Comfortable cruising at 10 knots on a budget?

[jaminb]

Having just watched the latest Patrick Laine video and, following a very slow passage to Studland, is it possible to comfortably cruise at c.10 knots on a budget?

My boat probably averages about 5kn in 15 knots of wind. Doubling the speed is quite an attractive proposition but not at the expense of being self sufficient and carrying my home comforts, food and drink.

Could any sailing boat less than 11m and £50k be able to match the performance of Patricks boat? What is it?

thanks

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Not with a conventional monohull. The hull speed in knots is ABOUT 1.4 times the square root of the waterline length. Assuming a LWL of 10m, that's about 32.5', so the hull speed would be 8 knots. Of course, the LWL for a 11m boat would probably be less than 10m. You might get 10 knots surfing, but not a sustained speed of 10 knots.

Extreme hull forms might get up to a sustainable 10 knots, but such boats tend to be out and out racing machines.

Of course, a catamaran or trimaran could do 10 knots, but would probably be somewhat less close-winded, especially if loaded up for cruising.

 

[mrangry]

He sails a Bongo 8.7. Having watched all of his videos I dont think it does anything like 10 knots though

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Hello, it might be possible to get a Dragonfly 920 for that money, but it’ll be like house buying in the 1980s, prepare to be gazumped, and be prepared to spend money on the boat. 60k is more realistic. We can cruise at 10kn with a tender, a fridge, food, water and fuel. A lot more if you ditch some of that. I can’t offhand think of another production boat that ticks those boxes. You’ll be way more comfortable, particularly short handed, than ypu would be on any mono with aspirations to 10kn continuous.

Btw, if any other cruising boat, say, under 50ft can go to windward quicker than us, I have yet to meet it.

 

[Sandy]

You will need to buy a motor boat or a RIB. Enjoy life at a slow pace and keep your current boat.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

You will need to buy a motor boat or a RIB. Enjoy life at a slow pace and keep your current boat.

If he’s going to do that, he’ll have spent another 10k for a seriously uncomfortable RIB. And if he added that to his 50k budget he’d have no trouble in achieving his aim with a sailing boat. At 60k, there are more option. Maldives 32, Dragonfly, Woods Saggita. The dragonfly is the least roomy, and unsurprisingly the fastest. An F27 is another possible, might get a decent one of those inside the 50k. It’s not that Dragonflys are never priced there, it's that the ones that are will need sails, tramps, rigging etc.

 

[MisterBaxter]

Ten knots to windward won't be comfortable in anything smaller that about 80ft, and even then it won't be that comfortable, except possibly in something like a J Class...

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Ten knots to windward won't be comfortable in anything smaller that about 80ft, and even then it won't be that comfortable, except possibly in something like a J Class...

Ha, you’re not wrong there! We fly from crest to crest. It’s wet, jerky, and only done when racing. Going down to 8 or so makes life more bearable hard on the wind. On a reach though, 10 is quite slow, no issues at all. About 15 is the comfort/nerves limit, after that the sheets are hand held, the helmsman is wired, you are very conscious of the power and speed. Likewise the spray is coming down the lee tramp like bullets, the sail will be wet up to the numbers.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

However, the op asked for 10kn. A 30ft Dragonfly won’t spill his G&T at 10kn, unless he’s bashing to windward in 20+kn of wind. Then, he’d better switch to tequila shots. The ocean will supply the salt.

 

[Minerva]

If you chose to ignore the ‘budget’ element, I’m pretty sure on the advertorial video to present the Hallberg Rassy 65 they claimed the ability to passage plan at around 10kts.

May have to add a zero or two to the budget…

 

[Chiara’s slave]

If you chose to ignore the ‘budget’ element, I’m pretty sure on the advertorial video to present the Hallberg Rassy 65 they claimed the ability to passage plan at around 10kts.

May have to add a zero or two to the budget…

Theres why there are 150 DF920s and 200+ newer 28s. You need a million quid to go quicker.

 

[johnalison]

My boat will comfortably do a sustained 8kn in the right conditions but if I check the average at the end of the leg it is always much lower, maybe 7.2 or so. To average 10 knots you would have to be pushing 12 much of the time I reckon.

