Solo Ocean Crossing: 40 ft or 26 ft?

[Mauruuru]

Never sailed across an ocean but I did sail my 32 footer to the Caribbean and back including two terrible passages through the windward passage. I'd not want to do it in a smaller boat.

[Eder]

Jeanneau is probably the most common boat crossing the Pacific. I wouldn't do a daysail on a Contessa much less spend over 40 days drifting to the Marquesas.

[goboatingnow]

Take the Jeanneau , bigger , faster easier to sail.

[WMiller321]

Since everything marine and size is exponential the question is "do you have 5K, 50K, 150K or 500K" in the cruising kitty?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Take the Jeanneau , bigger , faster easier to sail.

But the Contessa will a sailor make of you..

[lo2jones]

[QUOTE=zamber;3480015]If you were to cross an ocean alone, would you take a 26 ft Contessa or a 40 ft Jeanneau? Every very experienced person I ever heard of]

The main difference between cruising a boat under and over 40 feet is that under 40 you must be careful about what you take with you. This problem increases as the # of feet decreases. Just think about all the stuff you have to bring, and what that leaves you for stuff that’s not essential.

[Nicholson58]

We exited the St Lawrence in 2016 with an old guy solo on an 18 foot mono headed for Europe. Hope he made it. No proper radios, no AIS, no Bimini, single banger diesel. Stuff tied to the deck everywhere. He was cooking on a Sterno in his cockpit.

We have a Salty Dawg member last season who sailed his Shipman 63 solo from Hampton, Va to English Harbor, Antigua solo in seven days. As the others have noted, the choice depends a lot on your skill and physical abilities assuming the budget is not an issue. More creature comfort on the big boat and more room for toys but a degree of different types of caution are needed for both.

The Shipman 63. I’d name it Lust or Boat Envy. We did club races in Antigua and lapped the fleet.

[Andy Lange]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Yeah, I'm with Don (and Thomm). Neither.

The Contessa has no standing headroom, which gets old really, really quickly - especially when you're trying to cook.

The Jeanneau is just too big for a singlehander. Plus, the whole back side of things: costs, costs, costs of "bigger-everything".

LittleWing77

I really wish that someone told me that my 42ft Jeanneau was too big for singlehanding before I bought her. It took me one year and over 12.000NM (of which I did half of solo) to come across this thread to realise that I should have downgraded to a smaller "ocean going" boat, instead of doing it in my large plastic tub

Of course your running costs of a larger boat will be higher, but with more length comes more stability, comfort and performance.

IMHO depending on the skillset of the captain oceans can be crossed in just about anything. The deciding factors (given the right skillset) are:

• Upfront investment for the boat and upgrades needed to do a specific passage
• Running costs
• Safety
• Performance
• Comfort

Fellow sailors on this forum are very specific about what boat and brand you should be getting. Instead I would recommend that you look at the first two points on my list, the money aspect, first.

If however the choice is between the two boats you listed in your post, me personally, I would always go for the Jeanneau. Not because I have a Jeanneau myself, but because it ticks the last three points on my list above.

However, I have to say that singlehanding anything larger than a 45ft sailing boat can become tricky, even for the best of captain.

Definitely think about the items that will make your trip safer like AIS, Radar, reliable Autopilot...

"Try before you buy" and you'll see which boats and boat lengths will be ok for you to solo.

[colinalleck]

S&S 34.

PROVEN. Many, many circumnavigations to it credit don’t waste your time in needless discussions or justifications

Good luck

Col

Ps I’m biased having owned one for 25yrs

[wingssail]

[QUOTE=lo2jones;3484505]

Originally Posted by zamber

If you were to cross an ocean alone, would you take a 26 ft Contessa or a 40 ft Jeanneau? Every very experienced person I ever heard of]

The main difference between cruising a boat under and over 40 feet is that under 40 you must be careful about what you take with you. This problem increases as the # of feet decreases. Just think about all the stuff you have to bring, and what that leaves you for stuff that’s not essential.

Storage space:

Almost any boat will have enough storage space for a few weeks of ocean sailing and for a short time you can put up with anything. But only the hard core will live long term on a 28ft "blue water boat" but of course some do.

Very few boats under 40ft have sufficient storage for long term liveaboard although many people do so on boats of that size. Often they are cluttered with stuff on bunks, cabin sole, deck etc. I don't like to live in a cramped, cluttered, mess.

Our 43' has massive storage at the expense of guest cabins. We are more self sufficient than anyone we know, yet our boat is clear and uncluttered, and we went around the world with14 sails, a complete workshop, everything in the world that we own, spares for almost everything, and nothing was stored on the cabin sole, any bunk or anywhere on deck. THAT is storage. It makes living aboard less of a chore. Honestly.

Crossing an ocean on a 28' would be an adventure. Living there for a few years would take quite a commitment. Of course, living simply has it's rewards.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by boatman61

But the Contessa will a sailor make of you..

A sailor? Maybe... other outcomes include a quitter, or a corpse. The possibilities are endless.

Jim

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

A sailor? Maybe... other outcomes include a quitter, or a corpse. The possibilities are endless.

Jim

Sorry Jim... didn't realise this was a serious thread..
Better to try and fail than never to try at all.. or so its said..

[rossdv8]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Chris, I find that quite astonishing: 31 boats in 55 years? That's 21 months per boat! Golly, that has to be record.
I don't get it, tell us more.

It's not unthinkable. Between 2005 and 2011 I had 3 of the things, a couple of them at the same time. If not for losing two in cyclones, and subsequent health problems I might have had more.

From 1977 to 2010 I bought and sailed 7 boats. That's an average of 56 months per boat. To that I must add that I spent many of those years without setting for on a boat, and living far from bodies of water. I made up for it however by buying a boat whenever I was able to sail, and changing to bigger or more suitable boats as they came to hand at the right price.

I'm sure there are others here who might come up with a similar figure. 21 months per boat is not much more than twice my change over average . .

If it was not for crippling injuries and sharks eating people these days in my old favourite anchorages, I would be living aboard still and cruising up and down our coral coast.

[LHolden]

https://youtu.be/EJTm8yhJRdA

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Yeah, I'm with Don (and Thomm). Neither.

The Contessa has no standing headroom, which gets old really, really quickly - especially when you're trying to cook.

The Jeanneau is just too big for a singlehander. Plus, the whole back side of things: costs, costs, costs of "bigger-everything".

LittleWing77

Wrong the Jeannette is not to big to singlehand I used to single my 42 spencer all the time but as to the op question personally neither I will take my current columbia defender . Something about a well founded small flush deck boat .