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I interviewed my wife tonight after she has seen about a dozen boats with an eye to living aboard/cruising for a few months at a time. We have been looking at boats for decades but now it is time to start making lists.
This is her list off the top of her head. What would your wife add?
Topsides
Must haves
Access to the wheel from the companion way without climbing on the lasserette.
Be able to see over the cabin from the steering station
Good access to fore deck
Place to prop your back and put your feet up when sitting in the cockpit (This usually means not highly curved cockpit seating area)
Nice to haves
Swim platform
Pressure water at cockpit.
Interior
Must haves
Able to reach cabinets beyond table even if table is down without having to climb over seats.
Shower
Access to bead without contortions
Hot and cold water
No smells
Good ventilation (Usually defined as opening port-lights)
Head room
Reasonably flat cabin sole, no trippers
No lips at bottom of door ways
Place to prop your back and put your feet up when sitting in the cabin (This usually means not highly curved cockpit seating area)
A workable galley and decent storage would have been my wife's top pick, I think. She appreciates the ease of handling that our fractional rig provides, but wishes our cockpit was a bit more ergonomically friendly, esp while heeled.
The same with my wife, that, water tankage and a head with a separated shower. It has been quite amusing because on the boat shows that's about all she takes notes and then when I saw some boat I like (normally good sailing boats) she does not like them most of the time. They miss on some of the points that she find important.
We had a 36ft Bavaria and she compares that boat with all the boats we see on boat shows. The problem is that the Bavaria was a very good boat in what regards tankage and storage space. Even the galley was good for a 36ft boat.
I remember some bigger boats that I found interesting like the "old" Jeanneau 42i that she surprisingly found that had less storage space than the Bavaria in what regards storage.
It was of no use to argue with her that the weight distribution of the boat was very important and that the tanks should better be on both sides of the boat. She just see that is just a big waste of space
A boat is a compromise and each one has it's own. It is better to have a look without such a complete list and see how the boat meet the criteria you and your wife find more important.
My wife had been with me in some test sails and she found quickly that a narrow boat sails with a lot of heel while a modern beamy boat sails with much less heel. If the choose was all hers, she would chose a boat like the RM 1200, a boat with a huge initial stability and that sails with less heel.
I guess that heel is important while cooking. You have just to look to the new Benetau, the Sense and the Oceanis: The women have won, they want boats that heel not much while sailing and they have got it
I know you've probably mentioned it somewhere but I can't locate it right now. What type of sailing will you be doing? My criteria for a boat used primarily in the Chesapeake and on which we probably stay aboard no longer than two weeks max is not the same as my criteria for an offshore boat that we're starting to research.
The only thing that really spans both is plenty of head room and no AC.
I want an aft head and centerline berth in the offshore boat, not a big deal in our current boat.
Our current boat is a tub, I want better performance in an offshore boat.
So my list really depends on the primary cruising grounds and how the boat is to be used.
You don't mention cruising range, which as DR pointed out is important. You also don't mention budget which can impose major limitations on your 'want' list.
My range is Chesapeake Bay and coastal cruising and we found all that you describe in our Catalina 387. Worth a look I think if you plan similar sailing.
i agree,that would be very unlike any sail boat i've seen,every sail boat built has inherent disadvantages and any advantages of a particular model is likely to be at the expenice of somewhere else,i suppose thats why one sees so many different types
Of course, most if not all of these amenities will be found on larger cruising boats, but that comes at a cost. What size range are you considering?
The premise that women will appreciate the cruising life if their boat is more than a "pop-up camper" is a very valid point and I have seen more than a few men sailing single because their wives won't have a thing to do with the boat. This could all change if the boat were made more "homey" like having nice linens, good food/wine, nice atmosphere and creature comforts.......on the other hand, maybe the single men out there prefer it that way????
The premise that women will appreciate the cruising life if their boat is more than a "pop-up camper" is a very valid point and I have seen more than a few men sailing single because their wives won't have a thing to do with the boat. This could all change if the boat were made more "homey" like having nice linens, good food/wine, nice atmosphere and creature comforts.......on the other hand, maybe the single men out there prefer it that way????
I know of one person that is approaching his 50 yr anniversary, he goes sailing locally on Puget Sound, she goes to Europe! well anyway. His Ericson is a nice one overall too! altho a bit old................
