Boat size

Jackdaw · Jan 13, 2016

Boats are EXACTLY the same as houses and cars. Simply, own (or use) the the one that is right for that time in your life.

We are not Vikings. There is no expectation that you need to be buried in your current boat. I'm always amazed to see people here try and perform unnatural acts to their boats in order to make them fit a purpose that were not intended for.

Just get one designed for your current (and near-term future) needs.

I love my current boat(s). But I am 100% sure that they will not be my last. Because my needs will change.

centerline · Jan 13, 2016

Jackdaw said:
I'm always amazed to see people here try and perform unnatural acts to their boats in order to make them fit a purpose that were not intended for.

it doesnt amaze me a bit... im even a strong supporter/participant from time to time. sometimes it works out great, and sometimes we have to try again

.

Meriachee · Jan 13, 2016

Jackdaw said:
We are not Vikings.

Speak for yourself. I always wanted to be able to drink that much and hit stuff with sticks.

RoyS · Jan 14, 2016

There is one other consideration. I was once out in a 27' fighting a 30 knot wind and choppy seas. It was extremely difficult and took all of my attention to hold a course. I happened to look up and observe a 40 something footer passing with about six people in the cockpit casually drinking wine in stemmed glasses oblivious to the weather conditions. I recalled the remark from Jaws, "We need a bigger boat."

Jackdaw · Jan 14, 2016

Meriachee said:
Speak for yourself. I always wanted to be able to drink that much and hit stuff with sticks.

Plus being able to call yourself a Berserker. That's worth something.

wufibugs · Jan 14, 2016

I just love Windmistress for coastal cruising. Right size, right amenities, easy to handle, accommodating in the slip or at sea, and the size of the hole in the ocean into which I have to pour money is manageable. But when I retire to Florida, gateway to the Carib where I can entertain the kids and corrupt the grandchildren, I can't avoid a Cat. Being able to sentence them to 4 widely separated sleeping areas yet having a commodious dining/gathering area for the survivors, a spare motor, and walk on/walk off access for these old knees is hard to beat. As more and more of them come out of charter, their prices are falling. By the time I am unyoked from workaday world . . . .

uncledom · Jan 15, 2016

Wufibugs is planning on going to the dark side. Hurry! Someone find Yoda.

jk

Bob 04 H260 · Jan 15, 2016

I agree different boats for different wants and needs. We have owned boats from 16 ft to 26 ft to the 35 ft we now sail. We find the 356 Hunter easy to sail short handed with a 110 jib and in mast furling mainsail. Plenty of room for provisioning a two month Bahamas cruise. We have enjoyed guests on board for a week or so and found the boat big enough.
A lot depends on the boat design, some boats have more room than others the same length. Often a few feet make a big difference in living space.
We see lots of couples sailing 40 ft + boats down here. They are very roomy but we aren't sure what the extra room is used for.
Bob

Warren Milberg · Jan 15, 2016

The Alerion Express is one beautiful boat -- but is a very expensive day sailor with not much room below. As with all things having to do with boats, it's a matter of tradeoffs and compromises....

Jackdaw · Jan 15, 2016

Warren Milberg said:
The Alerion Express is one beautiful boat -- but is a very expensive day sailor with not much room below. As with all things having to do with boats, it's a matter of tradeoffs and compromises....

Agreed, and that was kind of my point. Most boats are day-sailed anyway. For sure, most senior sailors do. And either solo or as a couple. Who needs a boat/systems that has aspirations much bigger trips? The AE's are designed (and bought!) with this in mind. I think overall most boat are bought the way people by SUVs, aspirational based on that they MIGHT be able to do. Most never leave pavement. Most boats that have a chance of crossing an ocean never leave the bay. I think as people get older what they really want and need falls better into focus. And they buy accordingly. If they can't then their growing limitations force them out of sailing.

As for downstairs, it looks perfect for a couples weekend out.

Crazy Dave Condon · Jan 15, 2016

centerline;
You might want to check with the Rhodes 22 folks at the factory to see if there are any used ones for sale. Not sure if a friend of mine took her boat there but if it is and has the wheel steering on it, I installed that. FYI.

centerline · Jan 15, 2016

Crazy Dave Condon said:
centerline;
You might want to check with the Rhodes 22 folks at the factory to see if there are any used ones for sale. Not sure if a friend of mine took her boat there but if it is and has the wheel steering on it, I installed that. FYI.

Thanks for the heads up, but im not in the market for another boat... I have three already that fill every need and desire that I have, or will ever have,... and everyone of them is begging to get used more often.
I was just adding my musings to the mix like everyone else....

Meriachee · Jan 15, 2016

centerline said:
Thanks for the heads up, but im not in the market for another boat.

Isn't that the logic that underscores a discussion about a bigger house, er, property?
Someplace to put the boat, er, boats?

DianaOfBurlington · Jan 15, 2016

My dad, the designer, believed that something about 28-33 ft was the 'perfect' size for a boat. This was the philosophy behind the Raider 33, a boat I have called 'the holy grail' of cruiser-racer boats, because it is fast, beautiful, roomy enough, and seaworthy. You could singlehand one easily (probably better off without the tall rig) and live on it as long as you'd like. The R33 (or possibly the H30, being about the same in interior room) is the only thing I would consider as a step-up boat from my H25.

In 2008 the editor of SAIL wrote an editorial marveling at how the length of the average new boat and the age of the average first-boat buyer were both approaching the same range: 50-55. He went on to extol all the virtues of electrical gadgetry, push-button furling, winches, etc. I was reading this on a lunch break at West Marine and got nauseous. Then I observed that the biggest, flashiest ads in the same issue were all for boats above 45 ft. And then it was clear to me.

Chichester famously said (and rightly) that 'the usual condition of something electrical on the boat is not working'. I'll say this: if you are considering an 'ideal' semi-retirement/singlehanding/liveaboard/LT-cruise boat, and you need a lot of electrical junk to sail it, anchor it, furl it, reef it, monitor and inspect it, and dock it, you are looking at too big or too complex a boat. I won't deny that Dodge Morgan's hedonistic RTW adventure bored me. He video-taped Cape Horn and then went down to take a hot-water shower, run his laundry, microwave some dinner and chat on AOL. I mean really! How could you NOT be successful when you have a $1m 55-footer with another $1m in gadgets on it? That's not sport or a hobby; that's living in a condo in Manhattan. He could've done that on a cruise ship. And then, whatever would happen if it all broke somehow? Dodge would probably have phoned for support and a chopper would have shown up with three techs and spare parts within 4 hours!

Not for me. Give me a smaller, simpler, more fun boat any time. So I much prefer hearing from people like Robin Graham, or that guy with Atom, than from the guy on YouTube with the Beneteau 49 who complained (in between taking hot-water showers and running the dishwasher) the 65-ft bridges on the ICW were too low for his mast. Boo-hoo!