Complete newbie sailing question

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Stuart1970

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Hi, apologies if these questions seem a bit simplistic but I've got zero experience of sailing apart from reading a couple of magazines recently. One thing I'm curious about is the characteristics of an ocean going yacht in terms of something that your average sailor would feel comfortable in terms of taking on a long distance trip, say to somewhere like the Caribbean. Is there generally a minimum size that most people would consider for such purposes? I'm sure I read somewhere about 32ft
 
Surprised that no-one has responded to this yet.

Whilst I haven't sailed to the carribean I would say that size is only part of the equation. Skill, boat design, and crew size are much more relevant.

Some very impressive voyages have been made in much smaller vessels - just google Shane Acton and Shrimpy or Mike Richey and Jester - the first about 18 feet, the second around 25 feet and they both made several long voyages.

A larger boat is generally faster and more comfortable ( obviously there are exceptions) hence the attraction of people to slightly larger boats - also if you factor in that boats generally are getting bigger and that good 32 footers ( e.g. Contessa 32, Sadler 32) could be picked up and equipped for a transatlantic passage quite cheaply in real terms then no surprise that that figure has been quoted. A 32 will probably be reasonably comfortable for 2 ( but small in comparison to most ) but a young, keen person could do it in a 26
 
More magazines

Suggest you read a few more mags .. Then a few books .. Then a few sailing courses or just do a FASTRACK Course .. Total Novice to Yacht Master Supremo in 16 weeks ..

Or just book yourself on a weeks Competent Crew Course and sea how you get on ..

Opppppps Manners .. Nearly Forgot .. Welcome to the Forum ..
 
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I have a friend in his early 20's who is currently sailing around the caribbean in his Sadler 25 that he sailed across from England last winter. Size doesn't really matter if you're prepared to sacrifice some of the luxuries you have on land.
 
Welcome

Hi and welcome to the forum

I am a newbie too so will be intersted in the replies that you get.

If you have never been on the water before I would try a comp Crew Course before anything else.

I did mine on a Vic 34 and it was a cracking boat. Not too sure If I would want to buy one though. I then did an expedition with the Army on a 67 ft BT Global Challenge - it seemed MASSIVGE in comparrison to the Vic.

I toohave read that a 32 is the "starter" but as stated by others it depends what sialing you want to do, # of crew etc.

Good luck with the hunt - I amm just starting to look and it is bewlidering the number of boats out there.

Do a course ( we are all doing Comp Crew in May at Hamble Sailing) - good fun and a good taster of things to come!

Regards
Paul
 
Stuart1970 said:
Hi, apologies if these questions seem a bit simplistic but I've got zero experience of sailing apart from reading a couple of magazines recently. One thing I'm curious about is the characteristics of an ocean going yacht in terms of something that your average sailor would feel comfortable in terms of taking on a long distance trip, say to somewhere like the Caribbean. Is there generally a minimum size that most people would consider for such purposes? I'm sure I read somewhere about 32ft
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My new boat is 22ft. I intend that to go across.
 
Ours is 32 and made it round the world and my mates is 34 and he did Auz , USA then here. Its not the size but the crew & weather really.
 
Don't think size matters too much but the bigger the boat the more comfortable you will be if you actually live aboard, rather than just sail for weekends or holidays. Water capacity is really important if you liveaboard, especially if like most people, you can't afford marinas and like to be at anchor. My husband found that he couldn't get a long enough bunk in boats less than 36ft. We started off in a 38ft and ended up with a 47ft, which is a faster passagemaker.
 
Stuart1970 said:
Hi, apologies if these questions seem a bit simplistic but I've got zero experience of sailing apart from reading a couple of magazines recently. One thing I'm curious about is the characteristics of an ocean going yacht in terms of something that your average sailor would feel comfortable in terms of taking on a long distance trip, say to somewhere like the Caribbean. Is there generally a minimum size that most people would consider for such purposes? I'm sure I read somewhere about 32ft
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The usual answer is "One foot shorter than my boat".
 
I can't agree with all this "size doesn't matter" bravado. Of course it matters. Interior volume goes up geometrically with length, so comfort will go up geometrically too. A 32 footer is a pretty cramped place to live for a few months, even for a keen young small crew. But comfort isn't the main thing -- it's safety. A storm which a 45-footer takes in stride can be life-threatening on a 32-footer. And the 45-footer will be considerably faster, exposing you less to dangerous weather (sailboat speed is related to waterline length because of physics). A really solid, seaworthy 32-footer like a Contessa is probably acceptable for this if you are willing to take some risk, can live with the slower passage times, and can live in that amount of space. Smaller than that, and/or a boat which is not solid and seaworthy (most boats of this size are not made for blue water), already starts to border on recklessness. That's why you heard the 32 foot limit, which I think is quite sensible. And as a minimum, not an optimum size.

