Three Stateroom Boats

[ViribusUnitis]

I was curious, why are you saying that a steel boat is out of the question.

There seem to be a a ton of steel boats for sail, and if your an iron worker, your options would really open up with a steel boat. It seems like steel always needs work, but I guess if your good at that sort of thing, then your good!

[sailcharleston]

I would prefer steel. I have a lot of trust in steel. Made it for a long time. Welding and cutting are easy, no blisters. Submerged objects? bring em on... I love steel. Even like the look of rust stains on a boat. Shows it has been around the block a time or two. Just seems they are out of my price range.

[ViribusUnitis]

Strange. I seem to find loughts of steel boats on yachtworld, and ebay in the price range.

Just steel makes me very leary cause of the rust rust rust everywhere. Course, it's probably the rust that puts them into my price range!

[Ishmael]

I've had thought similar to yours about giving everybody their own space, but I started to realize that most v-berths can be separated right down the middle with a lee cloth/curtain - perfect for young kids. The cushions are usually split right down the middle, and I was thinking I could secure the bottom of the curtain with a track and bolt rope while the top can be secured with some ties. The v-berth insert can be left out and another curtain could be hung along the contour of the insert giving privacy to each (now-separated) berth. Quick and easy - and the kids will have fun with it.

[Sailingbeagles]

We are heading off in 2 weeks for about 8 months or so on our 28' boat. Our kids are 8 and 10, and while the space is tight they each have their own area to hang out in (an area that is used by everyone else for something at some point during the day.) Ideal? Maybe not - but the boat is paid for and ours and one we are deeply familiar with.

I guess my points are 2.
1) A boat, no matter how big, is tiny compared to what you are used to. (unless you are all living in a 1 bedroom apartment now!) The idea of privacy on a boat is what you afford each other, not what you can close the door and take for yourself. We are so conditioned to think of giving each kid his/her own space - but do they really need it?
2) A charter vacation is a great idea, as long as you have a boat of a similar size to what you think you will buy. BUT . . . on your own boat, the kids will have their own stuff and will quickly develop their own ways to deal with whatever - on a charter, it is "vacation" mindset, with all that entails (good and bad). There are many, many things you feel are "necessary" on vacation that are not so required in real life (which is what cruising is, really!)
3) Creature comforts are your decision. When we tell people we have no hot water or running water (we have foot pumps), they look at us like we are heading out to the Sahara forever. We feel differently - we have a good stove/oven, a fridge, a manual windlass, good anchors, lots of water capacity, and incredible storage to take it all with us.

Good luck with the boat search and the getting ready. Keep an open mind about your space requirements, though if those are non-negotiable then that is that!

Cheers,

Nica
s/v Calypso
BCC #6
Calypso Sails Again!

[enovillo]

Sailcharleston, brother, you and I should start some kind of support group or something. I'm in exactly the same boat as you (pun totally intended). The only difference is that we're looking to leave in 4 years because our youngest is only 10 months old now.

I'll read through all the replies you received and hopefully will have something to contribute.

[enovillo]

I'm with Sailingbeagles about the "required" space. My wife and I are getting to the end of our first season owning a 33 footer. We're considering the idea of just taking off on this boat. We've noticed that we adults are the ones with the "need more space" concern, the kids don't really care (or ours are unable to articulate it, since they're only 3 and a half and 10 months old).

In particular, I'm the one who's most scared about the lack of space. My wife has the ability to adjust to whatever situation she puts herself in. I'm definitely less flexible.

I'd venture to say that most of the people here have had to share a bedroom with a sibling while growing up. Was it unmanageable? Or did we just deal with it as a fact of life? That's what kids are great at; they adjust. And we grown-ups can adjust as well, we just need to work at it on a more conscious level. We also need to make sure we don't inject these "necessities" into our kids, especially if we plan to spend a few years cruising.

If we could afford a 40-foot catamaran, we'd definitely buy one. But we can't, so, like everyone else, we'll cruise on the boat that best suits our plan given our budget.

Sailcharleston, have you looked at any boats with quarterberths on both sides? We've seen a few, all between 36 and 40 feet long. It doesn't give kids a cabin, but a lot can be achieved with curtains. We've also considered the idea of giving the kids the v-berth, but in that case we'd like to have a decent-sized quarterberth or even an aft cabin. I would love to be able to walk around the bed we sleep in, at least on one side of it.

Moving a bit higher in the budget, the Gemini 105 or 3400 are great for a family of 4, with their 2 aft cabins and a master cabin on the bridgedeck. There's a lot of used ones on yachtworld right now. Bridgedeck clearance seems to be the big issue with these ones, as well as seaworthiness. But I always say we'll be able to get to Colombia from the Great Lakes doing coastal cruising almost exclusively, and with passages so short that weather windows will be (should be?) accurate enough.

Now I'm off to buy a lottery ticket

[enovillo]

Sailingbeagles, great blog. I'll be following it closely.

Would you mind sharing what the sleeping arrangements are on Calypso? And what do the kids think about it? It seems like you've owned the boat for a while, so I'm sure they're used to spending more than just a weekend on it.

Best of luck on your imminent departure!