Qualifiers for seaworthiness at ~$35K USD

[fox9988]

Virtually every quality that makes a boat slow adds to its seaworthiness?1)Weight/length- heavy equates strength? 2)Keel type- longer equals stronger? 3)Rudder configuration- fully protected or skeg hung? 4)Bal./Disp- 40% rule? 5)Age- older is stronger? 6)Cockpit/Companionway layout- smaller is safer? 7)Tankage- denotes passage making intent? 8) Beam- narrower is safer but not as stable? 9) Great Lakes vs Florida boat- 25% more value? 10)Builder/Brand- Tayana always better than Hunter?
Are these criteria in the correct order?

I'm in the research phase. Looking for a 30-40 foot boat to sail the Caribbean, possibly beyond. If I'm still having fun, I'd rather not need to change boats to continue. Leaning toward seaworthiness vs speed.
Several years experience working saltwater commercial boats and owning small power boats. Zero sailing experience. Sailing single handed.

For example the Morgan Out Island 37 vs Hunter Cherubini 37....
Other than the keel/rudder, the specs look similar.
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/mo...t-island-37372
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/hunter-37

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by fox9988

Virtually every quality that makes a boat slow adds to its seaworthiness?1)Weight/length- heavy equates strength? 2)Keel type- longer equals stronger? 3)Rudder configuration- fully protected or skeg hung? 4)Bal./Disp- 40% rule? 5)Age- older is stronger? 6)Cockpit/Companionway layout- smaller is safer? 7)Tankage- denotes passage making intent? 8) Beam- narrower is safer but not as stable? 9) Great Lakes vs Florida boat- 25% more value? 10)Builder/Brand- Tayana always better than Hunter?
Are these criteria in the correct order?

I'm in the research phase. Looking for a 30-40 foot boat to sail the Caribbean, possibly beyond. If I'm still having fun, I'd rather not need to change boats to continue. Leaning toward seaworthiness vs speed.
Several years experience working saltwater commercial boats and owning small power boats. Zero sailing experience. Sailing single handed.

For example the Morgan Out Island 37 vs Hunter Cherubini 37....
Other than the keel/rudder, the specs look similar.
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/mo...t-island-37372
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/hunter-37

I don't think that such generalities work all that well. Just a couple of examples, heavy does not necessarily mean stronger. The design and construction characteristics of the boat make it stronger. A longer keel is not necessarily stronger. For cockpit size, the drainage possibilities must be balanced with the volume. A large cockpit that is open to a swim step with drain much more rapidly than a smaller cockpit with small scuppers. Great Lakes boats are often in very good condition because of fresh water and short season but they are often not well-equipped and upgraded. It is pretty common to find electronics that are 30 years old. My sense is that New England boats might be best because of short season and often generous owners.

There is a hell of a difference in size between a 30 footer and a 40 footer. Picture that you are adding a 10' x 10' room in the middle of the boat rather than just making the boat longer. In your research also look at factors other than LOA in determining what boat you might want.

[Orion Jim]

Older is not necessarily more robust. Build quality varies dramatically from one builder to another. In the 70’s there was a booming market so builders tended to cut a lot of corners in the name of production.
You will have to visit as many boats in your size range as possible to familiarize yourself with the quality of boats on the market. If you look at boats within, and out of, your price range you will begin to establish a base of knowledge which will be helpful in assessing overall build quality. Being a newcomer to sailing it might be best to start very small initially or find a way to crew on larger yachts. A knowledgeable sailor friend would be a big help when looking over a yacht.
You must find a way to overcome your lack of familiarity with sailboats in general as the learning curve can include very expensive mistakes. Good luck.

[Adelie]

