Blue Water Monohulls Under 32ft

[vicki6]

Originally Posted by nortonscove

Vagueness is a terrible thing in any language.

'Sailboats listed on Atom Voyages' is not vague in any language.

[laika]

I've had a Vancouver 27 for about 10 years. A great little boat. Lived on it full time for 7 of those, solo with a large dog, and now spend winters with my significant other cruising the W caribbean. When I bought it, it was in meticulous shape and I still managed to dump a small fortune in her over the years. Between purchase and upgrades probably $60k. But it was my first and only home for many years and served me well.

The biggest mistake I made early on was getting too bogged down in the details of upgrading and trying to make it perfect, instead of just going sailing and worrying about the particulars later. I also learned having a full time job and cruising don't at all go hand in hand, no matter how flexible the work or how you creatively you slice it.

After close to a decade living aboard, I found myself also wanting a life outside the water. But it's great having a small capable pocket cruiser that doesn't break the bank to go back to. We plan to sail her back from where she's currently holed up in the Bay Islands and park her in FL for the next few years. The Bahamas are beckoning again and it's a lot easier to do the seasonal thing jumping back and forth from FL, rather than leapfrogging around the caribbean and all the difficult logistics that can entail on a limited time and money budget.

We will be back on the water full time sooner or later, whether in this boat or in another down the road. It's a great life to go set sail and in many ways the last truest bastion of freedom in the world.

[TrentePieds]

Welcome to CF, Vicki6 :-)!

joehemington said: "...Island Packet...probably the epitome of a small blue water capable boat with it's full keel, wide beam and shallow draft..."

Why, precisely, do YOU think, Vicki6, that JoeHemington cites those particular traits as highly desirable in a "small blue water capable boat"?

If you can lay before us how, in your opinion, the technical design aspects of each of the traits highlighted by joeheminton contribute to the overall Gestalt of a "blue water capable boat", then we'll all have something to work with :-). Take joeheminton's list of traits as a working hypothesis, then examine each of the boats listed in Atom Voyages against the Island Packet, the 32-foot version of which you will find here:

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/island-packet-32

TrentePieds (a 30-footer, obviously) is not on the list either. Yet she'd make an excellent "blue water boat" as evidenced by the fact that at least one out of the coupla dozen ever built (all in British Columbia) is now in the antipodes. The boat would make it easily enuff. I wouldn't. My preferred vessel for transoceanic passages is the Boing 747 :-)!

But you should know that a sistership to TrentePieds sold in Vancouver just a few months ago for $7K. Not sure, just now, if that was US$ or Can$. But at that price it really makes no odds.

Good luck with your deliberations :-)

TrentePieds

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by vicki6

but this thread is not about them.

It has to be.. else the boats would never have gained the 'reputation' their skippers gave them..

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by joelhemington

I don't see Island Packet on this list - probably the epitome of a small blue water capable boat with it's full keel, wide beam and shallow draft - not he fastest boat but you will get there eventually.

James Baldwin probably left them off of his list precisely because of their wide beam, and broadish sterns too I'd bet. Then again he included the Westerly Centaur on his list which was not a full keel boat, but a twin keel boat.

This is precisely why there are such big arguments about what makes a good Bluewater boat, everybody has a slightly different definition.

John Vigor published a book about 20 small boats to go offshore. There's Baldwins list and there's John Neale's list, I bet there are a bunch more floating around out there. John Kretschmer has a video about how to choose an offshore boat. Ask somebody different, get a different list.

https://atomvoyages.com/planning/goo...oats-list.html
https://www.mahina.com/cruise.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCIG_LPcqu8

https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-...al-text&sr=1-1


The OP has chosen to trust the list that Baldwin provided. He wants more feed back on the list probably so he can understand why Baldwin put them on the list.

[vicki6]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

full keel, wide beam and shallow draft.
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/island-packet-32
TrentePieds (a 30-footer, obviously) is not on the list either.

