questions re: blue water pocket cruiser with standing headroom

[kafka]

as per title, I am looking for suggestions on blue water pocket cruisers that have ample headroom, if such things exist at all. I am 6'4" and not having to hunch over constantly is a criteria i wont budge on. Is there a pocket cruiser that has 6'4" headroom or am i out of luck? mainly I am looking at boats that are on this list Mahina Expedition - Offshore Cruising Instruction but realize it is not the be all end all list. I have tried in vain to find headroom on a lot of these boats but the search has not produced much. in a dream world, i would like the bristol channel cutter with 6'6" headroom but dont have a couple hundred K in my budget (realistically 30-40k). The boat must be capable of ocean crossings.

to clarify: i have read more than one discussion on this board regarding the definition of a pocket cruiser so let me clarify that i mean about 33 feet or less, preferably in the high 20's though. Yes, i know that a lot of these boats will not be easily trailerable, may not fit your definition of 'pocket cruiser', ect but so be it.

thanks folks, interested to hear your thoughts if such a boat exists at all.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Kafka,
There are quite a few but the one that comes to mind immediately is the West Sail 32. Fuji and Mariner 31 and 32 can be had for much less than your budget. They are good sailers if you don't overload them with unnecessary gear. Start looking on the internet for boat descriptions under the used boat sections and you'll find a few others. yachtworld.com, sailboatlistings.com, eBay Motors are three sites that I can name just now.
Good luck in your search.
JohnL

[Cheechako]

Always liked The Fuji 32 ..... sweet little boat. Ketch or Cutter.Typical high Japanese quality from what I've seen. I think they gave up trying to compete with Taiwan during that time period. Another budget option is the Bill Garden design Rawson 30. These were built up here in the NW by Ron Rawson who built a lot of commercial fishing boats. I sailed one down the west coast to Mexico for 1.5 years. Great dry boat, sails circles around a Westsail, albeit less room. Finished more like a commercial boat inside. The Fuji is nicer inside though. I like the typical Rawson layout : Raised dinette to port and galley stbd. You can sit and have your coffee and watch the harbor. Not as heavy as the specs say, not over built, but strong enough. Available in standard trunk cabin or pilot house. The trunk cabins are inexpensive. a couple of pics I found A lot of options in that size range... Rawson 30 » Home
1977 Rawson Pilothouse Boat For Sale

[kafka]

all good suggestions thanks. Ive had my eye on the westsail 32. It has 6'2" of headroom, which is great, but still too short for me. The fuji is nice too, more of a fan of the ketch vs cutter. again- not enough headroom. the rawson pilothouse looks like a nice boat and the pilothouse concept is something i would like living in the pacific northwest.never even heard of rawson before, thanks. the 30 looks nice... headroom looks managable too, 6'-6'4". Hmmmm. any disadvantages to the pilot house? any other boat suggestions? thanks folks keep em coming.

[kafka]

hmm...this looks to be a fairly good deal by all accounts. 1977 Rawson Pilothouse Boat For Sale

is this thing blue water worthy?

[psteele235]

I have Fraser 30 similar to 1993 Fraser Pilothouse Boat For Sale

Might suit? Love the boat although I am around a foot shorter than you are!

[roverhi]

Pocket cruiser and 6' plus headroom are countermanding. A small boat with lots of headroom would be a visual nightmare. If you are willing to go larger, might check out the Pearsons. Seem to remember the P365 had 6'5" headroom but I could be wrong. Have seen a number of them advertised under $50,000.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Again Kafka,
The Rawson pilothouse looks great. They are built to handle bluewater and many have sailed over here from the mainland. I don't know why I didn't see the ad earlier. That is a good price for a boat in good condition but since the economy is going south in that area I'd offer less.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[easterly]

I am 6'4" and had a hard time finding anything under a 36'/37' boat with standing headroom. Some had 6'4" if you were standing under a hatch!

[starbolin]

Nothing wrong with a pilot house if you can find one with the headroom you need. Theoretically it gives you increased windage and less working room when reefing but I've never known the owners to complain. It seems that one is either a pilot house lover from early on or a standard cabin type depending on one's prejudices.

One additional potential advantage to a pilot house is you can put a gallows over the cabin and just drop the boom onto the gallows for a no hassle reef.

For most boat models there were fewer pilot house versions made so they may be harder to find.

[kafka]

to easterly: have you cruised for extended periods in a boat with non standing headroom and if so did you return a hunched over gimp, or was it tolerable? I dont plan to live on the boat permanently mostly because the lady likes land too so maybe i am making too big of a deal about nothing. Man it does suck being hunched over though (you 'short' sailors dont know how lucky you have it!).

I know i could get the headroom i want in a bigger boat, but am trying to avoid a bigger boat if possible and everything that comes along with it (costs, moorage, ect). I do feel a pilothouse is a good compramise. hmmmm.....

keep the boat suggestions coming folks if you know of any.

[Cheechako]

The only issue with a Pilothouse in that small a boat is the interior ends up pretty chopped up. I guess it depends on the particular boat layout. Another similar one is the Gulf (?) 32 Pilothouse. Also, a wonderful boat is the Islander Freeport 36. They hold their value pretty good though last I checked. Really nice design (Bob Perry I believe)

[kafka]

what are the disadvantages of a pilothouse sailing wise? my dad said they are not the greatest to handle in foul weather, but I have not read anything that backs that up although it seems somewhat logical. Are they not as efficient beating into the wind? would following seas be more likely to swamp because of so much access?

[funsailthekeys]

Allied makes a sound little ketch, and they are very inexpensive. I believe the Sea Wind was the first production fiberglass boat to do a circumnavigation.

[starbolin]

kafka: I've known sailors who attribute their bad backs on constant ducking in cabins. Probably be a good idea to start a program of regular back exercises.