Cape Dory 27 for Transatlantic crossing

[OldManMirage]

killyourguitar - love the user name btw, what's that about ? I play guitar and drums and always called myself a frammer cuz I fram on the d#@m things ! Lol

Anyway, I would look at the CD28 if you can, it really has a lot more volume and storage compared to the 27. For only being 1 foot longer it's a lot more boat. I owned one for a few years and really liked it. Sold it in a mid-life crisis but it would have been my cruiser if I kept it.

I have some videos of me and my CD28 on my YouTube channel if you want to check them out. Some work I did and some sailing. It's good stuff if you're looking at one.

[Benz]

Loading my Irwin 27' up for cruising made it more initially stable--that is, it rocked less when stepping on the gunwale from the dock. I kept all the weight as low as possible, with no jugs on deck, and only a light rowing dinghy on the foredeck, and no solar panels or radar gizmos.

If I were going transatlantic on a 27-footer, I would not put any jugs on deck--what's the use of extra motoring range with 3000+ miles to go? have enough to motor out to sea, and to motor in at the end. Clear and uncluttered decks are important for safety, and reduction of windage is an advantage on smaller boats that need all the help they can get.
There's a balance to be struck between weight high and weight low: you need some vertical distribution to damp the rolling moment, so you don't just snap upright, but getting too top-heavy is a real concern.
How many spare sails are you envisioning? If you have a suit in good shape, then you need no second ones--just the different sails for different conditions.

[killyourguitar]

Yeah I played enough guitar for the devil to about kill myself, waste lots of years, destroy my body and many relationships. I play for Jesus now. There's a cape Dory 30 cutter near me that's in really good shape and with lots of extras minus an engine for 5k but if I change boats at this point I'll miss the crossing window. I put about 3 months solid work into this 27 and some thousands already so I'm pretty much committed. I really do wish I had extra space I tell you. Sometimes we just got to settle with what we have. I'm not sure I'll last through another prep so this is it unless something glorious falls out the sky lol

[killyourguitar]

Since I'm still a novice sailor I do have and plan to carry a backup set of main and jib and I have one ballooner with 10' whisker and one storm jib. I still have yet to install a block for the storm jib, figuring on putting it just below the spreaders under the deck light. I also have an 18" radome above the steam light. Not sure if it's a good idea to pump the mast there but I think I'm limited. Still contemplating. I did have jugs on deck but reduced them to two 5s in each side of the cockpit near the cabin, I'd like a compact water maker but no time now. I do have an emergency water maker on board. I also have the offshore Commander 2.0 8-man life raft, about 40lbs of books, some tools and about 100 lb of other weight on the starboard side of the saloon and my 230lb self in the port side with about 50lb of camera equip, spares/repairs and about 20 gallon jugs of water underneath me. I plan to install cargo nets/lee cloths as backup catch all as well as cinch everything down in case of a roll over. Clear decks, weight low, everything secured yet accessible. I have the v-berth loaded with a couple hundred pounds of tools and misc. The fixed water tank under the v-berth is empty (I have yet to locate the fill port, there's no deck fill, can't figure that out)...

[thomm225]

These 3 folks crossed the Atlantic on a Contessa 26 which is lighter and smaller than a Cape Dory 27.

They have a food list (for 2 or 3) at the end of the video, and have an outboard onboard.

In the second video, Nick Jaffe has a life raft not a dinghy. He also crossed the Atlantic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuFK-uzwjRU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r3mno5oo7s

[thomm225]

This guy has multiple videos on how he set his boat (Contessa 26) up to cross the Atlantic. He does have a dinghy on the foredeck/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THIGI3bMZNI

[GordMay]

CAPE DORY 27
607.43 Pounds/Inch Immersion
➥ https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/cape-dory-27/


Pounds Per Inch Immersion (PPI): The weight required to sink the yacht one inch. It is calculated by multiplying the LWL area by 5.333 for sea water or 5.2 for fresh water. The PPI usually increases as the hull sinks into the water as the LWL area is also increasing due to the shape of the hull above water.
➥ https://goodoldboat.com/brewer-by-the-numbers/

