Top 10 Sailboats Easiest & Best to Single Hand

[Diceman]

Hello Sailor's
There are some great sailors on this site. In your opinion. What sailboats would you consider to fall into a top 10 category for easiest and best to single hand sail in a coastal environment. This would also include the possibly of living aboard? ( length 30 to 38 foot ) Use Up and Down the East Coast, Bahamas
Thanks
Diceman

[ereiss]

Have to look at the Freedom sailboats for ease of handling and roominess. Have a 38 that we just love. Very stiff. Don't look at reefing until 24+ knots.

[Stumble]

In this size range you have two real options. The first is a cat rigged boat like the nunsuch, everything else you just have to set the boat up to do it. No boat out of the factory is set for single handed sailing.

To be honest the only boat I know of in the 40ish foot range that was designed to be singlehanded is the Open 40, and they are NOT the boat for a beginner.

[RonRelyea]

I bought my Hunter Vision 32 for coastal cruising .... easy to sail and great at the dock!

All lines back to the cockpit, two jiffy reefs, electric winch for Main, lazy jacks, furling jib etc.

Just Launched – Hunter Vision 32 | Tom Dove

[Diceman]

Thanks ereiss for you suggestion. I should have said Wanted Top 10 on this post. I could not edit the heading of the post or if there is way I do not know how.
Thanks
Diceman

[MarkofSeaLife]

I don't know what you mean in that last post? You want us to put down what we think are the top ten? Very few have sailed on ten different boats solo so how the hell would they know? You will just get drivel.

Beneteau 393 I have done about 15,000 miles solo and I prefer to handle her myself.
I would prefer best as solo Jeanneau 54
Beneteau 54
Beneteau 50
Jeanneau 49
Beneteau 473 47 footer....
Beneteau 46
Beneteau 423

In that order. But if money was no object I would solo an Oyster 57, but I would have a cleaning crew at each port!

Basically, get the biggest boat you can. And only buy a "proper" boat, a modern, production boat, cheap, reliable, roomy etc.

[Diceman]

Thanks Stumble & RonRelyea MarkofSeaLife

MarkofSeaLife- Your right I should not have put the 10 in the post. Just should have said "What boat do you think would work the best for---".

I have thought about staying in the 32 to 34 foot range. I do like the roominess of the Morgan 382. Draft I'm sure is a issue to be concerned about. I have a wife that will be going most of the time but not helping much in the sailing department except at the helm a little.
I did take some lengthily sail lessons out of Maryland (not the 4 day deal) Up and including ASA 105 over the past two years and spend some time on Chesapeake Bay 30 to 46 foot boats. This by any means does not classify me as a sailor. Far from it. If I had not spent the money and taken the time to try to learn the right way to go at sailing I would have found my self in big trouble. Not to say I will not encounter lots of problems just that I will be better prepared for them now.
My asking for suggestion's on a boat came along because there are so many boat's to choose for sailing. All have a job to do just that some do a better job then others at a certain thing. I thought this site with it's long list of season sailors could offer some great advise on what boat's would work best. No need to reinvent the wheel.
Thanks
Diceman

[deniseO30]

Sloop rigs = easy to single hand But with varying annoyances like winches too far from the wheel or tiller.

[Jeff_H]

If you really plan on single-handing in coastal conditions, I would suggest that you look for moderate to light displacement for the length boat since they have more easily driven hulls that can get by with less sail area. I also recommend a fractionally rigged sloop since the have smaller headsails and so are easier to tack and trim shorthanded, although they are scarer in that size range. Most Fracs also have enough rig flex that you can avoid reefing or sail changes across a wider range of conditions.

I would suggest something like a J-34c, Express 34, or a Farr 1020 (I routinely single-hand the 38 foot version of this boat). All are pretty handy to sail since they are easily driven hulls and can sail with minimally overlapping headsails, without giving up sailing ability.

Jeff

[TQA]

Hmmm interesting question.

Easiest will be small but 'BEST' ? may be quite large.

I am a full time liveaboard and single hand about 50% of the time in fairly coastal conditions although the passage I am doing tomorrow is one of the rougher ones St Vincent up to St Lucia with a known acceleration zone and rough sea spot to the north of St Vincent.

My boat is a fairly light 44ft cutter with roller furling on the headsail only. I would say that having a roller furler on the staysail as well would make things easier and as I get older [ 65 now ] I might add this. I have slab reefing on the main and would not change this. Mainsail hoist and reefing lines are not lead aft.

With good forecasting I rarely need to reef on passage and the strongest conditions I would choose to sail in require that I use the first reef on the main and staysail only. 30 knots gusting 35.

When conditions are rough and seas are short [ the dreaded Caribbean two step ] my old lady maintains way much better than a 32 footer. So maybe this is best?

BTW she is a New Bombay Trading Company Explorer 44 and very definitely NOT FOR SALE OR HIRE.