Ahhh, this sailboat is just right

Phil Herring

Alien
Mar 25, 1997
4,918
- - Bainbridge Island
Goldilocks had been a delivery skipper and dock rat for years. Straits of Malacca, Cape Horn, Point Conception -- you name it, she'd sailed it.

But today she was wandering the Three Bears Boatyard in Providence, checking out the yard candy.

The first boat she saw was a 55-footer made of wood. Goldilocks said, "Nice, but that boat is too big."

Hiding in its shadow was a 17 foot ACP daysailer. "Interesting," thought Goldy, "What are all those cracks? But whatever, that boat is way too small."

Then she saw it at the end of the dock. A gleaming 37 completely refit for blue water cruising. She climbed aboard, stood at the helm, and said to no one in particular, "Now this... this is just right."

Late that day she met a guy named Yogi and moved in with his family. But that's not important right now.

Were here to talk about your boat. Is it too big, too small, or just right?

[Limit: one bear pun per reply.]

goldy.jpg
 

FDL S2

.
Jun 29, 2014
469
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
Mine is just right.

Bear with me while I explain why...
I've owned her for 8yrs, bought her in good shape and along the way I've upgraded a few things (lines, winches, rope clutches, traveller, stereo, outhaul, downhaul for the jib and boomkicker) and fixed a couple things (chainplates). I know how she performs and what is still needed. Comfortable cabin with portapottie, decent sized v-berth, fridge etc allows me to camp out if I want.
At 24' she is a big enough for my lake and set up to be very easy to singlehand. I'm happy with my suite of hank on sails and have no desire to add a furler. With a 1300# fin keel and a 4' draft she points great, is stable and predictable.
I have no need for a bigger or newer boat.
 

Attachments

RussC

.
Sep 11, 2015
1,578
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
25' length and 8' beam suits me to a bee.
small enough to easily single hand, trailer, and launch but big enough to spend a few days on..... which I plan to do starting early tomorrow morning ;) . I could always use more speed, but thats a completely different fairy tail.
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Our current boat is just right, a Tartan 3800; but then, our previous boat, a Catalina 36, was just right, too. That's the size we like. Substantial, easy to sail with two, or even one, all the systems one might want, and enough room for a couple to join us on occasion: full height aft cabin.
 
Jan 2, 2017
765
O'Day & Islander 322 & 37 Scottsdale, AZ & Owls Head, ME
My 32’er is perfect for Lake Pleasant, AZ, particularly with its 30” bowsprit. There are a couple of C36ers next to me that seem to large for here. I daysail with one crew and occasional guests. If I were cruising with another couple it would okay (if I really liked them), but for more than that it would be cramped.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Our Hunter 30T is perfect for us for several reasons:
  • Shallow draft for our shallow reservoir
  • About as heavy as our club crane can handle (bearly) :)
  • great cabin space for 2, Including A/C for our 100+ summers
  • sails easy with furler, all lines led aft, Dutchman, autohelm for single handing
  • great cockpit with huge bimini for socializing
 
Oct 30, 2017
183
Catalina c 27 Lake Pueblo
our Catalina 27 is a bit to small for us.

only in the sleeping aboard part. we have made a bed that converts the salon into a huge bed. I just hate setting it up every night. We sleep aboard every time we go sail.

Everything else is great, she is wonderfully easy to sail singlehanded and a great size for the lake we are on... I just don't want to have to set up and break down the bed everyday we are out.
 
Nov 21, 2007
631
Beneteau Oceanis 34 Kingston, WA
Luxuriously just right, for my wife and I. Having not started sailing until we were in our fifties in Olympia, we took lessons on a Catalina Capri 22 (our favorite boat as members of the Island Sailing Club, in Oly). When we bought our first boat, it was a Beneteau First 285, and it was also perfect for us, from Budd Inlet in the south sound all the way up to a three week round trip from Oly to the San Juans. But, we wanted to go further. So, we jumped up not just one, but two boat sizes, to a new Oceanis 34. Which is nearly double the displacement of the First 285, and we think, twice the living space, as well. The result is a boat that isn't just comfortable for us, it's luxurious. We feel like we're living like royalty on our short cruises. We no longer do "the boat dance" as we move about, and we love the stability in stronger winds and currents. There is ample performance (like we'd "know" performance...), it's convenient enough for impromptu day sails, and the two of us can still handle sailing anywhere that we want to go.

