Never Sailed but Want to Live Aboard

[Michael s smith]

Hi iam new to the forums ( first post XD) i have never sailed before . I have a wife and a child( on the way arriving in september) and i was wondering if a 25 foot catalina would be big enough for us three.


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[oldragbaggers]

Welcome to the forum, Michael. You probably need to define what you mean by "big enough." Big enough for what?

For learning and daysailing? Absolutely!!

For weekending? I would say yes, with the baby in the v-berth (it's pretty small for two adults) and you and the wife on the two settees in the main cabin (if a traditional model).

For short cruises? Now you need to figure out what you can live with while cruising. It will not have standing headroom unless it's a pop-top model (pain in the rump), much water capacity or good working galley.

You can get a Catalina 27 sometimes for around the same price as a Catalina 25, or maybe a little bit more, but it is a lot more boat. It still doesn't have much of a v-berth but with a traditional layout you can do a filler between the settees in the main cabin and create a big berth for you and the wife. They are very nice sailing boats as well.

[simonpickard]

Never sailed but want to live aboard a 25' sailboat with your wife and baby?

I'd get off this thread. Get down to your local marina and hire a 25' sailboat for a weekend with your partner.

You'll get a better idea if this style of living is for you than ANY reply you'll get here.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Never sailed but want to live aboard a 25' sailboat with your wife and baby?

I'd get off this thread. Get down to your local marina and hire a 25' sailboat for a weekend with your partner.

You'll get a better idea if this style of living is for you than ANY reply you'll get here.

yes

[Michael s smith]

Big enough to live on lol. Me an the wife do a fair bit of backpacking so were used so sleeping on very small spaces . Ive never sailed before but iam planning to practice on lake laneir in georgia before i try the big blue wonder


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[Michael s smith]

Well simon i really dont have the funds to spend to rent a boat . Iam barely scraping by as it is .


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[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Michael s smith

Well simon i really dont have the funds to spend to rent a boat . Iam barely scraping by as it is .


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Mike - I am going to say this in the nicest way possible. If you don't have money to rent a boat you don't have near enough money to own a boat.

You've got a baby coming. Get your head down and tail up and figure out parenting and having a family.

If there is a lake in your area and you are smitten to sail see if there is any racing going on and offer yourself up as crew. Both parents need a little "me" time. Trade off with your SO and let her have her me time as well while you take care of junior.

And if this is a plan that is intended to "live" cheap as a young couple, it won't work. Boats are constantly trying to destroy themselves and require significant maintenance. And finally, 25 feet is claustrphobic. Especially in a year or so when junior starts to toddle.

OK - tough love. Honest opinion. Good luck with what you decide.

[crazyoldboatguy]

Having backpacked and cruised I suggest you consider this - a 25' boat might seem spacious but not when you are at anchor 100yds from shore. You can walk away from your campsite down the trail - you can't do that when you are on a long passage away from land.

Since you have no experience in this area and you came here for suggestions consider our input.

OTOH, you say you have little money. Not much more need be said. Go local and beg rides.

[Michael s smith]

And iam about 700 miles from the nearest beach



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[simonpickard]

"Sent from my Iphone"

eBay awaits.



Please visit my blog:
www.sailing-interlude.com

[Michael s smith]

Lol iam not to much of an ebay fan . I like craigslist but at any rate it will more than likely 2-3 years after i get the boat that ill actualy go sailing in the ocean so ill have time to practice in lakes and such iam just meeding a suggestion on a boat size.


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[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Michael s smith

Lol iam not to much of an ebay fan . I like craigslist but at any rate it will more than likely 2-3 years after i get the boat that ill actualy go sailing in the ocean so ill have time to practice in lakes and such iam just meeding a suggestion on a boat size.

Problem is that not everyone has the same comfort level. Folks have cruised in the Bahamas on Hobie cats. Other folks would not consider cruising on a boat that did not have AC and a cabin for a chef that cooked all their food and another cabin for a steward to serve the food, not to mention cabins for the crew.

As a rule the minimum size for a cruiser (especially with a wife and kid) would be 30 feet. Not saying lots of folks don't cruise in smaller boats, just that lots more cruise in 30+ feet.

YMMV

[laika]

I'm a backpacker as well and my 70lb dog and I find our 27' pretty luxurious at times (not always!). That would be a minority opinion though. Agreed that 25' Catalina would be pretty tight for a young fam, but it would be eminently "liveable" if need be and something bigger was not attainable. You would not be the first family to do it.

