Boat Size - How big is too big?

[Kenomac]

Dockhead,

Excellent answers to the original questions presented by the OP.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

To be polite, after you have had enough hours onboard to let things settle, you might want to come back and post an objective review of your experience?

Shane!...nothing about boats is objective!...

This discussion reminds me a bit of the randy youth jokes about a particular women being built for either comfort or speed!….
….. Very much a personal choice and in can be argued…. a larger displacement at sea, or when docking, can be a comforting thing...

The size-docking issue only comes up when I am trying to park a +50m super-yacht on a 20m piece of floating dock.

Normally a larger (small yacht) has a proportionally larger slip available to dock, so it is not a problem. Also you have a more stable platform to work on. My 65ft Stargazer, home docks at a 70ft dock and is a non-event.

As a live aboard, I find that the larger the yacht I am on, the less often is the desire to even go to a transient marina (other than by tender).
We enjoy our Privacy, cleanliness, making our own pure water, so I would suggest self sufficiency tends to favor the bigger yacht.

I also find it curious that some feel they will be “overwhelmed” by size if things go wrong in a stormy sea. Quite often, a well found boat will survive the crew in those emergency cases, so perhaps it is only lack of preparation and panic that overwhelms a sailor, regardless of size.

[carstenb]

I have a 40 footer, and have sailed a bit on a 54 footer. The 54 footer is enormous and there is space, space, space. all very nice. The 40 footers has enough space for us (personal choices, we are a couple but we also like our luxury).

I agree with many of the other posts. the difference in sheer size between a 40 and 54 footers is huge. size of sail, anchor, everything is bigger and so much bigger that if you end up in trouble in heavy weather - it might not be a two person job.

In my little canal, there are 2 45 footers, 1 50 footer , a 54 footer and our 40 foot Jeanneau.

Just looking at them side, beside, will tell you a lot. Unless you have a real need for something 50+ feet, I advise you stay around 45 feet.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Thames 4 Blood

I have no wish to cause offence and I apologise if this is taken as rude but I have to call it as I see it.

A conversation simply moves on / gets sidetracked........internet same as real life.

My bet is that whatever size of the boat you get that sometimes it will be too big. and sometimes too small .

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

As a live aboard, I find that the larger the yacht I am on, the less often is the desire to even go to a transient marina (other than by tender).
We enjoy our Privacy, cleanliness, making our own pure water, so I would suggest self sufficiency tends to favor the bigger yacht.

Just for the record, although there is a certain stereotype that the bigger the boat is, the less often it leaves its marina slip, I don't think that this is necessarily true in real life, except, perhaps, in regards to motor boats (and there the cost of fuel is a very understandable reason).

I sail my big boat a lot more often than I sailed my little one. My boat lives not in a marina slip, but on a mid-river mooring. I live aboard 90+ days a year and get in 50+ sea days a year, although I live 1500 miles from the boat and am not retired.

It only takes me 15 minutes to get underway, including a careful check of the machinery before and after starting up, and I recently started single-handing. I just love to be out on the water and get the sails up, and the big boat is not the slightest obstacle to that. In my case, at least.

[MacG]

It depends on the number of crew. I would have a handful (nowadays) handling the 43' of some 20 years ago. Depends on age, vitality and if there is an available hand.

I am solo and at 30' lod it is good enough for me and alll my gear. I am now 66 and in my condition a 40' is the limit for easy handling.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Just for the record, although there is a certain stereotype that the bigger the boat is, the less often it leaves its marina slip, I don't think that this is necessarily true in real life, except, perhaps, in regards to motor boats (and there the cost of fuel is a very understandable reason).

In my experience it doesn't what size the boat in the slip is as to whether it leaves the slip; it's that it is in a slip to start with. Near as I can tell boats in slips rarely leave, period!

But then again this past year except for about 10 boats out of hundreds most on moorings rarely left their mooring.

[stilroaming]

had to smile at your comparison of the solent/soth coast/channel to the Med.Having had a lot of experience of both I can assure you the difference is like chalk & cheese.
Around the uk coast it is virtually guaranteed that you will have wind of varying strengths,& apart from entering port you would have little need of an engine,(I have encountered yachts 10yrs old with less than 200hrs on the hour meter) In the med it is a completely different life.The old saying that in the med you either have a force 8 or no wind at all is so true I have experienced in a HRassy 42 having to motor for the first 3hrs then having 40kts of wind develop over 20 minutes for 3hrs then stop as suddenly as it started,all this with a forecast of a force 2/3 with sunshine all day.
My advice in any size boat in the med is be prepared.
Just thought I would throw in my twopenarth.

[stilroaming]

Sorry my last post was for THAMES FOR BLOOD.
I wouldn,t dare tell some of you about sailing in the med.

[mcerdos]

I would highly suggest you take a look at an Amel.

Mark

www.creampuff.us

[rtbates]

The issues only occur when the sh** hits the fan and the system dies... As long as all the helpful systems remain working you should have no problem..

[Randyonr3]

There's one item that many have forgotton to add to the equation, and thats the approval of our better halves..
Forget how it sails, how much electronics it has, or the effort it takes to get it to the dock, If the wife aint happy, its the wrong boat..
I was fortunate enough to have a wife that found a 42 foot ample enough for ALL her needs for cruising..
When we looked at larger boats, her reply was that she didnt need the additional space..
We actually decided on a FIRST 38 until we found a pristine 42.. bought it without any question..

[senormechanico]

Here's a companion thread:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ats-91682.html