Cruise capable, smaller boats?

[Adelie]

I knew you had qualified your number but since the same number came up more than once I thought it might be an unconscious expectation.
Broken expectations can ruin experiences. And deciding sailing is not for you after dropping $30-50k would be a real bummer.

Further issue with diesels: conventional wisdom is that they don’t like to be run at low to moderate load for extended periods, ie economy cruise speeds. I’ve heard that running up to 80% or so power for 5-10min every hour can burn off the carbon buildup. I have no opinion on either the conventional wisdom or the potential solution.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Further issue with diesels: conventional wisdom is that they don’t like to be run at low to moderate load for extended periods, ie economy cruise speeds. I’ve heard that running up to 80% or so power for 5-10min every hour can burn off the carbon buildup.

My understanding (for sailboat aux diesels) is that if the engine and prop are properly sized for the boat, then the most economical sustained cruise speed is also a reasonable, "healthy" steady load for the engine.

[mottseng]

Hello GreatLakeSailor, we had similar criteria when searching for our boat and finally settled on the CS30. Checks all the boxes.

[Adelie]

10’+ beam doesn’t meet OPs first requirement for 8’-8’6” beam so it can be trailerable.

[GreatLakeSailor]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Yeah, but you forgot about how little room there is in front of a wheel on a small boat.

It is interesting to note that the images of the boat with the green awning in your post (for reference - click the carat next to thomm225's username in the title of the thread quote here for a direct link) appear to have been negatively stretched (compressed) so as to make the boat look very round and short. It just looks odd to me.

Originally Posted by thomm225

It's probably due to your age and lack of experience on a smaller boat in many years.

Whereas with a tiller there's tons of space. The wheel on the other hand nearly takes up the entire cockpit

Point well taken. There seem to be a lot of suggestions pointing to tillers being more desirable in one way or another so I will acknowledge that and not rule them out in my searching.



Thanks for the thoughts.

[Cheechako]

Dana 24, Compac 25 are great options too.

[Don C L]

Years ago I saw an ad for a Dana 24 with a tabernacle, on a trailer, and a tongue extension for sale down in Baja. I thought it looked like a pretty nice set-up for sea of Cortez exploring.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Contessa 26 fits the size limits and Tania Aebi took one around the world when she was 18. The book is very worth while reading. Whilst designed in the UK I believe a set of molds were taken to Canada hence a number, with higher coach roof, appear in NA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tania_Aebi

Pretty little boat with the look back factor as you row away:

Yes, they are pretty deep draft though. I had one.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Years ago I saw an ad for a Dana 24 with a tabernacle, on a trailer, and a tongue extension for sale down in Baja. I thought it looked like a pretty nice set-up for sea of Cortez exploring.

I buddy boated with one in Mexico for a year. It had no problem keeping up with my 30 footer. Stubby but great little boat with waterline like a 27.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by GreatLakeSailor

It is interesting to note that the images of the boat with the green awning in your post (for reference - click the carat next to thomm225's username in the title of the thread quote here for a direct link) appear to have been negatively stretched (compressed) so as to make the boat look very round and short. It just looks odd to me.

Point well taken. There seem to be a lot of suggestions pointing to tillers being more desirable in one way or another so I will acknowledge that and not rule them out in my searching.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Your eyes must be playing tricks on you.

I got that photo off of the internet to show you what a normal 27' sailboat looks like with wheel steering as there is one directly across from me on my dock. It's a 1985 Cape Dory 270 w/wheel steering

And......

It's for sale for $10K and that's a very good deal. It has a Westerbeke diesel, the interior basically looks new, it has a shower and hot water, dodger, bimini, but it has wheel steering and a centerboard otherwise I probably would have bought it by now

If you want wheel steering, that's up to you. I just know that it will take up most of your cockpit on a small boat...…..and your autopilot will cost at least twice the money probably more


https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/cape-dory-270

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Yes, they are pretty deep draft though. I had one.

The draft of a Contessa 26 is 4'

[Happ]

Originally Posted by GreatLakeSailor

I've been going through some online listings just to see whats out there for boats. Maybe what I'm looking for just doesn't exist.


What I'm looking for is a boat like a Hunter, Classic, or O'Day, 70's-80's vintage, with:
- beam width between 8' and 8'6"
- diesel inboard
- wheel steer (or the ability to convert to)
- Interior accommodating several days to a couple weeks of time onboard
--- Preferably a gimbal-mounted range, but that may not be too hard to upgrade to (looks like most gimbals are 1 axis - roll, not pitch, so maybe an upgrade to dual axis would be best - smaller boats will pitch more anyway)

- 6' or more headroom below deck

- Length - as big as possible (limiting dimension appears to be the beam width)
- 4' draft or less ideally



The Classic 26 is 8'4", for example, but uses an outboard motor.



Boats like West Wight Potters and MacGregors are too much like glorified bathtubs inside and too small. Same goes for Hunters etc under 25' - too small. Any of them newer than 90's vintage all seem like the same kind of bathtub-like construction inside.


Any other ideas from the group to look in to? I suppose if what I was looking for was more common I would have come across more by now. Just trying to get some ideas...

There are tons of boats that meet your requirements! What's so hard? Go online and look at boats for sale. You can even do specific searches on Yacht World!

[capeharj]

Have you thought about a Hunter 26 or 260? Both are trailerable, have a 9' beam, good sized cockpit, some have wheel steering or can be converted and the cabin is good sized with galley and head.

[seacap]

Originally Posted by GreatLakeSailor

As I am researching and asking questions - hence the thread - please do explain what you mean.


To illustrate why I ask the question - go back to my 2nd point about wanting wheel steer due to ergonomics. The ergonomics I am referring to are not me getting around the cockpit, rather the operability of a tiller over extended periods of time/miles. In the way I am looking at this equation - the cockpit space is irrelevant if I can't hold up to the rigors of operating the boat. I've been down that road before - albiet in a completely different style of boat/environment (16' skiff with a 25hp motor) - but it was a tiller motor until I remoted it. So again - from an operational perspective of ergonomics - I don't like the idea of a tiller for obvious reasons if you read through what I said and understand the perspective from which I spoke. That is what I am asking for in your explanation.

How do you describe "cockpit ergonomics" and how can a wheel, contrasting to my perspective of operable ergonomics, impact that so much that it should be considered, or even viewed as an over-riding thought beyond that of ergonomics while under-way operating the boat?

Two Lyle Hess designs you should consider. Norsea 27 and Falmouth 22. Both have standing head room. My Falmouth had 6’2” with 7’ berths.

They both have tiller steering. But I know that the tiller has a simple piece of rope that keeps the tiller in place. So at anchor you can easily remove it. Plus I had a self steering vane. I would remove the tiller when I was sailing with that for long periods. Completely clearing the cockpit.

Use this site to compare designs. Look at WLL, beam and displacement to get a true feel of how large a boat is. Sail Calculator Pro v3.54 - 3200+ boats

Good luck

[SV__Grace]

Nonsuch seems to fit what you seek, except for being trailerable. We had a 30 that we loved, the 26 and 22 seem to have plenty of room but I'm not sure if they are trailerable.