And yes, take a few years of lessons before thinking seriously about a transat. Hint: it's worth it! Good luck and welcome to the sport.
 
Dockhead said:
Smaller than that, and/or a boat which is not solid and seaworthy (most boats of this size are not made for blue water), already starts to border on recklessness. That's why you heard the 32 foot limit, which I think is quite sensible. And as a minimum, not an optimum size.QUOTE]

I'm sure this guy http://www.yrvind.com/ and many others would disagree with you, where is your evidence? if you can keep the water out i'm sure a solid small boat is capable of taking you anywhere a solid big boat can. It's sureley to do with the sailor and not the boat.

I bought a Contessa 26 because i thought it would look after me but when the going gets rough you have to help the boat out too, is it then not a case that things are easier to fix/sort out on a smaller simpler boat?

I'm not saying i'm right just giving a different point of view, i don't have the answer
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Don't be deceived by the hair shirts worn by some of the posters here.

Yes, exceptional people can sail round the world in a 19 footer; yes, stalwart and committed couples can cruise extensively in boats from 26 to 32ft. But if you want to do it in some sort of comfort and safety, 32ft really is an absolute minimum. When I first started to be aware of the blue water cruising world, some 30 years ago 38ft was considered to be the optimum balance between comfort, ease of handling, performance, safety and seaworthiness (assuming a suitable design). The average today would probably be something around 42ft - possibly more.
 
You might be better considering the style & condition of the boat and your own ability rather than just the size. As others have said, there are loads of books out there here's one written by a clubmate of mine who has failed to cross the Atlantic a few times, but lived to tell the tale. He tells it quite well too & it may help you see some of the stuff that can go wrong. Here's another, from a guy who literally bought a boat to sail home & learned as he went. It's another cracking story & he too was lucky to live to tell the tale.

You need to be very able to identify & understand any & every problem - and then sort it out with what you have on board. Even the experts have disasters, but the survivors have the skills to deal with them. On the other hand many crossings are made in unsuitable boats by unskilled but lucky people.
 
The first thing is that every part of the boat must be in first class order; this is easier to be sure of with a smaller boat.

Since the first fifteen years of my sailing career, during which time I got across the North Sea and down the Channel, were spent in a half decked 18 footer, a knackered Dragon and a good, decked, 18 footer, I find the idea that a 32 footer is a "starter boat" rather bizarre.
 
jamesjermain said:
Don't be deceived by the hair shirts worn by some of the posters here.

Yes, exceptional people can sail round the world in a 19 footer; yes, stalwart and committed couples can cruise extensively in boats from 26 to 32ft. But if you want to do it in some sort of comfort and safety, 32ft really is an absolute minimum. When I first started to be aware of the blue water cruising world, some 30 years ago 38ft was considered to be the optimum balance between comfort, ease of handling, performance, safety and seaworthiness (assuming a suitable design). The average today would probably be something around 42ft - possibly more.
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Comfort, yes, but safety is not related to boat size in a simple manner - and the relationship may be inverse to what people presume! Basically, the smaller a boat, the lower the bending stresses the hull will be subjected to by wave motion. And the strength of the materials will probably not be less in proportion to the length of the hull. So, you can readily argue that a small boat is actually stronger in relation to the stresses it will encounter than a larger vessel. So, a small vessel with ample sea-room may be a safer platform than a larger vessel. Similar arguments go for breaking waves - the unsupported span of panels on a small boat is less, windows are smaller and so on. Fittings, being standardized, tend to be stronger in relation to the applied stresses on small boats.

Conversely, large interior spaces are not as safe as small ones; there is more potential for accidents caused by falling - and I speak as someone who cracked a rib by falling off the bottom step of the companionway!

However, this picture changes if there is not sea-room - a small vessel will be less able to make progress to windward in bad conditions, and so less able to get out of danger.

It is interesting to see how perceptions change. I have a 31' yacht, which would have been regarded as a LARGE yacht when I was a teenager, and more than adequate for ocean crossing. My dad had a 27' yacht, which was a very comfortable holiday home for 4 of us (Mum, Dad and two growing teenagers); we never felt we were cramped for room; indeed, we felt that 27' was palatial! Should opportunity arise, I would be happy to cross oceans in either.
 
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