IP32 is actually 35ft, I think.
Good specs or certain features doesn't make a boat sail good.
No IPs was listed on this particular website. This does NOT mean they sail bad. They might be good or bad, I have no idea.
I'm not deliberating anything, pls take another look at the post.
Me being interested in some boats on a website doesn't mean I'll go buy one or ignore the other 'unlisted' boats.
You could've said, 'hey, I have a great boat which was not listed at Atom V. Here's it's story...'
This post was about the real life stories of the old sailboats listed on Atom Voyages. Not a 'deliberation' about what makes a good ocean worthy sailboat, or anything else...

[OBT]

I owned an 1966 Allied Seawind for 14 years until I sold it in 2018 to buy our Pacific Seacraft 37 "Oriane". I sailed "Stella" all over Maine and up into the Bay of Fundy/Maritimes. Stella was a sweet boat. Easily handled, fun to sail and always brought me home safe and sound. You'll find some photos here: https://www.sailingthecoastofmaine.com/p/photos.html

[vicki6]

Originally Posted by boatman61

It has to be.

but no need for a new post for that. I'd just read the others.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by vicki6

but no need for a new post for that. I'd just read the others.

Okay.. I'll leave you to it.. Enjoy

[vicki6]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Okay.. I'll leave you to it.. Enjoy

I hope you know I didn't mean your replies. I meant other posts here on CF had already addressed that. I wish I had just said Atom V. I think the word bluewater ruined the post. People think I look for advice... Still, I had a couple of great responses, and I'm thankful for them.

[lyl]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Welcome aboard here Vicki! You are welcome to see my albums, I have one of those on the Atom Voyages list, a 1962 Columbia 29. I did not get my boat because it was on any list though. It was one I had known of since I started sailing over 40 years ago. At the time then the first boat I got was a Columbia 24, but I knew of a couple who had a Columbia 29 in the harbor. Now to me at the time it seemed like a HUGE boat! I always admired it and I had so much fun in my 24 that it planted the seed in me that one day I'd get the 29. About 7 years ago when I figured my youngest child was old enough, I figured it was time to go looking for the 29. I actually looked up and down the west coast for a few weeks and then one came up for sale in my nearest harbor! I called the seller and he said, "oh get back to me in a couple weeks after I finish painting her." So I did. When I called him back he said, "oh well I already promised it to another guy." I was crestfallen. But I told him if the buyer decided to bail out, to let me know. Sure enough, the young man who got it found he just could not work out how to keep it. He called the original owner to let him know and within a couple days I was handing him $4000 and with nothing more than checking to see things worked, a friend, my daughter and I sailed her back 30 miles to my, and her, home port. The poor guy was about at the end of his rope with no place to put the boat so I did not haggle with him, I was just happy to get her. Turns out the original owner, who had her for 25 years, had tried to sell her off and on for years, but she just did not attract much attention, probably because of her age, and that she is a bit small for a 29 by modern standards.
Since buying her I have been doing everything myself and on a shoestring since I don't have a lot of disposable cash for a boat hobby. Got a great, used once previously, full-battened mainsail for $500 and felt a bit guilty for spending that much! Re-rigged her myself with a rigger friend, and fixing little things as they come up. But she is simple, stout, sails beautifully, pretty fast for a long keel, has a very nice motion (to me) and is a good size for me, 2 kids and my wife. So now for us the local islands, 20 miles away, are our playground.
As it turns out, the very boat that originally inspired me was recently sent to the crusher because the owner had to move and she couldn't find any buyers she said. There is a picture of her in one of my albums, with a black hull. I was really so disappointed to see that. I would have bought her if I had known, though I am not sure what I would have done with her!
As far as prices for my boat I have seen some beautiful ones where the asking prince was as high as $17,500 and of course all the way down to free. I would expect to see one in good shape with a good diesel to be between $5-10k.

Don, I have to say your sailing background is so inspirational to me.

[lyl]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Welcome to CF, Vicki6 :-)!

joehemington said: "...Island Packet...probably the epitome of a small blue water capable boat with it's full keel, wide beam and shallow draft..."

Why, precisely, do YOU think, Vicki6, that JoeHemington cites those particular traits as highly desirable in a "small blue water capable boat"?

