Researching Blue Water Boats

[boatman61]

Re NZ dogs being rabies free.. that may be true in NZ but once they leave NZ they're at the same risk as any other mammal of contracting rabies so vaccinations and proof of same is required.

[PerfectPirate]

Dear Lady Captin,


You have exhibited grace under pressure in your responses, an excellent quality for any captain. I would like to suggest turning your approach around a bit, to focus on your skills and comfort levels, rather than on the ultimate "comfortable" boat. In systems design there is an old adage: "Build one to throw away, since you are going to do that anyhow." The point of the saying is that when we first start to work on a new skill we are learning, we don't know what it is we that don't yet know. At the end of that learning, we look back and say "Wow! We should have done this differently, and that, and that too." I am trying to address the two aspects of your journey, the experience of cruising and the identification of what is important to you in a boat.


Let's start with the boat. I am now on my fourth boat after 38 years of ownership. Each one has been larger and more complex than its predecessor, which not only saved me from being overwhelmed at the start but also allowed me to make less expensive initial mistakes and learn what is important to me, especially as my needs and goals changed. My first two boats were comparable to your Tanzer 22, suitable for the club racing which was so important and the occasional weekend cruising, including our dog. Boat No. 3 moved up to 28 feet, still a good racer but also good for short-term cruising with a small family, still with a dog. My current boat will be my last one and is capable of cruising the world, as well as being large enough to live on for an entire summer. The dog finds it a much more comfortable ride than boat No. 3. Each boat was arguably a perfect design for it intended purpose and the use to which my family put it, but boat No. 4 is a world more complex and demanding of maintenance than even boat No. 3 was. So, my recommendation is that you should not be trying to leap directly from a 22 into your final boat because you cannot possibly yet know all of the things which will be important to you.


Secondly, your skills and comfort level. A club acquaintance of mine bought a serious blue-water boat, a Ted Brewer design, and spent years of suffering on Lake Ontario preparing for his grand retirement. In the light airs of our summer lake winds, and in our tight harbours, that boat was an absolute bear to sail anywhere. Finally, after years of planning, persistence and frustration, he retired and headed south with his wife on their long-anticipated journey. Encountering some moderately strong weather around about the south end of the Chesapeake, his wife turned to him and said "I'm sorry, I cannot do this anymore." Being a loving husband, he immediately turned around, brought the boat home and sold it. I mention this tale because it is not simply a matter of being used to living in cramped quarters. A fifth wheel does not toss and pitch, or drag its anchor in the dark or worry about being run over by a freighter in the night. These things are typically glossed over in Youtube videos and the psychological impact of such stress must be experienced to be fully appreciated.



I am not trying to discourage your dreams, so let me suggest this. Lake Superior and Lake Huron are capable of providing you with challenges and cruising experiences equivalent to any ocean. So stage your escape from the land-locked life. Buy an older, mid-size cruising boat (30 to 35 feet) and spend a couple of summers cruising those lakes. Find out what features you really want in a cruising boat by experiencing your own and comparing it to the boats of other cruisers. Spend some bouncy nights anchored off of Isle Royale. Play chicken with a few lake freighters. Learn to live with no land in sight and no comfortable harbour nearby. Then, if the bug still bites you, head south either with your current boat or your new dream boat, completed with freshly acquired refitting skills. As a plus, cruising the Great Lakes with a dog is much simpler. I highly recommend the dog life jackets manufactured by Salus, a Canadian company. They are miles better in fit, function and canine comfort over any other dog life jacket I have ever encountered.


Wishing you fair winds, calm seas and excellent dreams,

[Lady Captin]

Thank you sooo much for such a wonderful, insightful reply . We will give your advice much thought , it has been in our ideas for some time to a degree . We realize that we don’t know much and are taking the steps we can at his time to change that slowly.

We respect a great deal of what you said and why . We are eager to sail our Tanzer , and take our first step to learning to sail our boat now. We will also put greater efforts into sailing aboard some others boats this summer .

Thank you again , for your kind , insightful advice and thoughts I was greatly appreciated , that you took the time to share so much !

Happy sails������

[Sam Woodbridge]

Hello Lady Captian,

I’m drinking a beer and read the first three pages and noticed your posting along the way! Sometimes thread makers post a question and they never post again.

I love your humor about blue water. It made me smile!

Here’s a not so old of a thread that you would find helpful. I posted on the second page with post number 25. You or your husband are more than welcome to pm me. Although I’m no expert and my sailing is limited I’m so pleased I didn’t end up with a full keel boat.

Here’s the link to the thread. I hope it helps - Sam

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ea-257020.html

PS. Look for Wingssail’s posts. He seems so spot on in the thread. And of course anytime Boatman61 chats in! I throughly enjoying reading and learning from his experience.

[hdelany]

Go with the 367. I almost closed on one. Keel stepped mast, blue water boat. Its a cutter and they dropped the keel lower than the 365 and moved the mast back for the cutter rig. Look for rotting mast base and step, and bad fuel tank. Also check the shaft alignment.



Hard to keep a big dog on a 36 footer.


A very solidly built boat.