I am pretty sure I am not alone in that even though I am happy with my current boat, I always have an eye on what I want next. I think we all can pretty quickly put on paper a list of things that our next boat must have; lessons learned from either minor inconveniences all the way up to the major, like wanting standing headroom. I find myself doing this a lot, especially after watching some of the various cruising blogs out there. Man, some of those people are really living!
It would seem that over the years, things that people used to think were luxuries have now not only become affordable, but they have become compact and energy efficient as well. I mean, look at how far we have come with things like refrigeration. There are systems out there that are small enough and efficient enough that they can be installed on virtually any small boat and can be for the most part powered by solar energy. If you have a couple dollars, pretty much any boat with a battery can have cold beer. Imagine what some of the early pioneers of the cruising life would think of that. I mean, I was just looking at a combination washer and dryer that can run off a 2000 watt inverter and would actually fit on my 30' boat. Granted, that loss of space would be inconvenient. But if I wanted to have easily cleaned clothes, I could do it. And I could do it for the cost of a few dinners ashore. Unbelievable.
This brings me into what I wanted to talk about. For me, this is at this time purely hypothetical. But it is something I've been thinking about because it will become relevant with a decade or so. As we all know, sailboats are a compromise. I think we could make a case for the larger the sailboat, the less you compromise; except in the ability to easily handle the boat in less than ideal conditions. Now I know, electrical winches and the sort have made this less of an issue. But I think it is safe to say that simplicity at sea has it's merits. For something as important as sail control, I want the ability to manually do it. Anyone who has wrestled a 150 on the deck of a 30' boat can attest to how difficult that can be. Now imagine that 150 on a 50' boat!
So what size boat allows you to have most of your cake and yet still allows a single hander or cruising couple to easily handle their boat. Thankfully for now I happen to have a very spacious 30'er. I can and will have things like built in air conditioning at the dock. Things like a reliable water maker. I can fit them and more importantly, fit the systems required to support them. However, I can't fit a separate shower. I can't fit a below deck generator. I can't fit an air compressor to fill scuba tanks. I can't fit my 9'6 dinghy on the foredeck without getting in the way of things. This kind of stuff requires a bigger boat. Now granted, I could fit this stuff if I just bolted it down to the settee or in the V berth but I'm talked about properly securing this equipment in it's own place; and being able to service and conveniently use that equipment.
One of the blogs I was following had a very nicely outfitted boat with all those things, I think they even had a dishwasher that didn't breath. The boat had a hatch in the cockpit that lifted up and you crawled down into the engine space where all these systems were readily accessible. Very sweet setup. However, the boat was 53' long. To each his own but I do not want to handle a 53' boat all by myself. I don't even see the need for that much boat as a cruising couple. Four staterooms, three heads and six sea berths are unnecessary for two people. Even if you convert one of the staterooms to a shop, you still have too much extra space to collect stuff. Granted, this is my opinion based on what I would need.
So how do you compromise in this situation. I want my next boat to have a separate shower. I want to be able to fill my scuba tanks on board. Washing clothes and dishes would sure make self sufficiency much easier to handle. Now don't get me wrong, I fully understand the idea of the minimalist sailor and the fact that their time on the water is not spent fixing and maintaining all this extra equipment. One could argue though that their time instead is spent ferrying water cans ten miles or sitting on deck washing clothes in a bucket. While the cruiser with the complicated gear presses a button and then has a drink on deck while their clothes are being washed. I've done the minimalist thing and the older I get, the less I want to do that. Besides, a lot of this extra equipment has become incredibly reliable. Remember when watermakers were almost guaranteed to stop working within a few hours? Properly maintained and regularly used, that is almost a non issue anymore. Besides, if you can afford to have some of this stuff, why not? Even more so if you feel confident that you can fix most of it yourself.