If you can lay before us how, in your opinion, the technical design aspects of each of the traits highlighted by joeheminton contribute to the overall Gestalt of a "blue water capable boat", then we'll all have something to work with :-). Take joeheminton's list of traits as a working hypothesis, then examine each of the boats listed in Atom Voyages against the Island Packet, the 32-foot version of which you will find here:

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/island-packet-32

TrentePieds (a 30-footer, obviously) is not on the list either. Yet she'd make an excellent "blue water boat" as evidenced by the fact that at least one out of the coupla dozen ever built (all in British Columbia) is now in the antipodes. The boat would make it easily enuff. I wouldn't. My preferred vessel for transoceanic passages is the Boing 747 :-)!

But you should know that a sistership to TrentePieds sold in Vancouver just a few months ago for $7K. Not sure, just now, if that was US$ or Can$. But at that price it really makes no odds.

Good luck with your deliberations :-)

TrentePieds

this is not what the op asked. :-)

[lyl]

Originally Posted by laika

I've had a Vancouver 27 for about 10 years. A great little boat. Lived on it full time for 7 of those, solo with a large dog, and now spend winters with my significant other cruising the W caribbean. When I bought it, it was in meticulous shape and I still managed to dump a small fortune in her over the years. Between purchase and upgrades probably $60k. But it was my first and only home for many years and served me well.

The biggest mistake I made early on was getting too bogged down in the details of upgrading and trying to make it perfect, instead of just going sailing and worrying about the particulars later. I also learned having a full time job and cruising don't at all go hand in hand, no matter how flexible the work or how you creatively you slice it.

After close to a decade living aboard, I found myself also wanting a life outside the water. But it's great having a small capable pocket cruiser that doesn't break the bank to go back to. We plan to sail her back from where she's currently holed up in the Bay Islands and park her in FL for the next few years. The Bahamas are beckoning again and it's a lot easier to do the seasonal thing jumping back and forth from FL, rather than leapfrogging around the caribbean and all the difficult logistics that can entail on a limited time and money budget.

We will be back on the water full time sooner or later, whether in this boat or in another down the road. It's a great life to go set sail and in many ways the last truest bastion of freedom in the world.

great story.

[Lexi22]

Are there any brand new ones of this sort of sailboats? Are they fun to sail?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by vicki6

Inspired by the Atom Voyages, I'd like to learn how much others have spent on their Blue Water Monohulls Under 32ft.
A little info about me. I have plenty of sailing experience on various wooden dingies thanks to my uncle. I grew up helping him maintain his old boats, nothing classical, mostly junks, but they still sailed fine after fixing them up. I've not sailed anything since he passed. I owe him the best childhood one can ever have.
Now, it's time for me to buy my first sailboat. Old sailboats like Flicka 20 or Dana 24 are what I want. Money is not an issue; still, this doesn't mean that I wanna spend a little fortune. As my experience is on dingies only, I'd hate to jump on something longer than 25 ft. This part is my problem, and this tread is not about that at all...
I had been invited to a few cruises on friends' boats. One of my friends chartered a cat; I hated it so badly. I helped sailing a Hunter and a Beneteau, and didn't like either of them. While going through the posts here, I came across Atom Voyages...
This thread is not about what boat I should buy, or how I should learn to sail, or opinions on certain sailboats, or what I'm doing wrong, or seeking help of any kind.
I just want to learn the story of the real life owners of these kinds of sailboats. I will not be writing many replies so that this can stay as an easy to follow, well organized post.
So if you own one of the sailboats listed on Atom Voyages, please share us your story here. How much money and time you had to spend to finally sail it away, a couple of photos maybe, and what ever you'd like to say about the boat.

Friends had a Dana 24. great little boat. It cruised as fast as my 30 ft garden design. They tend to be expensive though for their size.

less than 30 ft, blue water-ish? I single handed an old school 30 fine and I'm a small person. So keep that in mind.
Alberg 30
Cape Dory 27, 28, 30
Maybe an Island Packet 31?
Various long keel Pearson 26-30 maybe

Cape Dory for the money in a basic non fancy trimmed boat. Island Packet for a newer long keel style.