Having had the opportunity to think about it... each of "our" three boats and been just right for us, at different points in our sailing lives!

2018 iPhone - 26.jpg
 
Dec 7, 2018
3
Oday 23 Marina Del Rey
Have to agree: when you step up to a bigger boat from a smaller one, it's like trading in your smart car. :)
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Really? Who can drive a Smart Car in LA traffic and not be terrified. :yikes:
You have to trade up. :clap:
It is the only way to go.:)
 
  • Like
Likes: NYSail

NYSail

.
Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
Started with a Cal 34-III... what a dream! Then onto a Pearson 36-2...oh my what luxury! But wait, as our motivations have changed a Beneteau 423 reared its pretty head. Great tankage, visibility from the helm, sails like a dream, lots of nice cruising conveniences making it easy for two people to handle, moderate draft, plenty of stretch out room for those many days away from home... life is so far pretty good!
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
I have sailing friends - a younger family - that just made their second step in boat ownership.

A family of four, typical coastal sailors (weekends/vacations), that gained 10 years of family sailing experience in a 24', tiny, Stonehorse.

2 boys now in the middle range of life at home (1 to 20 years). There is 10 more years of family sailing in their future.

They (she - the more experienced sailor), picked a 50 year old Hinckley Pilot 35.

She wanted a classic boat.

I think this was a wise choice for them. They paid a bit more up front for this boat than most older boats of similar size. Knowing them, I know the extra quality in this build will pay dividends in use as this boat will require less costly repairs and return a high quality of life on the water.

The Pilot fit them to a T. A real seagoing boat on deck with a commodious, safe cockpit for 4, and side decks to move around. Down below, a seagoing galley that fits like a glove after 10 years on a 24'er. Storage galore that only coming from a 24'er can you appreciate.

The brothers instantly claimed their own pilot berths. A place of their own with personal storage with plenty of space between the two of them. The parents have their own cabin and can walk through, finally,,... from stem to stern.

Their sailing horizon now expanded, the Hinckley Pilot is up to all to the adventure this family sees ahead.

Grace_.jpg
 

DougM

.
Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I bought a Beneteau 323 in 2004. At the time it was affordable and fit our wants and needs. I still have it nearly 15 years later. My regret then was that I didn’t buy the 36.7 that was beside it.
Life has changed dramatically. The kids are grown and gone. The admiral passed a couple of years ago. The new love of my life is more cautious on the boat.
The 323 is still proving to be the right choice for me. Its easy to sail single handed and has been relatively easy to maintain.
There are things I could probably have done differently with more big boat experience (and more disposable income), but everyone can probably say that.
It looks like I have one major project ahead because the boat has started to exhibit the typical Beneteau interior finish peeling that a number of owners have encountered. It would be a good winter project if I wasn’t a thousand miles south of the boat then.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
I bought a Beneteau 323 in 2004....
+1 to Doug on the B323. Mine is 2006, had it since new. I sail in a singles club and have different crew for weekends and day sails and get rave reviews. My money was well spent.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Goldie Locks was out exploring the possibilities of the boating world one day when she came upon the marina district of Woodsville. It was a cute little revitalized old port neighborhood called Hidden Harbour. Hidden Harbour was filled with a collection of quaint cottage industries, restaurants advertising home made porridge, chair makers, and a mattress warehouse. There were also three yacht clubs that Ms. Locks decided to try and sneak into, just to see if it would be worth her applying for membership to;).
The first YC GL came across was the Hoity Toity Yacht Club (HTYC). It was very large and filled with mega yachts, members in blue blazers, white slacks, and sockless leather deck shoes. Goldie easily snuck in by acting like she belonged and everyone else were just people she had to put up with.
The bar was quiet and a maitre d' asked GL if she would like a table on the lanai, out by the pool, or in the formal dining room. GL was impressed, but she wanted to try their members free boats out. You know, just to see if it was worth her becoming a member:wink:.
It was odd, but there wasn't really much going on down on the dock. There were plenty of boats and lots of members around, but no actual boating going on. Goldie Locks decided she would have to take matters into her own hands and started talking to some of the younger wives. There weren't many young people at all and it appeared as though she was the only single woman.
Ms. Locks managed to con a couple into inviting her and some of their friends out for a trip around the bay. Lucky she brought her bikini.
The trip was a desaster, one woman's husband insisted on driving, that he was the only one with actual maritime experience. He then proceeded to show-off how cool he was for GL.

