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Old 12-11-2012, 01:27   #1
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Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

Planning a circumnavigation and is currently on boat search. My favorite so far is the Alubat Cigale 16, but I have not decided 100%. I'm looking for feedback based on experience. The boat is an aluminum construction (ULDB), 16 meters with one 900 liter ballast/trim tank on each side. She is a light craft for her size (10.5 ton) and has a draught of 2.4 m. Prize range off alternatives approximately 450K euro/600K US.
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Old 12-11-2012, 01:58   #2
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

I'm astonished anyone would think this question can be answered usefully on the internet by strangers whom you haven't told a single thing about yourself.

preference of route, previous sailing experience, what you are hoping to achieve and experience, what places you like to go, do you plan to stop and if so where, what sort of sailing do you like to do, what do you need to take, how many crew and with what purpose ...
and that's only touching the surface.

It's a bit like walking up to someone at an agricultural show and saying "what sort of farm should I buy?" or "what's the ideal sort of land for farming"

It really doesn't help if you say "what do you think of farm x or land type y": because it's not THEIR ideal which matters, it's yours.

All you're likely to get with your question is (if you're lucky ) a fistfight among people arguing about what THEIR ideal boat would be, and you can almost guarantee none of them will be circumnavigators cos they've probably got better things to do.
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:11   #3
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

Welcome to the Forum Alli

The Cigales are great boats I love the rear lounge arrangement. Alubat know how's to weld properly, which is one of the most important requirements for an aluminium boat.
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:24   #4
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

I see your point. Circumnavigation for me is in my book covering most of the oceans. Primarily I'm planning to sail the med, Atlantic, the Caribbean and the south pacific. My trip plan does not include Africa and Asia. My sailing experience is mainly from costal match racing in Norway to holiday sailing in the med. I would like to get some information on the subject of aluminum hulls. Docking possibility’s for boats of that size in the Caribbean and the south pacific.
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:25   #5
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Andrew is spot on. When you ask such a vague question you will only get answers that are really what boat is right for e person who responded to your question.

Since you are looking at an aluminium boat, as a aluminium boat owner, I will tell you this is the best material you can choose!

However, make sure you spend a lot of time educating yourself on electricity and best practices for electricity and electronics in the marine environment. It is the only Achilles heel of alloy boats, but it is a big one if you don't know how to deal with it.
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:41   #6
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Re the question about anodes and anti fouling via PM....

I put these into the category of electricity, as effectively they are. And yes they are part of the issue. There is a strange thing about alloy boats, two identical Ovni for example can have different anode consumption rates.

If you are serious about going alloy you need a silver chloride tester to be able to baseline your hull. Remember that anodes can only protect a hull for a certain distance from their installation point, they don't actually protect the entire hull, and are placed in the aft section of the boat as that is proximal to where all the action is. If you are diligent you will get a handle on your boats galvanic and electrolysis characteristics very quickly. I went for a full floating ground on my electrical system, which presents some issues as well. Better to search the forum for "aluminum" instead of hijacking this thread, there is an enormous amount of info on this topic.

Oh and be prepared each season for the sticker shock when you do your bottom paint. Antifoul for alloy hulls is expensive and ineffective.
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Old 12-11-2012, 04:20   #7
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

16 meters is a big boat if youre short handed. If its just you and the wife, make sure you order it with electric winches.
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Old 12-11-2012, 04:55   #8
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

You should see my wife...
But yes; an eclectic winch is a must. I am also planning to have bow and stern thrusters. Not sure of the make yet, I am looking at a water jet based system Introduction - Jet Thruster for Bow and Stern - Official Manufacturer
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Old 12-11-2012, 05:41   #9
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

One equation that I would offer as advice to keep in mind

More systems = more time stuck on the dock.

We all have our comfort zone for what we feel we must have when cruising, but you will usually see the longer people are out there, the less equipment they feel they need to cruise safely and comfortably.

I am of the opinion that you should not buy a boat larger than you can handle by yourself. if youare passagemaking with the wife then generally you will effectively be singlehanding as one will always bee off watch. If you cant trim and reef your sails on your own without electric assistance then IMO the boat is too large.

I know many couples that after the first or second season feel they could have been much more comfortable on a 40-45' versus a 45-50' boat. There is a huge difference, much more so that what you would think in just 5 or so feet.

There is nothing worse than being stuck somewhere that you might not normally stay because it is the only duty free port or easialy accessible place for a DHL shipment of bits for something that broke...
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Old 14-11-2012, 12:27   #10
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

I agree with everything my not-at-all foolishsailing friend writes.

If the boat would be too big without thrusters and electric winches, I urge you to consider the possibility she is too big.

Keeping systems running is an entirely different proposition for people who are circumnavigating compared with those who sail in a particular part of the world, and even people who are highly talented at fixing things themselves sometimes struggle to keep up.

The more sophisticated a piece of equipment is, the less likely it can be fixed at some random location on the globe.

And until things are fixed, you don't want a boat which is more of a handful than you would otherwise have chosen.

Most sailors will disagree, especially on an internet forum. But not many sailors circumnavigate, and those who do are not generally spending lots of time online.

Evans Starzinger and Beth Leonard sail a big boat, but not as big as you propose.

They are unusual in being serial circumnavigators who nevertheless find time to spend online. I suspect the reason they have spare time is partly because they look VERY hard at each "nice to have on board item" in the light of experiences such as this:

Three-quarters of the way through our circumnavigation, we experienced one of those rare epiphanies we all hope await us just over the horizon. After five months and 8,000 nautical miles of offshore sailing, we tied up to the International dock and started fixing the boat. We replaced a broken spreader light, rebuilt all our electric pumps, repaired our broken diesel heater, re-wired our navigation station, replaced the zincs in our refrigerator, installed the warranty replacement parts for the electric autopilot…

Two weeks later, friends of ours on a 30-foot, 30-year old fiberglass boat tied up alongside us. They re-bed their forward hatch and went sightseeing. When they returned a week later, we were still fixing our boat. Just about everything we fixed, they didn’t even have aboard—and they didn’t miss it.
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Old 14-11-2012, 14:01   #11
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

After a year in the tropics, the only place I had a tan was on my butt from constantly bending over and fixing things that were under the cockpit floor.

OK., so I'm exagerating ,but it did seem that way even on a relatively simple boat.If you want to see the world you must keep your head out of the bilges.
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Old 14-11-2012, 15:17   #12
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Re: Ideal boat for Circumnavigation

Quote:
I'm astonished anyone would think this question can be answered usefully on the internet by strangers whom you haven't told a single thing about yourself.
Easy Andrew. I have the perfect boat for him. A wind powered submarine. Look... Downhill to the Canaries - Vendée Globe 2012-2013
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