Largest boat couple can handle

[David Mathis]

You want the biggest boat you can handle . . .in what weather. . . just to have the biggest boat? You have a 70', you're two days from the nearest harbor and one of you gets sick, really sick, too sick to help with the boat. The wind increases to 25 with gusts to 35, maybe 40. Now you discover the tremendous difference between handling your 70' boat and controlling a 45-50' boat. For two people, a mid 40s has a lot of room, finding a dock and getting to it is much less of a problem, anchoring takes much less effort, you're less likely to run aground and if you do getting free is much easier. Get the boat you're most comfortable with rather than the biggest you can handle, unless you want to remain at the dock. In that case, the size is limited only by your wallet.

[wrwakefield]

Some very inspiring friends of ours cruise half of each year in their 100 ton 94 ft ketch with aplomb. I can see two bald eagles- each claiming one of their masts- from my winter slip.

They tell us that docking is the most challenging task with just the two of them onboard [the bow thruster has its own diesel engine- which is also the auxiliary limp home and 40kw generator engine...]

They are both in their 9th decade of enjoying life.

They do a great job, and the boat is beautiful. With great humor they explain they weren’t looking for anything that large when the boat found them.They sail the same challenging waters we do and cross the Gulf of Alaska in conditions that would keep us waiting.

See an archived listing on: https://www.northropandjohnson.com/y...ackwray-yachts

He even wrote a short book with plenty of humor and wisdom entitled Cruising a big sailboat - shorthanded. [He also wrote a cruising guide to Kodiak Island; in 2015…]

Be inspired. Most limits are self imposed.

Cheers, Bill

PS: They do all of the routine maintenance and upkeep themselves.

[BobFord]

I can only contribute with multihull experience. As a 'retired', couple ,our multi was custom designed for retirement . Heavy (30 t ) ,lot of sail ,all electric winches etc. Main features for ease of handling -Gori props ,plenty of engine power ,back-up power for winches , alternative system for anchor windlass.Designed to be beached for easy underwater access.Good workshop compartment for most d.i.y. repairs.Size of vessel is no problem with good maneuverability.Challenging failures , so far , Ghoster reefing line jammed in drum , 3000sq.ft ,luffed in to wind and bailed up as it dropped . Tough but I survived ! Windlass failing-rigged line and hook to main sheet drum , slow but doable. My opinion - personal fitness ,back up systems ,experience by both parties.

[Eder]

I dunno what all this stuff is about dragging sails over the deck....who does that off shore? I had a hard enough time dragging my butt into the cock pit.

[donradcliffe]

I had this conversation with the founder of a large chain of chandleries when he wanted to buy a boat to cruise around the world. He showed me the brochure of an 85 ft boat the broker was recommending to him. I told him that his wife couldn't pick up the fenders on that boat without help. He settled on 65 ft, but always took at least 3 crew.

I went across the South Pacific at the same time as a couple on a C&C 60. He fell trying to get the mainsail cover on in a rolly anchorage and broke 3 ribs.

[Moana Bella]

We have a 50 footer, and I would say that's about as big as I would be willing to go. We are early 60's and pretty fit and strong, but still - everything on this boat is big, strong and heavy. Upside is that it probably holds together better, but when things need replacing it is heavy going.
I find that when we are at sea, I am so glad we have a sizeable boat, because she handles the sea state well. I imagine 60-75 footers would be even better in that scenario - as long as nothing breaks.
However, when we pull into a marina, I inevitably find myself wondering why we have such a big boat??? We don't have any bow thruster so a cross-wind of 15 knots or above makes docking "interesting". She's too high to simply step off, so you need to become good at shouting for help dockside, and lassooing a dock cleat - throwing a line into the wind. Yee Haa!!
Marina berth availability and cost is certainly a consideration for over 50 footers, as is availability of large lifters when you need to haul out.
And have you considered resale? 60 foot and above is too much boat for most people, so your market to sell is small.
Personally I would be thinking more along the lines of what is the smallest boat you would be willing to go with. Remember the more space you have, the more crap you will accumulate, and then the inevitable culling we all need to do becomes a sizeable chore.

