Big Boats
Mike, I had never owned a boat and my first one was a 37.5. Would I do it again? You bet. But there are some things to consider. You need training. Take the classes, you have. Get some experience on smaller boats, you are. Very important to make sure that you really want to sail and are going to use the boat. Many of those who bought the big boats and don't use them are no different than the ones who bought the smaller boats and don't use them either. They really aren't committed to sailing. It sounded like fun but turned out differently. If you change your mind after buying that 42 you will have a really large investment that will turn into that big hole in the water where you throw a lot of money. After you are sure of your commitment, make sure your expectations are reasonable. You will probably never be able to single hand the 42. Will it be enough that you and your wife, or you and one of your kids can take it out and bring it back? I don't think my wife and I ever took the boat out by ourselves until the end of our second year. I have never taken it out alone. Not that I couldn't get it out but the potential damage in getting it back is too great (we have a really trickey slip). How about the expense? A large boat's uptake is not a direct reflection of size. ie a 42 footer doesn't cost 2 times a 21 footer but more like 4 times. Make sure you have thought through the expense, then add another 25% to be sure. If you do get the boat you must hire an experienced person to help you not just the first time but the first couple of times. The problem will not necessarily be showing you how to do something but watching you actually perform the actions and making sure you don't go too far and create a problem you cannot handle. People generally learn from their mistakes. Make sure you can afford the lesson. Having someone watch keeps the price down. And not just the monetary price. Someone who has experience fending off a 17 footer with their hands and applies that on 42 footer would be in for a truly tragic lesson. And it doesn't have to be you. It could be a guest, our wife or the kids who could get hurt. You have to keep them out of situations where the simple solution could lead to a bad end. Your training may not always protect the others and you will be responsible. It will be easier for you if you know someone who has lots of experience on a smaller boat and wants to help you learn and in the process also learn themselves about sailing a large boat. I was lucky that way. You will find out that muscle doesn't mean anything on a large boat. In any kind of wind you have to use a wench, you have to cleat off the lines, you have to think through every action and cannot make a mistake. Every mistake will cost you dollars, extra effort and time or injury. Not that things don't happen on smaller boats but the impact can be much greater on a large boat. Something as simple as having your jib sheet slip in a strong wind. In a smaller boat you can easily throw it around the wench and pull it in to where it is controllable by hand. On a large boat, before you can react, the sail will be flogging and the heavy sheets become clubs smashing dodger windows and equipment and by the time you get a couple of turns around a wench and crank it in you can do some serious damage. And that's not even considering someone getting hurt. Having said all this I would still start with as large a boat as I felt comfortable with. Someone said in an earlier post that it was like learning to drive in a caddy instead of a VW. I respectfully submit that it is more like learning to drive in a Kenworth. Yes you can hurt yourself and your boat with your mistakes but those same mistakes that could be easily managed in a 17 or 22 or 25 footer become unmanageable in a 40+ footer. Start slow, have reasonable expectations, don't push and don't overestimate your capabilities. But the 42 is a really great boat. Hope it works out, Les S/v Mutual Fun
