What's a good compromise between a Coastal Cruiser and a Bluewater cruiser?

[jsal]

I just want to preface this by saying that I have never sailed before and I'm just in the "dream" phase at the moment, so there's no budget or experience here. I don't plan on buying anything anytime soon either as we have some other priorities to tend to first. I'm just curious.

For some reference; My wife and I now live in Germany and we've both been talking about getting on the water and at some point buying a boat to cruise around in - for now we're thinking the Med would most likely be our cruising ground. We also have an 18 month old and those dreams (of mine, let's be honest ) of eventual ocean crossings and such might have to be put on hold for now. My wife is also not keen on living aboard, nor is she super keen on super long passages. All of this might change if she turns out to really be into it. For now though, I'd probably need a comfy boat to hop along from coast to coast with whilst my family is onboard and do some more adventurous stuff with some mates.

Basically, for now, I'm thinking the sort of sailing we want to do is most likely going to be coastal for the most part, but I'd like to eventually dip my toes into some more adventurous sailing and be in a boat that I know can take some abuse.

I know that a production boat can most definitely take a lot more abuse than most people might give them credit for, and I feel like the sort of boat I should be looking at is probably one of these production boats that I can easily sell and upgrade to a bluewater boat if that's the sort of sailing we decide we want. How realistic is that?

I was also curious to hear what you would think are boats that fit into this middleground between coastal and bluewater cruising seeing as most of you probably know your boats and have a wealth of experience to refer to. If you were in a situation like me, what would you be looking at?

[Fore and Aft]

Jsal you don't mention a budget but I would be getting a yacht with a decent toilet, seperate bunk for the kid, good bed for a couple, decent galley and not to big that the Mrs is put off handling the sails or docking it. Really I would let the wife have a big say in the purchase as you need her on side from day one. I surveyed a Delphia 33 last week, that would be a perfect family boat.
Cheers

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by jsal

I was also curious to hear what you would think are boats that fit into this middleground between coastal and bluewater cruising seeing as most of you probably know your boats and have a wealth of experience to refer to. If you were in a situation like me, what would you be looking at?

Most boats are middle ground except in the minds of forum writers. IMO you are doing a classic dreamer worry that is based on your fears of what you don't know. Try to replace your fear with caution.

Back to the question, I went kind of the "middle ground" boat initially and it was a waste of time and definitely wasn't as good as my current "production" boat. It isn't a matter whether a boat is in general a production boat, it is a matter of which production boat make and model you are talking about.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Here's the answer you really should consider:

• First do the SBS. This can often be done in one week either in the baltic sea or in the med.
• Then go sailing a little to get your miles. This can be done while sailing together with another family, as a course as part of the many amateur regattas in Croatia in Spring (Eg Business Cup, Palagruza Cannonball, S-Cup). No hurry here.
• Then pass the SKS.
• Now you can charter something and try how thgs work out with the family. A very good cruising ground for a week of charter or two is Croatia or Greece. Tons of charter bases, beautiful and rather safe sailing, good infrastructure. Perfect for a first charter.
• And only then start to think about whether you want to buy a boat at all.
• If you decide a boat is the right way to go for you and your family, now you'll have some idea what's important to you in reality to start with boat selelction

Another useful advice:

Stay away from the boat fair in Düsseldorf until you have the money in your pocket to buy a boat and know what you want. It will only confuse you with wrong priorities otherwise.

[Adelie]

Welcome.

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

If you need further help let me know, I would be happy to.

[jim King]

Having never sailed you have a lot of cruising to do before you decide on the boat of your dreams. First find a local sailing club that offers classes and boat use in various sizes. Work your way up to your bare boat license. Find some of the hundreds of charter companies in Croatia and Greece with the size and brand of boat you would like to own and rent one for week of sailing to experience its comfort and sailing characteristics. At this point it is two or three years from now and you and your family have experienced many weeks of test sails on various brands and sizes of boats. Only now are you ready to make a decision on which boat you, your kids and your admiral would actually enjoy living aboard.

