Am I biting off too much to chew?

[patrickbarbary]

Yes you are.

[DefinitelyMe]

Some great advice here from people who are really, really knowledgeable on the subject. I'll second a couple of points already made:

I also think you're looking too big. Bigger is not always better. I think you'd find that two, three or four people on a 44' ish boat is very comfortable. Once you get over 50' things start getting very expensive and hard to manage without those electric/hydraulic systems. Those systems are easy to maintain in the Atlantic but can be really tricky once you get into the Pacific or Indian Oceans. You must expect that everything technological will break at some point and you must have backups and spares if those systems are critical. Top three Pacific cruiser's problems: windlasses, autopilots and watermakers.

No you're not biting off more than you can chew. It sounds like you have a really realistic and rational mindset about how to achieve your goals.

[Maclir]

Age is no problem, My advice is to get a 36ft boat, and get an experienced sailer to crew with you for a couple of passages. The skills needed are not available in schools, they are 'learned on the job' Good luck!

[Scorpius]

Just remember the "size" of a boat goes up as the CUBE of the length. Thus a 60 footer is EIGHT times the size, and hence the loads, forces, maintenance and cost (to maintain and operate - regardless of initial cost) of a thirty footer. Scorpius is 41' on deck and I would go SMALLER if I ever had to replace her. For me, 36' - 38' would be ideal for single handing. There are many advantages to a smaller boat providing it is big enough to live on and be safe. For one thing it can be hauled out in many third world facilities whereas larger boats can be severely limited in this regard.

[jt11791]

The difference between sailing solo and sailing as a duo is huge. Solo requires more experience, it is a lot more physically challenging, and the difference between solo and duo is exaggerated as the boat gets larger.


At a minimum, the second sailor must be able to stand a solo watch (steer, trim sails, navigate) along with assisting in docking and anchoring maneuvers. Bringing a non-sailor along with you does not count as a duo.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by jt11791

The difference between sailing solo and sailing as a duo is huge. Solo requires more experience, it is a lot more physically challenging, and the difference between solo and duo is exaggerated as the boat gets larger.

At a minimum, the second sailor must be able to stand a solo watch (steer, trim sails, navigate) along with assisting in docking and anchoring maneuvers. Bringing a non-sailor along with you does not count as a duo.

I don't think I agree that having a non-sailor as crew doesn't count as a duo. If the person is enthusiastic and wants to learn it is easy to get them to the point where they can help with docking and anchoring, grinding, etc. It will take a little longer to get them to the point where they can stand a night watch solo - but even that isn't that big a deal - depending on location, conditions, etc.

I've sailed with several people in this category and, other than being awakened frequently for minor issues during my night off-watch (it was encouraged and NOBODY goes further than the cockpit at night without the other being on deck) it has always worked out well.

My biggest challenges with noobies have been irrational fears: while heeling, at night, etc.

[Captain Anthony]

Please remember one very important fact, and it's a fact, every system on your vessel will stop working at the most critical time that you need that system. You will need to have back-ups for everything. In an adventure such as you plan, redundancy is the key to success. And by success, I mean not sinking the vessel or injuring yourself or your crew.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by carlosproa

How big is your power boat? They tend to have much more room inside than monohulls. Maybe consider a 40 ft used cat? Your wife may appreciate all the extras and relatively stable ride. A 38 ft older cat can do the trick and tick off many of your wants - plus if Bahama bound then no worries on running aground or at least able to access areas that may protect you in a blow.

Never owned a powerboat and the last one I drove was a 50ft x 30ft drilling rig with water jet engines that would spin on a dime..

[redhead]

And I'll pile on and advise you to think smaller.

We're in our 60's and thought the same as you. My personal progression has been a Hunter 29, a Pearson 365, a Roberts Offshore 44 and our present boat a custom 63 footer. We kept finding reasons to go bigger and had the resources to do it, so we did.

Hindsight being what it is I wish we had stopped in the low 40s for sailing purposes. For living aboard, I'm glad for the extra room. But getting on and off the dock with adverse currents is a big deal and getting the enormous sails set was a big deal until we spent a ton of money to get power assist for sail setting. This year we're not quite as strong as we were when we bought this 6 years ago and in 2026 I expect to be a little less so.

