30-32' Cruising Options ?

[mohave_steve]

Originally Posted by nautical62

A new engine can put you back more than adding an autopilot, VHF and GPS likely will. I'd rather find a sound boat, and outfit it myself than the other way around. Look at the engine, rigging, through-hulls, sails, etc.

This Ericson 34 has an Atomic 4 engine. I know that these are not nearly as favorable as a diesel but for local/coastal cruising may be OK?

Moyer Marine is pretty reasonable if a future rebuild is needed.

[Sailmonkey]

For local cruising the A4 is great. It's quiet, and when paid attention to fairly reliable. Respect it, ventilate it, and it will move a boat.

[bangkaboat]

Mohave Steve,
If you go to youtube, there are a lot of videos of people cruising in +0r-30' boats. One couple sailed from Hawaii to the San Juans in a Vega 27. It took them 53? days. It gives you a very good idea of how small a 27 footer is for cruising. Btw, check out the 30' Allied Seawind in Wa. for $20k, on Yachtworld. I Don't think I'd want a ketch in that size, but - for classic plastic - it is one heck of a boat for going anywhere!
Mike

[serah]

We own a boat very similar to what you're describing, a 1976 Douglas 32' in the PNW. We'd never even heard of the model until we looked at her. We paid $15000 CDN in early summer. She was on the hard and needed some work, but we were able to handle it in a few weeks. Apart from that, she's perfect for us. The previous previous owner (whom we met by coincidence a few months after we bought her) sailed her from Vancouver to Mexico, so we know she can handle it. We've not been able to take time off for more than an 11 day trip in the Gulf Islands last year; it was great for the two of us.

My personal recommendation; seriously ask yourself how important it is to have lots of people out with you for overnight. Our boat has an unusual setup in that there are no quarter berths, just a spacious v-berth, plus a settee that fold out to a double, plus a single settee. It means we have far more storage than other boats our size. 95% of the time we cruise with only the two of us. When we do take friends, it's usually just another couple and it's still comfortable.

The boat is dated, and simple. She still needs some work done before we would feel safe leaving with her (namely some of the standing rigging and rebuilding the rudder). We intend on adding quite a few systems. However, she's fantastic for coastal cruising as is.

I'm sure you can find a fantastic boat for $25000 that with a bit of love and attention will be able to take you on amazing voyages. Don't be afraid to look at some of the lesser known makes.

[mainesail]

Steve, needed boat size is totally in your head. These days many folks feel they need a 40'+ boat with all the gizmo's to feel confident, and then they join an ARC type of event because they don't feel confident with their big boats with all the gizmos that are often too big for them to handle and they rely on AC watermakers etc. YOU CAN CRUISE IN A SMALL SIMPLE BOAT and do it now, but you need to change your perspective a bit. I Tania Aebi sailed around the world on a Contessa 26- a pretty bulletproof little craft and there are others.

Good Luck-and just get out there.

Originally Posted by mohave_steve

Hello All,

Unfortunately I have joined the ranks of those who have put our cruising dreams on hold due to economic events of the last few years. Unfortunately my real estate equity evaporated and my "Boat Money" morphed into "Mortgage Money" and "Food Money".

My past sailing experience has been on boats 8'-12' and later 40'-46'. When I started seriously looking at cruising boats I looked strictly at 40'-46' boats with the idea of extended live aboard. My intended budget was $150-$200k. No longer an option.

This morning, on impulse, I looked at YachtWorld to see what kind of boat could be had in the $20-$30k range. I was supprised at the number of 30'-32' boats that could be had in that range. 32' Columbia & 31' Hunter caught my eye.

As I have never spent time on boats this size maybe you all could give me some insight as to your experience cruising on boats this size?

I don't expect to make any serious blue water crossings but instead more coastal cruising. Puget Sound, West Coast & Mexico.

I look forward to your replies.

Steve

[CarstenWL]

... 5 years later ... ;-)

Carsten

[mohave_steve]

Originally Posted by mainesail

Steve, needed boat size is totally in your head. These days many folks feel they need a 40'+ boat with all the gizmo's to feel confident, and then they join an ARC type of event because they don't feel confident with their big boats with all the gizmos that are often too big for them to handle and they rely on AC watermakers etc. YOU CAN CRUISE IN A SMALL SIMPLE BOAT and do it now, but you need to change your perspective a bit. I Tania Aebi sailed around the world on a Contessa 26- a pretty bulletproof little craft and there are others.

Good Luck-and just get out there.

Thank you!!

I appreciate the input. I am still looking. I have made offers on a couple of boats over the last year but without success.

I can do without A/C, a giant fridge etc. Reasonable nav & comm gear is a necessity and I would really like to have a minimal watermaker.

I don't know if this makes much sense but I am fine with the layout & space of a 30'-32' while underway. Since my original post I have had opportunity to sail a Cal 29 and an Islander 30 and found them comfortable while underway. It is when we are at the dock or at anchor that I feel the want for more space.

We had hoped to be in a spot where we could spend 3 months of the year on our boat by now but have hit a few bumps along the way. Hopefully by this time next year we will have the ability to step away from our land based commitments for 3-4 months of the year.

