Your 27 - 32 ft story...

[fxykty]

Not me but my parents owned a Great Dane 28 when I was a kid, living in Victoria, British Columbia. It’s very similar in cabin profile to the H-28 mentioned earlier, and slightly larger inside and deeper outside than an Albin Vega 27 (of John Neal and Log of the Mahina game).

Full keel, stern mounted rudder, lovely main cabin with a quad seating dining table. Beautiful low sheerline, and with deep bilges had standing headroom throughout. We only had a kerosene stove and lights (electrical system was just for engine starting and nav lights), but with a pressure cooker the food was good enough. The quarter berth was mine (at 9 years old) and my parents used the v-berth coastal and lowered the table for a sea berth.

She heeled a fair bit but held her course effortlessly. We sold her shortly after returning from a round trip passage and Hawaiian holiday - my 10th birthday was half way there, with fresh baked cake and chocolate/peanut butter icing (no Nutella in those days).

My parents suffered from two footitis and got a Rawson 30. That boat was not good for us - huge volume inside but relatively poor sailing. Shortly after that they jumped two generations and got a Van de Stadt 34 in rolled steel - round bilges, no hard chines. We took that boat on the trip that spoiled me for regular life, for 3 years around the Pacific from Victoria to New Zealand and back. I was 12-15 years old during that time.

At one point in Oak Bay Marina there were all the boats my parents ever owned, from a little 18 footer with cuddy cabin on dock A, a Cal 20, a 25 footer I don’t remember well, the Great Dane 28, the Rawson 30, and the Van de Stadt 34 at the other end of the marina.

[Fore and Aft]

Side swipe hot kitty have you read the Immersed blog? That family sailed their Great Dane on a fantastic voyage.
Cheers
https://schourup.net/category/sailing-chip-chip/

[Island Time O25]

My first boat 15 years ago was early 80s US Yachts 27 (same hull as Pearson 27 of mid to late 80s). Shoal draft 3.5', simple 7hp Volvo diesel, very spartan inside. But fun to sail, very spirited even in light winds. Yet surprisingly sturdy and forgiving of newbie's mistakes. Best $400 I ever spent.

Since then I had 4 other boats, one season up to 3 at same time, from 25 to 36 O'Day25, 2 Mariners 28 and Mariner 36). My personal preference for day sailing is the 25-28' range, especially with short crew. For anything longer than a weekend or with a bunch of people my choice is 36' by far.

Try to sail on as many different boat as you can hop on. Eventually you will find your personal preference which may surprise you. I started my sailing experience backwards than most people, on Cal/O'Day 39, splitting club membership with a buddy. So after about 4-5 seasons sailing that we started looking for a similarly sized boat to buy. Then life interfered, my buddy got married to a nonsailing girl and I started looking by myself. As 40sh footers were out for me cost and sense wise I grudgingly started looking at 25-33' range. After several years of tire kicking, looksee sails with sellers, etc., I came across that US27, my first boat. That boat changed my perception of under 30' boats which I initially had (not having really sailed them other than some occasional day sails on squirrely J24s and J29s at the club).

I also over the years did a lot of extended sailing on friend's 46 footer. Perfect size for offshore sailing or any longish trips but would never work for me in my situation, both cost wise and logistics wise.

[Benz]

I sailed to South America and back in a 1967 Irwin 27 with a broken-off centerboard. You can read my attempt an e-book about it for Kindle if you search "We Who Pass Like Foam"

Later I home-finished a 31' Cape George cutter and cruised it from San Francisco to Newfoundland with stops in between: you can read about part of that trip on my website/blog zartmancrusing dot com

I would not recommend the Irwin as a cruising boat. It was mostly the trip on that convinced me I wanted a full-keel boat with a stern-hung rudder. I'm still happy with that choice.

[Mad Multi]

My second boat was a J30 totally kitted out for racing, ideally with a crew of 5 but often with just me and my GF. Fun fun fun did 1500NM in her that covid summer of 2020 including lots of open ocean runs in the north Atlantic. I think we slept on board 30 or 40 nights that's year. Never went too far just up amd down the Nova Scotia coast from Halifax. Selling her now need somthing bigger to live on and chase the sun but ill miss her for sure

[bailsout]

My first boat was a wooden Kingscruiser 28’. I loved aboard, single, and didn’t sail her that much, a couple of times to Avila and on the hook for a couple of days. My next boat was an S&S Columbia 29 mark2 which was a very comfortable blue water sailor. Not living aboard her my wife and I got a lot more sailing in and a little cruising. Currently we’re sailing an H28; wood, and a modified ketch, more sailing and a tiny more cruising. I won’t go back to plastic, or single masters boats. I had as much maintenance work on my Columbia as the H28. One of the secrets is a boat cover.

