Does size matter....

[Ned Ludd]

Here is my .02 cents. My first sailboat was an $800 O'Day Javelin. A great little day sailor fo me to home my skills on. After 4 years sold it for $800. Second boat was a Neptune 24 shoal draft, chosen for getting into quiet back areas to anchor for the night and easy trailering. I had the thought I would take the boat around the North West for summer vacations, that has not happened. After getting tired of banging our heads on the stainless pop top fittings 5 x a weekend we wanted something with standing headroom and an enclosed head. I shopped for 6 months and found a 76 Newport 28 which fit all of our criteria nicely. The boat is in good shape with many professionally done upgrades, standing headroom, enclosed head, decent performance and not a lot of unnecessary modern clutter. I prefer to feel more like I am camping than staying at a 5 star resort. We have a great group of sailing friends that all have GOB's we will raft up on Sat nights and have a pot luck and talk long into the night. It does not require an expensive boat to create life long memories.

 

[druid]

They do not have to confine their potential purchase inventory to what is on display at a boat show. There is still a range of sizes out there; it's just not worth it for the manufacturers and brokers to haul them to a boat show for the lookie-loos. What thinking person would buy a new boat at a boat show anyway? I'm sure there must be many sold there; but then, there are also many up for sale, nearly new, w/in two or three years of an original purchase.
For examples:
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2015/Beneteau-ASA-First-22-2926630/West-Haverstraw/NY/United-States
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2013/J-Boats-J-70-3016060/Norfolk/VA/United-States
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2012/Seaward-26RK-2956832/Irvington/VA/United-States

I doubt it's affordability keeping them away from boating. It's mostly ignorance.

Maybe "ignorance" in the strict sense of the word, meaning "not having knowledge". And they MAY have "done the research": Gone to forums such as this one, gone to boat shows, read magazines... and were told TIME AND AGAIN that they needed a minimum of 32 feet, dual 200AH battery banks, genset, inverter, chartplotter, etc. Have a look sometime - you won't find ANYONE recommending the type of boat your links show, even for a "first boat".

And if they DO go against all recommendations, they will find the best bet for a smaller, more spartan boat is to look on the older market. The last 2 boats I bought were around 40 years old, because they built smaller boats BETTER back in the 70's.

druid

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I was docked somewhere on the east coast of Florida, and heard a female voice say "Look at the pretty little daysailor"

Without going up I said, "yep, and has daysailed here all the way from Texas"

Then went on deck, and wound up having a very nice visit with a young couple, who just didn't understand you didn't have to have 40 feet to go cruising. The magazines all said you did.

When I first stepped on a sailboat, in 1957, 30 - 35 feet was BIG boat!!

 

[Gunni]

Then there is Webb Chiles solo sailing around the world in a Moore24, a boat designed to race around the harbor buoys. He is currently in South Africa, and will be sailing the Atlantic toward home in January.

 

[Kings Gambit]

We were talking about what size of boats are displayed at boat shows, and the point that their absence from boat shows does not mean you cannot buy a brand new, or nearly new, one in the 20-30 ft range, IF you want one!! But, if you don't wish to pay upwards of $70,000 for a NEW 23-ft boat, then you do not have to--go to the market where the older small boats are available--and that's fine. However, if someone on this forum tells a questioning newbie that there is generally more comfort, range, endurance, and perhaps even more total enjoyment, to be had by owning and sailing a boat in the 35-40 ft range--over one in the 25-30 ft range--would that be supporting the "merchandiser" unabashedly? Perhaps you should reconsider the old adage "don't knock it unless (or until) you've tried it."

 

[Kings Gambit]

Yeah--well there was that one guy who swam across the Atlantic Ocean (after a few tries). Doesn't make me want to.

 

[dlochner]

Then there is Webb Chiles solo sailing around the world in a Moore24, a boat designed to race around the harbor buoys. He is currently in South Africa, and will be sailing the Atlantic toward home in January.

Yep, Webb moved up in the world of boats. His first attempt was in a Drascombe Luger, at all of 18'9" and no cabin.