[Don C L]

Are you really shopping for an Oyster 65 or Swan 70? I don't want this to sound condescending but have you been on either of those yet? I crewed on a boat that was very similar to a Swan 70. It was a very fun boat to sail! She had breathtaking speed. But it takes a crew to bring out that performance safely. If anything goes wrong with all the electro-mechanical advantages you will need, it will be a very big problem, probably an emergency, especially for 2 people. It's a 90 foot mast and if you ever have to deal with the sails, 2 people can't handle them safely on the deck in any kind of wind IMO. (We didn't have roller furling and we had to handle the headsails. Of course you won't have to unless something goes wrong with the furling.) I suppose if the mechanical advantages are very reliable and you sail very conservatively and choose your weather really well, it would be great. I tend to imagine the worst case scenarios at 3am. It was a wonderful boat, but I'd personally never consider owning one unless I always had at least 4 other people aboard. That's just me based on my one experience with the boat, ymmv.

[Networker]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Are you really shopping for an Oyster 65 or Swan 70? I don't want this to sound condescending but have you been on either of those yet? I crewed on a boat that was very similar to a Swan 70. It was a very fun boat to sail! She had breathtaking speed. But it takes a crew to bring out that performance safely. If anything goes wrong with all the electro-mechanical advantages you will need, it will be a very big problem, probably an emergency, especially for 2 people. It's a 90 foot mast and if you ever have to deal with the sails, 2 people can't handle them safely on the deck in any kind of wind IMO. (We didn't have roller furling and we had to handle the headsails. Of course you won't have to unless something goes wrong with the furling.) I suppose if the mechanical advantages are very reliable and you sail very conservatively and choose your weather really well, it would be great. I tend to imagine the worst case scenarios at 3am. It was a wonderful boat, but I'd personally never consider owning one unless I always had at least 4 other people aboard. That's just me based on my one experience with the boat, ymmv.

We were looking at an Oyster 62, current owner uses crew, but I was thinking maybe we could handle it. Owner doesn’t recommend it. We’re 3 years into sailing, so not experts, but feel we are becoming competent.

We’re a young couple 31 and 46, circumnavigating and about to have a baby. We have a 2000 Beneteau 40 CC which is perfect for us, I know the boat well after 3 years and trust it. After getting rocked in storms this season and given the tight quarters and cockpit, we thought with a new baby it would be dangerous to walk with it when in heavier seas (we can barely move around ourselves and fall sometimes, holding a baby in that might be impossible) and the baby would have no play area in the cockpit. So I’ve been looking at larger boats or cats.

Based off the feedback and knowing our skill set, the Oyster62 is probably too much boat to handle and learning it while having a newborn on board will he overwhelming, especially if something goes wrong.

One thing we’re looking at now is a Catana 582. People always sail that 2 handed and it’s got the room we’re thinking we’d need. No clue if it’s also too big but we’ll visit a few just to see.

[Kettlewell]

One thing we’re looking at now is a Catana 582. People always sail that 2 handed and it’s got the room we’re thinking we’d need. No clue if it’s also too big but we’ll visit a few just to see.

Where will you be sailing her? Keep in mind your masthead clearance and what bridges might limit where you can go.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Networker

Hi, knowing the community and what the default answer will be, may I ask what is the largest boat a couple can handle, and what prevents a couple from handling a larger boat then they can handle.

The default answer will be, “if you don’t know, don’t buy that boat”. Since I know that’s an unhelpful answer, please keep it to yourself, I’m trying to learn.

I'd guess the default answer is more likely "it depends."

One set of issues is all about layout and how a boat is set up... not so much length per se. A 50' XXXX might be much easier to handle than a 40' YYYY, depending on details like power winches, deck access (and/or clutter), visibility, etc.

If you don't get sufficient leads here... then in addition to this, you might ask in a new thread for recommendations for "largest sailboats a couple can easily handle" (or some such) and see what folks might suggest. And why.

