Best singlehanded, bluewater sailboat (not "caravan on keels")

If you want to sail with a smile on your face and draw appreciative looks from all around then get a Vertue.

I have had GRP and wood. Wood is much nicer, especially if you can get hold of an all teak Hong Kong built job - like mine. There are some good examples on the market at present.

As with all wooden boats, the better the initial quality of material and build, the less (serious) maintenance you are likely to need to do.

As a full time liveaboard you will have plenty of time to titivate and play.

Yes, they are small by today's standards but I managed two years living aboard on the East Coast with no real problems. Anybody visiting or staying was always too impressed with the ambience to moan about the ergonomics.

Good luck.
 
If advising which boat would be suitable for solo sailing I'd recommend taking a look at this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QtOfhQUz4Y

Aeolus, a Twister 28 was owned by a good friend until his untimely death recently.
He was OCD about keeping her in excellent condition and in his ownership it did very small mileage. He regularly polished her gel coat which was in British Racing Green and not long before his passing he had her 2 pack sprayed so that she retained a better shine.

She was owner fitted out by and outstandingly good shipwright who took her accross the pond and into the Pacific early in her sailing days.

She is one of the last Twisters to be completed.

I no longer have any personal connections or ties with the family but the boat is in my yard.
 
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chinita said:
If you want to sail with a smile on your face and draw appreciative looks from all around then get a Vertue.

I have had GRP and wood. Wood is much nicer, especially if you can get hold of an all teak Hong Kong built job - like mine. There are some good examples on the market at present.

As with all wooden boats, the better the initial quality of material and build, the less (serious) maintenance you are likely to need to do.

As a full time liveaboard you will have plenty of time to titivate and play.

Yes, they are small by today's standards but I managed two years living aboard on the East Coast with no real problems. Anybody visiting or staying was always too impressed with the ambience to moan about the ergonomics.

Good luck.
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Chinita,

have you read ' The Restless Wind ' by Peter Hamilton about his voyages in a Vertue ?

A classic book IMHO.

Andy
 
Mavanier said:
I get the impression that you find mass produced boats all rather alike and therefore rather dull.
Unfortunately physics dictates a certain basic design- much like it does with any vehicle. If you want to end up with something different, it will invariably cost more, or introduce some sort of compromise.

To be honest, it's quite amazing that today anybody can go out and buy a potentially world-girdling boat for around £10k, if you are willing to make certain sacrifices. This is only possible because of a boat building boom in the 70s, which has left the second hand market awash with cheap GRP boats which will never rot.
Click to expand...

And I am getting the impression that the OP thinks that women just want to make tea & toast & cart the kids about!! Thats two pops at women in two posts - he's doing well in my book. If I wanted to generalise in the same way, I would suggest there is a reason he wants a cheap, single-berth fast boat ;) Sorry for the thread drift but this kind of **** gets my goat. The reason I like my 'caravan on keels' is I find sailing sociable & we serve more than tea & toast in a Force 8...

And here is a nice spartan blue-water boat for him too http://www.soloatlantic.co.uk/soloatlantic/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=18


Di
 
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Seajet said:
Chinita,

have you read ' The Restless Wind ' by Peter Hamilton about his voyages in a Vertue ?

A classic book IMHO.

Andy
Click to expand...

Sure have - and just about everything else with the word 'Vertue' in the text!

Barton's Vertue XXV, and David Lewis's 'The Ship Would Not Travel Due West' are two others worthy of mention and praise.

One of the joys I have about my boat is her provenance. I am her fifth custodian in 50 years and one of them took her across the Atlantic - winning the RCC Challenge Cup in the process. A few years later he took her to the northern Rias of Spain and won the RCC Cruising Cup; (Chinita still has the plaques on her bulkhead). She is pictured in the build in Peter Woollasses book 'Vertue' and, again, there is a shot of her saloon in one of the editions of Hiscocks 'Cruising under Sail'.

A mate gave me a copy of his 1968 edition of Bristows Book of Yachts. I looked in the index for 'Vertue' and there she was, opposite the specification and description - a photograph of Chinita sailing in Chichester Harbour!

THe YM list of 100 best boats has the Vertue as number 3 (thanks to James Jermain I suspect :) ).

A couple of years ago a couple tied up on the next pontoon to us in Lagos - we were on our Pioneer 10 at the time. SWMBO shouted to me 'Oh look - a Vertue! Turned out to be an American couple just arriving from Maine (via Azores). They had a brand new cedar strip Vertue built by him over 8 years (he is an extremely gifted boatbuilder).

Of course we told them all about our Vertue and, over the next few days on and off their boat I commented that I was amazed at how much detail (winches, cleats, ports etc) seemed to be exactly the same as Chinita. 'That is because he copied it from photos of your boat he found on the net' His Missus said.


Gave me a real buzz!
 
chinita said:
Sure have - and just about everything else with the word 'Vertue' in the text!

Barton's Vertue XXV, and David Lewis's 'The Ship Would Not Travel Due West' are two others worthy of mention and praise.

One of the joys I have about my boat is her provenance. I am her fifth custodian in 50 years and one of them took her across the Atlantic - winning the RCC Challenge Cup in the process. A few years later he took her to the northern Rias of Spain and won the RCC Cruising Cup; (Chinita still has the plaques on her bulkhead). She is pictured in the build in Peter Woollasses book 'Vertue' and, again, there is a shot of her saloon in one of the editions of Hiscocks 'Cruising under Sail'.

A mate gave me a copy of his 1968 edition of Bristows Book of Yachts. I looked in the index for 'Vertue' and there she was, opposite the specification and description - a photograph of Chinita sailing in Chichester Harbour!