 

[JohnShannon]

Folks sail Moore 24's to Hawaii from SF every year. It is an awesome boat.

 

[3rdbase]

I recently purchased an Irwin 34 to replace my 30 footer. Brokers have 2 phrases that they use in their marketing. First, "a 35 footer is called a "pocket cruiser"". Secondly, "40 is the new 30". Fiberglass is forever. There are many older boats out there in good condition that were once considered mega yachts that are now for sale. The prices are not out of range for most folks. Granted sometimes there are a few with TLC issues, but they are most often easily repairable. A larger boat will encourage the wife to participate more because of the comfort. Bottom line, bigger is most often better. That is, until Spring comes and you have to paint the bottom. For a week in the Spring you'll want to reconsider the purchase of a larger boat. After the boat goes in the water, all of that is forgotten. Where I sail on Long Island Sound, I rarely see boats under 24 feet. Boats under 24 feet seem to birth themselves in driveways and lawns in the suburbs. They often have aged "for sale" signs.
And if you don't sail, the bigger boat becomes a home at the shore.

 

[shemandr]

Yep, Webb moved up in the world of boats. His first attempt was in a Drascombe Luger, at all of 18'9" and no cabin.

Before the Luger, he circumnavigated, almost non-stop, in an Ericson and wrote an entertaining book about it. I think the title is Storm Passage. I remember he bailed a good deal of the way. A good read!
I thought the Moore 24 had wings on it for hiking out. I must be thinking of something else.

 

[LooseDiamond]

AND I poop off the stern hanging onto the rail!!! Yea, baby! Nature calls...

 

[DayDreamer41]

How big is ours? The size we set out to buy! After years of work and with retirement in the near future we wanted a sailing vessel with all the comforts of home, capable of comfortably going where ever the wind would take us and stopped to smell the roses where ever that might be.
How judgemental many of the comments here are? this I don't understand.
My wife and I are a couple of professionals who have raised (3) boys all out on their own now, we wanted a vessel where family could visit and stay in the comfort they have come accustomed to, does this make us any less a sailing family?

Sure we started with a board sailor, to a day sailor, to a fixed keel weekender and now to a cruiser with all the accoutrements, yes even 3 banks of D4 batteries plus a starter one for safety and my goodness its over 40' long.

I don't get this, I must be a better sailor than you because I don't have radar, furling, AIS and all the other 20th century inventions for safe travels and I sail in the fog crap! that's all fine and dandy until you run into something or someone!

We love sailing, we earned all our lives, raised a family and now we are sliding into our retirement years with a comfortable cruiser and the time to use her. isn't that what its all about!

Mark

 

[dlochner]

The right size boat is the one that suits your needs and fits your budget and purpose.

Thirty years ago the boat that met this criteria was a Tanzer 22 fully equipped with a boom box and compass. Eventually we added an autopilot and an VHF because we were sailing across Lake Ontario every summer and that is a long passage.

Eventually we moved up to a Sabre 30 because we wanted more comfort meaning being able to stand up to put your pants on and a decent head. It was also a weekend retreat and vacation destination. We did add a depth sounder because we preferred an electronic depth sounder over the lead one hanging from the hull.

Three years ago we moved up to Sabre 362 because we plan to spend a year on board, sail out the St. Lawrence and then down to the Bahamas. There were amenities that we wanted for such a long duration, refrigeration, more space, shower, stove, and so on. Also the larger boat is faster making for quicker passages.

As Medicare eligibility moves from our future to our past, we will likely start to move back down the size ladder as bigger boats require more effort and work than smaller boats.

One axiom of boat size is that they all double in size when the waxing begins.