It was horrible. This was not for her at all. Too incompetent, too noisy and too smelly.
After stopping at the Woodsville, Hidden Harbor Urgent Care Clinic for a quick MRI of her head, she decided the Captain's Chair Sculling Club might be more her speed. Afterall, there was a considerable amount of beefcake walking around there.
Goldie flirted her way past the front lobby and into the main club house. Where to next, the gym? Nah, the hot tub? Maybe, but she really wanted to see the boats. As soon as she walked out to the boat shed, there was a collection of about 16 muscully men in tiny shorts and tank tops getting a couple of shells ready for a row.
They spotted her and all called her over. The hard part was there were actually two crews and each wanted her to be the caller. Goldie Locks only weighed in at 102 lbs, you see.
They wanted her to sit where:eek:? Oh! Spelled with an 'X'.
GL picked a team and become her team's coxswain. This would be fun.
As it turned out, there was a lot more to being the team coxswain than just shouting "STROKE, STROKE, STROKE". With eight strong young men, Goldie Locks could get to like rowing, but...

How do you steer?
Ok, the actual boating was a disaster, but the MEN!
when they got back to shore, Ms. Locks tried to smile and make a little flirtatious eye contact with some of her burly crew members. No takers. They just seemed to pair up with each other and head off to the locker room. It was the couple at the end who kissed just before disappearing through the club doors that enlightens GL.
"Damn! What a shame." She muttered to herself and went to try the last yacht club.
The HC Anderson Yacht Club was a sailing club. They were of modest size and while everyone there was appropriately dressed, dress was casual. GL could appreciate that. She certainly fit in better than at the HTYC. Now to catch a ride on a boat.
What beautiful boats?! The curves, the masts all softly singing in the wind. Goldie just had to find her way onto one and try it out.
No problem, there was a convenient bar at the club where a notice for crew was posted. There was something called a "beer can race" going on.
After talking with a couple of potential captains, she elected not to jump aboard a race boat. The friendly captain then introduced her to his friend who was just going out for a sail to watch the race and could use an extra hand to tend the jib sheet. Great!
Goldie Locks went for a sail. It was peaceful, gentle waves, friendly mariners, all the elements of boating that appealed to her. Even the captain was good looking.


Goldie was discovered, but the club didn't really mind since she ended up actually becoming a member.
THE END.

the moral to this tale is, the perfect boat, for me, is the one I'm on, as long as it's a sailboat.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem
Apr 12, 2007
175
Hunter 420 Herrington Harbor South
Having had the opportunity to think about it... each of "our" three boats and been just right for us, at different points in our sailing lives!
Have to agree with SoSound
I have had 3 Hunters (still have one) and each time was just right for my desires (needs :)) at the time. The 27 was perfect for learning to sail. She was on the Potomac River 20 min from my home so lots of sailing time. Nice cabin for occasional overnights and very easy to sail solo. Ex wife is not fond on sailing. Upgraded (both boat and wife) to a 386 on the Chesapeake Bay. Many more destination options and experiences and only 45 min away from home. She loves the water and sailing and we have spent almost every Mar to Oct weekend + cruising the Bay. Very solid boat, good speed with all the amenities desired; full galley, fridg and freezer, A/C, asymmetrical, dual cabins, full electronics, etc. We loved the interior design and look. Excellent boat for what we wanted at the time. Now we have a 420 center cockpit. Love this one too. Master cabin is like a home bedroom. Of course larger everything with additional upgrades and still retains the "semi-classic" look we like so much. Very solid sail and additional speed. Higher freeboard takes some getting use to as does sitting way up there :) with a view. We don't seem to feel the heal as much as before. Must have something to do with being further away from the water. Full enclosure is nice when dodging those afternoon thunderstorms and of course for those late fall early spring sails. Not a racer or blue water sailor so being on the Bay with countless destinations for cruising makes our Hunter 420 Passage "Escape" perfect for us.