Blue water Ina Sea Sailer 30 motor sailer?

[Max Sail]

I'm considering rehabbing an old Sea Sailer 30 for crusiing, but I don't want to sink all that time effort and energy into a boat that would be stupid to take across an ocean.

SEA SAILOR 30 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

I was looking for more typical small bluewater sailboats, but I like the pilot house design on this boat, and it would be ideal for Great Lakes cruising. (And the more I read up on sailing cruisers, the more I realize how much they motor anyways)

So is something like this worthy of blue water passages? Biggest concerns I see are lack of any real bridge deck, and a sail area to displacement of only around 11, which will make it a real slug of a sailer.

Opinions on seaworthiness? Other input?

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy.

I am surprised this thread with its question did not get any answers from the forum members.

My POV?

People can cross oceans on a balsa wood raft and navigate the northwest passage on a Hobie Cat.

While I don't know the boat in question, it does look like a nice PH By yhe drawing. So I can imagine cruising in one. But then I also find pocket cruisers appealing.

If you have bought the boat, post some pics here.

[DaveC]

Interesting boat and I like the underwater profile. I'm sure others would hate it, but everyone has their own opinion.

The two things that would concern me are the rather large windows on the pilot house and the small ballast to displacement ratio.

My boat has large windows on the raised salon so it I have to deal with it as well, although not as large as the one on this boat.. You'd definetly need some storm covers for them.

As far as the B/D ratio, that may make for some very tender sailing and not much stability depending on the size of the mast and her sail area.

But she's cute. You have to like old wooden boats.

-Dave

Edit: I just saw that she's 10 feet wide, so she might not be as tender as I first thought. Stability might still be an issue if she ever turned turtle.

[Snowpetrel]

Being wood, the whole PH structure would need careful design to make sure it's sold enough. Lexan over the windows would likely make them safe enough. The cockpit looks too big and deep. And those cockpit hatches are dangerously large and wide. Not sure she could carry enough tankage to effectively make up for the small Sail area. But yes you probably could cross an ocean but your margin of safety would be compromised without extensive modifications. If thats your plan probably better to look for something else IMO. For coastal cruising she looks like a very sweet boat. Check the ballast ratio. Looks very low. Might be wrong data.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Max Sail

I'm considering rehabbing an old Sea Sailer 30 for crusiing, but I don't want to sink all that time effort and energy into a boat that would be stupid to take across an ocean.

SEA SAILOR 30 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

I was looking for more typical small bluewater sailboats, but I like the pilot house design on this boat, and it would be ideal for Great Lakes cruising. (And the more I read up on sailing cruisers, the more I realize how much they motor anyways)

So is something like this worthy of blue water passages? Biggest concerns I see are lack of any real bridge deck, and a sail area to displacement of only around 11, which will make it a real slug of a sailer.

Opinions on seaworthiness? Other input?

If you are going to pick a passage or two and understand the weather limitations of this boat, I'd say OK. If you are going around the world, probably not.

Coastal sailing probably good.

You are gonna motorsail a lot IMO - very slow boat.

~30 feet is always going to be a compromise. I'd definitely give up on the pilothouse idea in this boat length if I wanted "regularly" do passages. It is a "comfort" feature that adds significant weight, raises the boom (reducing sail area) and adds that increased weight higher up where you don't want it.

Hard dodger, yes. PH no.