Some of the above niceties are true from the female perspective. My spouse on the other hand, not sure that the QE would be big enough, even if it was an SV vs MV!
My boat has been made up to be pretty nice inside. yeah a bit smallish, but, could be worst!
Most boats in the 70' and up range seem to make her happy......for the most part......well, the truth is.....it needs to resemble our house, but outside of that, she's really easy to please.
Ok guys, this isn't about why your woman won't sail with you, we can already guess that. This is about those women that do love to sail and what we want when we cut the dock lines.
To the original author, her list is a great list not just for us gals but for a general cruising boat as well. A good well laid out galley down below is top on my list down below. Valiant 42 galley is the bench mark for me.
I love the fact that she put on the top of her list, helm station she can get too without having to climb over the lazeratte to get to. Most center cockpit boats one has to do this. It drives me crazy to see this serious safety defect.
Another topside feature is ease of sailing handling from the cockpit. If I cannot raise, reef or lower sails alone the boat either needs to be modified or not on my list.
Back in 1970 I scratched out the layout of a sailboat interior on the beach sand for a potential cruising partner and she bought it all! Now, with forty years aboard, she remains without a house, dishwasher, laundry appliances, big closet of clothes, big kitchen, etc. We raised two children aboard and they moved out a dozen years ago, so we are fulltime cruising after retirement and she has no desires to establish anything ashore. Some ladies will not fit the mold of what might be expected! Take care and joy, Aythya crew
The Wombet always used to say as we lounged about on our lovely old 34' Raven that if only we could inflate her a few feet she'd be happy. In reality at 42' that is what we ended up with and we are pretty much content. Points of interest ...
We'd love a swim platform and intend adding one. We'd like a walk through cockpit but at the expense of that lovely big lazerette ? Not so sure about that. Platform will be a grate off the transom.
Maybe because we are down here in Oz but I'm afraid refrigeration is for us an absolute must not an option.
Galley is a good size but I sure wish Bob Perry had designed it. That charming old bugger sure has a way with a galley doesn't he ? However with a fold up flap at the end of the workbench, which effectively then brings the chart table into the galley, we seem to have plenty of preparation room and twin sinks are nice. Stove with oven is good but we'll upgrade to three burners and grill (thats oz for broiler) rather than just two burners.
Fridge size is an interesting one. Yes I'd like it to be larger but its sufficient and we keep a cooler in the quarter cabin that we keep cool using those refreezeable brick thingys (hell I don't know what they are called) which we freeze in the main fridge. Happy with that, larger fridge would require more power to run but would make for easier access. Have given serious consideration to adding an extra fridge but location is undecided. If I was building a boat I'd have a two drawer fridge. Seems like the perfect solution to me.
Air conditioning ? Not until someone comes up with something that is cheap and easy to run off solar/wind generated 12v. Good shade covers , good insulation, good natural venilation and a fan or two will have to suffice. The idea of requiring mains voltage is anathema to us. Shade covers otoh are absolute essentials. We intend to add another that extends under the solar panels and out to both lifelines and pushpit. That will mean we can have the cockpit open in hot rainy weather, something the Swedes in their cool climate wisdom did not think about. A good preferably diesel heater is however a must have. The joys of winter cruising cannot be understated but you need heat and you need a really well designed dodger arrangement for incelement weather. Make damn sure it has an opening clear for the hot days.
I'm not absolutely sure what David means by centreline berth but that has to be hard to design in, surely. We have one I guess in that the double quarter berth extends under the cockpit but when the lee cloth is raised its not a place I'd like to spend time. We cruise mainly two up so when one is off watch they can kip on the leeward settee berth. If its really horrid, the best place to be is on the cabin sole between the settees.
Speaking of which, I consider rounded ends on settees to be an utter curse with absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever. Ours are only slightly curved so not too bad but that is the last thing on the list and at some point we will square off the port settee berth.
Lastly but not leastly ... I want and we have a nice deep bilge.
The Wombet always used to say as we lounged about on our lovely old 34' Raven that if only we could inflate her a few feet she'd be happy. In reality at 42' that is what we ended up with and we are pretty much content. Points of interest ...
We'd love a swim platform and intend adding one. We'd like a walk through cockpit but at the expense of that lovely big lazerette ? Not so sure about that. Platform will be a grate off the transom.
Maybe because we are down here in Oz but I'm afraid refrigeration is for us an absolute must not an option.
