Coastal?

[organic snowman]

Hi everyone,

Over the holidays, Tracy and myself have spent considerable time researching sailboats. What we find is more confusion instead of clear direction. One person hates a certain brand, while another loves it and has made it home while others on supposedly better brands put out distress calls ect. I realize the skipper has a lot to do with this.

Noticing that many responses to requests for info start with: "that is a pretty vague question, can you elaborate please" I present you an essay on our current confusion

My budget is up to 100k Canadian, around 70k USD.
Thinking a smaller 32 footer ect, because I am a newbie and (un)fortunately a lot of the sailing will be done single handed. One person wants lines led to cockpit, while another wants the winches on the mast because the jib is bound to get tangled in heavy weather

Not wanting to spend a lot of time working on the boat in the beginning, tho the maintenance doesn't scare me at all. Been an electrician/communications tech for thirty years.

Tracy really wants a shower, so that is a must. A fridge would be nice as we plan to spend weeks in remote locations just hanging out.

We have seriously thought of buying a fresh water boat from the great lakes, its not a real big deal to get one to Nl from there.

The first few years will involve circumnavigation of Newfoundland. 6000 miles of coastline and always sheltered harbour within a days run. Heres a link to a Youtube video of what its like here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS164UamAeI

Then head across to Nova Scotia and spend a season or so around there, once again coastal cruising.

From there we want to head south to the Bahamas for some extended time on board. Perhaps even making it longer term

After that, we are thinking BVI. Can a coastal cruiser go here safely?

We would like to end up in the Med, but are quite willing to put the boat on a yacht carrier and meet it in Spain.

Open ended from there.

We really like the Etaps due to the insulation and no condensation. Newfoundland is in colder climes and that would be crucial for early/late season sailing. Plus the unsinkability is very attractive to a newbie of course lol. Not sure of the logistics/feasibility of insulating a "normal" boat.

There is a really nice looking 2006 Hunter 31 here for sale. But when I check them out they seem to get bashed pretty good.

There are a couple of 31' Island Packets in the great lakes that are up for sale, they don't seem like they have showers tho.

Help

Tracy and Gary

[Don C L]

Hmmm not sure you are looking for a "coastal" or "bluewater" boat. The labels seem pretty silly to me, I think they made them up at boat shows. You want a sound and stout boat, seaworthy, that performs well, can be singlehanded, has a shower, in very good condition and costs about 45K to 50K in my estimation. Don't blow your whole wad on the boat no matter how good it looks or how much you love it. It is a little hard to find a 32 footer with a good shower, I believe there was a thread about that. I think there could be a number of designs that could fit the bill based on your performance preferences, which will likely be based on your experience. Have you seen the bluewaterboats.org site? People here I am sure are sick of me always singing the praises of the potential value to be found in the glass boats from the early days, but don't rule out boats from the 60s I'd say. I'd also say look to shop closer to where you want to sail. Not sure I really helped you, I think you are hoping for more boat suggestions. I just cant think of a 32 footer I'd recommend that has a shower of the top of my head at the moment!

[boatman61]

Depends on what one calls a shower.. on my Westerly Longbow (31ft) for example I had a shower.. it doubled as a tap in the sink.. for a shower I sat on the head pulled it out of the holder and waved it over my head.. soaped and rinsed off.. standard Brit boat of old..
Bought a Hunter 37 similar age and it had a separate stand up shower.. WOW.
Most coastal boats should be capable of trans ocean voyages.. taken Bene 321/331's across to Europe solo with no worries..
It all boils down to what is available locally.. else fly n buy and start the adventures there..

[Chris 69]

Hi boatman61, think even a macwester 26 has crossed the Atlantic ?

[Tricolor]

Everything that doesn't sink crossed the atlantic!!

Sent from my GT-I8190L using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Chris 69

Hi boatman61, think even a macwester 26 has crossed the Atlantic ?

22 and 26ft Westerly's have.. its all down to the skipper and the season.
And a sound boat.

[double u]

there is no "bluewater boat", but the crew makes it so!

[El Pinguino]

For starters... I don't think you want a 'coastal' boat for what you plan.

I'm with Boatie, buy a Westerly, for your purposes probably a Corsair.

OK... so I am biased... doesn't make me a bad person.

Has a shower in the head... you aren't going to get a dedicated shower in that size of boat.

