hello from new member

[Craftsman]

Hi everyone, first post here. I just bought a new 2007 25' Airstream. This is my third and I still own a 31' Sovereign as well as my new Classic. I've always loved sailboats and the idea of living aboard while keeping the Airstream for land based adventures. My first question is: how much actual living space do you have for any given length of sailboat? In the 25' Airstream we have about 22 feet with three feet taken up by the A-frame. For an Rv this is on the small side but I find it very comfortable.

[Pblais]

Welcome to the forum. Your land yacht looks handsome and quite comfortable.

It's a bit hard to compare living space on a boat vs a trailer because you get a lot more on a boat than appears from just the numbers alone. You generally can't count the space on the roof of an Airstream but you sure would use the deck on the boat.

Spaces devoted to specific purposes like head, sleeping berth, galley are probably very close to the same. You can have a lot more width on a boat than a trailer. I think the saloon on our sailboat is about as large as a trailer might be, but if you add the cockpit (I sure do) then it probably is bigger.

The inside of the trailer is more like a box with high overhead room and square sides. A boat might have curved sides below deck and less head room. Both spaces give different illusions as far as how big they "appear".

I just can't imagine that if you are confortable with the space on your Airstream you wouldn't be comfortable aboard a boat. You may however not like the motion of the boat as of course the Airstream is quite solid in place when you are inside. You can cook while sailing but you wouldn't be inside the Airstream driving down the road.

Probably the best idea is to just try it for an afternoon then try it for a week before you make any decision. There is maybe a lot of similarities as far as land cruising and water cruising.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Craftsman,
Welcome aboard!! Hard to compare trailers and boats. The interior space in your 25' trailer is way more than a 25' boat. As Paul has said you'll need to go aboard a few boats of different sizes to get a feel for what you're comfortable with.
Good luck in your quest for both worlds.
Kind Regards
JohnL

[delmarrey]

What you are contemplating is what I did for some time in San Diego.

To compare space, it really depends on the boat. But to take a wild guess on a production boat I would say a 36' sailboat or a 30' powerboat. They both have the same voltage systems (12/115v) but the boat world is more technical.

If you take the best trailer out there and multiply the craftsmanship over many times, that's the structure of a boat.

The problem with boats is you just can't pull over to the side of the road. If something goes wrong or the weather gets extreme one has to know how to deal with it on the spot or get stuck out in the water. And that could be disastrous depending on the skill level of the crew and/or the quality of the boat.

The other problem with boats is keeping dry. Any cloth material will get musty if not aired out regularly. Metal objects have to be maintained, including stainless steel. Electronics are subject to corrosion. Waste has to be managed, trash or sewage. Food/WATER storage and use has to be monitored.

There are many differences but yet the same. The travel, sights and meeting people are synonymous. But depending how far you travel these can be completely different on a boat.

And last, with boats the spending of $$$ can be a shock if not prepared to dedicate whole-heartedly. It's like taking on a spouse............................._/)