Living aboard a Cargo Schooner

[Scot McPherson]

It may be a Ketch by pure definition, but it's sure schooner like...I'd have no issues if you called it a schooner.

[Warren149]

Great dream , but if you really want to do this don't wait. Buy any boat and go cruising. Do you want to build a boat or sail a boat? Very different dreams. I'm approaching g retirement and have been working and sailing all my life but sailing away now is much harder. Don't wait .

On another note does anyone have recent accurate information on the 'WN Ragland' Neil youngs 101' Baltic schooner. He sold it in 2011/12 to Wallace yachts who sold it on and it got dismasted and made it to San Francisco where the story gets odd. It was seen a couple of years later motoring Mastless at the AC races there.
Later in 2015 there was a daily mail web article about Neil and Ragland in santa barabara with masts .
Did he buy it back? And rebuild it ? Or was it old info?
I heard he sold it originally as he was sick and could no longer look after it. I also hear it is in Oxarnad ca but who can provide accurate info. Nothing on wiki or Neil's website .
Thanks a lot Warren

[Artif]

Go now
Charter Boat - MFV Honestas | eBay


A little inspiration
http://www.sailvega.com/

[fuentes]

Originally Posted by picklesandjesse

Well, it's great to see someone with a spirit of adventure and the attitude to go with it. 30 years ago in Australia when I was in my early 40's and the skipper of a brigantine, I met and later married a Canadian tourist who was a passenger. We soon had a child and continued on with a cruising life. In Victoria BC at the time we came upon a small brigantine called The Spirit of Chemainus alongside a dock. Had our photos taken next to her. This was in 1989 and the vessel was 4 years old. I remember thinking what a great looking vessel she was and how it would be fun to sail the world and have our son aboard and educate him along the way. To be financed by picking up backpackers etc, share expenses.
5 years later, the same boat had been sold and was in a sad state sitting on the end of a dock at Gabriola Island BC. She was taking in water and needed a fire pump twice a day to keep afloat. The engine was going under each day too. The rumor was that she was full of shipworms as she was planked with yellow cedar. I had no idea if this was true or not. We contacted the lawyer who was entrusted with the sale of the boat by the Japanese owner. He asked me what my offer might be and I replied maybe $100,000. His reply is not printable here! The boat had cost close to $1,000,000 to build and the owner was hoping to get 3 to 400K for it.
About a year went by and I talked to the lawyer every few weeks, I think he was billing the owner, surprise !!Then one day he called and said the boat was in danger of sinking and would be towed to Victoria and hauled out. It could be inspected and offers could be submitted, many other potential buyers would be present. I was welcome to come and have a look. There were 3 people there, the lawyer, the Australian shipyard manager and myself. The shipyard manager produced a live worm from the other side of the boat and said he'd dug it out near the horn timber. Looked a bit suspicious. He wanted the boat I later found out.
The boat was refloated 2 days later after putting in some caulking near the horn timber, they had missed a few inches when she was built and that was the source of the leak. I made an offer of $70,000 Canadian for her with 10 days to decide. He accepted 12 days later, poor bugger, so it was renegotiated for $55,000. So dreams can come true or so I thought. We pulled the motor out and dropped in a Gardner 5LW that I had. Not that easy really, took all winter. The money had run out so I contacted a business friend from Australia who was a wheeler / dealer type. This was to be a partnership....... big mistake !! I had seen some of his other deals and should have known better. He ended up owning the boat and I got my money back but kept my wife and son and our property. Never again. We kept our 37ft boat and continued cruising.
I see that The Spirit of Chemainus is for sale for about $300,000 US now. I had seen her for sale for about 800,000 euros a few years ago. She's in Europe, would be a great buy for $55,000!! maybe not.........
All the best with your dreams, you can make them happen, mostly. If you Google Spirit of Chemainus you can see her. Still has the Gardner, we painted it red !!! Was considered very uncool, must be Gardner Grey !!

With friends like this, what do you need enemies for?

[fuentes]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Good call! Nothing clarifies better than experience!

Glad to see you made it back to Mexico. Welcome back! take care and have a nice day.

[buzzstar]

P&J- Good story. Thanks!

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by Warren149

Great dream , but if you really want to do this don't wait. Buy any boat and go cruising. Do you want to build a boat or sail a boat? Very different dreams. I'm approaching g retirement and have been working and sailing all my life but sailing away now is much harder. Don't wait .

On another note does anyone have recent accurate information on the 'WN Ragland' Neil youngs 101' Baltic schooner. He sold it in 2011/12 to Wallace yachts who sold it on and it got dismasted and made it to San Francisco where the story gets odd. It was seen a couple of years later motoring Mastless at the AC races there.
Later in 2015 there was a daily mail web article about Neil and Ragland in santa barabara with masts .
Did he buy it back? And rebuild it ? Or was it old info?
I heard he sold it originally as he was sick and could no longer look after it. I also hear it is in Oxarnad ca but who can provide accurate info. Nothing on wiki or Neil's website .
Thanks a lot Warren

.
Isn't it odd? We all know the owner of the boat does no so much define the boat as the boat defines the owner. Yet we all are interested in stories about boats owned by famous people.

