What EXACTLY is a "blue water boat"?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Maybe we should break this into "boats you'd like to take following a longitude line" and "boats you'd like to take going downwind following a low latitude line." The boats that can go pole to pole would probably be of a slightly different caliber, perhaps what some are calling bluewater.

That’s an “ expedition yacht “ largely custom built often aluminium. Increasing fin keel and fin ( or partial skeg ) , crazy money.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by CatNewBee

Bluewater implies sailing in warm regions of the tropics along the trade wind routes, not up to the poles - that would be expedition boats.

Ah! Now we're getting somewhere. We're finally pinning down the term "bluewater!" In that case John Letcher's "Island Girl" and Victor Shane's Piver Nugget are clearly bluewater boats verging on expedition boats!

Maybe better to go back to what Wingssail was saying? Maybe a better thread is who is a bluewater skipper? Or what is bluewater preparation and put the hulls on the back burner?

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by TeddyDiver

Don't remember but he was here on CF or BDN some years back. The grid/liner got loose of the hull and he was stuck in Papeete as the manufacturer told him they don't cover as the boat was not designed for extended BW duty..
I have not seen most of the "AWB's" been advertised as true blue water boats, I think they carefully avoid stating excactly that..

To get an easy (and quite fun) understanding of the difference; Beneteau is one of the better built AWB out there (yet, way below Catalina imho). But for an understanding of the recent years build quality and the separation of the frame from the paper thick hull at a Beneteau 49, watch Expedition Evans YouTube channel from the beginning. https://youtube.com/c/ExpeditionEvans

Focus on the findings once the entire frame and bilge has been exposed under the gelcoat and all removed interiors, keel etc... There was a whole thread around it few months ago here.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by DeValency

To get an easy (and quite fun) understanding of the difference; Beneteau is one of the better built AWB out there (yet, way below Catalina imho). But for an understanding of the recent years build quality and the separation of the frame from the paper thick hull at a Beneteau 49, watch Expedition Evans YouTube channel from the beginning. https://youtube.com/c/ExpeditionEvans



Focus on the findings once the entire frame and bilge has been exposed under the gelcoat and all removed interiors, keel etc... There was a whole thread around it few months ago here.

Yes but it’s a boat that suffered bad damage and then repaired by you tubers

Some AWBs don’t use full hull liners. Beneteau make a point of using them.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by DeValency

To get an easy (and quite fun) understanding of the difference; Beneteau is one of the better built AWB out there (yet, way below Catalina imho). But for an understanding of the recent years build quality and the separation of the frame from the paper thick hull at a Beneteau 49, watch Expedition Evans YouTube channel from the beginning. https://youtube.com/c/ExpeditionEvans

Focus on the findings once the entire frame and bilge has been exposed under the gelcoat and all removed interiors, keel etc... There was a whole thread around it few months ago here.

Expedition Evens took a broken Beneteau and turned it into not a Bluewater boat, but an Expedition boat (although I would have done some work on the rudder bulkheads too).

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Ah! Now we're getting somewhere. We're finally pinning down the term "bluewater!" In that case John Letcher's "Island Girl" and Victor Shane's Piver Nugget are clearly bluewater boats verging on expedition boats!

Maybe better to go back to what Wingssail was saying? Maybe a better thread is who is a bluewater skipper? Or what is bluewater preparation and put the hulls on the back burner?

Don, you read my mind.

Here goes

[IslandHopper]

Blue water = Open Sea, wherever that Sea maybe....

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

Expedition Evens took a broken Beneteau and turned it into not a Bluewater boat, but an Expedition boat (although I would have done some work on the rudder bulkheads too).

Ahaa… and what exactly has been done to the typical charter boat by the very smart and really talented Evans, that made her an “expedition” boat? 🙂 — that’s apart from the owners YouTube channel name…

Imho- their boat’s bottom now is stronger and way better integrated than when she left Beneteau production but otherwise you can’t turn a Fiat 500 to a Toyota 4Runner (or pick up your favourable comps), no matter how many layers added and how well you rebuild the bottom.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by DMF Sailing

I think my point in posting that was that Ina Gadda da Vida sounds like bad weather, but I'm like three metaphors and references too deep.

Maybe but this covers the whole I think from the very light conditions of the breeze and seas just coming up say to the rougher stuff later on.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsOUcikyGRk

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by DeValency

Ahaa… and what exactly has been done to the typical charter boat by the very smart and really talented Evans, that made her an “expedition” boat? — that’s apart from the owners YouTube channel name…



Imho- their boat’s bottom now is stronger and way better integrated than when she left Beneteau production but otherwise you can’t turn a Fiat 500 to a Toyota 4Runner (or pick up your favourable comps), no matter how many layers added and how well you rebuild the bottom.

True, the 500 is stronger though and they did a 4x4 version at one time

Boat strength is not about hull thickness that’s merely weight

[jamescandelori]

Add every Hans Christain boat built to this list.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by jamescandelori

Add every Hans Christain boat built to this list.

OH, you mean boats like Rebel Heart...

Jim

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

OH, you mean boats like Rebel Heart...

Jim

"Most boats are lost not because of one mishap but because of a cascade of small failures and errors."

^ That quote from the Slate story of Rebel Heart goes back to the 'bluewater skipper' thread.

Incidentally, and this is a digression from the 'blue water boat,' but the argument discussed in the story about whether it is responsible to take a young child on a boat is in itself interesting. I have lived in places where, statistically speaking, it was far more dangerous to take the subway with your child, or stay at a resort hotel, or even drive to school, than it is to take a child on your cruises, if you know what you're doing.

(I say all this as someone who grew up cruising on a boat with a skipper who knew what he was doing)

[PaulCrawhorn]

Kids should be able to ride public transport alone, from 6-7 y.o.

[thomm225]

The Mahina Blue Water Boat List is still active.....updated April 2021.

http://mahina.com/wp-content/uploads...e-Cruising.pdf