Living aboard full time/Crossing Pacific

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by capnJ

The quickest easiest tell for a blue-water boat is to ask if the cross-section of the hull has a white wine glass shape, or if it has a red wine glass shape. The whites spread more gradually as they rise, thus giving a softer landing on waves. The reds are more popular, easier to build, and probably faster. But if the builder goes to the trouble of making a white wine glass hull, you know he is focussed on the blue water experience.

My wine glasses are 20oz red plastic cups, for both red and white wine.

[mfahrenthold]

For $100,000.00 you should get a fully equipped boat including solar, refrigeration, etc., ready to sail away to Tahiti. That's a lot of money. Here in Texas we buy boats all the time for around $20,000.00 then put $10,000 in them and go anywhere in them. Stop worrying about everything and buy a solid built boat with good sails and start sailing and equipping her. Stop making plans and start doing it. Catalinas are great boats, very roomy. I just sold a good Mariner '36 with sails for $12,500.00. You don't need a 45' boat. Everything will cost more. Stick to 36' to 40' max. The couple who bought my fully equipped Islander 36' for $22,000.00 are still cruising the Bahamas 8 years later. Read the Pardey's books and get cruising.

[tomtriad]

It might be a good idea to charter or crew aboard a sizable ocean sailing vessel before you take the "plunge" of ownership. Two serious ocean cruising wannabees I've met and shared some sailing with discovered that they get seriously seasick having had no idea they were susceptible. And yes, they were prepared with proper gear, some inshore sailing experience, and even meds. Both decided that the aquatic life was not for them. Just sayin....

[hellosailor]

I've been on boats, as I'm sure most of us have, where even a two foot chop made the boat jerk and lose momentum and shake everybody up. And other boats, that just sliced through without complaint.

Boats that rounded up (and not because of trim errors) and lost all rudder control, because the rudder was too shallow to hold versus a heavily heeled boat. Boats that can turn in their own length and boats that needed two or three boatlengths to do it.

To just say "buy a boat and go" might be very well for the Bahamas, but if I were looking to buy a boat that *would* be needing to counter weather and make long runs, I'd sure as hell like to find out how a few differed. You want to buy a horse? A Kentucky quarter horse and a Clydesdale are both "a horse" but you can't use 'em both quite the same way.

You can start by looking at EU category ratings, Cat1, the top, really still doesn't say long use ocean cruiser. You can look at PHRF ratings to see if one boat will get you into port a half day ahead of the other. Or various "comfort" ratings, or the sail area to displacement (SA/D) rating to see if one or the other stands out.

And then there's the rig. One couple taking a boat anywhere overnight will mean each nightwatch is a solo watch. Can the boat be easily handled solo? Can it be easily handled with two? Or maybe, someone doesn't want to leave the wheel to adjust running backstays.

The OP may not be looking at these things, but they make huge differences. And pretty much can't be changed or improved.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by 100k budget

>>>>>>>>>>>>
I dont need opinions on my choices, just boats!

We could list boats until we're all tapped out and it wouldn't help you at all unless you actually saw them.


Try books: Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts


https://www.amazon.com/Desirable-Und...s=books&sr=1-1


Find out what really works and then find a boat that has those features.


Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook is very good in that regard, too.


Good luck.