1984 Westerly Corsair 36 Sail New and Used Boats for Sale -

Westerlys are good...... this is a Discus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-SLsUr8f4o

[AiniA]

Getting a boat to NL from the Great Lakes is not a huge problem. Some things to consider for use in Newfoundland. You will want radar. A heating system for the boat would extend your season. I wonder if it might make sense to get a cheap 30 to 35 footer to learn on so you know what kind of boat you want for more extended cruising. Pretty hard when you start to get it right for a complex thing like a really good cruising boat. If you are looking for a boat in Newfoundland or the Great Lakes not much help for people to suggest boats that are rarely found on this side of the pond. You might also consider boats in New England, perhaps as far away as New York City. The passage to Newfoundland is quite pleasant with interesting places along the way. I have the general sense that most boats in New England are well looked after. One problem with fresh water boats is the season is very short and the environment so benign that you get boats will all of the equipment (e.g. electronics and standing rigging) that came with the boat in 1984.

[Cheechako]

Cape Dory 30mkll-35. Done!

[psk125]

Sounds like you plan to do some extensive sailing in some places that can get rough and chilly. Others, rough and warm. Since it's not always blowing 20 knots, getting places requires sail area. You can reef when it starts to blow, but being able to sail instead of motor makes it more enjoyable. While a shorter length may be easier to handle, it will also lengthen the trips because of hull speed limitations. Having things run to the cockpit makes sense. You can work them singlehanded AND with crew, without having to alter anything. Heavy weather is exactly when you do NOT want to have to go to the mast to do stuff. Along with the shower, don't forget a heater. Boats from the Great Lakes may not have them. We had many chilly mornings in Nova Scotia when lighting a fire made the cabin a great place to be. Others have already mentioned radar. We had a week of fog up that way once... The distances you envisage might suit a bigger, rather than a smaller boat. Increasing the hull speed from 4 to 5 knots with a longer boat would enable you to reduce your exposure to bad weather by a lot.

For boats, the Etap insulation would help extend the season by making things more comfortable. Many C&C models might also fit your bill. A J/28 or Sabre 28 would certainly be capable of most of what you want to do, but going a touch bigger, to a J/30, Sabre 30, or J/34c would increase comfort and speed without being too much more difficult to handle. A Tartan 34 might also be a good choice for a good sailing boat without too much draft (you mentioned the Bahamas). There are lots of boats out there. The trick is to find the right one. Good luck!

[Frugal Agrippa]

My Irwin Classic 32 has a shower. I was not actually familiar with that make and model when I found her. I was just looking for the best deal in my area.

So maybe instead of researching models, look for the best deal on a boat in your immediate area already set up for cold weather cruising (and add hot water and a flexible shower head if need be)? Transporting a boat (esp. in project condition) can be really expensive. And local sailors could have already addressed a lot of your needs. Don't be afraid to checkout boats way less than your budget.

[gjordan]

The shower spray head is the easy part. Even when I owned a nice 44 footer, the shower compartment was a curtain in the head to not get everything wet. The tough part is having the room for a decent shower sump. Some people let the water drain into the bilge and then pump it out, but sooner or later it will get stinky. A sump that catches the shower water and a pump to get rid of it is a better way to go. I am going through this decision making right now with a Tartan 34 which has a very small head compartment. I am thinking of cutting out the vanity and sink and making a grated seat for showering and put a fold down/pullman sink. The under floor sump/catchment is going to be the hard part, and sealing it all so it doesnt rot. Just some ideas! ____Grant.

[jpendoley]

Pearson 365 is a pretty solid cruising boat. 150 Gallons of water and a separate walk in shower. 50 gallons of diesel, usually has an old Perkins (which are pretty straightforward to work on), might have been repowered. Lots of room for a 36 footer and great stowage above and below decks. Not particularly close winded, but not terrible either and wonderful sailor on anything but close hauled. 15 knots of breeze and your at 7knts of the wind. Dryboat in a head sea. Light air performance not great. Couple of good blogs on the net detail very successful long voyages. Good galley, great ice box/reefer. I bought mine just under $20, reinsulated the box, the Perkins is still very strong and have found it to be a comfortable coastal cruiser for exploring coastal Maine.

[UNCIVILIZED]

A lot of people who cruise that far north want boats with some resistance to ice. Read metal boats. So that if you bump a bergy bit at 5kts you've a reasonable chance of staying afloat. Plus such boats handle arguments with rocks & such better. And given that in the northern regions mentioned charts aren't necessarily as good as they are in more traveled locales, "real estate incidents" can be a bit more common. Also, insulation is a pretty standard feature in metal boats. And it's nice to have both in cold places, as well as hot ones.

On the topic of leading lines to the cockpit, as well as "safety". Regardless of which lines you lead aft, there are some chores onboard which simply can't be accomplished from the cockpit. So that leading such lines aft is folly.

Also, when the weather pipes up it's that much more important to get out of the cockpit regularly & take a tour of the deck. So that you can (visually) inspect everything, so as to spot problems before they become problems. Thus the thought of staying in the cockpit is rather flawed. And you also need to be confident of going forward, & accomplishing tasks in heavy weather. Otherwise your seamanship will suffer, as may the overall safety of things onboard.