As most would agree, a cruiser spends most of their time at anchor or tied to a dock. I am at a point in my life where I have the means to make that as comfortable as possible, within reason of course. So, while looking through the ads in my hypothetical boat shopping moment, it seems that in order to get even the first thing on my next boat list I have to jump up to 36'. 36' seems to be where the head transforms from the combicrapwashower room into a proper head and shower. And this even is kinda rare at 36'. So for the sake of this discussion, let's start at 36. Take your standard Catalina 36, a bigger version of what I already have. I get my separate shower but where do you put a generator? Forget the dive compressor. You might be able to install the dishwasher but the washer/dryer will definitely have to be part of the décor'-either in the aft stateroom or somewhere else where it would get in the way. And this is what I meant when I said "properly stored" earlier. To me that means securely installed so it does not move in a sea way, yet installed in a way that I can lift up a hatch and put my clothes into it, press a button and walk away. (with the generator running of course) My idea of a properly outfitted boat, when discussing these comfort and convenience items, is a boat that when you first walk into the cabin, you don't see any of this stuff. You may see the electrical panels that control it but that’s it. To get underway, you just turn it off and close the seacocks, or make sure the dishwasher is empty. On calm island hops, you may not even have to do that. Washing your clothes while motoring a few miles to the next anchorage- all the while topping off your batteries sounds like cruiser heaven to me. This is where my hypothetical search starts running into walls- these kind of conveniences seem to really only start showing up once you cross the 40' mark.
Or maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe I could manage to neatly install all this stuff in a 36' boat. If you plan to cruise with only yourself or one other person, 36' gives you plenty of extra space to work with. And, at least within the Catalina line, there is always a ton of wasted space that can be utilized to fit this increasingly small convenience equipment. If you think about how much of the interior space you actually use, modern boats have excess space anyway. I mean, rainy day, if you're not under the dodger, you're either laying in a bunk or sitting at the table. Other than those days, you're in the cockpit, on deck or off the boat. Surely compromises can be made within 36' to accommodate this equipment. Look at a 30' camper, you'll find most of this equipment so why not on a boat?
Being retired at a fairly young age, I want my cruising experience to be as comfortable as possible. I want little luxuries that make my experience less like work and more like a permanent vacation in a tropical location. To me, that means self sufficiency in as many areas as possible. Parts, food and fuel should be the only time I HAVE to go somewhere. I mean, isn't that what it's all about anyway?
So, what are your thoughts and experiences regarding my hypothetical meandering? What do you have in your boat that makes life easier and more convenient? What did you give up in order to get it? What equipment have you found to be not worth the hassle? And most importantly to me, what size boat did you finally settle on to have these things? Humor me if you will, but a lot of people talk about how to cruise as a minimalist. What about the pocket cruisers who try to have some of the conveniences found on bigger yachts? Again, purely hypothetical at this time, but I just want to see where this goes and maybe get some good information posted by those doing it so as to help others when they are thinking about how big (or small) a boat they need. AR
It would seem that over the years, things that people used to think were luxuries have now not only become affordable, but they have become compact and energy efficient as well. I mean, look at how far we have come with things like refrigeration. There are systems out there that are small enough and efficient enough that they can be installed on virtually any small boat and can be for the most part powered by solar energy. If you have a couple dollars, pretty much any boat with a battery can have cold beer. Imagine what some of the early pioneers of the cruising life would think of that. I mean, I was just looking at a combination washer and dryer that can run off a 2000 watt inverter and would actually fit on my 30' boat. Granted, that loss of space would be inconvenient. But if I wanted to have easily cleaned clothes, I could do it. And I could do it for the cost of a few dinners ashore. Unbelievable.
This brings me into what I wanted to talk about. For me, this is at this time purely hypothetical. But it is something I've been thinking about because it will become relevant with a decade or so. As we all know, sailboats are a compromise. I think we could make a case for the larger the sailboat, the less you compromise; except in the ability to easily handle the boat in less than ideal conditions. Now I know, electrical winches and the sort have made this less of an issue. But I think it is safe to say that simplicity at sea has it's merits. For something as important as sail control, I want the ability to manually do it. Anyone who has wrestled a 150 on the deck of a 30' boat can attest to how difficult that can be. Now imagine that 150 on a 50' boat!
So what size boat allows you to have most of your cake and yet still allows a single hander or cruising couple to easily handle their boat. Thankfully for now I happen to have a very spacious 30'er. I can and will have things like built in air conditioning at the dock. Things like a reliable water maker. I can fit them and more importantly, fit the systems required to support them. However, I can't fit a separate shower. I can't fit a below deck generator. I can't fit an air compressor to fill scuba tanks. I can't fit my 9'6 dinghy on the foredeck without getting in the way of things. This kind of stuff requires a bigger boat. Now granted, I could fit this stuff if I just bolted it down to the settee or in the V berth but I'm talked about properly securing this equipment in it's own place; and being able to service and conveniently use that equipment.
