Why Not The Bayfield ?

[hpeer]

I have one of these. They were sold as bare hulls and owner finished so the fit out varis a lot.

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/199...urray-8151465/

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Speaking of which, the underbody of Spray looks a lot like the Bayfield 36. Shallow keel, but very long. Worked for him. IIRC he notes in his book of the tenderness of Spray...? ......and just deals with it.

Yeah... that's where my boat departs from Slocum's. The Rafiki-37 is a full (I mean FULL) keel, but despite her classic lines, is not very tender,

Personally, I prefer to walk upright, or only at a slight incline, than to fight angled gravity on longer passages.

[Drummer79]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

I really think you two are going to drive yourselves nuts trying to figure out which is going to be your "perfect" boat. And of course you probably already know there is no such animal.

My very best suggestion ? Buy a Cape Dory 30. Just do it now. There's probably one close enough. They have great re-sale value, there are many of them out there, and when you don't want it anymore you can easily sell her.

Get a CD30 - or something similar - that's in good shape and that you can sail right now - and go sailing ! All the sailing you can. Spend nights aboard, spend weekends aboard, spend long vacations aboard. Sail away from the dock and stay aboard all the chances you get. Good weather, bad weather. Sail, sail, sail and spend the night. Sail through the night even, taking turns. You just gotta do it !

Go. Do it !

And let us know how you're doing along the way. We'll be here !

I've been reading the many threads you've started and questions you've asked as well, and I agree with the above. maybe not a CD30, personally i know nothing about those, but My first boat was a Cal 29 that i got for 2800 dollars, it hadn't seen water in at least 5 years, and i worked on it for two on weekends in Virginia, because naive me didn't think about that 250 mile radius for shopping meaning a 4 hour drive to Deltaville, Va, or a 4 day motoring the ICW to get her home. She was a pile, admittedly, i brought it home like apolo 13 because I was terrified she'd burn to the water line if i left all the hack wiring hooked up lol. But i made it. Thought i was gonna die that first day when the tiller broke in the Chesapeake baym right at the intersection of two shipping channels, but I got her fixed, and made it to Washington NC.

I've got a link to a blog type story I did on the trip if anyone cares to read it, but back on point. Personally, I like Cal boats. I've done my research on them during the time i had the first one, they're built like tanks, except the beam of death posibility, I'm now in process of buying a Cal 31 to replace my Cal 29. There's a Cal 31 up in Maryland right now for about 12 grand, not that far from Canada, and if the one I'm looking at locally falls through, I'm driving up there to look at that one. To me, They're just great boats, but maybe i'm biased.


But regardless, don't let all the billion what if's cause you to do nothing at all. My Cal was a project and a half, scary as hell, but adventure of a lifetime, and a story nobody else can tell, and that can't be taken away from me. That's waht it's all about.
https://www.boats.com/sailing-boats/...al-31-8037546/

[Fore and Aft]

I knew a guy in Kingston Ontario who sailed his Bayfield 32 or 36 out to Bermuda then down to the Caribbean and then back to Kingston. The boat was not in the best of shape but he made it.
Cheers

[El Pinguino]

One point for the OP that was alluded to before.
Faux clipper bows and bowsprits may look nice but....

While the interior space available to you is a product of the real hull length you will pay and keep on paying for those overhangs both up the front and - if you have a dinghy in davits- down the back.

I don't know about the US or Canada but many of the bits of the world that I have been to typically charge a lot more for boats over 12 metres/39.4 feet than they do for yachts under 12 metres. Even if they have a sliding scale the cost just keeps on going up.
One simple example here where an extra 2 metres is going to set you back about $NZ150 more per month.
https://marsdencovemarina.co.nz/marina-berths/rental/

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I don't know about the US or Canada but many of the bits of the world that I have been to typically charge a lot more for boats over 12 metres/39.4 feet than they do for yachts under 12 metres. Even if they have a sliding scale the cost just keeps on going up.

This is one of the reasons I always suggest that people go with the SMALLEST boat that they can live with, not the biggest boat they can afford.

Figuring out what you actually need, and then want, is the hardest part about boat buying. We're all seduced by going with the biggest we can afford. But approaching the boat-search from the other side will force you to understand what you really need.

Unfortunately, it's hard to know what you really need until you've spent some time living and cruising on a boat. This is why I usually suggest people get as much real experience as they can, before getting locked into ideas about "the perfect boat."

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

I knew a guy in Kingston Ontario who sailed his Bayfield 32 or 36 out to Bermuda then down to the Caribbean and then back to Kingston. The boat was not in the best of shape but he made it.
Cheers

Not exactly the most challenging Bluewater passages if taken in the correct seasons.