Either way, I would suggest going down to a marina or boatyard near you and try to talk to some peeps there. If you live near a big lake, there will likely be many daysailor / weekender boats about that size to try to poke a stick at.

Best of luck man and a pre-congrats on the little munchkin!

Ryan

[Ol Dave]

Michael, living on a Catalina 25 will have much more in common with backpacking than living on land ( unless it is living in an RV, and then it will be very similar)

Add a newborn and the problems expand quickly.

1 lack of sanitation ... I think that model uses a porta-potty that would have to be hauled every 3 or 4 days
2 no shower
3 no standing headroom ... That gets old fast
4 no proper kitchen or galley for meals and cleanup
5 limited tankage for water
6 it has no provision for heating or cooling.

You didn't mention if you would be in a slip at a marina. If you are, then these are not as important since you would have electricity, city water and maybe even showers and laundry.

Lin and Larry Pardey sailed around the world in a 25 foot boat and it didn't even have an engine. So so living long term in a small vessel can be done. I just don't think you have the right one in mind. The difference between a 25 and a 27 Catalina or Hunter is huge. You need to see the difference to appreciate it.

My wife and I sailed a very similar boat, the MacGregor 25 and found that about 4 days was it for us. You may be made of hardier stuff. Chip Giles would take his to the Bahamas for weeks at a time and wrote a book about it. Others have made modifications to make it more comfortable.

I don't know your circumstances ... But I can guarantee you that it will not be easy or convenient.

Ol" Dave





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[oldragbaggers]

Originally Posted by Ol Dave

Michael, living on a Catalina 25 will have much more in common with backpacking than living on land ( unless it is living in an RV, and then it will be very similar)

Add a newborn and the problems expand quickly.

1 lack of sanitation ... I think that model uses a porta-potty that would have to be hauled every 3 or 4 days
2 no shower
3 no standing headroom ... That gets old fast
4 no proper kitchen or galley for meals and cleanup
5 limited tankage for water
6 it has no provision for heating or cooling.

You didn't mention if you would be in a slip at a marina. If you are, then these are not as important since you would have electricity, city water and maybe even showers and laundry.

Lin and Larry Pardey sailed around the world in a 25 foot boat and it didn't even have an engine. So so living long term in a small vessel can be done. I just don't think you have the right one in mind. The difference between a 25 and a 27 Catalina or Hunter is huge. You need to see the difference to appreciate it.

My wife and I sailed a very similar boat, the MacGregor 25 and found that about 4 days was it for us. You may be made of hardier stuff. Chip Giles would take his to the Bahamas for weeks at a time and wrote a book about it. Others have made modifications to make it more comfortable.

I don't know your circumstances ... But I can guarantee you that it will not be easy or convenient.

Ol" Dave





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You hit a great point, Dave. You can't even compare a Catalina 25 to Lyn and Larry Pardey's Serafyn. And this is a mistake the uninformed/inexperienced often make. These are drastically different boats. Serafyn had standing headroom (for them...they are both rather petite I understand), it was set up with a proper sleeping berth, galley and a heating stove also I believe. It also had adequate water tanks and was beamy and deep with enough displacement to carry plenty of stores and equipment for cruising. As far as sanitation...I believe they used a bucket but they were offshore a lot. But at any rate the Catalina 25 is absolutely none of these things and even trying to put aboard the essentials it would take for a family of 3 to live aboard full time would likely compromise the sailing ability of the boat.

Michael, if you and your family are truly planning to live aboard full time, and you mention eventually taking to the "blue yonder" at some point, you really need to concentrate on finding a boat that can accommodate the necessities for survival out there which would be, at the very least, the capability of carrying adequate water and food for a family of three. And, as has been mentioned, not being able to stand up to pull your pants on is going to get very old very fast.

There are plenty of older, small, heavier displacement boats that can do what you are planning. My husband and I are teardrop campers and also do just fine in small spaces. We lived on a 24' Bristol for a year. There are small boats, and then there are small boats..... But not all small boats are created equal. Otherwise, if you're going to sit at the dock where you can use the marina head and leave the garden hose in the cockpit, at least find something big enough to stand up in.

Check out a book by John Vigor called Twenty Small Boats to Take You Anywhere (if your intention really is to cruise at some point). You will notice that the Catalina 27 is included in this book. As has been mentioned, it is a lot more boat than the 25 and can often be had for not much more cost. There are plenty of them around to be had.