Old vs. NEW Sailboats for Cruising

[Joli]

My wife and I sail a 45 year old boat, we decided to refit this one rather than buying new. We like the boat and although it’s an old and very heavy boat it’s quick and easy to be aboard, although athletic to sail.


Here are the stats from NS to MDI last month. The trip was close reaching in 20~30 from anchor up to mooring ball. We did have to take our foot off the accelerator about 15 miles out of Maine because of lobster pots. The density of pots in Maine is insane.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Joli

My wife and I sail a 45 year old boat, we decided to refit this one rather than buying new. We like the boat and although it’s an old and very heavy boat it’s quick and easy to be aboard, although athletic to sail.


Here are the stats from NS to MDI last month. The trip was close reaching in 20~30 from anchor up to mooring ball. We did have to take our foot off the accelerator about 15 miles out of Maine because of lobster pots. The density of pots in Maine is insane.

What size boat is this? 13.1 knots?? Do you think the large currents in Maine might have played a teeny tiny bit in these numbers?

How was the boat rigged? What sails up? Beam reach to the prevailing Southwest winds?

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by Ibetitsthisway

- buy the outmost seaworthy boat you can afford - with no compromise in seaworthyness!

I'm being a bit black and white here, but this is usually not how the world works since we do compromise with almost everything, all of the time, don't we?

A lot of people are killed or injured each year in accidents involving cars and bicycles. Usually it's the cyclist who ends up hurt. Still, we humans do go out cycling more and more, because it's fun, it is good exercise, it's ecological etc etc. I don't wear a helmet, since it feels funny. Well, sometimes I do, but generally not.

So that's my personal compromise.

On the other hand, there is more and more regulation trying to make cycling safer. And awareness programs and whatnot trying to educate both car drivers and cyclists to increase safety.

In the boat manufacturing industry there are CE ratings. I think the path towards standardization and widely accepted norms is a good one. It makes it easier for the consumer to make more educated decisions about what risks he/she wants to take.

[Ibetitsthisway]

Originally Posted by mglonnro

I'm being a bit black and white here, but this is usually not how the world works since we do compromise with almost everything, all of the time, don't we?

A lot of people are killed or injured each year in accidents involving cars and bicycles. Usually it's the cyclist who ends up hurt. Still, we humans do go out cycling more and more, because it's fun, it is good exercise, it's ecological etc etc. I don't wear a helmet, since it feels funny. Well, sometimes I do, but generally not.

So that's my personal compromise.

On the other hand, there is more and more regulation trying to make cycling safer. And awareness programs and whatnot trying to educate both car drivers and cyclists to increase safety.

In the boat manufacturing industry there are CE ratings. I think the path towards standardization and widely accepted norms is a good one. It makes it easier for the consumer to make more educated decisions about what risks he/she wants to take.

While standardization often comes in handy, I dont see why it helps people make decisions about their risk levels..

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by Ibetitsthisway

While standardization often comes in handy, I dont see why it helps people make decisions about their risk levels..

Well, for example, I want to sail somewhere I know it's likely to encounter waves with a significant height more than 4m, then I know the risk level is higher if I decide to sail with a CE category B boat than if I'd go with a category A boat (all other things being equal).

B - Offshore: Boats designed for offshore trips in conditions where wind force is smaller than 8 and where waves reach heights smaller than 4m.*)

(This is the previous definition, I think. The current is worded a bit differently and has dropped the 'offshore' title.)

[Joli]

Originally Posted by Chotu

What size boat is this? 13.1 knots?? Do you think the large currents in Maine might have played a teeny tiny bit in these numbers?

How was the boat rigged? What sails up? Beam reach to the prevailing Southwest winds?

Tacking out of Shelbourne NS we had favorable currents, about 2 knots, which helped getting around the southern tip of NS. Crossing the Bay of Fundy the current seemed to be negligible. We sailed with a #3 and a full main, winds were up to 30 apparent wind speed, the point of sail was just cracked off from beating. My wife was on watch 3-6 am and did not wake me during this time, this is when we had 30 apparent. I assume we were sailing in the low teens at this point. The sea state was under 2 meters and the heavy fog cleared prior to closing with Maine.
The boat is a 1974 C&C 61, 65,000#’s with good sails and a decent bottom. I included our track to simply show older heavy boats can be fairly quick. There are good buys on the market for a fraction of the price of new.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Joli

Tacking out of Shelbourne NS we had favorable currents, about 2 knots, which helped getting around the southern tip of NS. Crossing the Bay of Fundy the current seemed to be negligible. We sailed with a #3 and a full main, winds were up to 30 apparent wind speed, the point of sail was just cracked off from beating. My wife was on watch 3-6 am and did not wake me during this time, this is when we had 30 apparent. I assume we were sailing in the low teens at this point. The sea state was under 2 meters and the heavy fog cleared prior to closing with Maine.
The boat is a 1974 C&C 61, 65,000#’s with good sails and a decent bottom. I included our track to simply show older heavy boats can be fairly quick. There are good buys on the market for a fraction of the price of new.

Thank you!

Your post is much more interesting to think about with that background information. That sounds like a very nice passage maker.

I'd agree. If I don't choose the catamaran in my "which boat to keep" dilemma, selling both and going with something like yours with nice waterline length for speed is a thought I've been having.