Cruising Boats (Another Lesson)

[Tmacmi]

Indeed you do have clear decks! I like that very much. Ours are planted firmly in the middle. One either climbs on the cabin top or hangs their but over the lifeline. When we first bought the boat their was netting from the lifeline to the toe rail. That made it even more awkward to move. That netting has gone away.

The fridge is a nice addition to the built in cooler. We have the Costway plug in cooler. Its quite nice, but its definitely takes up too much space.

We are enjoying the Spirit. We are Lake Michigan sailors and it is a good starter boat. We won't be gunk holing in the traditional sense. No coves here. We will be running up the coast from harbor to harbor. We definitely want to do some blue waterish sailing further up the Lake and over to Wisconsin. That will definitely be in the larger boat, with some form of auxiliary power generation.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Tmacmi

Indeed you do have clear decks!

We are enjoying the Spirit. We are Lake Michigan sailors and it is a good starter boat. We won't be gunk holing in the traditional sense. No coves here. We will be running up the coast from harbor to harbor. We definitely want to do some blue waterish sailing further up the Lake and over to Wisconsin. That will definitely be in the larger boat, with some form of auxiliary power generation.

I suggest you plan the North Channel. Make it as long a cruise as time can afford. This is one of the best cruise destinations there is. We were there six weeks the first time, not enough.

[Knotical]

I was looking at 30-34' boats and got on a Freedom 35 while boat shopping, I immediately called a friend (his family owns a 35 and a 44 footer) and told him it looked huge and that I didn't think I would be able to manage it. He told me to get on a 50 footer and then a 35' boat will look tiny . I finally bought a 34' and even though it appeared big initially I am getting very comfortable with it now. I guess operating size is relative, what matters is whether I can manage it financially .

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Greg K

Not necessarily true. Went from our Alberg 30 trainer in the PNW to a Cape Dory 36 which we sailed to the islands, across the pond and all over the Med for about ten years, only to recently go back to a 28 footer as our summer cruiser here in Med Spain.

Loved the Cape Dory 36, and in all respects she was a wonderful boat, but just a bit too much expense for dockage and maintenance considering we weren't planning to go back to full-time, liveaboard cruising any time soon.

The smaller Shannon 28 cutter that we now own is a perfect size for our needs. She is incredibly simple, with no air-con, shore power, fridge or pressure water or any of the numerous complexities of charging systems to run all that stuff. The windlass is manual, and even the Yanmar 2GM engine can be started with a hand crank if need be.

Absolutely love the simplicity and low cost of having gone back to small.

I hear you, I had as much fun in my 30 footer early on in cruising as the bigger boats... but what the problem is for me is SPEED and comfort. For a time I went from my 47 to a Contessa 26. Cool little boat, but terribly narrow and wet and terribly slow. I couldn't stand it.
In the bigger boats I start motor sailing if I'm not doing 3.5 knots or faster. In the Contessa, 3-3.5 was normal.
A big wake goes by and you are thrown all over. One the 47, it's just a little "bump" as it passes!

[Nicholson58]

I raced many boats in the 35 - 40 range and then settled with a crew on a Heritage One Ton (Morgan 37) for 18 years. We, crew, thought it was big. There were two boats in the fleet 44 feet. They looked enormous. We went from that to our 58 Camper. The mizzen is as tall as the Heritage main. Now anything under 40 looks like a day sailer.

BTW, I just heard from a friend who has a Westsail 40-something in Chaguaramos, Trinidad for sale. He and new wife worked like mad on the thing a year ago. They sailed it November to June for their honeymoon. Now back to work. I’m waiting for his details and suggested they list here. Interested? Let me know and I can get you in touch.

[Greg K]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I hear you, I had as much fun in my 30 footer early on in cruising as the bigger boats... but what the problem is for me is SPEED and comfort. For a time I went from my 47 to a Contessa 26. Cool little boat, but terribly narrow and wet and terribly slow. I couldn't stand it.
In the bigger boats I start motor sailing if I'm not doing 3.5 knots or faster. In the Contessa, 3-3.5 was normal.
A big wake goes by and you are thrown all over. One the 47, it's just a little "bump" as it passes!

From a purely passage making perspective, going down is size from a CD36 to a Shannon 28 makes little difference in comfort, the wetness of the ride, or speed. Arguably, with her high topsides and cockpit comings, the Shannon 28 actually seems to be a drier boat though, perhaps, slightly less comfortable in heavy going due to her lower displacement. Both have over 6' standing headroom, so that is not an issue, and as far as speed is concerned, though the CD36 has about a knot higher theoretical max hull speed, in reality the Shannon 28, with a 17 sail/displacement ratio is somewhat faster than the CD36 in lighter winds. Average passage speeds we got in the CD36 were around 5-6 knots. It's about the same with the Shannon 28.

In my view, living aboard full-time is when the bigger boat really starts to make sense in terms of the higher mooring and upkeep costs.