J/30 for Cruising

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

It depends on where you sail. I worked for TPI and if you hit something solid, there will be a lot of hull / keel damage which is very expensive to repair.
Light construction gets you a fast boat but it’s still very lightly built.
I wouldn’t take one far offshore.
Captain Mark

Yup ! It's like the old trope about the perfect race car ... Designed to operate at the max and disintegrate as it crosses the finish line.

[thomm225]

Yeah I went and looked at the J/30 again from the fence. It's a locked marina near work and the owner is busy but would meet me today if I wanted. Good news is it's in the slip by the gate/fence and I go over on break/lunch time.

I have liked the look of the J30 for years and it's fast rating as compared to my boat (a Bristol 27) but as I continued to look at it I noticed it has one chain plate on either side.

My boat has three on each side.

It has a fractional rig which is great for racing.

The boat is lightly built.

It has no good place for the anchor.

Decks are slanted.

The traveler is near the forward section of the cockpit which wouldn't be good for cruising especially at anchor.

I have found out over the years cruising locally that if you suddenly get caught in bad weather with heavy wind and waves it's nice to be able to control your boat and have faith that your boat can stay together which nothing breaking at a crucial moment.

My boat is low in the water with almost more boat below the surface than above. The mast is relatively short. The keel is long and the rudder smallish.

So far when the weather gets bad or I underestimate the coming conditions and get caught in a bad spot, my good old boat just sort of hangs in there and deals with each wave as it comes. Sometimes they break into the cockpit but the boat doesn't seem to notice and just keeps plodding along until I can reach a safe harbor/creek.

As an older single hander, I can see the benefits of a small, heavily built boat like mine

I'm now thinking for the $10,000 the guy wants for the J/30 I could get a new jib, have two more sets of reef points put in my main (it only has one set now and I have been overpowered due to having the main up with winds in the high 20's to mid 30 knot range), add an AIS Transponder instead of just the receiver I have now, get new rigging and have them add a masthead light and replace the VHF antenna and cable.......and maybe a larger solar panel and composting head

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/bristol-27

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/j30

[JimsCAL]

While I wouldn't recommend the J30 to go offshore either, I would say the same about almost all similar boats. Different story for coastal cruising. I cruised my Cal 9.2 all over southern New England waters for 20 years and it was almost the same length and displacement as the J30. In areas with lighter winds, the J30 can be a fine coastal cruiser. You will be sailing while others are motoring.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by JimsCAL

While I wouldn't recommend the J30 to go offshore either, I would say the same about almost all similar boats. Different story for coastal cruising. I cruised my Cal 9.2 all over southern New England waters for 20 years and it was almost the same length and displacement as the J30. In areas with lighter winds, the J30 can be a fine coastal cruiser. You will be sailing while others are motoring.

Yes it would be a fun boat for that but what it I want to make a quick run over to Bermuda and got caught in some shitty weather sailing single handed?

Or in the middle of the Gulf headed to Pensacola cutting across from the Dry Tortugas or something like that?

Two or three of us are considering sailing over after we retire in a couple years on our separate boats?

I've coastal cruised for maybe 20 years (30 years counting power boats off and on since age 7 or so) so having a boat capable of going offshore for a few days is nice.

[rslifkin]

Maybe the answer is something in between what you have now and the J/30? Something not quite as far towards the racer end of the spectrum as the J/30, a bit sturdier, but better performing than the Bristol and still easy to handle.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Maybe the answer is something in between what you have now and the J/30? Something not quite as far towards the racer end of the spectrum as the J/30, a bit sturdier, but better performing than the Bristol and still easy to handle.

Maybe but all and I mean all boats in this area are being bought up. There used to be a wide selection but not now plus I'm still not sure how long I'll last stuck on a boat out cruising .....any boat.

With this one, if I cruise far away and need a break I'll get a motel for a few days.

Also I'm still paying off a house that I will live in at some point with other family members. It's also a place to keep our stuff. (my ex is there now)

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Maybe but all and I mean all boats in this area are being bought up. There used to be a wide selection but not now plus I'm still not sure how long I'll last stuck on a boat out cruising .....any boat.

With this one, if I cruise far away and need a break I'll get a motel for a few days.

Also I'm still paying off a house that I will live in at some point with other family members. It's also a place to keep our stuff. (my ex is there now)

Don't forget, you're in the best boat buying position. You already have a boat, so you don't need one right now. You have the luxury of searching and waiting for the right one to come along. You can also buy one from somewhere else and make an adventure of bringing it home.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Don't forget, you're in the best boat buying position. You already have a boat, so you don't need one right now. You have the luxury of searching and waiting for the right one to come along. You can also buy one from somewhere else and make an adventure of bringing it home.

Yeah I'll see how it goes but may start with this one .........

plus I have to keep reminding myself that the plan was to do it the old fashioned / old school way. I can have all the modern conveniences on shore so the boat is more for roughing it

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by thomm225

This one actually has an oven which is more than my Bristol 27 has. The J:30 can probably also carry more water than my Bristol.