 

[uncledom]

My first sailboat was a Hunter 25.5 pop top. Second was a Beneteau 35s5. Nice boat, good legs, a little tight in the births and the boom was in the cockpit. We would have kept that for a while but Sandy had other ideas. It was sold for salvage by the insurance company. We sat down and made a list of what was important.
A/C
Generator
Two Heads
Two comfortable cabins
Large Cockpit
Comfortable Galley
Our Hunter 41 has all this and more. Long legs, I calculate trips at 7 knots and we are always ahead of schedule. That gives us many more choices of destinations as we both are still working and time is limited. We've done a few long holiday weekends with three couples and a dog.
We've gone day sailing with 9 and there are no problems with room.
We're thinking of a larger boat but it's slim pickings when your trying to out due the boat we have. I'd like three cabins, at least two heads, and a faster hull, it's a tall order on a budget.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Have owned a Catalina 30, a Hunter 37.5 Legend and currently a Hunter 40.5 Legend
The cat was too small for 2 adults and 3 small kids, way too small.
The 37.5 was tight for the same crew but a least you did not have to run someone off the table to eat if you are an early riser
The 40.5 is A LOT bigger than the 37.5. Perfect for 2 adult crew and some guests on occasion.
I had some one explain it this way; The ends of the boat are the same for all boats, as you get longer boats all the length is added in the middle.
Bought the Cat because the ex-wife wanted to be a member of the work yacht club (long story). Bought the 37.5 because the 30 was too small for us. Bought the 40.5 because I want to go blue water extended cruising some day and feel the extra tankage (still to small though) will mitigate the on deck storage of liquids, the larger engine will allow the hanging of of various water makers, alternators, and reefer compressors without killing power available to the prop and the longer LWL will improve our passage speed and help limit those encounters with bad weather.

 

[OS2Dude]

When we were in the market, we went to a few boat shows and visited most of the yachts on display. We were looking to see what was out there, what we liked, what we didn't. We finally found a used 1985 Catalina 30. Yes, we added A/C to it and we have a NMEA 2K network to connect our electronics. My wife needs them to feel safe, and I'm a bit of a geek. Yes, I can sail without them, but they do make it easier and it helps to get the wife involved. Having conveniences is NOT bad, nor does it make someone a lessor sailor.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Smaller (in current terms) is better because:

Acquisition cost is lower.
Marina slip and storage fees are lower.
Maintenance is much lower. (Especially new sails or engines.)
The boat and all lines are much easier for one person to handle. (Trimming sails, entering or leaving a slip, mooring or anchoring without power assist.) This is a real safety consideration as well as ease of use.)
No discernible difference in the "fun" factor. Space to stand up, sleep, eat, and relax in the cabin or the cockpit of our 27 footer.
Although size and weight do help with comfort, the more attractive overhangs of 70's designs, negate much of this advantage for modern, plumb bowed designs.

All this based on sailing our '77 h27 over 7,000 miles on the Great Lakes, for up to 3 weeks (one week a number of times with four aboard) and 17 one week charters on 35 to 40 foot boats from most of the name makers.

I'm fine sailing a big boat, but the Admiral and I have never been tempted to trade up to a larger boat, despite enjoying many boats at shows, and aboard friends' yachts.

 

[thinwater]

It's about keeping up appearances.

I'm at 34' and serious considering down sizing for a host of reasons, mostly mentioned above.

Mostly, smaller is more fun, once you embrace it. Like riding a bicycle is more fun than driving an RV.

 

[Rick D]

We have had our 40.5 Hunter for going on 17 years. We had a 32 Hunter Vision before that for nine years. We moved up to the 40.5 because my wife went aboard one at a rendezvous and fell in love with it. The justifications were that our daughter would settle down and have a family and we could bring our folks with advancing age aboard in comfort.
Well, the daughter is still single and the folks never over-nighted with us. In retrospect, despite how we love the 40.5, the 32 did everything this does and I think we would have been totally satisfied with it had we kept it.

 

[shemandr]

We sold our H356 and our next boat will be 24 to 30 feet. Probably towards the smaller side of that range. Same thing as others have said. Less expensive, less maintenance , ability to single hand, not as physically demanding and we can take it out of the boat yard to maintain control over the work and expense. We not going long range cruising or bluewater sailing so ...