If you were going to sail around the world on a sub 40ft yacht, what would you pick?

[geem]

My kind of boat :encouragement:

Great idea when sailing around the cool parts of the globe but once you get into the tropics you have two choices with those large pilot house windows. Cook inside the pilothouse or cover those windows up. There are plenty of pilothouse boats here in the Caribbean and they go to great lengths to keep the heat out. Ironic that those of us with smaller windows can still see out...

 

[Bobc]

Very true, but the OP was talking about sailing around the world, not lounging in the Caribbean. For that I'd get a cat.

 

[Tranona]

You claim that fibreglass weighs the same out of water, as submerged in water?
RUBBISH!

Where did I claim that?

I (unlike you) make no "claims" on this subject but have referred you to an article from a recognised authority which explains the physics and illustrates why what you are proposing is not feasible - once again displaying you ignorance and as others have also said why nobody takes anything you say seriously.

BTW this thread is about choosing a boat under 40' to sail round the world. You will note that the choice is eclectic and not one person would choose a boat that is remotely like the type you advocate.

 

[robmcg]

Great idea when sailing around the cool parts of the globe but once you get into the tropics you have two choices with those large pilot house windows. Cook inside the pilothouse or cover those windows up. There are plenty of pilothouse boats here in the Caribbean and they go to great lengths to keep the heat out. Ironic that those of us with smaller windows can still see out...

I'd sit in the cockpit, with a bimini up....... and a beer

 

[geem]

I'd sit in the cockpit, with a bimini up....... and a beer

You would need to! You could cook a chicken in the pilothouse without putting it in the oven.........

 

[geem]

Very true, but the OP was talking about sailing around the world, not lounging in the Caribbean. For that I'd get a cat.

Since the thread is about a sub 40ft boat which cat would you choose? I have done an Atlantic circuit in 37ft cat. It's doable for an Atlantic circuit but not an ideal boat for the job. Sailing around the world on a 37ft cat would not be ideal as they are too small to carry everything you are likely to want onboard and they don't carry weight well being relatively small.
As for lounging in the Caribbean we have over 5000nm under the keel since December. Sailing in some fairly serious weather. The Caribbean is not all lounging.....

 

[robmcg]

You would need to! You could cook a chicken in the pilothouse without putting it in the oven.........

That's OK, I'm vegetarian! But more seriously, I would just put reflective insulation over the windows and open the front hatch. Strangely, I am not hugely drawn to sailing in the Caribbean but would give it a go, even in the Endurance! Great for North Atlantic though!

 

[geem]

Very true, but the OP was talking about sailing around the world, not lounging in the Caribbean. For that I'd get a cat.

Since the thread is about a sub 40ft boat which cat would you choose? I have done an Atlantic circuit in 37ft cat. It's doable for an Atlantic circuit but not an ideal boat for the job. Sailing around the world on a 37ft cat would not be ideal as they are too small to carry everything you are likely to want onboard and they don't carry weight well being relatively small.
As for lounging in the Caribbean we have over 5000nm under the keel since December. Sailing in some fairly serious weather. The Caribbean is not all lounging.....

 

[Brent Swain]

You are talking at cross purposes. No one doubts that fibreglass weighs less in water than out.

What is complete and utter rubbish is your theory about spray foam insulation making GRP or Al boats unsinkable. Given enough foam it might be possible but It really isn’t that simple and the fact you make such a wild claim and don’t understand the complexity of the problem shows your ignorance of Naval Architecture and the basic tenets of boat design.

If you make such elementary mistakes and ridiculous claims that are plain wrong, how do you expect anyone to take you seriously?

"Bernie Made Off" type calculations aside , the aluminium and plastic boats mentioned DID float , proving your theories that they wouldn't float,dead wrong, and ridiculous claims, with no basis in fact or experience, especially when the experience mentioned, contradicts them.
It 's like, after 40 years of people world cruising in my designs, with zero serious structural problems or design and construction problems of any kind ,people saying "that which has worked well for over 40 years, wont work!" Ditto home built gear .
You have given no reason they wouldn't ,but deliberately vague, generalizations, based on some snobby pecking order . Such deliberately vague suggestions are made to discourage people from using their own judgement , and doing their own thinking, but paying some self promoting con artist ( often with not much in the way of common sense) huge fees to do what, with common sense logic, they could easily figure out by themselves . It really is as simple as I said .

No John, there is nothing more complicated to it ,than what I posted. No , one does not have to be up in the top of the snob pecking order, to figure out something so simple.
No , trying to make it appear far more complicated than it really is ,is not improving anything, certainly not anyone's credibility among practical people. Such tactics will only impress the fools. The practical will see thru it.

 

[Brent Swain]

Where did I claim that?

I (unlike you) make no "claims" on this subject but have referred you to an article from a recognised authority .
_____________________________________________________________________________
Bernie Made Off was a "recognized authority " on investment.
Bob Perry is a "Recognized authority" on what he has never done ,offshore cruising,. boat building , etc etc
__________________________________________________________________________-

You will note that the choice is eclectic and not one person would choose a boat that is remotely like the type you advocate.

Hundreds have. All have been extremely happy with that choice. Wouldn't want anything else, after much experience. The only critics of my boats are those who have the least experience in them, all of whom have never seen one, let alone built or sailed on one.

 

[newtothis]

Hundreds have. All have been extremely happy with that choice. Wouldn't want anything else, after much experience. The only critics of my boats are those who have the least experience in them, all of whom have never seen one, let alone built or sailed on one.

