|
Research Ideas
My suggestion is to charter a wide collection of boat types. I would suggest that you start with lighter more modern and responsive coastal cruisers so that you have a base line. Boats like Beneteaus and Hunters are exceptionally common in charter fleets. Then you might try an older quality built boat cruising boat, a higher performance cruiser like a J-37, a heavier live aboard type boat like an Island Packet, and perhaps a catamarran. Each will give you a different type of experience. Some aspects of each may appeal to you and some aspects of each may completely turn you off. It can be difficult to separate the problems with one boat from something endemic to a particular type of boat or manufacturer but as you sail on more and different types of boats you will develop a sense of your own taste in boats.
By the way, I agree with you about not buying too big a boat. I do want to point out that the length of the boat is a pretty poor metric to use to determine the ''size'' of a boat. In a perhaps more accurate sense, displacement tells you a lot more about how big a boat really is. Displacement tells you a lot more about the size of the sails, the amount of accomodations, costs of maintenance, and ease of handling than length. Within reason, a longer boat of equal displacement will be easier to handle, more seaworthy, offer a little more accomodations, a more comfortable motion and offer better performance on all points of sail.
Good luck in your journey,
Jeff
|