Boat brands that are not seaworthy?

[endoftheroad]

Originally Posted by Tempest245

Many of the boats abandoned by their crews in the 79 fastnet were found floating after the storm.

I think besides having a well found vessel, one must always ask themselves, how seaworthy am I.

Skill, confidence, determination, and endurance cannot be supplied by a vessel. I think it's got to be enjoyable too, even if you're somewhat getting your butt kicked, there's got to be a little bit of enjoyment in the challenge or why do it.

It took me many years to feel confident enough to attempt a passage through the gulfstream and I got my butt kicked. My vessel took it much better than I did. :-)

Tempest

Not sure if this is off topic or not but five years ago I sailed a 23' O'day
for 15 hours, most of them dark in the Gulf Stream from Ft lauderdale to Stuart Fl.
What a sweet ride it was, this was my first long sail ever and was from Key West to Port St. Lucie.
Been addicted ever since.

[Tempest245]

Nautical,

Yes that was the Satori I believe.

Seakindly is a good term...some vessels are better designed to ride better in adverse conditions. Adler Coles has detailed analysis of attributes in his book.

I think It also helps to be able to be in a dry secure berth when off shift.
Lee cloths were a pain....I have turned one of the salon berths into a secure crib ( one piece removable rail ) I can put cushions against it so I am cusioned on either tack. It's nicer than sleeping in the cockpit well, or on the cabin floor. ( i've done both at times )

[bruce in oz]

papyrus floats, Ancient Egypt used this plant for boats, mattresses, mats, and paper.
can anyone tell me why fools are allowed to have children

[Brent Swain]

Originally Posted by henkmeuzelaar

To answer with another quote:

I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting you really believe what you just said. (WF Buckley, Jr)


Have fun!

Flying Dutchman

You couldn't afford to build a boat as well as they did when both materials and labour were far cheaper ,and they didn't trust the strength of fibreglass. The older boats were massively built compared to todays flimsey" style over substance"excuses for offshore boats. Any surveyor will tell you that.
Brent

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by ckgreenman

lol Heck, I've even heard of rubber duckies circumnavigating.

Not yet they haven't. But close.

Link

Jack

[bobfnbw]

For the longest time, reading up on everything imaginable, on cruising, and the best offshore yacht, and going over plan after plan, spec after spec, till I was so confused... and I found my self with a older production boat I would never have dreamed of having....
What I have learned in that time is that many experts have opinions, and maybe they are right, but there are a lot of people cruising out there in boats no one would consider off shore boats but they do it time after time.
Fastnet and the like are out side the realm of cruising, to discuss it like it matters to a typical cruising family is nonsense.
Ask Dave and Jaja Martin if you need a large offshore boat.
There are many who have done what you want to do in all sorts of boats. And done well.
I think its not the brand or the keel or the draft that is important, but the equipment, the readiness of the humans on board, and the maintaince of the systems aboard that determine the sucess of the cruise.
Buy the smalles boat you can, get it for a really good price, then replace everything that is onboard you can with new, simple, uncomplicat ed gear that you can maintain, and go. Start slow, learn as you go, be ready for adventures, and have a good sense of humor. There will be days when you will laugh, days when you will cry, and days when you want to give up. Keep at it until you are safe in a good anchorage, secure on the hook, and then reevaluate.
The sea is not a place for many people. But that doesn't stop us from going anyway.
My wife like to say, its not the destination, but the journey, while I like to say, its not either, but my ability to face hardship and come out on top. To be sucessful, know your self, know your boat, its limitations, and know the weather.

Steve Dashew says there are more days out there where the wind is light, then heavy. Storms and heavy weather come, but mostly its the boredom of not moving much at all. To me, a well found yacht needs to be able to take care of its sailors when its slow going as much as when the wind picks up and it starts to blow hard.

These are my opinions only. And I am sure you have your own.
But there are many boats that are "seaworthy" that "experts" don't think are.
And that ok. Just do your reasearch, look at tons of boats, sail as many of them as you can. And one day, one will call out to you and it will be yours.
And it will be your job to make it ready.

Good luck and fair winds.

Bob

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by surfingminniwinni

means being in a fit condition or readiness to safely undertake a sea voyage, this includes both boat & crew.

Combined with S/V Illusion:

About the only definite here is that the term "seaworthy" is ambiguous. The real question is whether the captain is seaworthy and if he/she is, the question never gets asked in the first place as he/she already knows the answer.

So, if you have to ask, you have issues and if you sit in judgement of someone's boat, you have bigger issues (or more properly stated as you have "smaller" issues.

just about goes all the way for me.

I would say any boat that doesn't keep those on board in a seaworthy condition. No matter how good you are, if the vessel isn't comfortable and keeping those on board cheerful, then it is a tiring and wearying vessel to ride.

Even the best skippers make mistakes when they are cream crackered and driven to be brain dead/numb. It happens. On several too many occasions, I have had long drawn out affairs in the Irish Sea, trying to get back into harbour, slamming into vertical faced waves. After mooring up, there's a long gap after, before getting off to head for the bar, that's for sure (with lots of snoring from all on board in the meantime). The only thing that skips about on the surface I have enjoyed in those conditions, was an offshore powerboat with a good guy at the wheel, and he matched his speed with the wave tops (heck I doubt I could have done it). It was a day that went from good to bad to worse, out of the blue, with a huge thunderstorm that came from nowhere (killed a neighbour when he was in the crowd rushing off a local beach - seems his wrist watch got him killed, nobody around him was wearing one but him, and that's what the lightning went for). Anyway that's really why I like long keeled, heavy built, comfortable hulls. No matter where you are, no matter what you sail, anything can blow up out of the blue, and you don't know what sea conditions you are going to have to deal with. The Med can be very bad for this, with vicious storms coming from nowhere, and then disappearing as fast as they came (I was glad I was on a cruise ship with the one I experienced).

Then you can have stupid situations which are an absolute blast. I remember being stuck in overfalls off a headland, with the wind rapidly changing direction and slamming us in every direction but the one we wanted to go (we were trying to be co-operative, and did attempt to go in many of the other directions away from shoreline as well), and me bouncing up and down on the foredeck, trying to adjust/change/clog dance with non-co-operative sails. Sails were going up and down so fast, I don't know what they reminded me of. Only a 26ft Macwester bilge keel, but I'd have gone anywhere on that thing (with a functioning diesel inboard anyway - no matter how nice you were to it, and how much you spoiled it, the inboard two stroke had a truly evil sense of humour). With that Mac we got onto the mooring still grinning from ear to ear, and last one to the bar bought the round.

[nortonscove]

I'm inclined to believe that a good skipper takes care of their boat. Some guys can go over falls in a canoe and understand what it takes to ensure the boats continued existance as well as their own.

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