Things you should have and to consider:
Solar panels and/or a
wind generator, a decent
battery bank, and a
wind vane.
Single-handers nap in the
cockpit when underway, the
cockpit seats must comfortably accommodate your body size. Your cockpit *will* need shelter and
canvas is surprisingly expensive.
Horse
power is important in the
PNW, which has substantial currents, and in the tropics where you may have to
claw off lee shores during storms, and dodge T-storms.
Anchoring is a big part of cruising, and for most
boats chain locker access means trips crawling across the V-berth.
Whether the
tanks are under the berths and seats or in the
bilge determines how much
storage you will have.
Beware, very, about metal
tanks, avoid metal holding tanks period.
Aluminum tanks have a 15 year lifespan - yes you will see older ones that appear ok, but
aluminum tanks have a 15 year lifespan - use that as a
price negotiating point and plan to renew the tank/s at some point.
Although others may disagree, I consider granny bars a requirement for going
offshore.
You got some great
advice about the three
boats from everybody so far, a few things I can add to help you:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peace_Seeker
I am very much an adventurer
|
I am too, as is my last husband (he is a wilderness guide), and none of those boats is suitable for an adventurous person and their lifestyle, *especially* the Herreshoff - that
boat is a showboat not a cruising
boat - you would spend more time varnishing than sailing.
The Bombay Clipper has a lot of beam for such a
small boat, which combined with the
outboard shrouds means it will not point into the
wind well. Add the
shallow draft and voila, a boat that will not go windward at all because there isn't enough
keel to stop the boat from slipping backwards.
Another problem with that boat is the big, flat transom - following seas will shove it all over the place. A boat that sucks no matter which direction you try to sail! It really is a
motor sailer. Those
davits are seriously inadequate for going
offshore. Substantial
davits are expensive, but even if you can afford them it is better to keep the dink on the foredeck so the transom can have a
windvane.
An average wave can
stove in the big windows and glass doors on Karelia - a glaring testament that you have no idea what you need or must avoid for a cruising boat; I second the
advice of Terra Nova - for now spend your time
learning, not boat
shopping.
Another blunt reply, sorry about that.