Circunavigation Let's get real and rough

[gmakhs]

Hello,
I do own a beneteu first 26 1984 that I have been sailing solo or with one crew the past 2 years in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic , the boat seems to be sea worthy and have perform remarkable good and comfortable on up to 40 to 45 knots of wind in the Atlantic ,have been had crashing waves in and on the boat , heaving to , broken rudder , broken tiller , broken roller in the past and never needed external help because the boat is capable of carrying spares and food for the trip , I never was capsized or knocked down (yet) and always have the right sails and safety gear with me , now to the question .
My mind tells me that this boat is safe and CHEAP to sail in the trade winds ,but my dreams are bigger than that I want to explore some remote sides of the world visit Africa , and south America and maybe pass through the capes or mangelan canal , studying the pilot charts and other sources I believe that the boat is not capable of safely doing such a trip so I am looking forward of building a new boat or buy and modify a used one (remarkable cheaper than the new boat but hard to find the design I want ).

What would be the best construction materials for such a trip ? Aluminium , steel or fiberglass?
I want the boat to be able to dry it self so twin keels or lifting keel ?
What is safer ? Foam cores unsinkable fiberglass boat or a metal one with water tight compartment ? ?
If a fiberglass boat wash ashore or is on dry water from the tide and lean on one side can it take the damage?
My mind is telling me to go for metal specific steel , through I can't find any steel with twin keels or lifting keel on the market .

Let me.knownyour opinions

[dcstrng]

Ah, the question… I agree, the Beneteu probably isn’t on very many “blue-water” lists, especially if you are toying with heading south of the capes (a long-running fantasy of mine, for which I think time has passed), but it is amazing to me what is on those expert lists these days that never would have been just a decade or two ago. Two-three decades ago almost nothing with a fin keel was countenanced for the southern ocean unless skippered by grand prix level skippers, now it is difficult to find a “full keel” except in the dusty, historical sections of the library. I had hoped to take my little Bristol (now with a new owner), with a few mods – split the lower shrouds, perhaps an inner forestay, backed by runners as well and a modified cockpit with more or a proper bridge deck (like your Beneteu), but I’m now looking back at 70, so I suspect it isn’t going to happen. Still I think about it – you might look at the writing of Roger Taylor for some ideas (also on YouTube) on adapting production boats. I’m not taken with the junk rig, but find his low-key insights to be well grounded, not dependent on a rich uncles trust fund and worth contemplating for long-distance, small-boat. Also Sven Yrvind’s site and of course James Baldwin with Atom is always a useful reference. Steel, sure (how much money do you have…), Aluminum, good idea (see Serge Testa, pretty small and I believe he built his own but he sailed a lot of miles). That still doesn’t answer the question on your Beneteu, or similar craft, but in the end you’ll have the enjoyment of contemplating that.

[atoll]

look for one of these on the market
META CHANTIER NAVAL

[gmakhs]

Unfortunately you are right full Keeler's are long gone , as the seaworthy production boats .
I am looking for something between 30 to 34 feet range .
Thank you for the name references I am googling for information.
Building a new one would be amazing but the budget difference is really high.

[conachair]

If you've plenty of time on your hands you could build a Wylo11 ..

Wylo yard

[sailorboy1]

Anyone who is “comfortable” in 27’ boat in 45 knot wind with waves crashing on the boat needs no faceless internet advise.

[gmakhs]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Anyone who is “comfortable” in 27’ boat in 45 knot wind with waves crashing on the boat needs no faceless internet advise.

Allow me to disagree with you , the reason that i can sail on those seas with confidence is because i always listen and get advises and experience from other sailors , some advices are good some are bad , but there is only "gaining in this procedure no losing "

[meirriba]

If you have a long breath (i.e. a lot of time) you may check about building a Bruce Roberts steel yacht from scratch. It will take several years. Or try finding one of these that has already gone around.

[Clivevon]

Try looking at a GRP Westerly 36 designed in the early 70's by Laurent Giles, built until 1983. my Conway has a ketch rig, centre cockpit, long fin & deadwood with a deep bilge sump & a wineglass underwater hull shape - no slamming or planing. with lots of directional stability. Other variants of the same hull were the Medway, Galway & Solway, giving a choice of bilge or fin keel, aft or centre cockpit. Strongly built, nicely balanced hull, good sea boat. You can buy one pretty cheaply now but for your trip you will need to upgrade the rigging one size, renew the engine & running gear & electronics & thoroughly check out the chainplates, keel bolts, rudder & bulkhead attachments. Cheaper & quicker than building from scratch though & a very capable design. Also look at the Westerly Discus - 34 footer. Good luck.