I would use in maybe for around here, coastal US to include short ocean hops, Caribbean Cruising

How about the Carter 33 instead:

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/d...389882029.html

This is what Yachting Monthly had to say about them:

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/unca...arter-33-10030

Don't worry about Mark, he is always giving those "negative vibes" about yachts with a bolt on keel Thankfully the rest of the world has seen the light.

We nearly bought a Jeanneau Sunrise 34 with a lift keel before out Moody, but some dubious paperwork and no import duty paid was a red flag. That would have been a fast cruiser racer and quite sporty fun to sail with a good interior.

Pete

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Pete7

How about the Carter 33 instead:

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/d...389882029.html

This is what Yachting Monthly had to say about them:

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/unca...arter-33-10030

Don't worry about Mark, he is always giving those "negative vibes" about yachts with a bolt on keel Thankfully the rest of the world has seen the light.

We nearly bought a Jeanneau Sunrise 34 with a lift keel before out Moody, but some dubious paperwork and no import duty paid was a red flag. That would have been a fast cruiser racer and quite sporty fun to sail with a good interior.

Pete

Thanks, but that Carter 33 has been for sale for many years.

The cockpit is all separate areas which again wouldn't be real good for cruising

I have to remember also that I already did the race thing for 15 years on 4 different boats (beach cats all)

And monohull racing simply takes forever so I won't be racing.

Many times race boat aren't set up very well for cruising either....

And no bolt on keel could have stood up to what I put my boat's keel went through the first few years like bouncing my way off of groundings etc with the waves and engine

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I have to remember also that I already did the race thing for 15 years on 4 different boats (beach cats all)

Perhaps then you have the ideal yacht for your needs.

Pete

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Perhaps then you have the ideal yacht for your needs.

Pete

It's definitely not ideal but I'm hoping I can adjust to it when I can stay on it longer than 2-5 days.

Again the plan was/is to go old school not make the boat a condo.

It's difficult for some of us to go from a queen size bed (that stays still all night) to a narrow settee or V Berth where you have to contort yourself into a pretzel to come and go especially when older and you have to get up several times a night when nature calls. Also neither my apartment nor home have anchors to attend to or worry over

If I can adjust to sleeping onboard, I think I can sail some distance.

Plan is when I retire to sail the length of the bay for a few weeks then head south to Oriental, NC then maybe back up on the outside round the Outer Banks. I'd probably hang out near Cape lookout for a while also. I used to live near there and fished at Cape Lookout back in the day.

I was stationed here for a time as an ATC Radar/IFF Tech and we were right on the ICW. When we were locked on base for exercises for weeks at a time, we had a 14' aluminum boat with 9.9 hp outboard that we used to make beer runs at night unseen by higher ups. (of course some higher ups looked the other way because some of the beer was for them)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/US...!4d-77.0293054

If I can get that done, then it's time to head out.......maybe back around Florida to Pensacola for starters

[Paul L]

On your point about going to Bermuda and getting caught in heavy weather. Firstly the J30 is going to arrive in Bermuda far quicker than the B27, so your exposure to weather, especially weather that is at the unreliable end of the forecast, is way less, The J30 will probably conservatively do 20 miles per day more than the B27,arriving 24 hours ahead.
The small headsail is great for an older single handers. Makes controlling the boat far easier. The lighter weight and low surface area means you just don't need a lot of sail up to get good boat speed and control.
In heavy weather offshore I used to completely furl the jib and put one or two reefs in the main on my J37. Then easily drive it like a dinghy. I cruised the the J37 from Alasaka to Panama and on to the Chespapeake.
Since so much of your cruising will be mellow conditions why not have a boat that is fun to sail in a much wider range of conditions?
As far as the what happens when conditions get really tough, read the J30s in the Fastnet Storm story.
https://jboats.com/j30/j30-sailing-fastnet-storm/amp

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Paul L

On your point about going to Bermuda and getting caught in heavy weather. Firstly the J30 is going to arrive in Bermuda far quicker than the B27, so your exposure to weather, especially weather that is at the unreliable end of the forecast, is way less, The J30 will probably conservatively do 20 miles per day more than the B27,arriving 24 hours ahead.
The small headsail is great for an older single handers. Makes controlling the boat far easier. The lighter weight and low surface area means you just don't need a lot of sail up to get good boat speed and control.
In heavy weather offshore I used to completely furl the jib and put one or two reefs in the main on my J37. Then easily drive it like a dinghy. I cruised the the J37 from Alasaka to Panama and on to the Chespapeake.
Since so much of your cruising will be mellow conditions why not have a boat that is fun to sail in a much wider range of conditions?
As far as the what happens when conditions get really tough, read the J30s in the Fastnet Storm story.
https://jboats.com/j30/j30-sailing-fastnet-storm/amp

Sounds like a fun boat and I'll check out the link when I get back.

It's blowin' a gale here so I decided to come check on my boat which is where I am now.

Many times on the way here I stop by the boatyard and as luck would have it while I'm trying to get my mind off the J/30 I see this one at the yard

And she looks fast for an old 30'er

[thomm225]

I still like the way the Old Bristol sits low in the water though and has that strong keel below.