big boat fantasies

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Neil

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In a few spare moments, I have been fantasising about big boats - ones in which one could go anywhere, short-handed, and live in style (should I ever do the lotto, and then win!)

I was looking at the Discovery 57: http://www.discoveryyachts.com/our-yachts/discovery-57/

Which looks nice, especially on a sunny day, but the helm position looks horribly exposed to the elements, perched up so high. Wouldn't like to have to steer that in the teeth of a gale (am I missing something?)

Beneteau are doing this:

http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?ID=2777, looks quite handy......

I remember a blow-by-blow account of Magnum of the forum's CB build, that looked good too.

SO:

If you had plenty of dosh, and wanted to travel far and wide in style, what else might you consider?
 
Neil said:
Which looks nice, especially on a sunny day, but the helm position looks horribly exposed to the elements, perched up so high. Wouldn't like to have to steer that in the teeth of a gale (am I missing something?)
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While it doesn't have a wheelhouse per se, the view out of those front windows is probably ok. Install an autopilot control at the chart table (preferably one of the ones with a big knob or wheel for manual rudder control) and you could steer it from there.

Pete
 
I don't get the big boat thing apart from improved sailing qualities for longer journeys but maybe not single handed. To my naive eye your just trying to push around a great big lounge, double bed and drinks cabinet - the extra hassle and cost with a great big whale doesn't do it for me. Everything is that much more complicated e.g. can't pull the anchor up by hand need an electric windlass, if a great big main jams you can't just give it a tug to free it and what about berthing the thing - bow thrusters, more grief & maintenance.

The large classic style yachts are beautiful but no thanks, I will never go bigger than I have, I don't need a double bed already made up :rolleyes: quite happy to pull out a cabin seat to kip on :D

God I'm cheery tonight must be the mulled wine! Don't like any of the modern AWB in the links - horrible, no class, cheap style, no soul, not elegant, zzzzzzzz.
 
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prv said:
While it doesn't have a wheelhouse per se, the view out of those front windows is probably ok. Install an autopilot control at the chart table (preferably one of the ones with a big knob or wheel for manual rudder control) and you could steer it from there.

Pete
Click to expand...

Is this an 'optional extra'? third party aftermarket addition? For the money, it ought to be right, 'out of the box' ?
 
utterly agree

Zagato said:
I don't get the big boat thing apart from improved sailing qualities for longer journeys but maybe not single handed. To my naive eye your just trying to push around a great big lounge, double bed and drinks cabinet - the extra hassle and cost with a great big whale doesn't do it for me. Everything is that much more complicated e.g. can't pull the anchor up by hand need an electric windlass, if a great big main jams you can't just give it a tug to free it and what about berthing the thing - bow thrusters, more grief & maintenance.

The large classic style yachts are beautiful but no thanks, I will never go bigger than I have, I don't need a double bed already made up :rolleyes: quite happy to pull out a cabin seat to kip on :D

God I'm cheery tonight must be the mulled wine! Don't like any of the modern AWB in the links - horrible.
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mine is fine and I have no real wish to do a big offshore passage

if I did I still think that something quite small would be better than something quite big

Dylan
 
dylanwinter said:
I have no real wish to do a big offshore passage

if I did I still think that something quite small would be better than something quite big
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There are definitely benefits to small - as Zagato says, it makes your strength much greater in relative terms, so you can manhandle things you wouldn't be able to on a bigger boat. The loads in, say, a genoa sheet on a 60 footer would scare me, whereas in a 26-footer they're human-scale.

However, big has one major benefit if you're going long-distance, and that is that you travel faster. An extra couple of knots makes a hell of a difference across an ocean.

Pete
 
Anything over 40' might as well take the ferry, it'll have all the beds, bars and lounges you'll ever need - god I love mulled wine :D

Have to say when I finally take out my 24 footer it will be the biggest boat I will ever have sailed in :o Where's the black coffee :rolleyes:

Neil looking at your avatar picture, your boat is much nicer than any characterless plastic mould - what is it?
 
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I'd like a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter but I can't afford to buy or maintain one. In the meantime a tiny (yes - only 28'!) Twister is perfectly satisfactory. :D
 
Modern sail-handling equipment has made such an enormous difference in the last twenty years that I'm not sure that size matters much; if you can afford it. We chatted to a Dutchman with an HR62 who sailed with his young wife and two small children and didn't seem to have any worries about it. A big boat with power winches and power furling gear is not my cup of tea, but, then again...
 
Never big enough?

So if you actually had unlimited cash, what would you sail?