I am headed out to look at a Grampian 30 on Saturday. Our hopes are to be on the Sea of Cortez next November.

Wish me luck!!

Thank you Tania & stay warm

[mohave_steve]

Originally Posted by CarstenWL

... 5 years later ... ;-)

Carsten

And worth the wait

On this board it is sometimes difficult to discern between the advice given by accomplished cruisers and armchair sailors.

When advice is offered by someone with Tania's cruising resume there is no question.

[Dulcesuenos]

Bombay clipper 31 same boat as Island packet 31 for 1/3 the price. Lots of fun and easy to sail

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[mohave_steve]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Bombay clipper 31 same boat as Island packet 31 for 1/3 the price. Lots of fun and easy to sail

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Thanks for the suggestion.

I see two of them on Yachtworld and the cabin & interior look quite different from the IP. I am afraid the v-birth would be problematic.

While the primary purpose is to sail, we do need a comfortable spot to lay our heads after a day of sailing.

[goat]

Originally Posted by mohave_steve

And worth the wait

On this board it is sometimes difficult to discern between the advice given by accomplished cruisers and armchair sailors.

When advice is offered by someone with Tania's cruising resume there is no question.

I don't think Mainesail is Tania Abel. The letter 'I' looks like a keyboard oops.

goat

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by mohave_steve

And worth the wait

On this board it is sometimes difficult to discern between the advice given by accomplished cruisers and armchair sailors.

When advice is offered by someone with Tania's cruising resume there is no question.

Did I miss something? Tania?

And, while one can admire her young accomplishment, I'm not at all sure that she would be a great source for info re your situation, even if she did offer it.

Folks more into the recent market and recent cruising life have more relevant observations IMO.

Lastly, I'll add the venerable Yankee 30, especially the Mk III version to your list of capable smaller vessels. I did a lot of racing, both single handed and crewed, California coastal cruising and one SF to Hawaii and back passage in one. As with most S&S designs, she was a delight to sail, performed well on all points and is now fairly inexpensive to buy.

Cheers,

Jim

[FamilyVan]

Mohave, IMO, for near shore Coastal Cruising, 30-32 is the perfect sized boat. Big enough to be comfortable, have some amenities and carry a bit of a load, standing head room and a decent sized v-birth. Small enough to go almost anywhere, which for my personal floating around style is what matters most.

Marinas that can't handle a 30 footer are rare. Sails and ground tackle are easy to handle without mechanical assistance.

I've observed that guys who spend a lot of time open water passage making strongly prefer longer boats due to speed and comfort at sea. But if that kind of sailing is not a major component in your plan, smaller might actually be better.

For me, the biggest downside of a 30' is the V-Birth can be difficult to get in and out of, leading many older or less flexible types to sleep on their dinnettes folded down, which would suck, so try climbing in and out of the bed a few times when you're looking.

Its worth noting that increase in speed due to water line length is a non linear equation, so small boats will have a proportionately higher hull speed, so the rate of return on extra feet of length diminishes proportionately with each foot of boat you pay for.

Sent from my XP7700 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Probably be OK for cruising, even going offshore. Pinched ends so it will be a bit wetter than comparable older boats, nothing a dodger won't alleviate (notice I didn't say cure). Rudder appears to be a reasonable size (not too small like more extreme IOR boats). Reasonable displacement.

Short boom means two things:
A) Spinnaker slightly more likely to overpower the boat
B) Room to extend boom, add a short bowsprit, and replace some sails without replacing the whole rig should you decide you want more sail area for light winds.

There is a tall mast version that significantly increases area and slightly decreases displacement to improve SA/D. There is also an 'X' version that bubble/blister/hump cabin rather than a trunk cabin and is significantly lighter still displacement-wise.

ERICSON 34T Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com
ERICSON 34T TM Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com
ERICSON 34X Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com

Outfitting costs are going to depend on what creature comforts fall into the catagory of necessary, same with electronics. Also what equip the boat comes with anchor and sailwise and what repairs need to be made.

Ericson also made a 32 thats a good little boat.

[thomm225]

There are some good 30'-32' Boats on these two lists for cruising. Plus, there are quite a few smaller than 30' Boats that are also good.

Even if you don't see one you like, they give you an idea of what a good offshore boat is like. (but) You may want to remember this one quote:

Read Joshua Slocum, so much is written about his great boat, the Spray and how it being such a great vessel allowed Captain Slocum to sail alone around the world. Let me say balderdash, Captain Slocum was a master mariner, with a million sea miles to his credit, experience. The vessel was a barge, junk boat he found in a field with the lines of a garbage scow. I would suggest that Captain Slocum could have sailed an iron bathtub around the world with claw feet attached better that I could sail a Swan 50 with a crew, experience, experience, experience.

(quote from this site)

http://www.billdietrich.me/SingleHand.html

And experience is experience whether you are 2 or 200 miles offshore. Every little bit helps.

Mahina Expedition - Selecting A Boat for Offshore Cruising

Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List