[Fouryears]

I live on board this Tancook Whaler replica, that I built ,its a bit small at 48 feet ,but was the biggest I could manage at the time and place.A great expérience.I manage her singlehanded,have sailed all of Asia,and rounded Good Hope twice. Dont listen to naysayers They are a plague everywhere in life and usually try to présent as experts,despite never having done anything in life.Also, the best places to cruise l'île Madagascar and Philippines there are few marinas,son length is not often a problem.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Fouryears

I live on board this Tancook Whaler replica, that I built ,its a bit small at 48 feet ,but was the biggest I could manage at the time and place.A great expérience.I manage her singlehanded,have sailed all of Asia,and rounded Good Hope twice. Dont listen to naysayers They are a plague everywhere in life and usually try to présent as experts,despite never having done anything in life.Also, the best places to cruise l'île Madagascar and Philippines there are few marinas,son length is not often a problem.

Beautiful !

There is an asthetic to traditional vessels that is unmatched by modern designs.

[Fence Man]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

You need to be a good welder to build a steel boat, but not certified. I have been welding since I was 8 years old and in the business, but never certified. (72 now).

Exactly. I'm not against proper education, but I sure don't need a permission slip to weld up a boat.

To the OP.....Pierce Aluminum isn't far from you, and they have a nice 24' (might be bigger?) CNC brake. Frank is a whiz when it comes to figuring boat parts.

[Fouryears]

Thank you.In Madagascar there are still hundreds,if not thousands ,of working sail,sans moteur. Incredible to sée,beautiful.Agréé with you regarding modern designs. Departing South Africa for Madagascar in the next few days, not much time for forums after today.

[Pauls]

Aground, you're a capable guy. Building your boat will be an adventure. I've built a 38' and am midway thru the build of a 42' gaff cutter which I'll retire on. Building a big boat will require you to confront a multitude of problems, learn a host of new skills and details. It will enable you to have what YOU want, and at the end of the day, having built it, you will have a confidence in the boat born from intimate familiarity with what's in her and and how she's put together.

Tom Colvin designed scores of working sail boats, the size you're looking for is in the middle range of his designs. Many schooners. Colvin spent years in his youth as a working seaman in commercial sail, became a full fledged naval architect, owned a large yard that built his boats, and designed something close to 200 boats, many of them commercial sail. He died a few years ago. I'd imagine his family has his designs.

Michael Kasten designs steel schooners, he has some boats in your size range.

A couple recommendations - plans which include a disc which allows for CNC plasma cutting of the plates will save a lot of time and ensure accuracy in the fit. If this is possible it is well worth it.

If you can buy your plate wheel abraded and primed it is well worth it. Eliminating, or at least minimizing the amount of blasting required before painting is a good thing.

If gaff rigged, consider steel spars. If the correct size tubes are available steel spars will be same weight for the same strength as aluminum. Advantages are that they hold paint much better and fittings can all be easily welded to the spars without weakening them, as is the case with aluminum. If the spars are sealed - ie caps welded on at the head and foot - then there can be no rust on the inside. This was very common construction in the latter days of commercial sail.

Good luck to you!

[category4jay]

Originally Posted by Pauls

Aground, you're a capable guy. Building your boat will be an adventure. I've built a 38' and am midway thru the build of a 42' gaff cutter which I'll retire on. Building a big boat will require you to confront a multitude of problems, learn a host of new skills and details. It will enable you to have what YOU want, and at the end of the day, having built it, you will have a confidence in the boat born from intimate familiarity with what's in her and and how she's put together.



Tom Colvin designed scores of working sail boats, the size you're looking for is in the middle range of his designs. Many schooners. Colvin spent years in his youth as a working seaman in commercial sail, became a full fledged naval architect, owned a large yard that built his boats, and designed something close to 200 boats, many of them commercial sail. He died a few years ago. I'd imagine his family has his designs.



Michael Kasten designs steel schooners, he has some boats in your size range.



A couple recommendations - plans which include a disc which allows for CNC plasma cutting of the plates will save a lot of time and ensure accuracy in the fit. If this is possible it is well worth it.



If you can buy your plate wheel abraded and primed it is well worth it. Eliminating, or at least minimizing the amount of blasting required before painting is a good thing.



If gaff rigged, consider steel spars. If the correct size tubes are available steel spars will be same weight for the same strength as aluminum. Advantages are that they hold paint much better and fittings can all be easily welded to the spars without weakening them, as is the case with aluminum. If the spars are sealed - ie caps welded on at the head and foot - then there can be no rust on the inside. This was very common construction in the latter days of commercial sail.



Good luck to you!

Paul’s
Thanks for the Michael Kasten reco. I have not heard of him before but I really like his designs on his website. Are there any other designers that are out there like him that we may not have heard of before?