[DSIMMIE]

Everyone's needs differ, you may like to have a bigger cockpit, others with kids want a good galley or separate rooms. The best thing is to get some experience first, to see what you do like, and don't. Cheapest (I think the best way), just go to ur local marina and ask around. If there is racing, there's always a number of people looking for an extra hand. If there are a lot of boats at ur marina, there will be some sailors, or older guys looking for help sailing. that's how I got into it. There was no way I could afford a boat at the time (still can't :P haha) so this was the way I got into it. I sailed a couple times a week, and met some other guys doing longer trips on some weekends. Had a blast. I started small, and gradually got bigger. I'm now a proud owner of a Bristol 27, and someday looking to go bigger-- Mid 30's.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by jsal

I just want to preface this by saying that I have never sailed before and I'm just in the "dream" phase at the moment, so there's no budget or experience here. I don't plan on buying anything anytime soon either as we have some other priorities to tend to first. I'm just curious.

For some reference; My wife and I now live in Germany and we've both been talking about getting on the water and at some point buying a boat to cruise around in - for now we're thinking the Med would most likely be our cruising ground. We also have an 18 month old and those dreams (of mine, let's be honest ) of eventual ocean crossings and such might have to be put on hold for now. My wife is also not keen on living aboard, nor is she super keen on super long passages. All of this might change if she turns out to really be into it. For now though, I'd probably need a comfy boat to hop along from coast to coast with whilst my family is onboard and do some more adventurous stuff with some mates.

Basically, for now, I'm thinking the sort of sailing we want to do is most likely going to be coastal for the most part, but I'd like to eventually dip my toes into some more adventurous sailing and be in a boat that I know can take some abuse.

I know that a production boat can most definitely take a lot more abuse than most people might give them credit for, and I feel like the sort of boat I should be looking at is probably one of these production boats that I can easily sell and upgrade to a bluewater boat if that's the sort of sailing we decide we want. How realistic is that?

I was also curious to hear what you would think are boats that fit into this middleground between coastal and bluewater cruising seeing as most of you probably know your boats and have a wealth of experience to refer to. If you were in a situation like me, what would you be looking at?

I like the way that you laid it out in your preface. It took the troll aspect out of it,. JMHO

[Captain Anthony]

Following for the advice

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by jsal

I just want to preface this by saying that I have never sailed before and I'm just in the "dream" phase at the moment, so there's no budget or experience here. I don't plan on buying anything anytime soon either as we have some other priorities to tend to first. I'm just curious.

For some reference; My wife and I now live in Germany and we've both been talking about getting on the water and at some point buying a boat to cruise around in - for now we're thinking the Med would most likely be our cruising ground. We also have an 18 month old and those dreams (of mine, let's be honest ) of eventual ocean crossings and such might have to be put on hold for now. My wife is also not keen on living aboard, nor is she super keen on super long passages. All of this might change if she turns out to really be into it. For now though, I'd probably need a comfy boat to hop along from coast to coast with whilst my family is onboard and do some more adventurous stuff with some mates.

Basically, for now, I'm thinking the sort of sailing we want to do is most likely going to be coastal for the most part, but I'd like to eventually dip my toes into some more adventurous sailing and be in a boat that I know can take some abuse.

I know that a production boat can most definitely take a lot more abuse than most people might give them credit for, and I feel like the sort of boat I should be looking at is probably one of these production boats that I can easily sell and upgrade to a bluewater boat if that's the sort of sailing we decide we want. How realistic is that?

I was also curious to hear what you would think are boats that fit into this middleground between coastal and bluewater cruising seeing as most of you probably know your boats and have a wealth of experience to refer to. If you were in a situation like me, what would you be looking at?

First off, you need to get your wife and yourself out on a sailboat for a few days before indulging this dream any further. She might hate sailing - you might hate it (kids tend to enjoy any adventure). Before actually buying a boat you'll need to figure out what you want. You can cross oceans on any coastal cruiser, you just have to be more conservative with your weather windows. I used to think that you needed a Hallberg, Rassey to do circumnavigations, this forum has altered my thinking on that. The crew is more important than the boat when it comes to challenging situations at sea. Most boats will handle more than you can. With a family, I'd focus on a bit more on comfort than the ability to round the horns. You won't have enough experience for anything radical for a few years. In the meantime you can contemplate your dream boat (something we all do).

