small cruisers for older crews

He said 6 metres! Any 6 metre cat is not going to be an easily handled cruising boat. Heavenly twins is the smallest at 26ft (8 metres)
The little old westerly is a good choice and sails pretty upright with a heavy displacement and big cockpit.
 
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. It is all very helpful and much appreciated. I am much clearly now in what I am looking for.

Good sailing.
 
Not a great fan of the hirondelle especially for the older crew. It has more in common with a beach cat with a cabin, than other cruising cats.
 
As one nearing pension age and having owned/sailed many boats of this size I would say there are three things that are vital:

1. Sailing performance must be adequate to windward. Many older 6m 'cruising' boats were little more than floating caravans - they blew along quite nicely, but forget going 'uphill'.

2. At my time of life (so therefore yours too!): Standing Headroom is an absolute must. Many years of crouching in low cabins, and I find I am now just not flexible enough to tolerate low headroom for long!

3. A decent engine - particularly if SWMBO is nervous about heeling. Sooner or later the engine will be the only thing standing between your to having to sell the boat because you scared her silly thrashing home against a stiff headbreeze!
 
You are right about headroom and a decent engine. The reason for my question is that I've already scared her silly thrashing to windward!
 
I've also been down this path and agree - MUST have headroom AND reliable engine.

So how important is being able to go to windward well? If so, get a keel boat and go out for only a few hours. For cruising I might consider the Prout Scirocco 26ft cat with its large (furling) headsail and small main. had a delightful week on the East Coast: plenty of room and what you lose upwind (so donk it) you'll gain offwind.

But you'll be a brave man to do without a mast altogether - and the motion can be far worse than a heeling yacht!

PM me for more.
 
Its a myth that turning on the engine is an easy option over thrashing to windward. Unless you have a motor sailer anything else is going to be more pleasant sailing. I owned a Fantasie 19, then a Sigma 33, and now the Victoria, and they are/were more pleasant to sail to windward then to motor into a blow. In my experience the motor is best used in a flat calm. Brian more important than size is your budget??? How about a Corribee ?? Sails like a big dinghy, but can be a bit wet. If the business of balancing a dinghy is prompting the change how about a Drascombe, a Hawk 20 or some such dayboat if the budget can stand it??
 
Having sailed quite quick trailer sailors and with all the helpful suggestions made I am veering towards a heavier longer keel, boat which will not react to gusts so quickly, and with a lid to keep Her happy in port.
Thanks again everyone
 
Check out the Samphire 26... we have a 29 at the club which I have sailed, and she's a beauty if you can bear the heads in the forepeak.
If you are in the running I would recommend a Frances/Victoria 26/800... but then I am biased!!!! The owners association has one for sale.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Its a myth that turning on the engine is an easy option over thrashing to windward. Unless you have a motor sailer anything else is going to be more pleasant sailing.

[/ QUOTE ]

No myth, I can asure you! Pushing to windward is not funny if you dislike being bumped around, getting wet and frightened. But better to get there is a straight line than spend several more hours zig-zagging across in a small boat that is not brilliant to windward anyway. And most boats around 6m (with a few noteable exceptions) are sheer misery to push uphill under sail IMHO,

And many smaller motorsailers because of their tubby shape are even worse in a head sea, bouncing around all over the place!
 
Have a look at the Westerly fleet
Must be something there to suit.
Well built, heavier than average displacement, even the smallest has better than normal (for size) headroom.

The smallest I have sailed in is the Centaur (26'). with full standing headroom, there are various layouts available - also fin or bilge keel.
I have always been pleasently surprised at how well it sails considering its chunky appearence.

Happy hunting.
 
Yes, and they are fine boats (especially the 22 /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif) safe, seakindly and a surprising turn of speed for the size and displacement.

I've kept out of this thread however since they completely fail your "any boat that heels significantly and quickly" test. The 22 particularly has very little form stability and heels to the slightest breeze. The ballast ratio is about 45% though and she quickly stiffens up and feels very reassuring.

Silkie is a great wee boat but loves to sail on her ear so I suspect you wouldn't get your wife aboard a second time! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Thanks for helpful comments. I knew they had a good ballast ratio but had overlooked the point you make about hull form, which could be quite relevant to my wife's newly found anxiety. It hard to adjust to after having raced dinghies and capsized with her more times than I care to remember, only to find she is more nervous in small cruisers.
Perhaps I am not allowing for our ages and trying to cling on to my youth!
 
But how many small boats would be pleasant motoring into a headwind?? I started off with a Fantasie 19...Ok if you have a powerful inboard, but many have outboards in a well, water sloshing up and filling the cockpit, or chugging away on the transom. The Sigma and my Victoria are both a heck of a lot more pleasant to sail even if beating, than to motor into a wind and a chop. I used to crew on a HR 36 some years back where the skipper motorsailed on the genoa everywhere, and I was often sea sick. I then crewed on a wooden Stella with an unreliable engine, and we sailed everywhere, and it was a much more pleasurable experience (apart from the bucket and chuck it over the HR's palatial heads!!) The only small boat that I can imagine would be more pleasant to motor than beat would be something like a Colvic Watson.
 
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