across the oceans, then something larger would be essential. It all depends on what you like and what you want to do, e.g, my wife and I took our sailboat down the ICW to Miami, but I wouldn't do it again, it would have been better if our boat had been at least a 35'. My 2 cents !

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by wtmf

I want a sailboat big enough with a deck opening large enough to lower my Harley into the lowest part of the boat

Put your hog in this, and pull any sailboat you want behind you. We often times pull a boat, additional motorcycles in a second trailer, or a car on a dollie.

Don't need to lower the bike in, just start it up, and drive out.

Only gets 7mpg, so plan your trips well.

This was Sturgis a couple years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFk9...e_gdata_player

[daddle]

A woman will not lay down in a boat she cannot stand up in. That's the vertical rule. The length rule is a foot for every year of the captain's age. I'll be looking for a SC 70 soon ... too bad it is not the boat-wife's age. I could make do with a rather small boat. Heh.

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by daddle

A woman will not lay down in a boat she cannot stand up in. That's the vertical rule. The length rule is a foot for every year of the captain's age. I'll be looking for a SC 70 soon ... too bad it is not the boat-wife's age. I could make do with a rather small boat. Heh.

I need a smaller boat to ward off females. Lol

I need a bigger lake to act my age.