-Chris

[Loredo]

We've sailed a 50 footer for 15 years and are now in our third year with a 57'. "We"means my wife and myself. Instead of "why do you want" bla bla, let me try to provide you a few more serious thought's.
First and most importantly, central of aft cockpit? When docking consider that with a central cokpit the helmsman has very limited ability to handle lines. Simply because the cokpit is too far away from the stern. With only a couple on board,normally one is at the bow the other at the stern for line handling. At the helm, manouvering, who remains? Secondly, the main sail. What most people forget is that a longer boat almost always comes with a higher boom. With a traditional mainsail, how do you get to the mainsail that's maybe 8 feet above the deck? Now add a spray hood and a bimini below the boom... How do you get to the main sail??? Doable? YES! But at what price? My answer is a furler mainsail. In mast or in boom, you decide but furler it has to be.



Up to about 60 feet, most everything can still be powered with electric winches...whatever. Above that, most likely hydraulic units are needed. Hydraulic comes with it's own set of "problems" and maintenance. A lot of 70+ footers have most of the time their generator(s) running. A hydraulic bow thruster requires more power than an electric pump can provide. That power comes from a PTO on the generator. +/- same goes for powered winches and windlas. If an always running generator bothers you or not, only you can decide.


Another consideration one needs to do are the forces that come into play with boats above 40'. On a 40' some things can still be done even without a winch, manual winches are still OK. With a 50' you can't do anything without a winch and at least one electric unit starts to become handy. @ 60' you start looking at some of the most powerful electric winches and possibly all of them electric. From an economic point of view, the obvious, everything is much more expensive. A small example, a new halyard. On a 40' you might be OK using a 10mm low stretch one. Cost's you 200 bucks. On my 57' the halyard for the Code 0 is a 18mm dyneema and since we also needed a 2:1 system to get any decent tension on the sail... Cost me more like 1500 bucks. Don't underestimate the costs running anything above 50'!
(In some ways I did!) In addition to the above, general rule, then bigger the boat stuff, then less likey you can buy "off the shelf" most everything that needs to be sized for the boat needs to be ordered. With all this said, I would not go back to a smaller boat. The motion in the sea is so much more confortable, the speed, the storage...


Hope this helps a bit making an educated guess what a big boat get's you into.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

I looked at the listing Bill. That’s bigger than some retirement homes we have been scoping out for Kirsten’s mom!

Originally Posted by wrwakefield

Some very inspiring friends of ours cruise half of each year in their 100 ton 94 ft ketch with aplomb. I can see two bald eagles- each claiming one of their masts- from my winter slip.

They tell us that docking is the most challenging task with just the two of them onboard [the bow thruster has its own diesel engine- which is also the auxiliary limp home and 40kw generator engine...]

They are both in their 9th decade of enjoying life.

They do a great job, and the boat is beautiful. With great humor they explain they weren’t looking for anything that large when the boat found them.They sail the same challenging waters we do and cross the Gulf of Alaska in conditions that would keep us waiting.

See an archived listing on: https://www.northropandjohnson.com/y...ackwray-yachts

He even wrote a short book with plenty of humor and wisdom entitled Cruising a big sailboat - shorthanded. [He also wrote a cruising guide to Kodiak Island; in 2015…]

Be inspired. Most limits are self imposed.

Cheers, Bill

PS: They do all of the routine maintenance and upkeep themselves.

[Montanan]

Big winds, small sails.

Big boat, no sails.

There is the simple guidance.

A competent couple can handle a large motorized vessel.

Sails add a lot of complexity.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Smokeys Kitchen

I looked at the listing Bill. That’s bigger than some retirement homes we have been scoping out for Kirsten’s mom!

Hey Ron,

Your thought makes me wonder if it could be certified as such. Wouldn’t it be great to have Medicare subsidize your cruising? <Big smile>

Cheers, Bill

[Carlr]

We went through this decision process just a few years ago. We had a Hatteras 72MY. It needed 1 paid crew to help manage the boat.

We decided to downsize. Arrived a a conclusion that a Fleming 58 was met the requirements. Going on 4 years with the Fleming I believe we made the right call. And we’ve got 1100 hours on it. Perfect! (For us).