Attracted to Sailing but ....

[ashtead]

I have limited sailing experience on Broads being on on wooden yachts with canvas lifting wooden cabin tops and old masted which dropped down to go under bridges but I think the point you make on sleeping 4 and I guess in a degree of comfort with wife might lead to conflict with a 24ft boat. It would seem 26ft might give you the basic comforts - I once saw a singled handed disabled sailor standing one legged doing his evening ablutions in the French style off the stern of his Macgregor in ocean village in Soton but berthing wise he seemed to manage very well. Presumably something with a lifting keel might help in the Broads and water ballast would help to be able to trail around. The outboard idea would also reduce engine servicing costs I suspect . Why not try a charter of a small yacht with wife on Broads or perhaps somewhere warmer ideally as a first step in a flotilla? Flots nanny around the boats so might help confidence boosting in the manovering part.

 

[justanothersailboat]

At any given size of boat you can get one which has more domestic comfort at some relative compromise to sailing, or one which is more sailing oriented at some relative compromise to domestic comfort. The compromises are very different at different sizes. At larger sizes I would argue the tradeoffs are not so acute, you are more likely to have a choice of middle ground. It seems to me that at 23ft or so you do have to make a relatively clearcut choice, particularly because any kind of standing headroom at that size is a hard compromise on the shape. At 26-27ft there start to be a lot of of boats that try to be a middle compromise, that sail fine (for a cruiser) but have decent standing headroom (if you are not really tall) and are domestic enough for many people (but in no way the floating hotels now popular at large sizes)... as well as boats that are more purist sailers at some expense of comfort, and only a few kinds of more-domestic-but-sailing-compromised motorsailors. Bigger than that and there are still tradeoffs, just in different sets of expectations. And costs.

 

[dunedin]

….
The reality, in the UK at least is that at least one of the elements will be against you most of the time you are on the water. It's a cliche but the wind is generally coming from the direction you would like to go - so a straight forward passage in a MB becomes a 200 tack ordeal with a VMG of 1 knot and an ETA of two hours after the pub shuts..unless you put the engine on.

….
Obviously over playing for “comic” effect - but equally many seem to sail the wrong type of boats and/or don’t know how to sail them properly.
Our heavy cruising yacht easily makes a 4 knot VMG upwind in flattish water. Great fun pointing higher and going faster than nearby boats. Does require some effort in sail set and trim - including as Chiara’s Slave sometimes points out, winching the jib sheet very hard- then a lot harder!

 

[Chiara’s slave]

….
Obviously over playing for “comic” effect - but equally many seem to sail the wrong type of boats and/or don’t know how to sail them properly.
Our heavy cruising yacht easily makes a 4 knot VMG upwind in flattish water. Great fun pointing higher and going faster than nearby boats. Does require some effort in sail set and trim - including as Chiara’s Slave sometimes points out, winching the jib sheet very hard- then a lot harder!

Only 10% of cruisers are correctly sheeted on the jib, in my reckoning. It’s harder and flatter than most people dare to do I think. It was our club's annual pursuit race a few weeks ago, the only opportunity most other racers get of seeing us up close. A Contessa 28 skipper mentioned to me at the prizegiving that he couldn’t believe how flat in our jib was sheeted. It was a long beat against the tide, about 3 miles. The extra couple of knots of VMG we have meant that the result was a foregone conclusion.

 

[ridgy]

If you really want your wife to come then forget a manky 24 footer. As said you need to go a bit bigger. Something modern with proper aft heads compartment.

With a lifting or bilge keel you can still motor round the broads with it.

Something like:
Beneteau First 285

 

[[193211]]

If you really want your wife to come then forget a manky 24 footer. As said you need to go a bit bigger. Something modern with proper aft heads compartment.

With a lifting or bilge keel you can still motor round the broads with it.

Something like:
Beneteau First 285

Sadly, 1990 was 34 years ago. I’d be wary of a lift keel and twin rudders. Unnecessary complexity. Original instruments, etc.

OP could do worse than look at a Hunter Ranger 245. Capable, comfortable, simple, and reasonable mooring costs.

Not all small boats are manky.

 

[doug748]

Thank you for this. My current boat is a displacement hull and is a typical Broads cruiser. I am based at Reedham which is pretty tidal and has strong currents and I can only get out of my marina at certain times so I'm used to having to fit in with conditions. Obviously I don't need to worry about wind direction etc and I have no experience of the sea.

I would ideally like a sailboat which can sleep at the very least 4 adults. I was considering a smaller boat because my wife is not quite so keen on this as me and I would imagine much of my sailing would be alone. I found a site with a Canadian instructor who had been saying she wouldn't recommend anything much over 24ft for this. Of course I understand that there's a lot of factors to balance and honestly I'd be happy to go bigger if this wouldn't be3 too difficult for me on my own

I think you can go over 24 feet as a taster boat but if you start to go over 30 it begins to be more onerous, for an oldster and expensive.
Not the sailing, which is the easy part, but the end of season buggeration etc.

Sleeping 4 is one thing but four people moving around the boat at breakfast time, sailing and using the facilities is more demanding of space. I might aim at 26 to 28 foot sort of thing.

A locally built Pegasus 800 is another boat that might be worth looking at.

.

 

[Mister E]

A Westerly Centaur might be worth a look at.
Easy to sail and the accommodation is not that bad.

 

[14K478]

I have two sons. One played wing at rugger and took instantly to dinghies. He sails this:

The other played rugger in the front row and did not get on with dinghies. So his brother and I bought him this:



since when he has enjoyed sailing.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I was going to mention that a number of older gents sail Canoes. The sliding seat is less energetic than trapezing or toe straps. But, back when we were Hayling members, a drawback became evident. They used to change, get half in their wetsuit, then apply a massive dollop of vaseline to their backsides, from a catering sized communal pot, then zip up their wetsuit. Chafe prevention, I was told

 

[14K478]

I was suggesting the Squib as a way into sailing not the IC!

But a tale is told of an IC sailor who had stepped ashore on Stone Point for a breather when an elderly gentleman asked if he could have a go. The surprised owner agreed and the elderly gentleman removed his shoes and socks, but not his tweed jacket, and stepped aboard. Thirty minutes later he was back, having tacked gybed and planed to his heart’s content, still bone dry. The gentleman’s name was Smith (and he was an IC legend).