Boats I'd look at if I were like you (I'm not) would be a Beneteau, Jeanneau or maybe Bavaria. These are often designed for the charter market and consequently offer decent comfort in an affordable package. For long term circumnavigations, I'd save up my money for the Hallberg, Amel or Oyster.

[SV__Grace]

My wife went from fetal position seasick every time on the water to a full time cruiser who loves living on the hook in 4 years, so there's some hope to inspire you.

While she will put up with coastal cruising to get to where we want to go, she hates being on the ocean and a crossing is out of the question.

While I had similar dreams to yours, as I'm older now I'm fine not being a bluewater sailor, the PNW, similar to the Med, provides so many beautiful places to go that by the time I've explored them all it'll be time to sell the boat and move ashore (hopefully 20 years or so).

Here's some thoughts for you-

1. When boat shopping, let your wife's preferences lead the way. (happy wife, happy sailor)

2. Most good coastal cruisers can go offshore with a bit of outfitting, you don't really need to choose one or the other unless spending most of your passages offshore to reach remote places or circumnavigate is your priority and goal.

3. Assume that the Med will keep you happy and busy for many years and if you think you need or want a different boat in 5 or 10 years, go for it. The reality is that most of us have numerous boats in our lifetime for different phases of our life and lifestyle, and it is probably not a good idea to try to get a "forever" boat, as the odds are that it won't be.

4. Probably a good idea to charter a few times on different boats of the size you might consider. Normally I would advise and prefer getting the smallest boat that will do the job, but if you've never owned a boat before and don't know what you and your wife need and prefer in terms of size/space, it would be best to get an idea first. You could go as small as 30', 36 would be a good size for a small family, but to live aboard and cruise full time you (or your wife) might prefer something in the 40-44' range, which is a lot of boat for a newbie!

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by joelhemington

Most boats will handle more than you can. With a family, I'd focus on a bit more on comfort than the ability to round the horns.

Good point. Also every boat's a collection of compromises. If it's a great long distance cruiser, a lot of compromises have been taken in this directions and you're going to miss out on features that make it a better coastal holiday cruiser. The trick is to pay for the features you use and skip those you don't.

The idea that blue-water offshore is the best a boat can be is a fallacy. It's the best only if you cross oceans, but for other aspects it's often annoying. For an afternoon of friendly racing on a lake, a Laser is a lot better and more fun than a HR-53.

[bailsout]

My wife and I began with sloops and I think we finally found or last boat. She’s a ketch and we won’t go back to sloops due to the smaller sails to handle. Throw in a staysail and you really have some combinations to fit the varying conditions. Of course that narrows your selection of newer production ketches.

[Cheechako]

At this point based on your description I would just get a production boat you BOTH like. Worry about crossing oceans later. There's a lot to be learned first. Do some cruising, see how everyone likes it.

[jsal]

I think I might've not been clear in the OP, I apologise.

Just to clarify; Neither of us even know if we'll enjoy sailing at all. We were planning on taking RYA courses this year, but Covid's + life's put it off for a bit. Once we've experienced that and if I am keen for more punishment, I may join the local sailing club, sail little dinghies/regattas, etc. and the plan is to basically sail/help out on on other people's boats as often as I possibly can to essentially know for sure if this is something I definitely want to be throwing money and time at before even considering buying a boat, as I mentioned in the OP.

The goal of this post was not really to ask for suggestions for a specific boat for my needs as we all have our own specific needs and having never sailed before, I don't exactly know what those needs are for me apart from overall safety and (relative) comfort whilst on passage for the wife and kid. I was literally just wondering about what boats actual sailors would pick if they were in a similar position as I am just out of curiosity.

That and if my logic was sound as I've often read that "plastic fantastics are a bad idea", though I don't necessarily agree especially in a case like mine where it might actually be the perfect solution (unless I'm going to liveaboard and cruise all over the place, in which case that bridge shall be crossed then). It's most likely what sailorboy1 mentioned earlier:

IMO you are doing a classic dreamer worry that is based on your fears of what you don't know

Keep the advice rolling in in any case! it's actually been really valuable to me. I appreciate you guys taking the time to share some knowledge!!