Greatings.. back to sizes, and does it matter !!

[Darkmyst]

Hi All,

Well as i posted before, we are starting the planning stage of a liveaboard lifestyle. But i think i should clarify some points,

Most of the time, i will be the only one living abord and doing 95% of the sailing single handed, Alas my Wife suffers with a bad illness that would prevent her leaving the uk for longer than 30 days. Yes she is supporting this, Dreams are a powerfull thing,, and we both believe in liveing life as best we can.

With all of the above in mind,, im back to boats.. and Sizes.. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I like the hunter boats, and the oceanis, these can be found for 20k to 25k, all around the 85 and higher years, Also i really like the hunter 28.. yes i know its smaller than 32,,,
In a ideal world, 20k would be the max I would want to spend on the boat, then it allows money for pre sail work.

What boats do you use ? size,, and what do you think is the best and worst faults ?.

Rgds
Darkmyst

PS. My wife says size does not matter !!!

 

[michael_w]

One of Geoff Pack's excellent suggestions is the "litmus cruise" to find out if you like the seagoing life. Head off for a year or so in the boat you either already own, or will re-sell easily. Come home and think again.

This is what SWMBO and I did, Sold the boat in the Azores on the way back to Blighty. Now we're looking for a suitable boat for a circumnavigation. I know what I want, but I can't find the right example.

 

[jeremyshaw]

I don't see many liveaboard boats less than 35' feet. That said, there are a significant minority. Depends on how much you want to forgo home comforts. At sub 30 feet you will be pretty much 'camping'. I know a family of who managed with 2 small kids on a Contessa 32 (worth considering) but it would have driven me crazy. And they eventually traded up to a 40' cat. So there's no perfect size, just a question of perfect fit for crew and boat.

 

[Lizzie_B]

If it is just you with the occassional other then 29 ft plus should be ok. But it isn't just length, it's hull shape and design.
An Elizabethan31 has a lot more comfortable living space than a Contessa 32, even though the 31 is the older design - that's why such a large proportion of them ended up as blue water boats with several still in the Caribean.
As previously said, you have to decide what sort of sailing you envisage doing and who with, and what you require in the way of creature comforts.

I think the only way to do that is sail on as many different boats a you can get the opportunity to.
It also helps enormously if the boat has a strong owners' association. The amount of trouble and expense the C 38 OA has saved me has been phenominal - and of course you can get an idea of what a boat is suitable for by how current owners are using them.

Also think about your itinerary. The idea of a one year test cruise is a good one.

I have friends who took a year out cruised to the Med in a Bavaria 34, 2 up with occassional visiting couples.
They had a great time and want to circumnavigate.
They learnt the 34 was fine in the Med, but for not circumnavigating, so they sold the 34 and are looking for a heavier boat having chartered one in NZ and decided comfort factor when making long passages was important.

As part of their planning they have taken the opportunity to sail on which ever boats have entered their short list and discovered how subjective some builder's sales information can be. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

So as said by others, go sailing and plan. each time you sail think could I live on this boat for a year. Could I make long passages on her. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[roly_voya]

It is always better to have a good small one than big bad one, don't be tempted to go for a bigger boat than you can comfortably aford to get into A1 condition and maintain. The cost of everything about doubles for each extra 3ft!! So work out you budget then see what that gets you in good nick and learn to live on it. For under 25K I wouldent expect to get anything much bgger than 30ft that is fit for ocean sailing but if you can find something like a Nick 32 it would be ideal. I would always say the heavier the better, as your freinds found wt = comfort but equally important for solo sailing the more traditional and heavier boats perform much better under autopilot as the are directionaly stable and not prone to suddenly 'loosing it'. For solo work I definatly would not go for anything with broad beam and narrow keel or a significantly assymetric underbody, if you cant leave the tiller without the autopilot in a moderate sea for long enough to put the kettle on it's not stable enough. The other piont to think about is that if you get a smaller, cheaper boat you can use the money saved for you wife to come and join you for a week or two and share some of the experience.

 

[tobble]

I live aboard my Sabre 27, and it doesn't feel like camping! I think the sabre has a decent amount of accommodation for the size (by which I mean length). One of the main things is that she is pretty beamy, which is good for accommodation but bad for performance. I think if you are alone that would be enough, but as has been commented, it depends very much on what you want/need. I'm not to bothered by the relative lack of space; untill you get that oyster 84 it's always going to be smaller than a house! The way I think about it is: when it's cold it's cosy, when it's hot I have the outdoors! Also on a small ish boat like mine, sacrificing cockpit space means more accommodation, for example compare the sabre with a Vancouver 27.

also, and this goes for non-live aboards, the amount of work needed to maintain the boat increases disproportionately with the size, as do mooring costs, lift costs, quantity of paint etc etc. Go and actually look as some boats! soton IBS is coming up (sort of), an ideal opportunity to have a good nose around and get a feel, even though you probably won't be buying new.

price: £0.02

 

[Sequoiah1]

Interesting question! We have a 38' Ketch and when single handing its fairly easy, having said that the sail plan is divided up which does make it easier, so the bigger the boat the more you want your sail plan divided up. Weight of a boat is also important. If you are on your own you want ease of handling and maintenance as priorities. I just typed in £15K-20k search on 'boats and outboards' and was amazed at what is being offered for sale. Clearly the second hand boat market is flooded so its a buyers market, hunters, westerlies, nicholsons etc all look great value. Your best bet is to buy the best condition and well known boat you can get your hands on. If its volume you are after then the newer euro boats are good but perhaps maybe a bit tender when sailing, older heavier boats are most likley going to have smaller volume and I dont agree that more modern designs are less easy to handle its just a case of how well they are set up and how you approach manouevres. I certainly dont think you should consider anyhting over 35'. Having a dedicated seperate sleeping cabing for when in port for us is a high priority, when at sea on your own its irrelevant. It sounds to me like you like the performance side of sailing and hunters are certainly good sailing boats. Berthing costs will always be an issue so avoid bowsprits and bumpkins unless removable as these create extra length for no gain in volume. Also I would look for a boat that comes with a good suit of sails, good and reliable autopilot and all the extra goodies that will make your life easier and will save you pounds if you have to buy brand new. Sounds to me like you are going to have some great adventures.

 

[EDM]

Considering what you have said regarding your wife, I would consider you get a Cat !! If will make your wife's time on the boat far more comfertable.

As for size... buy what u can afford.

I own a mono-hull so I am NOT trying to start a mono vs Cat argument.