Am I biting off too much to chew?

[Tillsbury]

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that size might not be the issue so much. I used to think 41ft was a good size until I got a 50. Now I'm not sure I'd go back. To me, a 60ft boat is huge, but I bet it wouldn't be after a couple of weeks.

Look for the deal, go as new as you can, and don't be frightened of 50ft boats. You're obviously used to dealing with all the other systems on a boat, so it's only the sails that are new to you.

[Reel Love]

Update: I am taking in everything that everyone has posted. You all have been absolutely terrific. So I really do appreciate everyone who has taken the time to respond... especially the "old" guys, like me.

I started this search over a year ago with a HR 42. Then I started site surfing boats in the mid 40's (the Little Harbor 44 CC is a beautiful boat), Valiant 42's, Passport, Shannon, Tartan, etc. I quickly discovered Oyster's. I went on an Oyster... The Oysters are (to me) very impressive vessels. I noticed that a used Oyster would cost about the same as just about everything else, or maybe just a few dollars more.

I narrowed the search to a Oyster 43, 46 or 485 at the biggest. Recently, a 53-55 Oyster came to my attention that pushes all the right buttons. The boat can be had a 20% or less than what she cost new. I might be smitten.

I do not plan on solo-ing this boat. I would be sailing with my wife, friend, or "pick up crew" at the very minimum. I will not cross an ocean alone... I am not qualified, experienced, nor do I have the cahonas. I will not go anywhere until after I have been checked out by a qualified captain (like when I became a pilot).


Most of your posts reinforce my initial belief that I should be looking at a 44' +/- boat.

And for those of you whom suggested, I have been and am taking the ASS/OSS courses.

Thank you again.

[Cpt Mark]

I'm 65. Somewhat disabled and still planning on circumnavigating, most likely solo. I chose a 35' catamaran because it is quite comfortable to live aboard and cruise on and when the **** hits the fan, and it will, I can still manage everything. 20 years ago I sailed a 65' sailboat into her slip as the engine had ceased to function yet again. I also replaced the 130 hank on jib that had torn. That sail weighed a lot. I don't have that strength anymore.

I Captained sailboats up to 95'. When things are going right and it's easy you can run any boat by yourself if you have the skillset. But when things go sideways.... that's when having a smaller, more easily manageable boat will be greatly appreciated.

I have a lot of experience on power boats, tugboats, multihulls as well. As others have said, your ocean experience is good and very helpful. The fact that you can fix things is awesome. Your sailing skills are non-existent and those have to be learned. Losing one engine when you have 2 is a nuisance. Losing one engine when you have only one engine is not fun especially since it always seems to be at the worst possible time.

Go for your dream.

[Tin Tin]

In my opinion only, a good transition from power boat to short handed sail boat is the Lagoon 440. Has many of the attributes of a well appointed power boat, can sail as fast or faster than most cruising mono hulls of the same length but has a lot more space. When the sails are down they motor pretty well too and the fly bridge is a bonus. Drawback is cost as market is hot for cats and not as pretty as a low slung mono.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

I'm 61, in good shape - I lift weights at least three times a week and walk/run. The biggest boat I would want to single-hand would be a 40-45 foot. Not saying a 50-60 ft can't be handled by a 65-year-old, but it's a lot, and frankly more boat than I would want, either from a space or handling standpoint.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Reel Love

I started this search over a year ago with a HR 42. Then I started site surfing boats in the mid 40's (the Little Harbor 44 CC is a beautiful boat), Valiant 42's, Passport, Shannon, Tartan, etc. I quickly discovered Oyster's.

Thank you again.

Go with the Little Harbour 44CC.

60' is waaaay too big! And Oysters? All flash and little substance... They also hobby-horse terribly in big seas. Hope you're not prone to seasickness!

[Kd9truck]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I dont feel you are too old. But also feel a 42’ boat should be VERY comfortable with no reason to go bigger. i also feel you need get some sailing time in before proceeding. I always get a little “surprised” when a non sailor starts off with “I want to sail around the world”.

I am with Sailorboy on this one,
electric is great but when that power cuts out, especially with the sails, there’s a lot of weight that will/still needs to be moved. That is why at a certain size it’s a given the wenches are electric.
I am 56 in good shape (I swim miles 4 days a week) and my Dacron cruising sails for my 44 ft vessel can get challenging, hoisting, striking, reefing, and yea “coming about” in heavy conditions. And that’s a lot of boat to dock single handed, they move a lot different than power even with a bow thruster.

[Ken Z]

I would suggest a 36’- 42’ for single handed . Even that size will be a handfull under moderate wind and seas and things break. Coming from a power boat to sail is a space changer, not equal. Auto pilot goes out while dropping the main, bow roller jams, breaks with the jenny full of air, anchor windlass goes and you have a chain rode, just a few.... I agree with Ann , she writes well.

[Moana Bella]

I'm in a bit of a similar dilemma shopping for a cruising boat, we are 60. There are some great deals on boats well set up for cruising in the 47-50ish size range (I would not consider anything above 50ft) and, but I am hesitant to go that far. I am thinking 42-46 ft is probably big enough for 2.
I currently sail on a 47.7m racing Benetteu. The larger boats are very comfortable and go fast but also VERY powerful. And not easy to dock in 20kn of wind.
I am sure you can learn to sail anything while things are good.
But this is sailing - S**T happens all the time.
What happens when you are solo, the main gets stuck half up/half down, at night, in 30kn, in a river between the wharf and a breakwater? I have experienced this (twice) on a 38ft boat with full race crew. Would not want to do that on 50ft + and solo!
Safety first - I am thinking buy a smaller boat and fit whatever you need for cruising. We will soon get used to living in whatever space we have.