Galley is a good size but I sure wish Bob Perry had designed it. That charming old bugger sure has a way with a galley doesn't he ? However with a fold up flap at the end of the workbench, which effectively then brings the chart table into the galley, we seem to have plenty of preparation room and twin sinks are nice. Stove with oven is good but we'll upgrade to three burners and grill (thats oz for broiler) rather than just two burners.
Fridge size is an interesting one. Yes I'd like it to be larger but its sufficient and we keep a cooler in the quarter cabin that we keep cool using those refreezeable brick thingys (hell I don't know what they are called) which we freeze in the main fridge. Happy with that, larger fridge would require more power to run but would make for easier access. Have given serious consideration to adding an extra fridge but location is undecided. If I was building a boat I'd have a two drawer fridge. Seems like the perfect solution to me.
Air conditioning ? Not until someone comes up with something that is cheap and easy to run off solar/wind generated 12v. Good shade covers , good insulation, good natural venilation and a fan or two will have to suffice. The idea of requiring mains voltage is anathema to us. Shade covers otoh are absolute essentials. We intend to add another that extends under the solar panels and out to both lifelines and pushpit. That will mean we can have the cockpit open in hot rainy weather, something the Swedes in their cool climate wisdom did not think about. A good preferably diesel heater is however a must have. The joys of winter cruising cannot be understated but you need heat and you need a really well designed dodger arrangement for incelement weather. Make damn sure it has an opening clear for the hot days.
I'm not absolutely sure what David means by centreline berth but that has to be hard to design in, surely. We have one I guess in that the double quarter berth extends under the cockpit but when the lee cloth is raised its not a place I'd like to spend time. We cruise mainly two up so when one is off watch they can kip on the leeward settee berth. If its really horrid, the best place to be is on the cabin sole between the settees.
Speaking of which, I consider rounded ends on settees to be an utter curse with absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever. Ours are only slightly curved so not too bad but that is the last thing on the list and at some point we will square off the port settee berth.
Lastly but not leastly ... I want and we have a nice deep bilge.
I think the OP wants to ensure that his wife's requirements are not ignored, which I think is admirable. The final list may well have been the same between them, but each partner should still have a say. I would think anyone who doesn't own a boat alone would request requirements from the other partner (regardless of gender) who will also have financial and sweat equity invested. It just so happened that the OP's partner was his wife, whence his reason for asking advice of other women. Covering all bases.
Not directed at the OP in any way, rather at the general idea that women need to be mollycoddled more than men, and that maybe men would be happier leaving them at home:
I think the first list to make should be "What to look for in a wife"!
Every adventure I have undertaken in my life, from kayaking to BASE jumping to scuba diving to sailing, my wife has jumped into with equal enthusiasm. (And she is usually better at it than I am.)
It must be miserable to be married to someone who isn't as big of a nut as you are.
Not directed at the OP in any way, rather at the general idea that women need to be mollycoddled more than men, and that maybe men would be happier leaving them at home:
I think the first list to make should be "What to look for in a wife"!
Every adventure I have undertaken in my life, from kayaking to BASE jumping to scuba diving to sailing, my wife has jumped into with equal enthusiasm. (And she is usually better at it than I am.)
It must be miserable to be married to someone who isn't as big of a nut as you are.
Better to be a good sport about the gender thing. Practice catch and release. Sooner or later you find a keeper and then be amazed at how your life has changed.
My experience is that the "less into it" crew members (may include wifes, friends, children etc) really appreciate a boat with a high "comfort factor", in particular when the going gets a bit rougher which on any cruise will happen sooner or later.
COMFORT FACTOR = disp/(.65*(.7*lwl+.3*loa)*beam^1.33) This is an empirical term developed by yacht designer Ted Brewer. Large numbers indicate a smoother, more comfortable motion in a sea way. The equation favors heavy boats with lots of overhang and a narrow beam. These are all factors that slow down a boats response in violent conditions, which is a major factor in reducing crew fatigue. This design philosophy is contrary to many modern racer / cruisers. A value of 30 - 40 is recommended for a cruising boat. Racing designs are typically less than 30, and a full keel, Colin Archer design, could be as high as 55. Ted's recommendations were used for the optimal values, with a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 50.
Could it be that the social success I've attained over the years was due to my choice of the cruising vessel of the future? A wooden home built gaff rigged Spray?
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