So doing it at a certain age is absolutely doable, just think into the future and how you'll handle things if there are no extra bodies around to help.

[dadster3]

I'm 74. and I say go for it. Just use your head and don't get in over it unless you choose to do so deliberately. I have a 33' Nonsuch and believe it will be more than enough to handle, even tho it has only one sail.

You will never regret the attempt, even if it doesn't work out. You will always regret that you didn't try.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Maclir

Age is no problem, My advice is to get a 36ft boat, and get an experienced sailer to crew with you for a couple of passages. The skills needed are not available in schools, they are 'learned on the job' Good luck!

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Reel Love

This thread applies mostly to solo's, cruising couples or those of you who have owned/cruised a mono-hull vessels 45' or larger.

I am 65+, and power boated most of my life. I own a powerboat now and use her offshore a lot to fish. I know how to sail, but not well.

I always wanted to sail around the world, but work, kids and wife precluded that dream. I am finally in a position to pursue the dream. I am presently in school to obtain the proper certifications to qualify for internationally required licenses. I also plan upon hiring a Captain for hands on training too.

I have noticed that well maintained premium name plate sailing vessels 25+/- years old in the 45'- 60' range are very attractively priced at 20%-25% of what they originally cost new. I located a few mid 50' cutters that are within my budget. They all appear to have roller furling and electric everything so I do not believe that my age should be a major factor in sailing the vessel, with believe being the operative word.

Query: Am I biting off more than I should? This vessel would be my first sailing yacht. I have looked at many vessels in the 42' to 48' range and for a few dollars more I can be in a 53'-57' boat with a ton of room that appear to be easier to sail with all the comforts of home.

Thoughts please. I thank everyone in advance for their constructive comments.

Biting off more than you can chew? Probably not - get the boat you want and learn the ropes on it locally for about a year before getting in too deep. The larger boats will better accommodate a larger crew (which you should have to cross the North Atlantic). Soloing is inherently dangerous in my view as you can't maintain a proper watch but the Caribbean with a lot of day hops is more practical than thinking you're going to Iceland solo. What you'll find in that first year are things the boat needs and things you want to add. No 25 year old boat is going to be completely ready to go. And you should consider catamarans in this search as they can easily sleep more crew without needing to be too huge to handle. Cats are great for cruising but make for very expensive dock queens.

[FabioC]

+1 on the too large a boat.
The way I see it, there is a sweet spot between a boat that is "too small" and one that is "too big", especially if you plan to sail mostly single-handed or short-handed.
I think the sweet-spot is n the 41-44' range. Larger than that, it is not that you cannot sail the boat single-handed (people do it all the time), but it becomes much more stressful, for very little advantage coming from the increased size of the boat. Smaller than that, the boat is very easy to handle, but likely somewhat too small for long passages. Not that long passages cannot be done safely on a 35-footer or similar (people do that all the time, even with much smaller boats), but it requires compromises that you may not be willing to take.
Also, as other have said, maintenance becomes exponentially more complex and expensive with larger boats; the 41-44' range seems the right trade-off even in this respect.

[NedX]

You know, this is almost worth its own thread, since I'm curious how others handle this, but one thing I believe in is sailing fitness, no matter how old you are . As long as you're heathy and able.

My own belief is I have to be able to get back up on whatever I've fallen off. So, whenever ever I'm in a place safe to do so, I do pull-ups and dips (to climb back up on the Soling and push myself over the side), and work on my swimming (to get back to the fender I may have hung out the stern while cruising solo)

Even without that, a bad thing that can happen when you're alone on a boat is an injury while pulling, pushing, climbing. So practicing rows, lunges, squats; anything to maintain strength in your quads (you need those to climb out of the cockpit and stabilize yourself on deck) back (you need it to haul on lines) and arms (lifting pulling yanking); all of that goes a long way toward mitigating against being "too old." Stretching is also good before you attempt something difficult. God knows, at 58, I need that.

(This post will probably prompt derision, since "working out to cruise" probably sounds like an oxymoron. But I'm in better shape now than I was 20 years ago, and there are lots of situations that come up on a 37' sailboat that make me glad of that.)

[goboatingnow]

60 is a huge boat , you need deep pockets

So yes biting of more then you can ( or need to ) chew