[Group9]

My first sailboat in that category was a 1977 Islander 32. (I had owned a Cape Dory 25D, a Cal 25, and two Hobie 16's before that).

It was a great sailing boat, and a lot of days, after I had sold it and moved up to a 42 foot Catalina, I wished I was still in the Islander.

[thomm225]

My first monohull sailboat is a Bristol 27. I've owned it for 9 years now.

It's a very tough full keel sailboat and can be found at very good prices these days.

Many have crossed oceans and they are considered Blue Water sailboats if properly prepped.

It's my 12th boat and 6th sailboat.

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by Lexi22

................TMost folks here have owned a 27 - 32 ft monohull at some point in their sailing careers. I wanna learn about their experiences with those boats. Good, bad, or what ever they wanna share.......

The first sailboat I purchased was 1987 Hunter 31 since it fit our budget and was relatively comfortable. Great boat!! However, after the first year my wife and I wanted a larger and newer sailboat so we purchased a 2004 Hunter 386 and now a 2005 Hunter 46.

[Don C L]

Well you are welcome to check my albums. My little Columbia 29 is not in Bristol shape I confess but every time I work on her she gets a little better. Keeping an eye out for one would be my recommendation. I have a Catalina 27 right next to me, I think he may have more interior room than I do. There is a Rawson 30 next boat over. That is a lot of boat packed into 30 feet, but personally I would rather not have such a huge cockpit, concrete ballast and a hull that really plows such a big furrow. There is a Morgan 30 that just came down the coast with a young couple and a 4 year old. That's a nice solid old school boat too, with a centerboard. Those folks are now selling to move up to a bigger boat which is understandable. My friend has a Cheoy Lee Luders 30 which also seems to me a very good blend of displacement and sleekness and interior volume for a 30 foot boat. My boat's faster than all of them except for the Catalina.

[Lexi22]

So far...
Catalina 30, Rawson 30, Watkins 27, Herreshoff H-28, Caliber 28, Endeavour 32, Nicholson 32, Bodega 30, Cape Dory 31, Whitby '25,' Yankee 30, Geaat Dane 28, US 27, Mariner 28, Irwin 27, 31' Cape George, J30, Kingscruiser 28, Islander 32, Cape Dory '25D,' Cal '25,' Hunter 31, Columbia 29, Catalina 27, Cheoy Lee Luders 30...
A great list! Thank you, everyone.

[Paul Howard]

Completed a circumnavigation of the world, parents and two children 4 & 6yo at start of trip, about 44,000miles sailed over five years. Was a custom built Karmac 30 double chine steel boat that I finished from a bare hull.

[Scubaseas]

I singlehanded a Pearson 323 for about 15 years and lived aboard for about 6 years. Great cruising boat. lots of tankage, decent sailing, plenty of power, very forgiving of my lack of experience as it was my first "big" boat. Spent a fair amount of time and money getting it to where i wanted it with things like sails, spinnaker pole, power windlass, below deck autopilot, genoa cars, super insulated icebox and refrigeration, heater, bigger house battery bank and charging, etc, etc.. Very happy with the build quality, livability and overall had few complaints with her. Still have her, redoing the floor and deck non skid. Will put her in storage while I cruise a 42' new to me boat with the Admiral and two large dogs. We're a happy family but not all of us on a 32' boat.

[fred4936]

My first cruising sailboat was a Pearson 26. Great boat! I day sailed, cruised around the Peconic Bays and Long island sound, and raced it, with some success. Had it for about a dozed years. Went back to dinghies for a while, then back to cruising boats. Next was a Tartan 27-2, and now the Pearson 34-2 that we hope to retire on in two more years. The Tartan 27-2 we had for about 9-10 years, and will always have a place in my heart as well. The new Pearson has some pretty big shoes to fill, but so far doing very well.

[thomm225]

If you are looking for a list of good boats that includes 27' - 32' they are included here:

https://atomvoyages.com/planning/goo...oats-list.html

https://www.mahina.com/cruise.html

https://bluewaterboats.org/