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by killyourguitar

Since I'm still a novice sailor I do have and plan to carry a backup set of main and jib and I have one ballooner with 10' whisker and one storm jib. I still have yet to install a block for the storm jib, figuring on putting it just below the spreaders under the deck light. I also have an 18" radome above the steam light. Not sure if it's a good idea to pump the mast there but I think I'm limited. Still contemplating. I did have jugs on deck but reduced them to two 5s in each side of the cockpit near the cabin, I'd like a compact water maker but no time now. I do have an emergency water maker on board. I also have the offshore Commander 2.0 8-man life raft, about 40lbs of books, some tools and about 100 lb of other weight on the starboard side of the saloon and my 230lb self in the port side with about 50lb of camera equip, spares/repairs and about 20 gallon jugs of water underneath me. I plan to install cargo nets/lee cloths as backup catch all as well as cinch everything down in case of a roll over. Clear decks, weight low, everything secured yet accessible. I have the v-berth loaded with a couple hundred pounds of tools and misc. The fixed water tank under the v-berth is empty (I have yet to locate the fill port, there's no deck fill, can't figure that out)...

The tank is likely filled by leading a hose through the forehatch.. you can loose 40lbs by getting an E-reader, as for tools, hell I've never carried more than 50lbs and often less.
Where are you storing your food or are you carrying K-rations.
What is your route as a matter of interest.

[Don C L]

Again I’d say you can trim that load back and ship it. And 8 man liferaft? Any chance you can downsize there?
I believe the fill for your water is under a small lid in the v-berth.

Check this:
https://sailfar.net/forum/index.php?topic=2823.0

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...on-233213.html

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Again I’d say you can trim that load back and ship it. And 8 man liferaft? Any chance you can downsize there?
I believe the fill for your water is under a small lid in the v-berth.

Check this:
https://sailfar.net/forum/index.php?topic=2823.0

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...on-233213.html

Agreed on the Liferaft.. with the weight of just one you'll be flipped in no time if the weather gets rough and you've had to abandon ship for some reason.
Same goes for shipping the bulk.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Agreed on the Liferaft.. with the weight of just one you'll be flipped in no time if the weather gets rough and you've had to abandon ship for some reason.
Same goes for shipping the bulk.

Really?

Steven Callahan crossed 1800 miles of Atlantic Ocean on a 6 man Avon Liferaft after his 21' boat sank.

He endured some rough weather while in the raft, but it stayed upright.

https://www.cruisingworld.com/story/...0-years-later/

[Superjunkman]

+1 on what others have said about just getting a CD 30. I regularly see the CHEAP!!! The big knock on them is the chain plates. I don’t know what I’d do to fix the way they’re set up, but plenty of folks just live with it. There was one for sale some in Texas recently for 5k. It needed lots of work but so does any older boat that you’re going to cross an oven on.

[donradcliffe]

Size matters. Get smacked by a 20 ft breaking wave on a 25 footer and you are in trouble. There is a band of frequent gales 400 miles off the West Coast of the US that has rolled dozens of "blue water" boats. You could probably make it East-West across the Atlantic if you went the southern route, but going West-East is much less likely. Of course if you try it in a Venture 25 you are dancing with the devil.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Really?

Steven Callahan crossed 1800 miles of Atlantic Ocean on a 6 man Avon Liferaft after his 21' boat sank.

He endured some rough weather while in the raft, but it stayed upright.

https://www.cruisingworld.com/story/...0-years-later/

Liferaft capacity
The capacity you chose for your liferaft does not have to match the number of berths on the boat. For example if you have an eight berth boat, but only ever sail with 2 or 4 people onboard, selecting a 4 person raft, will be both cheaper and safer to use. An 8 person raft with just two people in it will lack stability in all but the calmest of sea states.

If on occasion you opt to have more people on board, for an occasional voyage, you could hire an additional raft to increase the capacity to cover all those on board.

Two smaller liferafts can also have the added benefit of being lighter and therefore easier to launch.
https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/saf...ssels/liferaft

https://www.portsmouthmarinetraining...rvival-course/
When I did my Commercial Ocean Survival Course (plus 3 refreshers over the years) one of the things we learnt was designed stability was factored into the load to be carried.
Therefore if he has an 8 man raft for just 1 or 2 people stability will be greatly affected in strong winds and breaking sea's.. plus when a raft inflates its invariably upside down and will need righting which unless practiced is not straightforward.
Recommend an Ocean Survival course before departure.