Storage Capacity Woes

[reprieve]

With my departure date looming just 3 to 5 years away, I have yet to really settle on the boat I want as my new home. Storage seems to be issue I have grown most concerned with. I guess my question is: Are there any other boats out there with the same storage capabilities as an Island Packet IP38? I do love just about everything about this vessel, but are there other options? I love the look of a Morgan 43/45, but I have yet to find one to tour. What is its storage capacity? How about the Gozzard 36, the Cabo Rico 38, the Caliber 35? Does anyone have any info about any of these boats or know where I can find this information?

[Dulcesuenos]

Everyone is different, I know 2 different Ip38 owners one loved his, lived aboard 4 years thought storage was great. Another younger owner i know wants a larger boat. We looked at a 44 csy and thought it had great storage,

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[zboss]

Its all in how efficiently you use it. How many people do you need to feed? Of course a larger boat will probably have more storage but if you don't exercise extreme sensibility will you may find yourself back in the same situation.

We now know that our CR38 holds a lot (this is a new discovery) but when we transitioned aboard our we really thought it was just going to be too small. Then we got the brilliant idea to stop trying to cram in everything and instead just focus on managing the space efficiently.

Our biggest realization is that we probably don't need 1/2 what we brought onto the boat in the first place. It doesn't sound like a lot but when you have 6 different kinds of shampoo and matching conditioner, or powertools for every imaginable situation, you really find yourself in a space crunch.

We now have enough room to easily pack our boat with 6 to 9 months or more of food (not including beer but including meats)... but WHY? We have decided that keeping 3 months of stock is more than sufficient and allows us the opportunity to stock up when convenient.

You probably have enough room but you won't know it until you live full time on your boat for at least a year.

[MarkJ]

You are asking about a very set group of boats all with restricted storage. You could look at the myriad of more modern boats that all have more storage. And probably cheaper too.

Dont get set in your ways even before you have bought the boat.

I disinctly remember a female yelling accross the anchorage that she prefered my boat vastly over the one her husband bought. Both he and i were incredibly embarassed... But she was right. Their boat was a Cabo Rico.


Fwiw

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, reprieve.

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

You are asking about a very set group of boats all with restricted storage. You could look at the myriad of more modern boats that all have more storage. And probably cheaper too.

Dont get set in your ways even before you have bought the boat.

I disinctly remember a female yelling accross the anchorage that she prefered my boat vastly over the one her husband bought. Both he and i were incredibly embarassed... But she was right. Their boat was a Cabo Rico.


Fwiw

So true. The other thought is that living on a boat and living in a house are two different things. But even living in a house, how much "stuff" do we really need or use? I subscribe to the "less is more" philosophy.
There are more storage facilities in the United States than there are Starbucks and McDonalds combined. They are all filled with "stuff" that the owners do not need or use and in most cases have forgotten that they even own. Eliminating clutter from your life is a very liberating thing to do.
Find the boat that you really love and then take what fits. IMHO deciding which boat to buy based upon it being able to hold a lot of stuff you don't need isn't the best idea.
"Less is more".

[cortezsailor]

What type of storage are you referring to? Water and fuel storage capacity or personal, food etc storage?



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[zboss]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

You are asking about a very set group of boats all with restricted storage. You could look at the myriad of more modern boats that all have more storage. And probably cheaper too.

Dont get set in your ways even before you have bought the boat.

I disinctly remember a female yelling accross the anchorage that she prefered my boat vastly over the one her husband bought. Both he and i were incredibly embarassed... But she was right. Their boat was a Cabo Rico.


Fwiw

To MarkJ's point... I've found that a good measure of storage capacity is the length on the waterline vs. the length on deck. Generally speaking, a boat that is 38 feet on deck and 27 feet at the waterline will be much smaller inside with less capacity than a 38 foot on deck at 30 feet at the waterline. It may not seem like it on paper but those extra three feet can make a huge difference.

[a64pilot]

If you like the IP 38, why not get one? Yes many are old, but well cared for, some are trashed I'm sure.
Storage was a very big reason we got ours, although I can tell you storage at that level is a double edged sword. with that much storage, finding what you want is not that easy, I need to obviously come up with a system.

[barnakiel]

If your stuff does not fit into an IP38 then ... you want a yacht, not a sailing boat.

Look at LWL x beam x depth of the canoe body. Tall topsides add volume too. Displacement comes to mind.

Boats like Westsail 42 seem to offer huge volume. Look them up.

b.

[reprieve]

Thanks to all for your comments.