One of the blogs I was following had a very nicely outfitted boat with all those things, I think they even had a dishwasher that didn't breath. The boat had a hatch in the cockpit that lifted up and you crawled down into the engine space where all these systems were readily accessible. Very sweet setup. However, the boat was 53' long. To each his own but I do not want to handle a 53' boat all by myself. I don't even see the need for that much boat as a cruising couple. Four staterooms, three heads and six sea berths are unnecessary for two people. Even if you convert one of the staterooms to a shop, you still have too much extra space to collect stuff. Granted, this is my opinion based on what I would need.
So how do you compromise in this situation. I want my next boat to have a separate shower. I want to be able to fill my scuba tanks on board. Washing clothes and dishes would sure make self sufficiency much easier to handle. Now don't get me wrong, I fully understand the idea of the minimalist sailor and the fact that their time on the water is not spent fixing and maintaining all this extra equipment. One could argue though that their time instead is spent ferrying water cans ten miles or sitting on deck washing clothes in a bucket. While the cruiser with the complicated gear presses a button and then has a drink on deck while their clothes are being washed. I've done the minimalist thing and the older I get, the less I want to do that. Besides, a lot of this extra equipment has become incredibly reliable. Remember when watermakers were almost guaranteed to stop working within a few hours? Properly maintained and regularly used, that is almost a non issue anymore. Besides, if you can afford to have some of this stuff, why not? Even more so if you feel confident that you can fix most of it yourself.
As most would agree, a cruiser spends most of their time at anchor or tied to a dock. I am at a point in my life where I have the means to make that as comfortable as possible, within reason of course. So, while looking through the ads in my hypothetical boat shopping moment, it seems that in order to get even the first thing on my next boat list I have to jump up to 36'. 36' seems to be where the head transforms from the combicrapwashower room into a proper head and shower. And this even is kinda rare at 36'. So for the sake of this discussion, let's start at 36. Take your standard Catalina 36, a bigger version of what I already have. I get my separate shower but where do you put a generator? Forget the dive compressor. You might be able to install the dishwasher but the washer/dryer will definitely have to be part of the décor'-either in the aft stateroom or somewhere else where it would get in the way. And this is what I meant when I said "properly stored" earlier. To me that means securely installed so it does not move in a sea way, yet installed in a way that I can lift up a hatch and put my clothes into it, press a button and walk away. (with the generator running of course) My idea of a properly outfitted boat, when discussing these comfort and convenience items, is a boat that when you first walk into the cabin, you don't see any of this stuff. You may see the electrical panels that control it but that’s it. To get underway, you just turn it off and close the seacocks, or make sure the dishwasher is empty. On calm island hops, you may not even have to do that. Washing your clothes while motoring a few miles to the next anchorage- all the while topping off your batteries sounds like cruiser heaven to me. This is where my hypothetical search starts running into walls- these kind of conveniences seem to really only start showing up once you cross the 40' mark.
Or maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe I could manage to neatly install all this stuff in a 36' boat. If you plan to cruise with only yourself or one other person, 36' gives you plenty of extra space to work with. And, at least within the Catalina line, there is always a ton of wasted space that can be utilized to fit this increasingly small convenience equipment. If you think about how much of the interior space you actually use, modern boats have excess space anyway. I mean, rainy day, if you're not under the dodger, you're either laying in a bunk or sitting at the table. Other than those days, you're in the cockpit, on deck or off the boat. Surely compromises can be made within 36' to accommodate this equipment. Look at a 30' camper, you'll find most of this equipment so why not on a boat?
Being retired at a fairly young age, I want my cruising experience to be as comfortable as possible. I want little luxuries that make my experience less like work and more like a permanent vacation in a tropical location. To me, that means self sufficiency in as many areas as possible. Parts, food and fuel should be the only time I HAVE to go somewhere. I mean, isn't that what it's all about anyway?
So, what are your thoughts and experiences regarding my hypothetical meandering? What do you have in your boat that makes life easier and more convenient? What did you give up in order to get it? What equipment have you found to be not worth the hassle? And most importantly to me, what size boat did you finally settle on to have these things? Humor me if you will, but a lot of people talk about how to cruise as a minimalist. What about the pocket cruisers who try to have some of the conveniences found on bigger yachts? Again, purely hypothetical at this time, but I just want to see where this goes and maybe get some good information posted by those doing it so as to help others when they are thinking about how big (or small) a boat they need. AR