In the news last week was Nick Zennstrom who has a 72 foot race yacht Ran2 that has won the Fastnet last two times out. Big enough for a long trip you might think. But no; he chartered the 100 ft Leopard 3 to race across the Atlantic because "it was more comfortable".

So it seems that a yacht can never be big enough.
 
Neil said:
In a few spare moments, I have been fantasising about big boats - ones in which one could go anywhere, short-handed, and live in style (should I ever do the lotto, and then win!)

I was looking at the Discovery 57: http://www.discoveryyachts.com/our-yachts/discovery-57/

Which looks nice, especially on a sunny day, but the helm position looks horribly exposed to the elements, perched up so high. Wouldn't like to have to steer that in the teeth of a gale (am I missing something?)

Beneteau are doing this:

http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?ID=2777, looks quite handy......

I remember a blow-by-blow account of Magnum of the forum's CB build, that looked good too.

SO:

If you had plenty of dosh, and wanted to travel far and wide in style, what else might you consider?
Click to expand...

It's great fun speculating what you might buy if money were no object.

Euromillionaire roll-over type boat :

Joubert : Hortense 90’, 2/3 crew

http://www.jfa-yachts.com/EN/index.php/photos-hortense

Super comfortable, long range type expedition sailing yacht. Uffa Fox used to say that you should have a boat that is one foot for each year of life. So 90’ would give me wee bit of leeway.

Or; alternatively a large mobo as a base, able to carry a small sailboat on deck.

http://setsail.com/fpb-97-a-wicked-intro/

Or :

http://www.jfa-yachts.com/EN/index.php/photos-magistral


Signficant win :

Amel 55 : Best cruising boat for a couple without crew. It’s big but everything is push button and Amels here are called the Rolls Royce of Boats. There is the all important (for me) shelter at the helm.

http://www.amel.fr/la-gamme/amel-55/en (around £1m)

Or : Sainte Marthe 46: no frills, expedition “Land Rover” type boat, tough as nails, low maintenance yet very roomy and comfortable. (around £700k).

http://www.voilesetvoiliers.com/cha...marthe-46-voilier-exploration-joubert-nivelt/

Decent win :

Vilm 117: http://www.vilm-yacht.de/vilm-yachten/yacht-vilm-117/


Ordinary win :

Refurbished :

Salar 40

http://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=...=kMLIUJjDIOiI0AXeloEg&ved=0CDQQ9QEwAA&dur=188

http://www.condesa.org/about-my-boat/

Or,

Amel Sharki

http://www.leboncoin.fr/nautisme/256946917.htm



 
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This is perfect IMHO. Some friends of mine are soon to complete the World Arc in theirs and they have encountered all sorts of conditions and are unscathed!
 
Discovery 55 we went indoors and steered wiv the Autopilot from comfortable chart table.:D:D
When it was really rough we actually had the the cockpit enclosure up crossing the Atlantic and coming back from Norway.
Yes it's high up but you don't have to stand outside and get wet:):)
Cindy
 
johnalison said:
Modern sail-handling equipment has made such an enormous difference in the last twenty years that I'm not sure that size matters much; if you can afford it. We chatted to a Dutchman with an HR62 who sailed with his young wife and two small children and didn't seem to have any worries about it. A big boat with power winches and power furling gear is not my cup of tea, but, then again...
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I'd worry about it going wrong :)

Whether or not that's rational, it's a fact that I would.

It's all very well adding fancy gear to make life easier - provided that you can still do the first and second tiers without it.

(First tier: keep the people in the boat and the water outside the boat.
Second tier: ability to sail, steer, and know where you are and what's around you

Third and fourth tiers are respectively stuff important to the operation of the boat like nav lights, engines, autopilots, and domestic comfiness like sofas and fridges)

Big boats don't fit into some nice harbours very well. Although I suppose if you're big enough you anchor outside and use the highly capable tender that you have room for.

The other usual worry about a big boat is handling it while mooring, and while it's certainly intimidating to begin with I reckon it's solvable with enough practice. After all, professional seafarers berth much bigger vessels every day.

Personally I don't think I'd want anything much over 45' however much wonga I had.

Pete
 
johnalison said:
Modern sail-handling equipment has made such an enormous difference in the last twenty years that I'm not sure that size matters much; if you can afford it. We chatted to a Dutchman with an HR62 who sailed with his young wife and two small children and didn't seem to have any worries about it. A big boat with power winches and power furling gear is not my cup of tea, but, then again...
Click to expand...

An HR 43 would be way up my wish list. It's the smallest one on which they do the optional cockpit hard top.
 
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