What is Your Ideal Sailboat Length?

[watersofdiego]

What sailboat length is your ideal?

[MarkSF]

There is no option for "6ft longer than the one I've got"

[eliems]

I need to avoid falling victim to "Footitus", my H28 is perfect for single-handling or traveling with one other in the Pacific Northwest. More boat would only bring more difficulty and expense!

[Tortuga's Lie]

I voted 35-39 for single-handing and one couple which is what we are, but if more than 2 people full time, I would go 45+, but that's just me

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by watersofdiego

What sailboat length is your ideal?

There was lots of discussion on this thread about ideal boat size:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...big-91322.html

[propellanttech]

My ideal length is a 115' Christensen yacht to go along with that Mega power ball winning lottery ticket.

But since I can't have that, I'll stick with the affordable 36 foot I'm trying to find.

Loaded question if you asked me,

James L

[ArtM]

This poll is failing to take into account the differences in hull designs.

For Cats, I feel that anything over 40's is just aggrandizing and creating headaches for the owner, and that anything under 39 is unsuitable for cruising.

[roverhi]

Depends!!!! If it's for daysailing, short cruises, and racing something around 30' is nice. If I'm going somewhere, around 40'. If I'm doing it with more than my wife and I, something around 900' might work.

[pete33458]

I have a 36, but there is nothing like a big (and proportionally heavy) boat. The speed of a 50+, the way it cuts through most waves like they're not even there, that's what I think about when sailing comes into my mind (every other minute or so).

Of course there are drawbacks. Like draft. Marina costs. Maneuvering in tight channels. Single handing. Etc. But when at sea, nothing like it. pete

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Depends!!!! If it's for daysailing, short cruises, and racing something around 30' is nice. If I'm going somewhere, around 40'. If I'm doing it with more than my wife and I, something around 900' might work.

Yeah you're right!

Norwegian Epic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm changing my vote to 1081 feet

[Bash]

They key, simply, is to find a boat that doesn't seem to shrink when you're out of sight of land, and yet doesn't swell to enormous proportions when you're trying to dock in a cross breeze.

My rule of thumb is that if you feel you need a bow thruster, you've gone too large.

[GaryMayo]

The only marina at the largest lake in my neck of the woods has a cap on boat size, 32'

So, naturally, being the extremist that I am, I went looking for a trailerable 32, as Nebraska is seasonal sailing, needing pulled in the fall and splashed again in the spring. Not wanting a sailboat I needed permits to haul the boat from our home, 100 miles away round trip, I went looking for a 32', 8.6' beam, easily trailerable sailboat, preferably with a center cockpit, ketch. Not an easy sailboat to find.

Found a dirty, pristine condition William Crealock designed 32 sailboat about as far from Nebraska as one can get without a passport, in LA CA.

A survey, and a call to uship ( with a few hickups) and a month of cleaning, I had the largest boat on my lake. Until another gentleman brought in a 33' Hunter. LOA envy got the best of him. Lol. Guess the 32 being the largest on the dock rule was not carved in stone. Have a plan of adding a sugar scoop stern, and changing the bow pulpit to a bow spirit. I will once again reign surprime. Lol

[Sailmonkey]

I am very happy with the boat we have now..........but given a boat and a budget to maintain it I'd go with 45'-49'. Although I'm still not sure I'd trade up from the 32' we have now.

[sailorboy1]

Based on all the boats I've looked at over the years to me for a couple that wants to cruise in comfort the idea size appears to be 46-48'. That gets you sailing and moored comfort, with a centerline bed, lots of tankage, comfortable room for occasional guests, a head with a real shower, room for a generator and work area, only big enough to make one medium scared when bringing to the dock, good speed, sea kindness, room to move around for 2 people below without just a lot of empty wasted space, storage, deck large enough to support lots of solar and to store the dinghy.

Now this comfort and size is based some on my age. If younger things can be different. If older may need to add some power winches.

Moving up from my last Cal-39 to my Hunter 410 got me pretty much all this except the centerline berth as the extra volume was HUGE!

At the same time since I have never even been on a boat less than 32' boat size to me as a larger starting point.

[Jim Cate]

The answer is:

A boat that is >60 feet when at sea,
around 45 feet when swabbing the decks,

and <20 feet when on the hard and painting the bottom.

A silly answer to a silly question.

Jim