Some advice needed on boats & family

[truantagain]

Hi all

I know that there have been a lots of posts on what boats are suitable for extended cruising etc., but I was wanting to pick some brains and get some advice.

We were planning on doing a cruise of 6 months, maybe a year. At the moment we have an Etap 28 and after much debate have decided that although we could probably get away with staying on her (with staying on shore quite a bit in B&B's etc.) - it would be better to get a bigger boat and have some space. We have a 4 year old son and baby no.2 arriving in the next week or two.

We have been looking at a beneteau 351 (1994) and Westerly Seahawk (1985). Both fit the budget. The 351 is newer and has more room and would be my favourite. Has anyone got experience of extended cruising in either? I do have concerns about how the 351 would handle bad weather. But then again with 2 small kids I would be watching the weather quite carefully and wouldn't go looking for a gale - but you never know what you end up in sometimes.

Any advice or experience shared would be most welcome.

Cheers

truantagain

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Sonsy Lass (Stu) who posts on the boards has a 351, his boat was actually tested in Sailing Today about a year ago.

He should be able to help.

I was very impressed with the room down below the layout is also well designed. Though he has never taken me out for a sailing trip yet (boo).

Try sending him a PM.

 

[truantagain]

Thanks for that info. I have sent him a PM.

Cheers

Truantagain

 

[TigaWave]

In practice your right, that when cruising for months rather than just days, you can pick when and where to go. Its only on passages of longer than 3 days that you can run into weather worse than you'd wanted. I think that boat comfort can be a very important factor in enjoying the cruise. I chose comfort over sea keeping (according to traditional views) and treated the boat gently in rough weather. (Bav 390 1991)

 

[truantagain]

Thanks for that Tigawave, that's what I was thinking. My only concern would be on passages longer than 3 days - say to the Azores or even maybe across the Atlantic. I guess that 99% of the time comfort will be the main issue. It's just having the security of knowing that you could get through some tough weather if you had to. Oh - if only money was not an issue!!! But it's a huge issue when planning to take up to a year or more off. I guess it's all about compromise.

Cheers

 

[Guest]

Lucky you! I regularly get caught out when out for more than a few hours, only way to avoid it is only to sail when forecast is for less than a 3.

Not even that's safe. One evening before doing a solo trip (Brighton - Portsmouth) I received a forecast for F0-2 for the next five days. Resigned myself to a long motor. By morning the wind was already F7 and reached F8-9 by evening, extensive damage on shore (my boat suffered damage - two fenders burst and splintered toe rail sitting in the marina, neighbour had his roller genoa shredded). Luckily I hadn't set off (wind howling in the rigging hadn't squared with the forecast) or would have been completely shafted.

 

[Salty]

A tricky one. I had a Beneteau 35 (1994 35S7 model) with a young family, and although the accomodation was great, I'd now go the other way. The couple of times I was caught in a blow I was never 100% confident the boat would take whatever was thrown at her, which with young children on board takes on a whole new dimension. Not that I ever had a problem with her, but it was just that gut feel, lack of confidence, or whatever. Having said that, she was a 'First', and the bigger rig was a bit of a handful in windy stuff, effectively single handed (SWMBO generally looking after kids when weather got nasty), so that didn't help.

If I was buying again now it would definitely be the Westerly, Contessa type route that I would take. There's obviously no 'right' answer so its going to be whatever you feel the best compromise as well as a view of the type of sailing you'll be doing.

I'd go for the bigger boat rather than the Etap if you have the choice: you'll get places quicker and have much better accomodation, and especially with a baby, storage!

 

[DaveS]

Re: Some advice needed on boats & family

It's certainly true that you get less storage in an Etap because of the space taken up by the foam. On the other hand it does mean it can't sink, which some might consider an advantage?

 

[Heckler]

Re: Some advice needed on boats & family

PS
have sent you a pm, sonsy lass was taken to the canaries in 98 by the previous owners and was sailed back in the summer of 2002
stu

 

[PhilipH]

We had a Sigma 33 sailed with wife and two mid teenage daughters in Irish and Scottish waters, also S Wales, Scilly Isles, Devon/Cornwall - got caught with strong winds and worse, wind over tide on many occasions. Boat safety and ability to take F8 comfortably are fundamental. I would be more concerned with sailing ability than foam and being unsinkable.