 

[onesea]

Ha, you’re not wrong there! We fly from crest to crest. It’s wet, jerky, and only done when racing. Going down to 8 or so makes life more bearable hard on the wind. On a reach though, 10 is quite slow, no issues at all. About 15 is the comfort/nerves limit, after that the sheets are hand held, the helmsman is wired, you are very conscious of the power and speed. Likewise the spray is coming down the lee tramp like bullets, the sail will be wet up to the numbers.

“is it possible to comfortably cruise at c.10 knots on a budget?”.

From what I have read above no, well not with the wind forward of the beam. However 10knots at 11m your going to need a multihull.

Even blowing your budget and looking at a 54’ you can only expect to motor at 8.8 knots.
On test: Oceanis Yacht 54 - Yachting World

My last boat was an old 3/4 tonner it could do 7 knots easily to windward, we spent most of our life throttling her back on a long days sail for comfort.
Great fun but physically demanding, designed for racing a large crew. Sailed 2 up or single handed she was a fun challenge.

We could leave most cruising boats up to 55 ish foot and the odd Sigma 38 behind.

I am sure you could find an old more modern race boat to sail, with a less of a challenge.

However weight is slow, weight is also comfort in a seaway. Generally more WLL is speed.

 

[ridgy]

I delivered a Farr 40 once from cork to Southampton and that did 10 knots most of the time under kite. Not a relaxing experience however and mostly a shell beneath decks.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I delivered a Farr 40 once from cork to Southampton and that did 10 knots most of the time under kite. Not a relaxing experience however and mostly a shell beneath decks.

I can well believe it, I have had similar experiences. If it’s upwind, we would have to be trying hard to catch one of those, but catch it we would. Downwind, we could put the autopilot on and have a brew and still catch it. That magic 10, unless you have a serious budget, is going to require more than 1 hull. And practically speaking, it’s going to need 3, as there are so few cats built that willl do the same. There’s a lovely Dazcat 9.2 in the Solent somewhere, but you could buy at least 2 Dragonflys for the price of that. Otherwise we would own it.

 

[westernman]

Having just watched the latest Patrick Laine video and, following a very slow passage to Studland, is it possible to comfortably cruise at c.10 knots on a budget?

My boat probably averages about 5kn in 15 knots of wind. Doubling the speed is quite an attractive proposition but not at the expense of being self sufficient and carrying my home comforts, food and drink.

Could any sailing boat less than 11m and £50k be able to match the performance of Patricks boat? What is it?

thanks

Yes. In the right conditions. And it will depend on what your definition of cruising is.

Here is an example.

https://uk.boats.com/sailing-boats/1987-mini-transat-mini-transat-6-50-9355759/

 

[rotrax]

Ha, you’re not wrong there! We fly from crest to crest. It’s wet, jerky, and only done when racing. Going down to 8 or so makes life more bearable hard on the wind. On a reach though, 10 is quite slow, no issues at all. About 15 is the comfort/nerves limit, after that the sheets are hand held, the helmsman is wired, you are very conscious of the power and speed. Likewise the spray is coming down the lee tramp like bullets, the sail will be wet up to the numbers.

How do you keep the ice in your drinks?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

How do you keep the ice in your drinks?

Reef.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Yes. In the right conditions. And it will depend on what your definition of cruising is.

Here is an example.

https://uk.boats.com/sailing-boats/1987-mini-transat-mini-transat-6-50-9355759/

The gentleman asked for comfort. That is never comfortable, even if, and it is an if, it were ever to be able to maintain 10knots. You’d need a bucket in the cockpit for when it all got too much for your bowels, for starters.

 

[westernman]

The gentleman asked for comfort. That is never comfortable, even if, and it is an if, it were ever to be able to maintain 10knots. You’d need a bucket in the cockpit for when it all got too much for your bowels, for starters.

10 knots is an absolute.
And yes they can and do sustain more than 10 knots over long distances.

Comfort is relative. What is comfortable for me, you might not deem comfortable for your good self.