The Ideal live aboard monohull sailboat for two people

[Stede]

Hey all you cruisers, I want to find the ideal live aboard for two people. You've "been there,done that" so please contribute your input into this poll. Thanks!

[Jack Tar]

The right reply is there is no Ideal Boat.

You will know what is right for you when you have done your homework and found the boat that you think is right for you. Whats right for me is not right for you. There are to many factors involved. Price, life style, type of use, how much you can live with or without. Living in the North during winter or living in the south. Type of sailing you enjoy or length of trips you may plan to take. Now you might have asked what boats we have or what boat we like but you can go on forever with regards whats best. Visit Boat and Yacht Sales, Buy Boats and Yachts - YachtWorld.com and have a look at the following manufactured boats. HansChristian, BaBa, West Sail, Hardin, Formosa, Cheoy Lee, Alberg, Cape Dory, Vagabond, those are some of my preferances. You might also go to Seafaring and talk to people there. Personaly I prefer my Formosa for comfort and space. She is a regular floating condo.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Steede,
Check out the thread, "Questions from a total Noob." Pretty much getting a bunch of recommendations there.
Jack is absolutely right. A boat is a very personal choice. Best thing to do is to experience as many as you can for a few hours at a time with the thought in mind, "Could I live with this?"
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[dkall]

Just a side note. Westsails are one word as a boat not two. You can find out loads of info about them at WESTSAIL - WORLD CRUISER YACHT CO. and WOA Web Site

Good luck, looking for and dreaming about boats is half the fun.

[Tim Schaaf]

All the caveats about different tastes are true. However, it has always seemed to me that there is no purpose in living aboard, if you don't take the boat out sailing. And, to do so on a regular basis, there is a lot to be said for a smaller and simpler boat. It is true...most of those having most of the fun, do so on smaller boats. Those on bigger boats tend to take them out less often, and are more confined to marinas and technical assistance. So......get the simplest boat that is just a little bigger than the minimum you can live with...and enjoy. Oh, by the way, this is from a liveaboard cruiser of 23 years, spanning a 33 foot monohull to a 45 foot cat.

[AnchorageGuy]

This certainly won't be everyones choice but it has been ours for 17 years
Voyages of Sea Trek: About The Boat

[rebel heart]

You can check my blog in regards to Hans Christians / Union Polaris. I'm partial to boats of these breed, but I also like salty-crunchy peanut butter, which I think is also a minority. Go figure.

[Sandero]

Most who will reply here haven't lived aboard enough boats to provide a comparative analysis. And as others have said there are so many considerations.

I am an architect and if someone were to say what is the ideal house for a family of 4 I simply can't answer. Perhaps you can see how this sort of question needs so many "qualifiers" before you can even attempt to answer it. And then there are so many subjective factors which make one boat ideal for one couple and another ideal one another couple.

Having said that, I have lived aboard my Contest36s alone, with a GF and now a wife and have almost no complaints. No matter how good the boat is, there is always something I would want to change.