Benefits of a bigger boat?

[TrentePieds]

Donoharm:

One more point you may want to think about in light of all that really good advice you've had in this thread: You will be able to pick up a 40 year old Mirage 27, an Ontario-built "pocket cruiser", for somewhere twixt 5 and 8 grand. Why spend more? I've always liked sailing the M27. It's a responsive, nimble little boat that moves well in light airs, and it has all the "comforts" you really need to cruise Georgian Bay and other nifty places within reach from Twanna.

Remember that no man should spend more on a boat than he can walk away from with a smile still on his face! It is of no consequence that a "frozen snot" hull is forty years old because that stuff is indestructible. All the bits that are "hung on", like the rig, the engine, the nav equipment (and on and on and on) are really consumables, and in a 40YO boat they will have been renewed or upgraded at least once, so for instance the sails that come with a 40YO boat may be only five years old. Generally, a suit of sails will last about 10 years if you are careful with them.

Life aboard is nothing like life ashore. Trying in a boat to replicate life, and the creature comforts, of the shore is IMO a mug's game. I, for one, go sailing to get away from the mess people have made of the shore and get back to the delightful simplicities of a (dimly) remembered youth in a time long ago and a land far away.

Bliss would be a Galway hooker :-)!

TrentePieds

[Hoodsail]

Your budget is very similar to what mine was 4 yrs ago...so in that dollar range & size I would assume you are looking at boats that are > 30 yrs old, which typically gets you a boat with a beam that is much narrower than contemporary boats of similar length. I went from a Catalina 27 to Bristol 35.5, and would recommend you buy the best built boat your budget permits, because when is blows you want to ensure that you are the weak link, not your boat. Never owned a 40-footer so cant directly answer your question. Not certain if a consideration, but off shore events Newport-bermuda, Marion-bermuda require minimum length of 34ft, so 35-40 gets you there. Oh, besides what's been mentioned, a bigger boat means you'll fall farther too, when the weather comes and you decide you dont need "one hand for you...." thnks

[DHLyman]

Longer waterline Leads to a faster boat.
The difference of just one knot over a 4 day voyage shortens that voyage by 100 miles.
A knot and a half shortens a 5 day voyage by a whole day.
It’s waterline not deck length that counts. And the waterline increases on most well designed boats when heeled over.

[Cloroxbottle]

Originally Posted by donoharm

Hello Everyone,

I have been looking at getting a boat in the 35-45 foot range and something I'm noticing is that a lot of companies like Ericson and Islander will make almost the same design - a V birth, salon, and aft cabin that can sleep 6-7 people for almost all their boats this length. My question is, what does one gain, other than higher maintenance costs and slip fees, for a bigger boat? Won't most time be spent on deck anyways? At the 15k-30k price points I'm looking at, it seems that the boats are actually the same condition, same price, just different lengths...

Are you going to be singlehanded?

If so, I'd probably use 32-33 feet as a cutoff. Not only will the sails and tackle be more easily managed, in an aft cockpit sailboat larger than that, keeping an eye on the bow when manuvering in close quarters becomes increasingly difficult.

Once you get to 38-40 feet in an aft cockpit design, it becomes almost impossible without having a crew member forward.

[MicHughV]

There is no perfect boat size. Period !

Every boat is a compromise between liveable space, actual volume, tankage, maintenance, sea worthiness, etc, ad infinitum......and off course, let's not forget $$$.

Somewhere in this mix, will be the PERFECT boat for YOU !!

[ohdrinkboy]

With your tight budget I would go small. 30-35 feet, and in the best shape possible.

[mcon12000]

Lots of great advice here..

I’ll add that in the price range you’re looking at its highly likely that you’ll put another $10-30k into the boat after purchase. So the bigger the boat the bigger that number might be. Everything from anchor chain to sanitation hoses will be heavier or longer adding a hundred bucks here and there on the 40 footer vs the 35.

