Average Mono Size for Cruising

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Khagan1227

I like the smaller tender sized boats for cruising in, however, someone else (kaff, kaff) wants a big enough boat that she can run a marathon on.

We'll end up settling on something in the 40' area.

(Sure do like that 41' Bavaria, Boatman pointed out on BVI Yacht sales the other day)

Step back in Amazement...
A Bavaria.... I would Never recommend a Bavaria.... did tip a Hunter and a Beneteau.... but a Bavaria...
Shock... Horror... you trying to get me a bad name....

[boatman61]

Don.... smaller... bigger.. its all the same... if it suits the purpose and need thats all thats important...
Me.. I'm just as happy in a 40ftr as a 20ftr...
my wallet however varies in its taste and choice... fickle sod..
Anything else said is just a gentle wind up...

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by slowshoes

Pretty much the only justifications most Americans have for wasting money on bigger houses, bigger suv's, boats, etc. ad nauseum.

Wanting to be comfortable on the boat isn't "wasting" money! Wasting money is paying for something you don't use or enjoy. (And I drive a small car and have a small house).

I have nothing aganist the "smaller boat" people. But wonder why they seem to always have something against the "bigger boat" people!

[Pete7]

I wonder if the cruising area also plays a part in boat choice? did for us.

Of course we would like 40 feet, but back in the real world the mooring costs are horrendous on the South Coast of England.

Crossing an ocean? sure 45 feet would be nice but if you're crawling around the coastline visiting all those superb little harbours 31 feet and a shallow draft has a real advantage on Europes Atlantic coast to deal with the tides. There is a lot of talk of crossing oceans on CF, I wonder if that will be the style of cruising in the future or if a more modest schedule will surfice particularly with the likes of problems in the Indian Ocean.

Carry on working hard, saving and dreaming or buy something smaller and use it now. We have chosen the latter and are quite happy.

Pete

[captain58sailin]

If you are cruising and living on board for long periods of time, a larger vessel makes for a more comfortable living, and the sea keeping of a larger vessel is more kindly, at least with a good design. Were I single handing, I would be looking for at least 42' to 45' as it is with my wife, we can handle 50 just fine. As far as handling goes, it has a lot to do with your individual experience. I operate much larger vessels as a part of my profession so 50' seems small to me, it is physics and once you become used to the timing of a larger vessel, it doesn't seem so big anymore.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

oh you know, a larger boat is AOK for couples...they need their distance!

heh... That's what the dinghy is for of course. I know that the day will come when I need more space for a bit... and Himself is going in the portabote on a LONG painter....

say 100 feet?

And I have nothing against larger, and wouldn't be upset to find after realtime experience that a bit more generous a mothership was welcome. But the shortage of length would not be keeping me from cruising.

And with all due respect I just don't believe that number Don... does that take into account increased cost of maintenance? Replacement sails, line, hull painting, fuel, dockage, never mind the initial outlay?

I just can't see how you would manage a 41 footer for only 200 more than my little 28... buy one new sail and that number should be considerably larger right off the bat.

and never mind what anchors cost for a bigger tackle...

[jackiepitts]

When we were cruising around southern California we were definitely in what most considered a big boat but I have to tell you that once we left to cruise Mexico I was surprised at how many boats in the 50+ foot category are out there cruising. People use to actually notice us coming into a anchorage in California because of our size but here in Mexico we are just another average size boat.

[Khagan1227]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Step back in Amazement...
A Bavaria.... I would Never recommend a Bavaria.... did tip a Hunter and a Beneteau.... but a Bavaria...
Shock... Horror... you trying to get me a bad name....

Oops... it was probably the Hunter or Bene that got me there looking. I am partial to those boat brands as well and the boats you pointed out look pretty nice too and I'd definitely look at those if I were activly looking. My wife was ready to fly down and buy a boat, but I'm just not ready yet, as was said by someone on here (Monkey, I think) before, it's complicated.

I never make up my mind until I've walked the decks, and changed my mind at least three times. Then there is the sail trial to get through.

[Khagan1227]

Originally Posted by sarafina

heh... That's what the dinghy is for of course. I know that the day will come when I need more space for a bit... and Himself is going in the portabote on a LONG painter....

say 100 feet?

And I have nothing against larger, and wouldn't be upset to find after realtime experience that a bit more generous a mothership was welcome. But the shortage of length would not be keeping me from cruising.

And with all due respect I just don't believe that number Don... does that take into account increased cost of maintenance? Replacement sails, line, hull painting, fuel, dockage, never mind the initial outlay?

I just can't see how you would manage a 41 footer for only 200 more than my little 28... buy one new sail and that number should be considerably larger right off the bat.

and never mind what anchors cost for a bigger tackle...

Hmmm... I never have had to put my S.O. into the dinghy, she is much better behaved than that.

I can believe the small increase in costs for Don if he is doing the work himself. The materials to paint the hull, etc. aren't the major cost, the labor is. Sure if you buy a new sail or anchor, the cost is going to be larger, but how often do you need new equipment?

