Two-foot-itis. Are you cured?

[Chris Lewis]

Bigger can mean easier

Who says a bigger boat and electronics make things more complicated. On San Francisco bay we have "The Slot". For the most part if you are on the bay and can see the Golden Gate Bridge, you are in it. It is common to blow 35 knots with several knots of current and thick fog. I do not want to navigate with charts and dead reconing to make it around Alcatraz with a boat that the rail hits the water with every gust. A see a larger boat as more stable which is easier to sail and electonics to see where I am in an instant.

 

[Mike rapkiewicz]

It's not about size !

Started out with a used Sunfish. I used to take my daughters who were 4 and 6 on it on Great Peconic Bay. We would tie up to the channel inlet pole to fish and crab.W'e'd hang on for dear life when boats would whisk by to get to the marina in the creek of the inlet. That was 22 years ago. Now I have an O'day 23 1973 vintage. Easy to sale alone, not so new that I have to stay at the dock to polish and tweak. Get in, raise the sails and get out on the water. Most times I take it out by myself, the girls are leading their own lives and are busy. Though each time I pass that same channelpole, I always slow down as if I was tied up to it with the girls.12 feet, 23 or 50 foot I look back at the enjoyment of the times not the size.

 

[Mike Doherty]

No more bruised & bloody legs !

My prior boat (I still have it) is a Wayfarer; which can be single handled or crewed.-16ft centerboard. We build a vacation home on Grand Traverse Bay and its either too windy or not quite enough for excitement in a sailing dingy. Getting the boat off the lift and returning it in heavy air was truly beating me up ! I put my name in for a slip five years ago and it came up "quickly" ie the winter of 2001-2. I purchased a used 27foot Hunter and now enjoy a different type of sailing. I still relish heavy air. But am quite pleased with the single handed characteristic of the 27 ft. For its size the 27 ft is also a pleasant surprise in light air giving me the opportunity to put grandchildren on board and introducing them to the joy of sailing.

 

[andrew mcgarva]

enjoy the amenities

I learned on a girlfriend's lazer while she windsurfed. Once employed I wanted something with the smallest of cabins for the sake of keeping things dry and bought a catalina 22' (Coochie Baby). I now have a wife and child and needed more space (my wife was requiring a head) so I have happily moved up to a C&C 26 with standing headroom, a 10' beam, and a wheel. Now even our two-yr-old can steer.

 

[Ken]

Back to Basics

Seems the bigger the boat and the more amenities the less fun it becomes, back to basics.

 

[Ed]

singlehanded 25

I daysail on the SF Bay, and in response to Chris, nobody goes out when it's blowing 35. Sometimes you see a lagard who doesn't turn back soon enough when things start getting bad, but that's about it.I don't have the strength I had when I was younger, so a larger boat with heavier sails, boom and rigging doesn't appeal to me.A neighbor traded up from a Catalina 25 to a Catalina 34. The first time I went aboard to admire his new acquisition, I stood in the cockpit eyeing his rigging layout. His first words were "you have to use winches for everything". When I realized a boat this size could not be singlehanded easily, I decided maybe my smaller boat wasn't so bad. Easier to change tack in a dingy than the Queen Mary.

 

[Guy Iverson]

I'm doing both

I have found that I really enjoy both types of sailing. I race a Laser against a bunch of guy's my own age (read 45+) every Saturday during the summer, but I also enjoy crusing and have just sized up by 7 feet. Sailing doesn't have to mean just one thing!

 

[Paul Rondina]

Define your sailing then choose your boat

Ever since a kid, I wanted a big sailboat, but summering on shallow small ponds with tons of sandbars meant 12-14 daysailers, and I loved it. As an adult I moved up to the big boats, i.e. 30-38feet. Everything had to be winched, plus I had to have a crew of fairly good size and muscle power. Plus my eyes were always glued to the depth meter, for fear of grounding. To top it all off, it felt more like "yachting" than sailing. So I moved back to an Oday 23, single handling, trailerable, easy to shove off docks and sandbars and needs no crew. Now I go sailing and no longer covet a larger boat with expensive gear to be replaced or bought.For my thrill seeking side, I got a Hobie cat.Fun, fun, fun, fast, fast, fast, and wet, wet, wet. You have to define what you want out of sailing and then buy. For cruisers, bigger is better. For bay, pond and day sailers, smaller is just fine.

 

[Cathy Alcorn]

Size matters? Maybe.

I started out sailing on a Cape Dory Typhoon (19') in Juneau Alaska. It was sweet and fun but impractical because we got quite wet with pretty much any type of wave action and there wasn't much of a cabin (more like a sail locker) to duck into to warm up. It was simple alright, almost no systems and if I lived on a warmish lake, on the south Atlantic Coast or near the gulf of Mexico, I'd repeat that choice of sailboat for a day sailing experience. Considering that the water temperature in Alaska is somewhere in the mid 30s to mid 40s depending upon the season, getting wet as a generality while sailing is no longer appealing to me now that I'm in my 40s. When we decided to do some sailing again, we started looking in the 25 to 28 foot range but soon realized that this was a little small for our needs, the size of our family/pets and the prevailing conditions that we would be sailing into. We ended up buying a Wauquiez 33', bluewater capable cruiser with no regrets. In fact 33' seems to run toward the smaller end of the sailboats berthed in our area and it has felt a little small in a good blow with seas piling up around us. We still get wet but not to the point of serious hypothermia with this larger boat. It keeps us out sailing longer and in less than perfect conditions. It lets us go where we want to go in relative comfort and safety. We are thinking of looking for a larger "lower 48" boat for some extended cruising after retirement and we are looking in the 40' to 48' range. Boat size seems to be relative to the demands that will be placed upon it and the balance of cost, comfort, safety and prevailing water body conditions need to be carefully gauged for the "perfect" boat in time and place. Just as a 20' day sailer would be out of it's element in an offshore blow, a heavy 50+' footer would be useless to the extreme on most lakes. It's all sailing, the difference is the venue and intended use. Good question.

