The LOA isnt' the issue but storage
Personally, I think a 30 footer would be fine if it's the right 30 footer. I am planning a trip like what you are talking about from Boston going the coastal route through the Bahamas (why would you want to skip some of the best cruising grounds in the world by going straight to St. Thomas?). We will be doing it in a Catalina 310 with a 30.73-foot LOA. We can carry twice the water and fuel as your Aloha before we even start putting them in bottles.
I think by the time you add the expense of moving your boat to a point to start sailing, you could have sold your boat and purchased an older Catalina 30 or Erikson or something with a little better cruising design for doing that trip.
What I don't think you need is a 40-50 footer for this trip. That is a lot of boat with a lot of cost and a lot of maintenance. The way I look at the plan is that it is all a balance. You have to pick a boat that is the smallest you can be comfortable with so that you save more money for cruising.
With our plan, we will be able to go on my 40th birthday. That's a lot sooner than most people. And we will have about $140-200K in the bank. That will be enough of kitty to go for 3-6 years and still have an emergency fund. In our math, for each $35K we spend more on the boat, that's one less year. For each $35K we spend less, that's one more year. We had a certain minimum life style we also want to live so that came into play with boat choice. It's all one big balancing act.
The advice I would give is to go as small as you can and go as soon as you can.
Someone else mentioned chartering to make sure you really want to do the trip. That is some great advice. We did a 10 day charter with Sunsails in the BVIs in November. That trip totally reinforced what we wanted and changed our perspective on a few of our thoughts on the trip.
Fair winds and good luck.
Personally, I think a 30 footer would be fine if it's the right 30 footer. I am planning a trip like what you are talking about from Boston going the coastal route through the Bahamas (why would you want to skip some of the best cruising grounds in the world by going straight to St. Thomas?). We will be doing it in a Catalina 310 with a 30.73-foot LOA. We can carry twice the water and fuel as your Aloha before we even start putting them in bottles.
I think by the time you add the expense of moving your boat to a point to start sailing, you could have sold your boat and purchased an older Catalina 30 or Erikson or something with a little better cruising design for doing that trip.
What I don't think you need is a 40-50 footer for this trip. That is a lot of boat with a lot of cost and a lot of maintenance. The way I look at the plan is that it is all a balance. You have to pick a boat that is the smallest you can be comfortable with so that you save more money for cruising.
With our plan, we will be able to go on my 40th birthday. That's a lot sooner than most people. And we will have about $140-200K in the bank. That will be enough of kitty to go for 3-6 years and still have an emergency fund. In our math, for each $35K we spend more on the boat, that's one less year. For each $35K we spend less, that's one more year. We had a certain minimum life style we also want to live so that came into play with boat choice. It's all one big balancing act.
The advice I would give is to go as small as you can and go as soon as you can.
Someone else mentioned chartering to make sure you really want to do the trip. That is some great advice. We did a 10 day charter with Sunsails in the BVIs in November. That trip totally reinforced what we wanted and changed our perspective on a few of our thoughts on the trip.
Fair winds and good luck.