[hpeer]

There is another thread discussing the concept of displacement per person. I think that displacement is a better measure or boat size than LOD. The premise is that displacement should be about 5 ton per person.

Our 33’er is 8 tons or 4 tons per person, that feels a bit tight but doable.
Our 44’er is 20 tons or 10 tons per person, that feels generous for full time remote live aboard.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by Reel Love

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.

Personally I never found a direct intent in your post about sailing solo. Given that a lot of responses you’ve had are assuming that you have a desire to sail solo - this would imply that you have dispensed with “work, kids and wife”?

Whilst there is a lot of comment about you buying a boat that may be too big for a novice sailor (and I concur with that), I would be more concerned about the intent to sail alone on any sized boat. Sure a “captain” may be able to teach you stuff but being alone on a boat, knowledge aside, can present considerable challenges.

In addition every increases in direct proportion to the size of the boat - berths, equipment, insurance, replacement of stuff, fuel, the list is endless. And if there was a reason to justify the extra expense (like a family which in your case seems to be ruled out), there is no justification for it other than bragging rights.

To be sure, for a novice, a bigger boat at sea on your own is no way to guarantee your safety or even your survival.

[David B]

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.

You will get as many opinions here as there are boats to choose from.

For what it's worth, the older boats generally do not have as much room down below as an equivalent length modern(ish) yacht.

As a rough guide, a modern 50, would be as roomy as an older 60 - maybe more so, especially in the cockpit.

A modern 50 is not too big to single hand reasonably comfortably, and with a First Mate, it is a breeze.

We went from a 15' sailing dinghy to a 22' trailer yacht. Handling the 22 footer for the first time, it seemed the bow was a very long way away!

When we moved from that to a modern 50 footer (at 59 years old), the mast in particular seemed huge, and we wondered what we had done, but within three days we were quite comfortable, and are very glad of the size (just the two of us generally, but when we have a couple more on board, it's still OK).

Love the 60' version of ours, but realise the practicalities of draft limitation in many areas (we drawn 2.1 metres), and beam limitation in many yards - then there is the extra berthage cost when we stay at a marina for a while.

An experienced person we came across in our early days with our current boat, suggested that for a couple, 50' was about perfect. We tend to agree, and are very happy with our floating home.

In-mast furling and one powered winch, plus powered windlass with chain counter, are a couple of the things that make sailing so easy, and we would not be without our bow thruster either.

Check out as many boats as you can. We looked for quite a number of years until we were convinced we knew what was right for us, and we have never regretted our decision.

Good luck with the search and the decision making, then enjoy the sailing and make the most of it.

Fair seas and winds to you.

David

[waynetmazan]

Get the smallest boat you can safety manage... not one foot shorter.. every thing on a sail boat is by the foot.... from bottom paint to halyards more cost more... very simple formula..

[CyKlop]

So I have a few thoguhts on this, as did many others.

1. Are you too old?
No.

2. Boat has electric assists, so is this OK?
One of the questions you need to ask yourself is whether, given the crew that you (eventually) plan on having aboard, can you all handle it if the assistive devices go dead. For example, what happens if you take a lightning strike which fries your electrical system - will you be able to handle the boat using just raw muscle power with the crew that you envision? What if one crew member gets hurt in that same strike?

Sailing a large boat isn't actually all that difficult as long as everything is going right. It's when things go wrong that it puts the test to you. And, of course, there's maintenance... Mechanical maintenance, electrical maintenance, electronics maintenance, cleaning the decks, scraping the hull, etc. It's all a lot of work the bigger the boat.

I applaud you when you say that you plan on hiring a captain to help you learn after the point at which you have your certifications. As others have said you don't have to have your certifications from a legal point of view. However, there's the rules and then there are the things that are needed. Without certifications and experience, you may find the boat unable to be insured. Without insurance, many places won't let you into the boat yard to work on it, etc. Hiring a captain may alleviate some of those problems as well.

In summary, the answer is that yes, it's doable. No, it's not doable quickly and will require a bit of dedication and work and, yet, money, to accomplish. A smaller boat will be a bit easier (due to less insurance requirements) plus you'll be able to dock in more places as well. Not every marina can accomodate boats of 50' or more (although, of course, the big marinas can). You'll also pay more for moorage since the price per foot goes up above a certain size. (i.e. a 30 foot may pay $15.00 per foot, a 40 foot may pay $19.00 per foot, etc.).

I can single-hand a 50 foot sailboat as long as it has some sort of autopilot (to steer when I'm forward hoisting or dousing a sail) as long as I have a lot of time to crank the winch or it has an electric winch, but it's NOT fun and for you I think this is supposed to be fun, yes?

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by waynetmazan

Get the smallest boat you can safety manage... not one foot shorter.. every thing on a sail boat is by the foot.... from bottom paint to halyards more cost more... very simple formula..

By the foot CUBED I would say. A sixty-footer is more like EIGHT TIMES the size of a thirty-footer than twice the size.