[Fore and Aft]

AinA which brings me to the point that anything that floats has the potential to cross an ocean.
Ping your not wrong, one slipway I work at got new owners and they started measuring every boat they picked up out of the water. It was a way to pick up extra revenue. That Benny 40 with davits and a prodder suddenly got an extra 5 feet or so tacked onto their hardstand bill. They seem to have stopped it recently as there was more than one complaint when I was present.
Cheers
https://www.surfertoday.com/kiteboar...e-powered-boat

[boatman61]

The thing to remember about boats where newbies are concerned is a boat's living space is not set by its LOA..
Take the Bayfield 32c.. its LOA is 32ft with a 10ft 6" beam.. sounds great, almost roomy even..
However the reality is living space is set by the lwl which is 23ft x 10ft beam.. now subtract say 7ft for the cockpit area and you are down to 16ft x 10ft internally in which to fit beds, toilet, galley, seating/eating area and storage spaces. I tend to discount the tunnel called a berth under the cockpit and use it for storage.. or in your case.. the kennel..
Most sitting rooms are bigger.

[hpeer]

My 33’ steelie has 70 gallons of diesel in the keel, which means the settees are open for other storage. Which translates to more comfortable living.

With all the above factors I suspect you could see one 33’ with 50% more useful area and storage than another 33’ boat.

Which is why I thing LOA is a pretty weak measure of a boats size. If you must look at a single parameter displacement is better. But best to look at a number of factors including layout. I looked at a 50’ deck saloon (on line) the other day. Beautiful boat, nice big saloon up. But below it was just a tiny companionway connecting 3 cabins, none of which would be comfortable long term sleeping quarters. Great boat for someone, just not this long term liveaboard couple.

[pcmm]

Here is a Bayfield 36. Looks very similar to a 32c but has a bathtub!

[nwdiver]

I know of a Bayfield 29 that left Vancouver 20 years ago, it is still wandering the South Pacific, I think French Polynesia these days.

[ohdrinkboy]

I met a couple with a Bayfield 29. They said "she's a pig (slow), but we love her. Just don't ask us to back up."

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "Just don't ask us to back up."

Hm... Just a matter of technique, really :-) And how fast do you expect to go on a 21 foot LWL?

TrentePieds

[VanIslandGuy]

We owned a tall rigged 32c for 10 years and sailed it exclusively on Lake Ontario. We described it as the perfect couples boat for cruising, decent for 2 couples for a weekend, or three couples for a day sail or dinner.

The good....

Very easy boat to sail, quick on a close reach to a run. The cutter rig and smaller sails make it very easy to keep the boat balanced. Sailing a cutter well is a little more challenging than sailing a sloop at times, but ultimately the experience will enhance your sail trim skills.

Deep safe cockpit. In really rough weather you will feel snug and safe.
Lots of handholds above and below decks.

Low side decks made it very easy stepping off onto a dock.

Very dry boat, even when heading close hauled. You never get any pounding or water washing back on the dodger. On nasty weather days, my friends who had C&C's, and other racer cruisers all wanted to sail on my Bayfield as it was always well sorted and dry.

The shallow draft (under 4'), and full keel meant we got into lots of shallow anchorages, and knew that our prop and rudder were well protected from skipper errors. Thankfully we never struck bottom.

The teak interior if well maintained is really beautiful. Same with the teak exterior.

The bad...

Close quarter manoeuvring was far more challenging than any monohull with a fin keel and spade rudder. The helm in reverse is more of a suggestion than an order. You will learn to get comfortable using spring lines, and will likely try to find an outside slip to make life easier.

Storage, and tank space is limited but it is decent for a 32' boat from the 1980s.

The 15hp 2 cylinder yanmar was really noisy. I spent hours using sound foam, adding rubber seals, trying to eliminate noise and vibration. The B32s that had the 3 cylinder option were much quieter. You will sail more as the engine noise is super annoying.

When all the sails are set perfect and you think you're close hauled sailing 35 degrees off the wind ,you are only in reality 50-55 degrees or so because the shallow keel doesn't reduce the leeway as much as a deep keel boat. Upwind passages are slow compared to similar length racer cruisers. However the slow passage will likely not have anyone getting seasick, and the boat won't be pounding into the waves.

The exterior teak looks awesome but takes time to maintain.

Overall we loved the boat and selling it was really hard. (letting it go, not finding a buyer) The boat would be fine to go to the Caribbean and back, or from Vancouver to Mexico. It would be a great stepping stone boat to see if you really love sailing without going broke, and in a boat that is safe and manageable for a single handed or couple sailing.