1. Heavier weight for total length and beam imply greater strength. Build quality plays a significant part as do whether the boat has a liner and how much of displacement is in the keel. A better indices would use non-ballast weight. If you are interest I can give you one.
2. Longer fore and aft keeldoesn’t mean stronger, it means more seakindly, it damps rolling motion better but at the cost of wetted surface are which costs in speed all other things being equal.
3. Depending on design an attached rudder or a skeg mounted rudder may be stronger. It will probably track better when the boat is balanced but it will have higher helm forces when the sails aren’t balanced well. Speed-wise it’s probably a wash. The biggest problem it reduces maneuverability in tight quarters, especially backing. If you are cruising you shouldn’t be spending that much time in marinas so ignore this.
4. As long as Bal/Disp is in the 30-45% range I don’t think it makes a lot of difference either way for speed. When they B/D ratio gets up around 50% look at why. The Pearson 40 has 50% ballast because it has a centerboard with all the ballast in a 4’ canoe body. Most boats with 50% ballast are aimed at racing.
5. Older means that the boat is more likely to have been build with a solid glass hull with no coring, little in the way of liners and thicker. Thicker is stronger generally. My guess is that liners are generally not as strong as tabbed bulkheads with stick built furniture. Coring is a mixed bag. It saves a lot of weight and is just as strong generally as solid glass but it doesn’t do as well for puncture resistance and requires care when bedding items or the core will be damaged by water intrusion
6. Smaller cockpit is arguably safer. The issue is drainage after the boat has been pooped and the aft end being weighed down enough that it is repeatedly pooped, in the mean time water is getting below making the problem worse. If the back of the cockpit is open then this is a non-issue though there are then issues with crew being more easily swept overboard out the back. With a closed cockpit I would put in a couple truely huge drains (4” or large) out the transom and then not worry about the issue.
In regards to the width of the companionway I don’t think it’s that important. The height of the sill however would be very important, the higher the better, a full bridge deck would be best. There is also an argument about the companionway being off center. If the companionway is off center there is a higher likelihood of downflooding if the boat knocks down on that side. The advantage of the off center companionway is that the galley sink can be on centerline which means that the boat is much less likely to backflood thru the sink drain if heavily heeled on one tack. The boat of my dreams has an off center companionway.
7. The amount of tankage is somewhat related to age and intended use. Count on having to install more whatever boat you buy.
8. Narrower beam has less initial stability but generally more ultimate stability. Depends on ballasting but that’s the generalization.
Capsize resistance and stability are related but not the same. Stability is the static resistance to overturning moment. More stability translates into being able to carry more sail for longer before needing to reef. Even though the boat is moving it is a static phenomenon.
For monohulls capsize is a dynamic event propelled by breaking waves (unless the boat’s static stability is so low that wind would blow it over past the Angle of Vanishing Stability,AVS). A breaking wave is a dynamic event and roll moment of inertia is what resists that. A wider beam increases initial stability which helps a breaking wave drive the roll. However the biggest thing affecting capsize is roll inertia. As an example. A hull without a mast has more stability than one with a mast but it is more likely to capsize in a breaking wave. Turns out a nice heavy mast will almost double the roll inertia of a boat.
9. GL vs FL is more about cool freshwater vs the cumulative damage of year round warm salt water.
10. Only very gross generalizations can be made about one builder vs another. It’s dependent on the designer and the era of construction too.

[Don C L]

This is certainly a discussion that gets a lot of input. And I find it fun to debate the virtues and liabilities of various designs over a beer at the dive bar. But I might suggest something first, before you get into designs to look for. First learn to sail on a fast fun little boat that has no engine. I really think that there is something about catching the bug for sailing that will influence many of your choices. You will discover that you can have seaworthiness and great performance in the same package. And just what "seaworthiness" and "sea-kindliness" mean will be so much more obvious to you. We can give you particulars, but we will probably be speaking from our experiences and preferences. Who knows what yours will be. You may end up so enamored with speed you'll be racing foiling multihulls! Or so enamored with tradition you'll insist on something like a Hans Christian. Or you'll finally settle on the truly perfect boat like mine! (I think that's what everyone says.) There is no one perfect boat for all points of sail or for all latitudes. As you gain experience with making a boat fly with nothing but a few ropes and a big sculpted wing of cloth, you'll really understand more what you want your own bigger boat to be able to do for you when you are ready to get one. To those who have not tried sailing yet, the sail may look like just a quiet, cheap engine of propulsion on a hull. But there is much more to it than that. A well designed sailboat is a work of art combining the fluid sculpting and buoyancy dynamics of a hull with the power from sculpting various air pressures from the wind with a wing to bring the whole creation to life. I don't know, it may sound too new-agey or romantic, but when it all comes together, the boat really feels like it springs to life. And that is not a sensation I personally get in power boats. And don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the virtues of a power boat too from time to time. One more thing, see if you can find a position as crew for a yacht delivery skipper too. You'll learn A LOT and you'll get experience with different kinds of boat, which will help you find your own preferences.

[fox9988]

Thank you for the replies, duly noted.

[fox9988]

Originally Posted by Adelie

1. A better indices would use non-ballast weight. If you are interest I can give you one.
4.When they B/D ratio gets up around 50% look at why.
8. Narrower beam has less initial stability but generally more ultimate stability. Depends on ballasting but that’s the generalization.

I hadn't considered these points, also noted.
I'd certainly be interested in the indices. Thank you.