I also believe the cost of a boats upkeep is directly related to the care the owner puts into the boat. Too many sailboats I see usually sit for months at a time with little or no attention. If I spend a couple of hours a year taking my winches apart, cleaning and lubricating them, they last pretty much forever, not to mention I have a warm fuzzy feeling when I go to use them, they will work.

While I love to sail my sunfish or nutshell pram, I am equally good in a larger boat, especially when it comes to being comfortable.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by boatman61

... One could also claim sexism (boats are 'she') and length disability prejudice ...
Thats it ... I'm writing to the UN and all Equal Rights Agencies ...

VESSELS NEUTERED:
Lloyd's List decides to refer to vessels as 'it' - rather than 'she' from now on.
➥ Esther Addley greets the news of neutered ships | World news | The Guardian

See ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...she-16939.html

See also ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...es-8452-2.html

[aquarian]

Originally Posted by GordMay

VESSELS NEUTERED:
Lloyd's List decides to refer to vessels as 'it' - rather than 'she' from now on.
➥ Esther Addley greets the news of neutered ships | World news | The Guardian

See ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...she-16939.html

See also ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...es-8452-2.html

He he ha ha . . . .
You guys re too silly. I have been away too long.
My boat is in need of a name. Suppose I could make it male to do my part for gender neutrality.

Yes, I pullin for us little guys.

[wolfaroo]

Originally Posted by GordMay

VESSELS NEUTERED:
Lloyd's List decides to refer to vessels as 'it' - rather than 'she' from now on.
➥ Esther Addley greets the news of neutered ships | World news | The Guardian

See ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...she-16939.html

See also ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...es-8452-2.html

haha the loony left are completely bonkers over here - they even managed to get a London borough council to drop the word 'family' from its literature because it was 'discriminatory'! Great work folks, history needs ya

I loved the line in the Guardian article refering to boats being 'she' - "[Ships] can be also bloody-minded and expensive - I don't know if that's got anything to do with it."

[Anzo]

For actual cruising by myself or with a companion, Berzerker is great. If I were to live aboard full time not cruising, I'd definitely look for something in the 40s.

[Khagan1227]

Originally Posted by GordMay

VESSELS NEUTERED:
Lloyd's List decides to refer to vessels as 'it' - rather than 'she' from now on.
➥ Esther Addley greets the news of neutered ships | World news | The Guardian

See ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...she-16939.html

See also ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...es-8452-2.html

PLUEEEEEEEEZE! No wonder newpapers are folding if this is "reporting".

Ms. Addley knows not what she writes about. I call my boat and car "she" because I actually have a LOT of affection for them. When they piss me off, I call them "it", but with "piece of sh" in front of the term.

Yes, it is an inanimate object, but people buy something based on the appeal the item has to them, be it looks, money, etc, otherwise everyone would be driving the same car, sailing the same boat, etc. How many times have you heard someone say, I absolutely LOVE that color or that is beautiful. I dare say Ms. Addley has applied this type of term to an inanimate object.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by sarafina

And with all due respect I just don't believe that number Don... does that take into account increased cost of maintenance? Replacement sails, line, hull painting, fuel, dockage, never mind the initial outlay?

I just can't see how you would manage a 41 footer for only 200 more than my little 28... buy one new sail and that number should be considerably larger right off the bat.

and never mind what anchors cost for a bigger tackle...

You may be right. It might come out to $400/yr if I really applied cost accounting into it (not counting depreciation of the boat itself). Yech maybe even $600/yr. That's not even a boat buck!

Extra costs
how much is an extra 1/2 gallon of paint?
sails don't really double in cost for double the boat length if you don't have a pretty small boat to start with
the mooring I'm on would cost me the same if the boat was only 31'
yes I pay more for winter haul and storage
I got a bigger anchor the other day it was $100 more than the smaller one, I expect it to last at least 10 years so that's $10/yr
could apply the same to lines
sails cost more, but the boat is faster because of the size and probably means it costs LESS per mile sailed
hull wax costs more, thats proably $1/yr

On the other hand:
a gallon diesel costs the same and near as I can tell from all the mileage posts I get as many as the smaller boats and since the boat is faster I can sail more if I have to make time before having to start the engine
head maintenance costs the same
a freshwater pump costs the same
if I need to vanish some wood it costs the same (less for my 41' than my last 39' because I have less wood)
engine oil costs the same
Electrical connections and wires cost the same (Ok maybe a little more because the wire is probably longer)
hoses and clamps cost the same
dodger and bimini canvas costs the same for the most part
since I carry more water and fuel, I motor a lot less to go to the dock to get more

I have seen people say that it costs 3 times more to operate a boat 5 feet longer. I just never have been able to figure out how and why. I think it's because it gets assumed that the bigger boat is LOADED with expensive systems (is that O&M costs or part of purchase price?)

So far the only boat work I've paid for involved going up the mast, because I just didn't want to!

And in the end how much is the extra comfort worth! That is the real question.

Now in the end this is just my opinion. If you don't agree post or send me your expense spreadsheet and we will compare.

And in the end it is completely OK that lots of people enjoy their smaller boats! (it seems that 90% of boats at my marina don't move much at all, wonder how much that costs per mile traveled).