[charris]

If you are looking to build strong basic steel, Google "Origami Steel Boat". Lots of resources and logs of backyard built, diy boatbuilding and stories

[SailnBlue]

Originally Posted by gmakhs

Allow me to disagree with you , the reason that i can sail on those seas with confidence is because i always listen and get advises and experience from other sailors , some advices are good some are bad , but there is only "gaining in this procedure no losing "

You are a wise man. Humility and always asking questions can get you far.
I would pick a different boat than what you have. You can use more room and the confidence that comes with a tough boat. I don't know your budget, but you can find a reasonably maintained boat far cheaper than you can build one. A Bruce Roberts, that one friend calls his "Sailing tank", is certainly a possibility. I have a 40 ft steel cutter that will pretty much go anywhere that I got for a song. I guess it is this: Evaluate your goals...look at your budget. Fair winds!

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by meirriba

If you have a long breath (i.e. a lot of time) you may check about building a Bruce Roberts steel yacht from scratch. It will take several years. Or try finding one of these that has already gone around.

The only way to build in steel is if you are an accomplished welder and have the correct equipment and that does not mean a buzz box. A plasma cutter would help. JMHO Steel is great if you are and do have the equipment.

[roland stockham]

The difference is time and distance. A boat may be safe and comfortable in heavy weather but the continual stress cycling of a month or more rolling in moderate sea will find any weakness. Yes the ocean race boat are very light but need a team of experts to work on them at the end of each leg. The opposite is a commercial boat that is expected to be at sea most of it's life with minimal maintenance. The Pardys called it 'making the boat unstoppable'. Obviously design and build quality are the start points but preparation and how you handle the boat are also very important. The other factor is that once away from European style sailing grounds there are few or no repair shops for yachts. Anything that cannot be fixed by yourself or the local garage may be toast so if that nice roller on the front breaks you will be looking at a month to ship in spares at 3x the price and a major issue with customs in a language you don't speak - KISS becomes a necessity!
How you solve the problem depends a lot on you. If you are a welder get a metal boat, if you are allergic to fiberglass (I am!) don't get one. Whatever you get make it stronger!! I just had to repair the deck because the backing plate on the turning block pilled through 3/4" plywood after a weak slamming in 8ft seas and squalls.
I find wandering round fishing ports and commercial chandlers good for ideas. If it is pretty and polished it's usually to small and light. If it is robust enough but still pretty and polished it is always way to expensive. Take a look at the boat Montissier sailed in the first solo round the world race.

[onavegador]

Hi
look for a Calypso 43 sailing yacht, designed by Frans Maas in the Netherlands. Built at first in steel (round bilged) and after in GRP in Germany. Very reliable boat used for severalt circumnavigations. Full keel, lots of tankage ~320 Gal water, ~320 Gal Diesel Fuel. Only 5' draft. Look at the link:
https://www.devalk.nl/en/yachtbroker...ALYPSO-43.html
Unfortunately rarely available but worth the money.
Good luck
James

[gmakhs]

i believe fiberglass is not as forgiving as steel and it really flexes so i am not sure if its the best option for the trip i intent to do .
Full keelers are great but they cant be beached or if they are beached a GRP will be damaged (steel will probably survive )
so for now i believe steel is stronger and cheaper , my budget will be around 50.000 i am still young (25) with noone to back me up with money , so i am looking for a simple safe boat that will allow me to save money during traveling as well like the one i own now .


For now :
Must be able to be beached , (something my current boat can do only with legs and i don't really feel safe doing it )
Engine will be electric - diesel hybrid (this help to save money from diesel during normal conditions and adding the electric motor cost only 2000 with batteries .(a project i tested on a endurance 35 )

Should have water tight compartment in the front
Transform hanging rudder (its easy to build wind vane on it as i did for my current boat ) if it doesn't i will add an extra rudder so steel is the right option here too .(building new rudder cost less than 500 euro , already did it twice ,)
Tankage need to be as much as possible specially for water .
About the electronics i dont worry i can always strip the current boat :
GPS , raddar detector , Forward sonar , depth sounder , wind generator , solar panels , navtex , auto pilot (currently own 3 plus the custom wind vane)

For the rigging ketch . cuter , sloop with solent stay all work fine for me , probably i will remove the roller and spend some money on buying hanging sails because they balance the boat better .
to me it seems that there is no such a boat on the used market :/