Personally I wouldn’t be as concerned about the actual length and much more focused on access to the engine and other critical systems since this is where you’ll have all your $@&# this moments. Storage can be challenging on the older boats (ask me how I know) so pay close attention to that since it’s something you likely can’t change. For example I don’t need more than a couple of drawers for clothes but might need another boat just to store tools! Climb into cockpit lockers and imagine yourself hot and sweaty working in the engine compartment are either functional? Another thing I’m a bit insistent on is chain plate access so make sure you can pull those without destroying anything. In the range of boats you’re looking at they’ll vary in size and cost so keep in mind that they all look great until you pull them!

It’s all about compromise and good luck!

[KP44]

Originally Posted by DHLyman

Longer waterline Leads to a faster boat.
The difference of just one knot over a 4 day voyage shortens that voyage by 100 miles.
A knot and a half shortens a 5 day voyage by a whole day.
It’s waterline not deck length that counts. And the waterline increases on most well designed boats when heeled over.

Many older boats were designed to increase waterline length when they heeled over far enough. This was for racing, not anything to do with sailing or cruising. Racing boats are all rated and handicapped by sail plan, waterline, etc. Without handicaps, the longest boat would always win. So many were designed to cheat a bit when heeled. This is not all boats and not the boats built for comfort and living aboard.

Most cruisers do not heel much when we sail. The videos of boats heeled over 45 degrees help multihull sales, but they are racers, not cruisers.

[Rucksta]

Headroom

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by donoharm

Hello Everyone,


I have been looking at getting a boat in the 35-45 foot range and something I'm noticing is that a lot of companies like Ericson and Islander will make almost the same design - a V birth, salon, and aft cabin that can sleep 6-7 people for almost all their boats this length. My question is, what does one gain, other than higher maintenance costs and slip fees, for a bigger boat? Won't most time be spent on deck anyways? At the 15k-30k price points I'm looking at, it seems that the boats are actually the same condition, same price, just different lengths...

Firstly to sleep 6 to 7 ppl on a 36 to 45 boat might get a bit crammed.
You might as well ask whats the difference between between a 50m² apartment and a 100m² one.
Bigger boats have more living and storage space.
Bigger boats are more stable, as well they are more forgiving to wind changes.

[David Mathis]

The difference in length becomes more apparent as the storms increase the wave height. A few years ago we went from a 32’ to a 43, and noticed a significant difference as the whitecaps grew.
The larger boat would be just more maintenance and higher dock fees if we never took passengers along and only left the dock on sunny dead calm days. However, we cruise in good weather and not so good and also anchor for the night, using an island or bay for protection, when the weather is nasty.
The first 2 am storm made us very happy with the additional length, beam, and weight and made us realize that the money is well spent.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by David Mathis

The difference in length becomes more apparent as the storms increase the wave height. A few years ago we went from a 32’ to a 43, and noticed a significant difference as the whitecaps grew.
The larger boat would be just more maintenance and higher dock fees if we never took passengers along and only left the dock on sunny dead calm days. However, we cruise in good weather and not so good and also anchor for the night, using an island or bay for protection, when the weather is nasty.
The first 2 am storm made us very happy with the additional length, beam, and weight and made us realize that the money is well spent.

Exactly. This 50ft, 20 ton monohull has us sleeping through a gale. And I’m not even exaggerating. We had a full gale at anchor with a 2.5 mile fetch last week. It was brutal. I was shocked by how stable and comfortable this boat was in it.

I’d go out on deck to check chafe on the snubber and it’s wind almost as strong as I’ve ever felt on a boat. Tops of waves were becoming airborne and flying up on deck in the form of spray.

Yet it’s peaceful, warm and cozy inside.

[Wallaby]

Originally Posted by KimAKnight

I have a Feeling 39 for sale in Charleston SC , great boat .FYI on this site and https://www.boattrader.com/boat/1999...39-di-7366045/

For anyone cruising the ICW, and tripping to the Bahamas, with a desire to see out-of-the-way places, this is the ideal boat IMHO. With the shallow draft, it can go where most catamarans cannot go.

[barnakiel]

All other things equal (ha ha ha) bigger boats are safer, faster and more comfortable.


They also have as many potential downsides though.


b.

[Cheechako]

DISADVANTAGE of a bigger boat: Once you go there, going back to a small boat is like watching paint dry standing in the rain! Wet, bumpy and slow ride. :>)