 

[Keat Pruszenski]

Coastal cruising is cool

Instead of paying for resort access, why not tote your boat with you and cruise the coastal inlets? That is why I bought a Cat 25 (fits budget better). I can cruise the coast Spring and Fall, and long weekends on a SC fresh water lake. Our club has the small fry to race, and I also windsurf on the windier days.

 

[Captn Billy (s/v Sweet Emocean)]

Reversed

I actually went smaller - went from a 30' Hunter to a 25' Macgregor. I'm getting older and the 30' was too much for a senior citizen to single hand. Not to mention slip rentals Per foot) at the marinas have gotten out of sight.

 

[Todd Alt]

See no reason to get a bigger boat

I have owned small boats, then I owned an Oday 23 for 4 years, and now I have owned my Oday 28 for 10 years. The size and configuration of the 28 seams to fit my lifestyle and the realistic goals of my sailing experience. I have friends with larger boats, and they don't seem to go any farther or sail more often than I do. In the past I have seen some people begin to lose interest in sailing and so they seek to rekindle their lost interest by buying a larger boat - it doesn't often work. They end up selling the boat a year or two later and get out of the game all together. The bottom line is that if you love the sailing life - whatever boat you own and love is the boat for you. If you are one of those people seeking to work your way up to a world cruise, then you might need a bluewater vessel. However, if you are a coastal cruiser on the Great Lakes, then any pocket yacht of resonable quality and comfort that you can afford is the ticket to a great adventure.

 

[Chris A]

The Big Lie

I sail a 1966 Tartan 27. When first designed by Olin Stephens, it was considered a big boat. Obviously, things have changed.What hasn't changed are the basic realities. Smaller boats are easier to maintain, easier to sail, and meet most of our needs. The Big Lie is, of course, that bigger is better. It is my observation that the marina is usually filled with large boats. The smaller boats are on the water!Take a moment and read British print. The Brits have not bought into the American reality of bigger is better.Chris

 

[Bob Hays]

Stepping down in size

I had a very nice '89 C-25 with an inboard diesel, but discovered that I was using it as a day sailer due to my family not utilizing it like we had planned. I downsized to a C-16.5 and use it for racing in our KBRS series and daysailing. I turned the C-25 into built-in cabinets and another lane for my driveway while cutting my maintenance time to practically nothing. No teak, no inboard engine, no through-hulls to worry about, no slip fees.

 

[Mike DiMario]

Just the way it is!

I like it just the way it is. We went from a 16' catamaran to a 37 Hunter in 1998.When it is time for washing and waxing, I wish I had a few feet less. When I think about all the things I want to do, I dream of a 43.I guess this means I have two feet-itis?????We enjoy every little piece of sailing, boating, exploring, adventure, marina life, etc, etc.What is important is your health and well being.Mike D

 

[Stu Jackson]

Size and Use

We started with a Catalina 22, then a Catalina 25 for 11 years. Four years ago we bought our Catalina 34.Our motto? -- Disprove the idea of whoever said that the amount of use a boat gets is inversely proportional to its length.I singlehand the C34 often, and don't always need the winches for everything.The C22 was great to learn to really sail, and was comfortable for two of us for overnighters and longer weekends.The C25 was fine for sailing SF Bay for many years, but eventually we felt that some amenities were in order.It's not only the size, but the amount of use it gets. And bigger doesn't have to mean it gets used less. The more it gets used, the more comfortable one gets with the operations. And, with a lot of "family" sailing, one person is many times actually singlehanding anyway.Best bet: have fun.

 

[david noble]

those were the days

Yeah I started small. Learned on a sailfish. Talk about close to the water! I really miss the days of surfing on a reach and screaming down the river. I've only moved up to a daysailor as it really fits the needs of my small family. But every so often I think the bruses and scrapes that were part of that little boat would be fun again. As for bigger, well , Maybe someday in the meantime if your ever in ossabaw sound Ga. lets race!

 

[Julia]

Are you happy?

That is the bottom line are you happy with what you have. I am thinking my next boat will be smaller. I have a 26D Mac now. Nice boat having fun. The first boat I owned was a 16' CapeCod Cat. Loved that boat. If I get a diffrent boat I may go back to a catboat sized for two with bunks, galley, head. Keep It Simple low maint. low cost, trailerable, simple rig. I like sailing in coves, small bays, rivers near small towns, villages, an occasional sail out to an island and back. Easy does it got nowhere to go and hopefully enough time to get there.Fair Winds,

 

[Elmer Lotshaw]

Getting older

Started sailing and racing an Interlake at 48, moved up to an Able 20 at retirement and at 78 to a Catalina 27. I prefer to keep it simple but like the room on a larger boat and need the GPS for cruising in the North Channel of Lake Huron.

 

[Gary magnuson]

Happy Medium

At 55 looking at earlt retirement, kids grown, still trailering our O'day 25 to the Apostle Islands every summer for the two week vacations. If I go bigger, I can stand to put my pants on. If I go bigger we can't Trail without highway permits. With the shoal draft, and trailer, we can head for the North Channel ( Lake Huron) or any other port in the country...I guess what we have is our happy medium.