Your 27 - 32 ft story...

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Lexi22

A great list up to now, Catalina 30, Rawson 30, Watkins 27, Herreshoff H-28... Thanks a lot folks!

While boats in that size range can be a hoot to sail, just make sure the one you end up with has good access to all the critical stuff which will require maintenance or replacement at some point. I once spent 5 hours replacing a water pump">raw water pump on a Volvo in a 30' boat. This is a job I could have done in 30 minutes if I had been able to get at it easily. The alternative would have required removing half the galley - you don't want that!

[Onthehard]

My first boat in that size range is my current boat, a 32' Allied Seawind Mk II ketch with a Westerbeke 27 hp motor. Bought her back in the fall off the Chesapeake. Sailed down the Bay and motored through the waterway to North Carolina where she currently resides. Sails well. Comfortable ride.

[Lexi22]

So far,
Catalina 30, Rawson 30, Watkins 27, Herreshoff H-28, Caliber 28, Endeavour 32, Nicholson 32, Bodega 30, Cape Dory 31, Whitby '25,' Yankee 30, Graat Dane 28, US 27, Mariner 28, Irwin 27, 31' Cape George, J30, Kingscruiser 28, Islander 32, Cape Dory '25D,' Cal '25,' Bristol 27, Hunter 31, Columbia 29, Catalina 27, Cheoy Lee Luders 30, Karmac 30, Pearson 323, Pearson 26, Tartan 27-2, 32' Allied Seawind Mk II ketch...
Thanks.

[jen1722terry]

We second Orion Jim's thoughts on the Cape Dory 31 (and not just because we know and much admire Jim). We have one also and over the 8+ years we've owned her, get fonder of her each year. It's a great boat that could serve you well for many years. Why?

1. Cape Dorys are heavily built, but still good sailors. The boat can take a lot more than you can. If you hit something, she's not gonna snap off her keel and sink.

2. The 30 is one of the rarer boats with a larger aft head. This is quite handy for hanging wet foulies without dripping all over the cabin. Also, the head is not near your head when you're sleeping.

3. They're about 9 inches wider than the 30s. If you compare a Cape Dory 30 to a 31, you'll feel the spaciousness below.

4. The boat has a very sturdy rig.

5. The Cape Dory owners groups is a great bunch who have probably already solved any maintenance or repair problem you'll encounter.

6. The 31 is a pretty easy boat to sell, as only 84 were built.

7. The Cape Dorys are very pretty boats, though there is a bit of exterior teak to maintain.

8. Don't know if you have a lot of lobster/crab traps in your area, but the keel design, for some odd reason, skims right over the trap lines without fouling your propeller.

9. The down side is finding one in your area. That being said, the Catalina 30 is also a fine boat, readily available and the Catalina owners group may be the largest one out there.

Also, do you have a sailing club nearby? A yacht club is good, but sailing clubs are usually groups of younger folks who charter boats for weekend and longer trips and share the costs. Cheap sailing. You'll learn a ton from the more experienced sailors and maybe even work up to being a skipper yourself. My years in a sailing club near Philadelphia helped make me a better sailor, or at least good enough that I've yet to sink a boat.

Cheers, and good luck with the boat search.

[japawil]

While I’ve never owned a boat between 27’ - 32’ I only missed by a foot or two on either side.
My first boat with a cabin was a Venture/MacGregor 25. Light build, trailerable which fit my use since I was living in Las Vegas with Lake Mead being the only body of water nearby. Not what I would have chose had I lived near the ocean, but fit my needs well; easy storage, accessibility, cheap (I bought used), easy maintenance, beach-able. I had lots of fun with the kids on that boat.
My current boat is an Alajuela 33, again which fits it’s intended use: solid “blue water capable” cutter, with good tankage, easily single-handed, spacious for it’s size. I’m currently refitting her for extended cruising. I’m single and recently retired and after shaking her down along the coast of southern CA plan to sail her down to the Sea of Cortez for a season or two and then see where the blows me from there.

[George_SD]

We are in a 32ft Beneteau - our first boat, we got a good deal as seller had trouble showing the boat during the pandemic. It's a good size all around - can take you places, can live on it, or have fun with friends/family.

Boats get much more expensive with every foot, so try to stay as small as you can get away with. Besides knowing how to sail, prepare to be working on it quite a bit (if you like things to be nice) or to pay if you have the money.

It's fun - go for it.

[George_SD]

Originally Posted by Lexi22

So far,
Catalina 30, Rawson 30, Watkins 27, Herreshoff H-28, Caliber 28, Endeavour 32, Nicholson 32, Bodega 30, Cape Dory 31, Whitby '25,' Yankee 30, Graat Dane 28, US 27, Mariner 28, Irwin 27, 31' Cape George, J30, Kingscruiser 28, Islander 32, Cape Dory '25D,' Cal '25,' Bristol 27, Hunter 31, Columbia 29, Catalina 27, Cheoy Lee Luders 30, Karmac 30, Pearson 323, Pearson 26, Tartan 27-2, 32' Allied Seawind Mk II ketch...
Thanks.