THe YM list of 100 best boats has the Vertue as number 3 (thanks to James Jermain I suspect :) ).

A couple of years ago a couple tied up on the next pontoon to us in Lagos - we were on our Pioneer 10 at the time. SWMBO shouted to me 'Oh look - a Vertue! Turned out to be an American couple just arriving from Maine (via Azores). They had a brand new cedar strip Vertue built by him over 8 years (he is an extremely gifted boatbuilder).

Of course we told them all about our Vertue and, over the next few days on and off their boat I commented that I was amazed at how much detail (winches, cleats, ports etc) seemed to be exactly the same as Chinita. 'That is because he copied it from photos of your boat he found on the net' His Missus said.


Gave me a real buzz!
Click to expand...

I see Bartons' Vertue is for sale at the moment, always nice to hear from an enthusiast, the Vertue must be almost as good as the Anderson 22 ! :)

I was rather put off the grp Mk 2 by an incredibly arrogant snotty salesman at Earls Court, and deep water moorings on the South Coast are silly money for a 25' boat, but there's no doubt she's a classic.
 
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WestWittering said:
And I am getting the impression that the OP thinks that women just want to make tea & toast & cart the kids about!! Thats two pops at women in two posts - he's doing well in my book. If I wanted to generalise in the same way, I would suggest there is a reason he wants a cheap, single-berth fast boat ;) Sorry for the thread drift but this kind of **** gets my goat. The reason I like my 'caravan on keels' is I find sailing sociable & we serve more than tea & toast in a Force 8...

And here is a nice spartan blue-water boat for him too http://www.soloatlantic.co.uk/soloatlantic/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=18


Di
Click to expand...

Di,

I would never expect a lady to ' serve ' anything, for fear of getting a thick ear...

If you can provide ' more than tea and toast in a Force 8 ' you're worth your no doubt slender weight in gold; have you got any spare twin sisters ?!

Andy
 
WestWittering said:
And I am getting the impression that the OP thinks that women just want to make tea & toast & cart the kids about!! Thats two pops at women in two posts - he's doing well in my book. If I wanted to generalise in the same way, I would suggest there is a reason he wants a cheap, single-berth fast boat ;) Sorry for the thread drift but this kind of **** gets my goat. The reason I like my 'caravan on keels' is I find sailing sociable & we serve more than tea & toast in a Force 8...

And here is a nice spartan blue-water boat for him too http://www.soloatlantic.co.uk/soloatlantic/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=18


Di
Click to expand...

:D
 
Seajet said:
I was rather put off the grp Mk 2 by an incredibly arrogant snotty salesman at Earls Court
Click to expand...

Interesting. I remember making quite a detour to visit Bossoms back in about 1998 when I had my Vertue II. I drove to the end of a muddy track and walked into the office exuding bonhomie and enthusiasm and expecting to be greeted as a long lost friend. All I wanted to do was express my high regard for the product as a very satisfied and current owner.

I was treated as if I had walked a pile of dog poo into the office. After a few minutes of pregnant pauses I bade a cheery farewell and left.

Sadly, I suspect that Bossoms just took on the moulds as a sideshow and regard the perpetuation of this classic design as inferior to their mainstream production of river boats. BTW, I had the original invoice from Bossoms from 1992 - £84k!!!!

Pity really.

Anyway, the proper ones will always be wood. Perhaps I should have told them that :)
 
WestWittering said:
If I wanted to generalise in the same way, I would suggest there is a reason he wants a cheap, single-berth fast boat ;) Sorry for the thread drift but this kind of **** gets my goat. The reason I like my 'caravan on keels' is I find sailing sociable & we serve more than tea & toast in a Force 8...
Di
Click to expand...
:D
Well put. But this reminds me: there is a boat that should suit OP's idea
Homeward Bound said:
I am look for an economical, singlehanded, bluewater sailboat and not "caravan on keels".
(... and I am starting to wonder if I should be look at older racing stuff of which I know nothing)
Click to expand...
Friend of a friend (with perhaps similar attitude) bought such in Norway, cheaply and good state, got her around here with no probs in heavy wether, F8-9 and confused chop in Skagerrak included, talking of great speed and beautifull way she handles. Somehow just after first season he wants to sell, though.
Those are of national racing class, but made a bit roomier, bigger coachroof, and in GRP by good German yard. Construction simple, easy to maintain.
No standing headroom guaranteed, 175 cm :cool:

And yesss, she is a beauty in old style, of classy R- type boats.
Knarr Variant:
http://www.knarr.no/cms/uploads///First Knarr from CS to IKC05 v07-1.pdf ; http://www.knarr.dk/Knarren ; http://www.bootswerft-schneidereit.de/index.php/knarr ; http://sfbayknarr.com/ ; http://www.knarr.no/cms/ ;
 
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Needing to win the lottery for me to consider an upgrade, but I would consider for your purposes either a Vancouver 27 or the Halmatic 31.
A club member has the latter yacht and it seems to be a very good example for your needs; a Folk boat /Twister derivative with reasonable space and performance, log keeled and weatherliness for single handing. The quality of build can vary depending on whther the yacht was home completed as a few were, but a pretty and robust yacht, fit for purpose priced around £22-26K but possibly less. I haven't sailed a 28ft Twister but I hear good things about those too and possibly for a similar price. Also the Rival32 that I have sailed.


ianat182
 
What's this sudden explosion of female types here then ?!

If we blokes aren't careful the idea might catch on that women can do more than serve tea, kedgeree and toast, might even sail boats around Cape Horn, we can't have that ! :)
 
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