Yes, Brent, you're right. About everything. None of us is worthy to sail in your wake. Steel boats forever, death to plastic, etc. Point made. Everybody hates you and thinks you're a pompous, self-obsessed git, but you made your point and you win.
Happy now? Good. So it's now okay to find some other forum where you can start your righteous campaign all over again. Because everyone here, frankly, is sick of it.
Fair winds, and watch out for those reefs.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Well, that is predicated by the OP's limitation to 40ft. Modern yachts designed for blue water cruising generally don't come less than at least 42ft.

Feel free to recommend good sub-40ft long-range cruisers designed in the last 10 years.

Allures 39.9? Probably the ultimate rtw yacht is 45 ft - Jimmy Cornell's Explorer 45 built by the Garcia yard (part of the same group as Allures). I imagine it would be quite possible to scale the Explorer 45 back to 40' without much compromise though you'd still need a pretty large bank account.

 

[Brent Swain]

Yes, Brent, you're right. About everything. None of us is worthy to sail in your wake. Steel boats forever, death to plastic, etc. Point made. Everybody hates you and thinks you're a pompous, self-obsessed git, but you made your point and you win.
Happy now? Good. So it's now okay to find some other forum where you can start your righteous campaign all over again. Because everyone here, frankly, is sick of it.
Fair winds, and watch out for those reefs.

The suggestion being:
"Praise plastic, ignore its liabilities and problems, and attack steel, and don't mention its positives.
You good!"
Point out steel's advantages and its positives, and point out it's advantages over plastic ,and point out plastic's liabilities and risks, and possibly learn from tragedies, and save lives in the process.
You bad!

 

[Brent Swain]

Allures 39.9? Probably the ultimate rtw yacht is 45 ft - Jimmy Cornell's Explorer 45 built by the Garcia yard (part of the same group as Allures). I imagine it would be quite possible to scale the Explorer 45 back to 40' without much compromise though you'd still need a pretty large bank account.

Most boats can be directly scaled up, by up to 12%, without throwing things out of porportion. Any more than that, and you best start designing from scratch.

 

[Brent Swain]

Great idea when sailing around the cool parts of the globe but once you get into the tropics you have two choices with those large pilot house windows. Cook inside the pilothouse or cover those windows up. There are plenty of pilothouse boats here in the Caribbean and they go to great lengths to keep the heat out. Ironic that those of us with smaller windows can still see out...

I once met a guy who had smoked glass windows on his wheelhouse. Couldn't see much after sundown. He had to go back to clear windows, for night sailing.

 

[Brent Swain]

I'd sit in the cockpit, with a bimini up....... and a beer

Around here, in the last heat wave ,I would wait til sundown, and set sail in the cool of the evening.
My ports in the wheelhouse are relatively small. If your inside steering seat puts your face close to them, they don't have to be big, for a wide field of view.

 

[Brent Swain]

You would need to! You could cook a chicken in the pilothouse without putting it in the oven.........

Being well insulated with spray foam ,my wheelhouse is much cooler than my cockpit.

 

[Brent Swain]

Since the thread is about a sub 40ft boat which cat would you choose? I have done an Atlantic circuit in 37ft cat. It's doable for an Atlantic circuit but not an ideal boat for the job. Sailing around the world on a 37ft cat would not be ideal as they are too small to carry everything you are likely to want onboard and they don't carry weight well being relatively small.
As for lounging in the Caribbean we have over 5000nm under the keel since December. Sailing in some fairly serious weather. The Caribbean is not all lounging.....

Yes, I remember multis in New Zealand, after crossing the Pacific. Their owners enthusiasm had dampened considerably, after experiencing the realities of cruising, vs the myths of theory. Sure, their boats WERE fast, before they put all the unavoidable essentials of long distance cruising and living aboard, onboard. Then, they were no faster, and in some cases, much slower than the monos they used to criticize and attack. Most were planning on monohulls for their next boat. mostly metal.

 

[geem]

Yes, I remember multis in New Zealand, after crossing the Pacific. Their owners enthusiasm had dampened considerably, after experiencing the realities of cruising, vs the myths of theory. Sure, their boats WERE fast, before they put all the unavoidable essentials of long distance cruising and living aboard, onboard. Then, they were no faster, and in some cases, much slower than the monos they used to criticize and attack. Most were planning on monohulls for their next boat. mostly metal.

Interestly all the guys I meet with steel boats swear they would never have another steel boat. Most choose grp.
One guy we met sailed around the world on a steel boat and replaced it with cold molded wood, sailed around the world on that then sold it to go grp. Said steel was too much maintenance wood was better but grp was best. An experienced sailor who has done more than most with valuable experience to share.
From what I have seen a simple scratch on a steel boat turns into a nightmare if you dot deal with it quickly. Who wants that hassle with a boat. Rust is the death of steel.
We hit an unmarked wreck off the south coast of Cuba earlier this year. It lifted our 19ton boat a foot clear of the water as we wet over it. I dived over the side to check the damage. We had several deep scratches in the grp encapsulated lead keel.
8 months later we still have deep scratches in the keel but no rust! We will lift out next month ad fill the scratches when we do our bottom paint. Glad we don't have a steel boat

 

[BurnitBlue]

It is sobering to think that a sailor in a 40 foot boat still trusts the liferaft. To think that abandoning a GRP yacht with 20mm of solid GRP for a 3mm thick "rubber" thingy is really a cheap "get-out" by a designer and builder who failed completely to protect the crew. Watertight bulkheads, and efficient fire fighting should be in position.

It should not need laws to force this (alla cars and airbags etc,) just a small amount of pride in ones design.
.