When you realize you need a bigger boat!

[adirondackbob]

Re: When do you wish you had a smaller boat?

Joe, a few years ago my wife and I bought an O'Day 23 to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We had never sailed, and 23 feet seemed quite large to us. After four seasons (during which we mostly daysailed because although the cabin was cozy, it was tight enough to make a weekend aboard feel like camping), we did a week-long sailing school aboard a 43-foot Dufour to earn our bareboat certification. That same summer we sailed with some friends aboard a 38-foot C&C. That fall we bought our Catalina 30. After the sailing school we knew we wanted more than daysailing, and we knew that cruising aboard our 23 wouldn't work for us. The C30 is perfect for us.

One thing to consider is where you sail. We had our 23 on Lake George, which really doesn't support cruising. When we bought our C30, we moved her to Lake Champlain, which does have lots of cruising opportunities. The drive from home to the boat is twice as far as Lake George, but we actually sail much more now. Most weekends we spend aboard the boat, which means we usually sail at least two days--as compared to Lake George, where we generally sailed one day on the weekend.

There are pros and cons to having a larger boat (as a few others have suggested), but we have never regretted our decision to but the C30.

Good luck.

Bob

 

[GeorgiaBII]

When you get the bill for your slip / own the dock no bill

When you get the bill for your winter storage / trailer back yard thank god

When you get your maintenance bills / do my own... still hurt!

When you paint the bottom / ouch ruined my good mood with that one!

When you mail your monthly boat payment / Paid cash and still paying see above!

hehe

 

[BobM]

On the bright side....

hehe

My feet don't hang off the end of the berth and I can pee standing up! I also get to go out an play during small craft warnings because she isn't a small craft.

 

[FastOlson]

My feet don't hang off the end of the berth and I can pee standing up! I also get to go out an play during small craft warnings because she isn't a small craft.

"Small Craft" for weather warning purposes are said to be craft under 60'. Or, so I have always been told.
And, peeing while standing up (or attempting to do so) is the major reason for stinky messes in the head compartment on all boats. Unless at the dock, we require all head users to do their business sitting down. (!)


As for sleeping, well designed boats as small as 20 feet can have perfect-length sleeping surfaces for sailors well over 6'. When in doubt, try to find out who designed the boat and his height.... designers have an innate tendancy to design around their own size...


L

 

[anchorclanker]

I actually determined I wanted a bigger boat before I ever owned one. I'm going to fix this one up good, learn as much as I can with it, and hopefully trade up to something I can stand up inside, that has a diesel inboard, that I can trailer.

 

[onecoolair]

Just get a boat big enough that the master stateroom bed allows you to get out on your own side of bed at any any time of the night you wish to go pee. With out having to waking her up and ask her too move out of the way, only to have her rush up and hit the head first leaving you standing there doing a dance. Or as a last resort you have to run up on deck butt naked to pee off the back of boat!!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Joe, you don't let any moss grow on your projects, do you ... Now that you are moving up to a larger boat, your next step will be moving up to a larger body of water! I know what it's like to be confined in small areas and it is making me stir crazy ...

Your pace seems to be pretty rapid ... I'm giving you until next spring before you start thinking about where to go next!

 

[joes new addiction]

True, so true!
I'm already thinking Lake Ontairo as my home base, (my buddy with his "small house"" at Clayton N.Y. keeps sendong me pics of the water, the sunsets, the slips etc.)
The problem is I have is a guy I know has a '25 Oday wasting away in his yard for free, (which was my first choice when I started sailing but thought it was a B.F.B to have in the yard til I fixed her up)!
Everytime I see Jerry or Jim they ask me when I gonna go pick it up!
I'm gonna TRY to sell "Fever Dream" then look at this Oday. If she doens't go, then the sailing Gods have desided I should be on her and I'll continue to "tweek" (my fravorite pass time, "tweek" til I ruin it)!!
I've found that fixing up an old boats is as much fun as raising the sail and stealing a piece of wind.....
I've noticed ALOT of boats sit idle at my marina, (I dunno why, if I had a payment on a boat or a nice(er) boat), I'd be sailing the fiberglass off them, or at least motoring out and having lunch on her, rather than letting them bob @ at the dock!
Joe
I had 2' itus the minute I went for "wannbe sailor" to "almost sailor"!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Idle boats

\
I've noticed ALOT of boats sit idle at my marina, (I dunno why, if I had a payment on a boat or a nice(er) boat), I'd be sailing the fiberglass off them, or at least motoring out and having lunch on her, rather than letting them bob @ at the dock!

I've been sailing for a loooong time and I don't understand it either.

I just go use my boat. They're the ones that are missing all the fun.

 

[anchorclanker]

According to the previous owner mine hasnt left the slip in about 4 years. Hoping to get her out this weekend (maybe?)

There is another boat up there the companion way is falling apart. Its kind of a fan shape panel, but some of the teak boards are falling in. I shudder to imagine what it looks like inside, mildew, mold.....motors probably sitting in water. And paying slip rent all year, year after year too. Kind of like those old airplanes you see at some airports that havnt moved in years, and paying tie down fees.