Keep in mind, this is a very diverse mix of boats. Some are more of a coastal cruiser, others are perfectly fine off-shore. Some prioritize living space, some performance on the water, others stability or safety.

Also - you are not married to the boat - get what works for you or what you get a good deal on, use it and then sell it when you are ready.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by bigdogandy

My first boat in that range is my current boat - 1981 Endeavour 32 - ......................

Sorry, Lexi, I have owned a Catalina 22, a Catalina 25 and our Catalina 34, so I'm outside your range.


But we did charter an Endeavor 32 in the Virgin Islands way back in 1986 when we had owned our C22 for three years.


It was a fun boat to sail, and felt like an aircraft carrier compared to our 22 footer.


But what it taught me was/is that I don't buy into the "it's too big for me" idea.


Unless you're going from no boat to an over 40 footer, and if where you sail has plenty of mid-30 foot boats around (i.e., NOT a tiny lake), then IMHO that idea is nonsense.


We had no trouble with the 32 foot Endeavor, and got used to it quite easily.


Good luck to you, keep reading, studying and sailing.


When the time comes, YOU'LL know it!

[thomm225]

You'd probably also want to include the Catalina 27 and the Pearson 30 since these young folks learned so much on those boats and actually taking the $1,000 Pearson 30 they fixed up from Florida to some of the Bahama Islands.

One guy and three girls........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lwbHYOFD-4

[Grattaway]

Lexi hi
Here in NZ we have a Hartley RORC32 -its ferrocement professionally built in the mid 70's. Plenty around in all sorts of materials.

Size wise its a great boat. It has everything on board that 2 of us need to sail away for weeks at a time - head, nice galley, deck shower, electronics etc but is set up and size is right for one person to manage if solo. The blurb when these boats were new was that they were a nice size for a family of 7!! but 2 or 4 people sounds more sensible - so size is great for us taking a couple of grandkids out sailing

We can anchor easily enough in nice coves and bays without some of the issues that come from bigger boats and I can manhandle the anchor if I really have to. Size suits us if we need to pull into a jetty for water or fuel without it being a major issue

More mooring/marina options available for our size and weight and also lift out and or trailer in a boat yard is more widely available than for bigger boats -and at a better price. We can also do more of the maintenance and not spend days cleaning or bottom painting

Started with not a lot of sailing skills (but plenty of boating) and have learnt a lot of sailing skills out there "doing it" and can "play" with our sail set up to see how to continually improve, can handle lots of weather conditions and stay dry more often than not - and if we really wanted to we could sail off around the world (but are going bigger for that for more people space)

Rgds Wayne

[NorthCoastJoe]

Pearson 30 is comfortable and easy to manage alone. I have done a total rebuild on mine so basically a new old boat.

I was planning on selling it when I got my Downeaster 38 but somehow I am too connected to it.

If you are looking to crew in the SF bay let us know.

[CSY Man]

Add 1 foot to the above and get a CSY 33: I had one for 14 years, sturdy, seaworthy, roomy, well built, etc.
Highly recommend.

[laika]

Hi Lexi, we have had a Vancouver 27 for 10 years. sailed US east coast, bahamas, and w caribe. Lived solo with a large dog for 5 of those years and with my now wife for the rest. For us, having a watermaker and the solar to power it are the big things that have allowed us to continue to live in relative comfort onboard. We have also only done winters aboard in the last few years, opting for a life ashore again as well.

If we were going out full timing again we would consider buying something larger, but that would not be for any lack of our boat to handle where we'd want to go. It would be very hard to part with her, and if I were buying the boat again originally, there's not much I would have changed. The smaller boat was a good fit for my mid 20s self and has allowed us to save a lot of money over the years in addition to making our current part-time cruising lifestyle much more practical.

Tankage for us is sufficient, so far as 27' boats go, and having a watermaker allows us to stay in remote places for as long as our provisions and fishing abilities let us while still showering and washing clothes as we like. If crossing oceans, in addition to the watermaker and a manual backup in the ditch bag, we would probably be looking at loading the boat up with water jugs temporarily for that passage. I would add more tankage if I could, but it is not necessary.

It's really all about what you want. You'll find that not two sailors or their cruising boats are exactly alike out there. Some do just fine of smaller boats, some couldn't do with less than a large catamaran. No right or wrong answers. There may be compromises to be made with smaller boats, but certainly no hard deck of limitations.

[nwdiver]

My first boat was a 26 foot Thunderbird, I lived on for 2 summers while working doing diving benthic survey in the Gulf Islands of BC, the second was a Vancouver 27 that needed refit after a 5 year circumnavigation which was a dream after the Thunderbird......

[Island Time O25]

Also I should mention boats I looked at and almost bought but which for one reason or another did not. They would be at the top my list should I be in the market for that size again. 27'-30' Pearsons and 28'-30' Sabres. Both had excellent regional (New England) reputation and above average quality, although IMO Sabres were somewhat more pricey back then. Just watchout for signs of lack of regular maintenance which can destroy and devalue even the most reputable boat.